Month: April 2022

FAIRFIELD BICYCLE RODEO

FAIRFIELD BICYCLE RODEOAT JENNINGS BEACH ON MAY 1, 2022FAIRFIELD, CT April 8, 2022– The Fairfield Police Athletic League (PAL), Town of Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee and local Cub Scout packs will present the 2022 Bicycle Rodeo in the Jennings Beach parking log in Fairfield, CT, on Sunday, May 1, from 9:00 AM to noon.
With the purpose of educating local youth on the basics of bicycle and road safety, this year’s bicycle rodeo will feature a training course with areas to learn proper riding techniques, helmet fitting and inspection, and equipment repairs. Hosted by the Fairfield PAL in partnership with Yale/New Haven Health, volunteers will set up the course and prepare the different stations. Starting at 9:00 AM, children will be invited to run through the course as well as receive bike safety education materials, reflectors, and other safety equipment.
Helmets will be inspected ensuring a proper fit. If needed, riders will be given new helmets free of charge. In addition, representatives from area Cub Scouts will be on hand to connect families with information about their local packs including how to join. After a break the last couple of years due to the pandemic, Cub Scouts are inviting area grade schoolers to join up and be part of all the fun.
The Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee’s purpose is to work toward making our streets safe and comfortable for all users through implementing our Town’s Bike & Pedestrian Master Plan. We appreciate this opportunity to promote safe cycling in Fairfield, especially among young cyclists,” said Sarah Roy, chair of the Town of Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee.
For more information about the Fairfield Bicycle & Pedestrian Committee, please visit www.fairfield.org/bikeped
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BIPARTISAN BILL TO EXTEND SCHOOL AND SUMMER MEAL WAIVERS TO FEED CHILDREN

Program Set to Expire June 30th if Not Extended

WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in introducing the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act, which would extend USDA school meal waivers from June 30, 2022 to September 30, 2023. These waivers have been crucial to helping schools and organizations feed children throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With most schools still facing challenges as they return to normal operations, the flexibilities the waivers provide give our schools and summer meal programs much-needed support to deal with ongoing food service issues and keep kids fed. The bill will also help schools transition back to normal meal operations under the National School Lunch Program. USDA requested this authority be extended in the omnibus.

“School meals have been a lifeline for millions of students throughout the pandemic, and we can’t allow bureaucratic red tape to get in the way of providing free, nutritious meals to our kids. Our bill would extend the USDA school meal flexibilities through this summer and the next school year to make sure that no kid goes hungry while schools and families continue recovering from COVID-19,” said Murphy.

“For many students, school meals are their only source for a nutritious meal. We need to remove barriers forcing so many kids into hunger. This bill extends the lifeline that enables students to stay healthy and grow intellectually and physically while providing sorely needed relief to so many families struggling to make ends meet,” said Blumenthal. 

“We should make it easier for kids to get the meals they need – not harder. Our bill cuts red tape and keeps the priority on giving children the healthy meals they need and deserve,” said Stabenow. “As we come out of this pandemic, schools are doing their best – but it takes time for them to transition back to their operations before COVID. We can’t let hungry kids get caught in the middle. Without this support, up to 30 million kids who get food at school will see their essential breakfast and lunch meals disrupted. And millions of hungry kids who rely on summer meals may have nowhere to go to get food.”

In addition to MurphyandStabenow, this legislation is cosponsored by 50 members of Congress including U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Alex Padilla (D-Cslif.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Angus King (I-Maine), Feinstein (D-Calif.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.),Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

Anti-hunger and nutrition advocates reiterated the importance of these flexibilities and applauded the senators’ bill to keep critical flexibilities for school nutrition programs to feed children.

“School meal programs, a crucial source of nutritional support for millions of families nationwide, face tremendous immediate and long-term challenges in the absence of these child nutrition waivers,” said Beth Wallace, president of the School Nutrition Association. “Acute supply chain disruptions, persistent labor shortages and escalating costs make it impossible for these programs to return to normal operations next school year. This legislation is absolutely critical to sustaining school meal programs, ensuring children have access to nutritious school meals and preventing substantial financial losses for schools nationwide.”

“Without Congressional action, the child nutrition waivers will end on June 30, 2022, causing millions of children to face a hunger cliff when they lose access to summer and school meals. Furthermore, schools and community-based organizations that feed our nation’s children need time to recover from the impact of the pandemic,” said Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research & Action Center. “We applaud Senator Stabenow for her leadership on this issue and strongly endorse this bill which would extend waiver authority through September 30, 2023. Hungry children can’t wait.” 

“As our country continues to experience challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including supply chain and labor shortages as well as increased food costs, access to healthful school meals remains of the utmost importance,” said Kevin L. Sauer, registered dietitian nutritionist and the 2021-2022 President of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Without crucial waivers in place, more children will be at risk for food insecurity and schools will no longer have flexibilities they badly need to operate successful, financially solvent programs. The Academy thanks and supports Sen. Stabenow, who is championing the Support Kids Not Red Tape Act, which would ensure continued access to healthful meals for students.”

