A message from Council Candidate: Jon Pulino

Jon Pulino (R) for Common Council

(R) Jon Pulino Candidate for Common Council

I currently serve as Chairman of the Northern Comcast Cable Advisory Board, The Zoning Board of Appeals and the Board of Assessment of Appeals in my hometown of Middletown. As an elected and appointed official, I take my jobs extremely seriously and diligently in order to get the work done for the people-as it they who I am working for. This local pride and work ethic began many years ago when my grandparents came from Rosalini, Sicily in 1951, it was this local responsibility that stuck with me and has carried over to my career as a public school teacher and as an elected official.  As the chairman of the Northern Comcast Cable Advisory Board, I worked with the board’s members to create a scholarship for high school kids in memory Justin Hinds, a local student that died of cancer.  As a member of The Board of Assessment Appeals, I attended over 300-tax appeal hearings in two years, while voting in favor of taxpayers whom I felt were being overtaxed by the government.  The point is that when I am asked to take a role in local government, I do it with pride and integrity as I realize that I am here for the people and nothing else.

Visit my facebook page: JonPulino4Council

For more information on Middletown Republican candidates visit www.middletownctgop.com

Mayor Drew Thinks Bookstore is a Good Idea

Originally published at:  http://wesleying.org/2012/11/17/mayor-drew-thinks-bookstore-move-is-a-good-idea/

"Despite all the brouhaha over the potential Wesleyan bookstore relocation—including dissenting voices from Middletown resident Jen Alexander ’88 and Red & Black owner Ed Thorndike ’89—Mayor Dan Drew remains committed to supporting the development on economic grounds. In a press conference on Wednesday, Drew praised developer Bob Landino’s proposal as a potential job-creator in Middletown. As Middletown Patch reports:

“This will bring a $6 million influx of funds into the Middletown economy,” said Mayor Dan Drew. “It will create 30 full-time jobs in the development complex.”
Joining Drew at a press conference in council chamber of city hall were Robert A. Landino, president and CEO of Centerplan Construction; Gerry Daley, longtime chair of the Economic Development Commission; and Larry McHugh, president of the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce.

Drew also compared the model to William and Mary College (though this slab of Washington Street is at least a few blocks from Middletown’s “historic downtown”) and praised Landino’s connections to the Middletown community (read: he’s not from “New York or Boston or Chicago”):

“It’s a model extremely similar to what’s been done at William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.,” Drew said — a university bookstore in the heart of an historic downtown. [ . . . ]
“If this were a developer swooping in from New York or Boston or Chicago that we didn’t know, it would create a tremendous amount of concern,” but, Drew said, Landino is a “known quantity” working with local Realtors, local architects and engineering firms.

Many of the reader comments, interestingly, are in favor of the move—and less in favor of Wesleyan’s involvement with it. As one “Jane” voices:

cant say I trust Wesleyan much with it’s promises to our town- those jobs will probably go to their students not what they call “townies”- people have a short term memory with promises to open the athletic center to our community- its not as accessible as they had us believe-"

For more on the controversies surrounding the bookstore proposal, click here or here.

Election Day Interview with Richard Sanford of Middletown, CT

OddFellows Playhouse Youth Theater

Oddfellows Playhouse Youth Theater

Oddfellows' Land of the Dead is having its last weekend!! Show is Tonight, and Saturday at 7:30 pm. Do you like zombies? Enjoy theater? Looking for a fun night out with a date?

Come to Oddfellows tonight and check out the show-- AND, NoRA Cupcakes will be here with their truck before and during intermission selling cupcakes!

http://oddfellowsplayhouse.ticketleap.com/landofthedead/

GO online to buy tickets or call us at 860-347-6143 to reserve. Seats are filling up.

Hurricane Safety Tips Checklist- Be Prepared

Hurricane Safety Tips Checklist – Be How to Prepare for the Annual Hurricane Season

1) Listen to the forecast. Pay attention to any warnings and determine whether to evacuate or ride out the storm.
2) If you choose not evacuate, find a safe shelter to stay in that is adequately outfitted with emergency supplies.
3) Ensure your family knows when to go to the shelter and how best to get there.
4) Install storm shutters on your home, or cover windows with plywood to keep them from breaking.
5) Purchase supplies such as non-perishable food, water, flashlights, a portable radio, batteries, and a first-aid kit.
6) Have rain gear and extra clothing stored in your shelter and easily accessible.

