Month: September 2020

Stratford News: Meet The Author

#Stratford CT–The Stratford Library will host author Alisson Wood for a special “Meet-the-Author” and “Books Over Coffee” program on Wednesday, October 7 from 12-1 pm.   Wood will discuss her recent memoir, Being Lolita.  The program, available on the Library’s Zoom platform, is free and open to the public.

Being Lolita is a dark romance about Bunnell High School senior Alisson and the teacher who takes her under his wing. In this breathtakingly powerful memoir about a young woman who must learn to rewrite her own story, Being Lolita chronicles Alisson’s metamorphosis from student to lover and then victim. A lonely and vulnerable high school senior, Alisson finds solace only in her writing—and in a young, charismatic English teacher, Mr. North. He praises her as a special and gifted writer, and she blossoms under his support and his vision for her future.   North gives Alisson a copy of Lolita to read, telling her it is a beautiful story about love. The book soon becomes the backdrop to a connection that blooms from a simple crush into a forbidden romance, with North convincing her that theirs is a love affair rivaled only by Nabokov’s masterpiece. But as time progresses and his hold on her tightens, Alisson is forced to evaluate how much of that narrative is actually a disturbing fiction.

In the wake of what becomes a deeply abusive relationship, Alisson is faced again and again with the story of her past, from rereading Lolita in college, to working with teenage girls, to becoming a professor of creative writing. It is only with that distance and perspective that she understands the ultimate power language has had on her―and how to harness that power to tell her own true story.

Alisson Wood is an award-winning writer whose essays have been published in The New York Times, Catapult and Epiphany.  She holds an M.F.A. in fiction from New York University and teaches creative writing at her alma mater and at Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop. She is the founder and editor in chief of Pigeon Pages, a New York City literary journal and reading series. Alisson was a winner of the inaugural Breakout 8 Award from the Author’s Guild and Epiphany. Being Lolita is her first book.

 

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Fairfield News: Crash

UPDATE: According to the police, the driver of the Subaru mya have had a medical episode while pumping gas.  He took off with the pump still attached to his car when he struck the oil truck.  It was determined the medical episode caused the accident.

 

2020-09-21@2:50pm–#Fairfield CT– A Subaru and oil truck collided on Black Rock Turnpike near Overlook Road where the road narrows and turns.  The driver of the Subaru was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

 

Stratford News: Creative Bug For Adults

#Stratford News: The Stratford Library Reference Department continues to offer stimulating programs for area adults.  In addition the department is also directing their users to a variety of online resources that now include Creativebug, an exciting new arts and crafts resource.

With Creativebug, Stratford Library card holders have an all-access pass to explore 1000+ arts and crafts video classes taught by recognized design experts and artists. Learn sewing, quilting, paper crafting, knitting, crochet, art & design, jewelry making and more. Viewers can also find new ideas and instructions on food & home, holidays & party and activities to do with the family.   Patrons can learn more about Creativebug 24/7 by visiting: http://stratfordlibrary.org/research/.

While visiting the site, patrons are also invited to check-out other online Library resources including ResearchITCT (magazines and newspapers), Consumer Reports (product ratings and reviews), Flipster (popular magazines), Freegal (stream music, make playlists) and Hoopla (free digital movies, ebooks and more).

To reach the Stratford Library call: 203.385.4164, Monday-Saturday, 10 am–5pm or email at: slaask@stratfordlibrary.org.

 

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ITT Debt Relief

Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong has secured an agreement to obtain $292,874 in debt relief for former ITT Tech students in Connecticut as part of a settlement with 48 attorneys general and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Nationally, the settlement will result in debt relief of about $330 million for former students of the failed for-profit college. The agreement affects about 43,000 loans.

The settlement is with PEAKS Trust, a private loan program run by ITT and affiliated with Deutsche Bank entities. ITT filed bankruptcy in 2016 amid investigations by state attorneys general and following action by the U.S. Department of Education to restrict ITT’s access to federal student aid.

“This settlement holds PEAKS Trust accountable for its predatory lending practices and the damage it has done to students across the nation. Thirty-nine Connecticut students enrolled in ITT Tech to seek an education, but were instead given debt and empty promises,” Attorney General Tong said. “Students’ hopes and dreams were preyed upon and this settlement should serve as a strong reminder that such lending practices will not be tolerated.”

PEAKS was formed after the 2008 financial crisis when private sources of lending available to for-profit colleges dried up. ITT developed a plan with PEAKS to offer students temporary credit to cover the gap in tuition between federal student aid and the full cost of the education.

According to the Assurance of Voluntary Compliance  filed Tuesday, ITT and PEAKS knew or should have known that the students would not be able to repay the temporary credit when it became due nine months later. Many students complained that they thought the temporary credit was like a federal loan and would not be due until six months after they graduated.

