DoingItLocal

With winter quickly approaching and temperatures dropping, many homeowners may find themselves in need of heating assistance. Connecticut has a number of support options available to ensure no one goes without heat this winter. They include the following:

• Connecticut Energy Assistance Program: Administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services, the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP), provides winter heating cost assistance to more than 75,000 income-eligible households every year, regardless of their heat source. People should contact their local Community Action Agency to apply. Statewide consumer and application information is available on the web at www.ct.gov/staywarm or by calling 2-1-1. CEAP has significantly higher benefit levels from a record $135 million in federal funding to help heat Connecticut homes. Both homeowners and renters can be eligible. CEAP helps enrollees afford the cost of natural gas and electric heat, as well as deliverable fuels like oil and propane.
• Nonprofit heating assistance services: Operation Fuel and other nonprofits provide year-round emergency energy assistance to low-to-moderate-income households that don’t qualify for CEAP or who run out of CEAP benefits. Information is available at operationfuel.org.
• Winter Protection Program – Moratorium on Heating Source Shut-Offs: From November 1 through May 1, there is a moratorium in Connecticut on heating source shut-offs for eligible households. Customers should contact their utility and inquire about the Winter Protection Program, as well as other programs for which they may be eligible. More information is available from 2-1-1 by visiting uwc.211ct.org/winter-protection-winter-moratorium/.

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#Bridgeport CT– Eesidents and business owners to apply for FEMA financial assistance before the end of year deadline. FEMA will provide financial assistance to residents and businesses with documented loss or damage of property due to the impact of Storm Ida.

While the Bridgeport FEMA disaster recovery center is closed, residents and business owners that experienced uninsured property loss can apply through the online portal, or call 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) to request financial assistance.

Cost estimates, photos, and videos of damage or loss, insurance information and/or existing claims as well as the address and zip code will be requested by FEMA staff to assess each reimbursement request. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Residents and business owners who were denied assistance by FEMA for any reason are also encouraged to reapply.

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BRIDGEPORT, CT – At approximately 10:30 a.m. today 12/21/21, the Bridgeport Police Department’s
patrol division responded to a hold-up alarm at the Webster Bank branch at 3546 Main St. Bank
employees reported the bank had just been robbed by a suspect who leaped over the counter and
demanded that tellers’ hand over the cash.

The suspect was described as a black male with a medium complexion in his late 20’s. with what was
described as “scruffy” facial hair, a small mustache, and long braids in the form on a ponytail. He was
wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and black sneakers. The suspect subsequently
commandeered the ride sharing vehicle that brought him to the bank from the East Side. Minutes
later, he crashed the car on Thorme St. and fled on foot.

The Bridgeport Police Department is looking for the public’s assistance in identifying the suspect
shown in the attached photographs. The Connecticut Bankers Reward Association is offering a reward
for information that leads to the arrest of this suspect.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Bridgeport Police Tip Line at, (203) 576-TIPS (8477), or the
Detective Bureau’s Robbery/Burglary Squad at (203) 581-5293.
All tips will be kept confidential.

2021-12-21@7:34pm–#Fairfield CT– Fairfield arrest two more in a stolen car on I-95 southbound exit 17. Police located the stolen car on Mill Plain Road and followed them at a distance before turning on their lights. There was no pursuit, the car pulled over right away. A firearm was recovered. The highway was shutdown for a period of time. The car was stolen out of Stamford.

2021-12-21@10:29am–#Bridgeport CT– Police are investigating a bank robbery and carjacking at the Webster Bank at 3456 Main Street this morning. According to a witness that was inside the bank during the robbery said the robber apparently used an Uber/Lyft to get to the bank. She said the robber had the driver park at the Bagel King next door while he went to rob the bank. He got into the Uber/Lyft car when the dye pack went off (red Nissan, 2nd photo). The bank robber then carjacked a gray Mazda where he crashed on Thorme Street (bottom left photo). Madison and Blackham School both went into Lock In/Out. Police are looking for a skinny black man with long dreads wearing a white t-shirt. He is still at large.