What to Do when a Hurricane Warning is Issued by the National Weather Service

1) Get a hold of family members to determine their whereabouts and enact your safety plan.

2) Gather animals in a safe place.

3) Fill your gas tank to ensure you can evacuate the area if necessary.

4) Follow the directions of local authorities and listen to local weather reports.

5) Don’t wait until the last minute to evacuate. If you wait, exit routes may be at a standstill or completely closed.

6) Move forward with securing your home, closing shutters and covering windows.

7) Ensure everything that can be blown around and cause harm is tied down securely.

Continued:

Middletown High School Shelter Open!

From Councilwoman Kleckowksi:

Shelter will open at noon-Middletown High School on Newfield Street. This is a pet friendly shelter. Pets should be crated. If you need to go to the shelter be sure to bring all your medications and your own pillow and blanket (there are pillows and blankets if you forget). For more information call 211. Thank you to all volunteer members of Emergency Management. Be safe!!! We are in good hands..Emergency Operation Center is up and running. All Emergency Personnel are on stand-by ready to ensure our safety. Thank you to all who are working to keep us safe!!!

Free Two Month Middletown Weather: From the Almanac!

Check out the 2 Month Free Weather Forecast for Middletown, Connecticut 06457. Compliments of www.almanac.com  

OCTOBER 2012: temperature 54° (2° below avg.); precipitation 3" (0.5" below avg.); Oct 1-4: Showers, warm; Oct 5-8: Sunny, cool; Oct 9-11: Showers, warm; Oct 12-17: Sunny, cool; Oct 18-24: Rain, then sunny, cool; Oct 25-27: Show-ers, warm; Oct 28-31: Sunny, cold.

NOVEMBER 2012: temperature 42° (5° below avg.); precipitation 3" (0.5" below avg.); Nov 1-5: Showers and flurries, then sunny, warmer; Nov 6-14: Rain to snow, then sunny, cold; Nov 15-22: Rain, then sunny, cold; Nov 23-25: Wet snow, cold; Nov

Meet John "Cliff Clavin" Rtazenburger in Meriden: It's Free!

              Residents of Chesire, Meriden, Middletown, Middlfefied and Rockfall!!
                            State Senator Len Suzio invites You and Your Children to Meet

                                      JOHN RATZENBERGER

                           Saturday, September 29, 11:30 to 1:30 P.M. at Sheraton Four Points Hotel                 

                                  

   John, host of the popular documentary series, Made in America, is a renowned actor. His voice characterizations have been featured in all of the Pixar movies, and he is well-known for his acclaimed role on the long-running hit sitcom, Cheers. A Connecticut resident, John is one of America’s leading champions of protecting and reviving American manufacturing jobs275 Research Parkway, Meriden (Two Minutes off 1-91)

Look at Dem Signs!

Dear  Middletown Democratic Town Committee Chair Dan Pickett, 
Look at the Dem signs on public property. Naughty, naughty. Please remove, thanks- The Insider

As seen on Patch: Our Children Deserve more than a Food stamp Future

An essay reposted from Middletown Patch blog as seen here

Candidate Wayne Winsley will hold a meet and greet at  Saturday August 18^th10:00am till Noon At Michael’s Gourmet Deli 83 Broad Street Middletown, CT 06457 Meet the future Congressman for CT’s 3^rd District. 

In his own words Winsley writes:

Incumbent DeLauro often repeats the phrase, “One in seven families in the third district are food challenged, which means they are often unsure where their next meal is coming from.”

Her answer to this dilemma after having over two decades to work on it is to offer more food stamps.

My solution is to create an environment where small and medium-sized businesses can grow in Connecticut and where more large businesses want to move into and not out of Connecticut so that more citizens can get off the dole and onto a full-time payroll. Then they can buy their own food and everything else they need want and desire.  

As someone who has used the safety net personally, including food stamps, I can tell from first-hand knowledge that while the safety is good and necessary to help those in need of help, there is not a single government program that has ever made a single person financially independent or entirely self-sufficient.

Our children can see this and even they have figured out that, “while the government can help you get by, you have to do something else if you want to rise up.”