When the temporary credit became due, ITT pressured and coerced students into accepting loans from PEAKS, which for many students carried high interest rates, far above rates for federal loans. Pressure tactics used by ITT included pulling students out of class and threatening to expel them if they did not accept the loan terms. Many of the ITT students were from low-income backgrounds and were left with the choice of enrolling in the PEAKS loans or dropping out and losing any benefit of the credits they had earned, because ITT’s credits would not transfer to most schools.

The default rate on the PEAKS loans is projected to exceed 80%, due to both the high cost of the loans as well as the lack of success ITT graduates had getting jobs that earned enough to make repayment feasible.  The defaulted loans continue to affect students’ credit ratings and are usually not dischargeable in bankruptcy.

Under the settlement, PEAKS has agreed that it will forgo collection of the outstanding loans and cease doing business. PEAKS will send notices to borrowers about the cancelled debt and ensure that automatic payments are cancelled.  The settlement also requires the PEAKS to supply credit reporting agencies with information to update credit information for affected borrowers.

Students will need to do nothing to receive the debt relief. The notices will explain their rights under the settlement.  Students may direct questions to PEAKS at customerservice@peaksloans.com or 866-747-0273, or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at (855) 411-2372.

In June 2019, Attorney General Tong was part of a https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Press-Releases/2019-Press-Releases/AG-TONG-JOINS-STATES-IN-ANNOUNCING-$168-MILLION-IN-DEBT-RELIEF-FORMER-ITT-TECH-STUDENTS$186 million settlement that resulted in debt relief for 18,664 former ITT students. That agreement was with Student CU Connect CUSO, LLC, which also offered loans to finance students’ tuition at ITT Tech.

 

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Fairfield News: Driver Injured In Crash

Police UPDATE:

On Sunday 09/20/20 at 2045 hours, the Fairfield Police Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call reporting that a vehicle had just collided into a tree near the Traffic Circle, just east of McDonald’s located at 536 Post Road.

On scene, Officers located a red Volkswagen Beetle in the grassy portion of the traffic circle esplanade, where Post Road and Kings Hwy Cutoff intersect. Officers discovered heavy front end damage and found the operator of the vehicle laying on the ground nearby. The operator, identified as a 21 year old Weston Resident was boarded and collared by AMR and FFD personnel. He was transported to Bridgeport Hospital for evaluation. Police later learned his injuries were non-life threatening.  There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

The preliminary findings of the investigation determine that the operator had been traveling West on the Post Road as it entered the Traffic Circle. It appears the operator could not negotiate the right turn and veered off the road. Police are investigating if speed or alcohol played a factor.  This MVA is currently under investigation by the Fairfield Police Crash Reconstruction Unit.

2020-09-20@8:25pm–#Fairfield CT– The driver of this Volkswagen was injured and taken to the hospital with unknown injuries after hitting a tree at the circle across from McDonald’s at Post Road and Kings Highway.

 

Trumbull News: Observant Citizen’s Actions Result in Arrest of Teen Who Stole from Unlocked Vehicles

#Trumbull CT–Early Thursday morning, September 17, Trumbull Police apprehended a juvenile near Church Hill Rd. after a resident reported him knocking on their door around 3:00 am, and asking to use their cellphone so he can get a ride home. Officers arrested the fifteen (15) year old West Haven teen, after another citizen notified an officer that a teen was walking around like he “partied too much” and was asking to use his cell phone. The man pointed to where the teen should be before officers apprehended him. The investigating officer determined the teen matched the description of the juvenile that had knocked on the earlier resident’s door, and matched the description of one of several suspects that had been stealing from numerous cars in the area.

A resident first notified the Trumbull Police that juveniles were breaking into cars in the Edison Rd. area, and were traveling in a black BMW. An arriving officer located the BMW in the middle of the roadway with no lights on and the rear door open. An individual was then observed running from a nearby driveway, and entering the BMW. Officers confirmed that the BMW had been reported stolen, but the vehicle ignored the police emergency lights and siren in attempts to stop the vehicle as it sped away. Officers actively investigated the area and learned of several unlocked vehicles parked in residential driveways that had also been rummaged through.

 

Once this juvenile was identified, it was learned that he is the suspect in numerous other similar larceny and stolen motor vehicle cases, and currently has several other pending cases for similar arrests. The teen was charged with four (4) counts of Conspiracy to Commit Burglary 3rd, is scheduled to appear in New Haven Juvenile Court, and was released to the custody of his mother on a Promise to Appear.

 

The Trumbull Police would continue to remind all residents to ALWAYS LOCK YOUR VEHICLES, remove all packages and valuables, and never leave their keys inside. As always, please report anything suspicious as it occurs. Remember A.L.E.R.T.S. – Advise Law Enforcement Regarding Thieves Swiftly to assist in catching criminals. Residents are asked to use features that are readily available on their security systems to inform them of motion on their property, then notify the local police as soon as security system motion ALERTS are received. Always immediately report any suspicious persons or activity to the police and dial 911 for all emergencies. Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to contact the Trumbull Police Department directly at (203) 261-3665.

 

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