2021-12-21@11:27pm– #Bridgport CT– Police are investigating a crash into the Nice and Fresh Bakery at 525 Broadbridge Road. There were no reported injuries.

2021-12-21@12:00pm–#Bridgeport CT– #cttraffic– A viewer sent in the picture of today’s vehicle fire in on Route 8/25 southbound in the right breakdown lane just before exit 3.

Digital Vaccination Cards Provide Alternative Option to Paper Cards That Patients Have Been Receiving Upon Being Vaccinated

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the State of Connecticut is now providing residents with the ability to store their personal COVID-19 vaccination records onto their smartphone devices. The digital vaccination cards mirror the paper cards from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that patients receive upon being vaccinated and provides them with a convenient option to securely show proof of being vaccinated on their smartphones without needing to physically carry the paper cards on their person.

The governor stressed that the choice to load digital vaccination cards onto smartphones is strictly optional. Those who do not have smartphones or do not want to digitize their vaccination records can continue using the paper cards they received upon being vaccinated as they have been doing over the last year.

Instructions for how to load the digital cards, also known as “SMART Health Cards,” onto smartphones can be obtained by visiting ct.gov/getmyvaccinerecord. The system uses CT WiZ, Connecticut’s immunization information system, to confirm a person’s vaccination status.

The SMART Health Cards display a QR code that upon being scanned will confirm the smartphone user’s vaccination status. The governor explained that the digital cards are more resistant to forgery than the paper cards, and they can also be easily obtained in the unfortunate event that someone loses their paper card and needs to replace it.

The QR code is based on a standard that has already been adopted by many states and countries, including New York, California, and Canada, meaning that Smart Health Cards issued by the Connecticut Department of Public Health will also verify vaccination status in those locations. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and numerous additional states are expected to launch programs soon using this standard.

“This digital vaccination card does one thing – it provides Connecticut residents with an alternative option to the paper card that they received when they were vaccinated,” Governor Lamont said. “If you don’t want to carry your paper card around with you in your pocket, or if you lost your card, then you can digitally load it onto your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to digitize your paper card, then you don’t have to, and you can keep using the paper card you were given when you were vaccinated. This option is just about more convenience for Connecticut residents.”

Throughout his tenure in office, Governor Lamont has made the digitization of state government records and services a top priority of his administration, saying that residents want the ability to conduct transactions more easily through digital means to save time and effort.

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2021-12-20@5:30PMish– Report of a 2019 gray Jeep Cherokee taken with force on Main Street near King Street. No weapon was shown, vehicle taken with force.

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The Stratford Library will present a special “Meet-the-Author” event on Tuesday, December 21 at 6:30pm with Charles F. Rosenay.  Rosenay, the author of the pop culture book titled The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists, which collects lists of favorite monster movies, actors, and other themes from 100 celebrities, will be doing an author appearance, book reading and personal signing at the Library.  Just a few of the pop culture icons featured in the book include William (Star Trek) Shatner, Butch (Eddie Munster) Patrick, Ruth (Laugh-In) Buzzi, baseball great Dave Winfield, the late actor Ed Asner, Bill (Lost in Space) Mumy, Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Gos, mentalist The Amazing Kreskin, singer Gary Puckett, and many others.  More than just lists, every submission was a list plus additional comments as to why the choices were made. Often hilarious, sometimes thought-provoking, but always fascinating, the lists run the gamut from fan-based opinions straight through to thesis-worthy chapters on the horrific elements in Shakespeare’s work.  At over 300 pages including photos and illustrations, The Book of Top 10 Horror Lists is a trade softcover published by BearManor Media and is available from Amazon.  Autographed copies of the book will be available for purchase after Rosenay’s talk at the Stratford Library on December 21.

    For further information, call the Library at 203.385.4162.  To register for the event: https://stratfordlibrary.libcal.com/event/8571181

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