“The sooner the USDA is authorized to extend child nutrition waivers, the sooner schools and community organizations can plan meal programs for summer and next school year,” said Lisa Davis, senior vice president of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. “Schools and community meal providers continue to face extreme pandemic-related challenges like supply chain disruptions, rising food prices and staffing shortages. Without waivers, they will have a difficult time responding to these challenges in real-time, impacting their ability to safely and effectively reach kids with the nutrition they need and stunting their ability to transition to normal operations as those challenges subside.”

“Nearly 12 million children struggle to know where their next meal will come from, disrupting their ability to reach their full potential. Fortunately, child nutrition waivers have helped provide year-round access to much-needed nutrition. If the waivers aren’t extended, millions of children will lose that access, with Black, Latino, and Native American children, and children in rural areas, being hit hardest,” said Vince Hall, chief government relations officer, Feeding America. “Because of the delay in extending the waivers, some site sponsors will have to close summer and after-school meal sites, translating to taking away meals that families are relying on to keep their kids nourished. Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, applauds the introduction of this bill to extend child nutrition waivers, continuing this critical lifeline for children. We urge Congress to act immediately to ensure our children don’t face hunger this summer and beyond.”

A broad spectrum of groups sent in letters to Congress to extend the child nutrition waiver authority. Letters included:

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Man’s Package Gets Him In Trouble With Woman…

#Milford CT– On April 6, 2022, Milford Police took custody of Jose Ramos of Pallisades Avenue in Bridgeport regarding an active warrant for his arrest. Ramos is accused of sending a package to a female, who is the protected person of a full no-contact restraining order against him, in October 2021.

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Nima doesn’t clown around with mortgages!

Bridgeport Man Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for Illegally Possessing Firearms

Leonard C Boyle, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that REYS ALFREDO VASQUEZ, 30, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to 42 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing firearms.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 22, 2020, Bridgeport Police arrested Vasquez in Bridgeport.  At the time of his arrest, officers seized from Vasquez several fictious driver’s licenses from several states, each with Vasquez’s picture and a different name, and his cellphone.  A court authorized search of the cellphone revealed a video, taken on August 22, 2019, of Vasquez holding a Glock handgun with a drum and laser sight, which Vasquez was offering for sale.  Investigators determined that the gun had been reported stolen in Georgia in June 2019.  In late 2019, the gun was recovered from an SUV outside of a Waterbury nightclub, and the investigation revealed that it had been in the possession of members of the Bridgeport-based O.N.E. street gang.

Vasquez’s criminal history includes state felony convictions.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

On December 7, 2020, investigators arrested Vasquez on a federal criminal complaint charging him with possession of a firearm by a felon.  Shortly after Vasquez’s arrest, investigators found and seized a loaded Glock handgun, which also had been reported stolen, that Vasquez had possessed.

Vasquez has been detained since his federal arrest.  On November 3, 2021, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

This matter was investigated by the DEA’s Bridgeport HIDTA Task Force and the Bridgeport Police Department.  The Task Force includes personnel from the DEA Bridgeport Resident Office, the Connecticut State Police, and the Bridgeport, Norwalk, Stamford, Stratford, Milford and Danbury Police Departments.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen L. Peck.

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Ganim Announces New Communications Director EXCEPT For Police

Bridgeport, CT – Mayor Joe Ganim today announced that he has appointed a new team to oversee communications for the City of Bridgeport. The appointments include Tiadora Josef as Director of Communications for the City of Bridgeport along with Communications Coordinators Liridona Egriu and Josue Jorge. Ms. Josef will oversee the communications department and serve as primary contact for all media inquiries and internal communications matters. The team will officially start on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

Tiadora Josef comes to Bridgeport with experience from her former positions working in the Mayor’s office for the City of Waterbury as well as for the Waterbury Development Corporation which supported the city’s revitalization and economic development as illustrated through TheWaterbury.com. While in the mayor’s office for Waterbury Ms. Josef served as the liaison and facilitator for the Governor’s office, state officials, boards and commission, and internal city communications in addition to other municipal responsibilities.

“Communications is a critical part of city governance that is responsible for providing the public with accurate information. I am very pleased to announce that Ms. Josef and her team will help tell the story of the great things happening in Bridgeport,” said Mayor Ganim. “Each talented individual has a deep sense of commitment to community and foundation for progression in the communications field to connect with Bridgeport residents and its stakeholders. This is an exciting time for Bridgeport.”

Rowena White has officially resigned from her position as Communications Director for the Mayor’s office and the City. We are thankful for her excellent service to the city and grateful to have worked with her.

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