Our children deserve the opportunity to rise up and embrace the promise of America.

Our children deserve more than the dead-end career paths of the social welfare system of the criminal justice system.

I will work hard to change the current attitude in Washington and in Hartford that talks about loving jobs while showing hate for job creators. 

Incumbent DeLauro, after more than two decades of ineffective occupation of the people’s seat in the third district, continues to offer nothing but empty rhetoric about free diapers a promise of more food stamps.

My vision is to help more of our citizens from food stamps to full-time jobs.

My goal is a strong America rebuilt on independence and productivity.

I believe our children deserve more than a food stamp future.

As your next representative, I - Wayne Winsley - will work hard to serve the citizens of the Third Congressional with forthrightness, honor, and integrity.

Middletown Loses a Legend

 Note: Post originally was published in The Middletown Press.


Arline K. Rich, of Middletown, died on July 20. She lived a long and fulfilling life. Arline grew up in Hartford, the daughter of the late George Kaiser and Anne Kaiser Sabonis, and was predeceased by a younger sister and her late husband, Arthur Rich. She lived in Middletown since the early 1970s.
Arline was an adventurous and courageous person who cared deeply about many philanthropic and community causes including the Forest & Park Association, Audubon Society, the Humane Society, Animal Rescue, the Connecticut Botanic Society and Earth Matters. On a local level she was a "regular" at most inland wetlands and planning and zoning commission meetings. Arline was also an active member of both the Third Congregational Church of Middletown and South Congregational Church of Hartford. She was vice president of the Third Congregational Church Ladies' Aide Society and she was active in the Partnership for Sharing, which puts on dinners for the community.
Arline began her diverse career as a window dresser; she became a radio engineer and served as copy chief for two NBC affiliates, channel 30 and 22. She went on to pursue her interest in art design and photography and became vice chair of the Photographic Society of America and served as vice president of the New England Camera Club Council. She served on the Thomas G. Smith Memorial Park building committee and as president of the Southern New England Woman's Golf Association. Arline was a founder of the Annual Woman's Golf Tournament Championship.
Arline was a mighty public servant who took stands on behalf of the citizens of Middletown on many issues. While not a political person, Arline cared deeply about good government and the democratic process and she was well-known for being a watchdog. For over 17 years, she served as a civic-minded member of the Westfield Residents Association, Middletown's largest and Connecticut's longest standing neighborhood association, and served as its chairperson for 10 years.
Arline will be sorely missed by loving friends Lois, Ann, Carolann, Cathy and her church families. A celebration of her life will be held at the Third Congregational Church on 94 Miner Street, Middletown on Saturday, July 28 at 11 a.m. with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111 or to the American Cancer Society .
Please sign the Guest Book at RememberingCT.us/middletownpress.

A Visit to the New Community Health Center

Today The Middletown Insider takes you inside Middletown's new Community Health Center Facility.

I've been having quite a bit of dental work done at our Community Health Center here in Middletown. Meanwhile, we have all been watching the construction of the new home for CHC on Main Street in the city's North End. The facility opened at last on May 14 and today I had my first dental experience in the brand new, state of the art, building. Words cannot adequately describe the delicious sense of space, color, and light that awaits the visitor upon entering this building. The choice of colors and furnishings in the public spaces made this visitor, and patient, feel most comfortable and welcome, somehow creating a sense that perhaps visiting the dentist  might be, for once, a pleasant experience!

More information about Community Health Center Inc.

                                                                Ground Floor Lobby

                                                                  Ground Floor Lobby 

                                                                   Third Floor Waiting Area

                                                                      Interior Stairwell

                                                                 The View Down Rapallo Towards the River from Third Floor 

Town Hall Meeting Middletown with Rep. Len Suzio

Former Superintendent Forms Super Music Group

Frechette, Haynes and Senges- Together Again: $350,000 + One Million Tour

            It seems that former Superintend of Schools Michael Frechette and his merry duo of cronies aren’t done polluting the intellectual stimuli of the citizens of Middletown, he’s back and this time his assembled a band that consists of his former assistants: Barbara Senges on tuba and Nancy “The Illegal” Haynes on blowhorn.  Although not officially named yet, some Middletown residents are calling the trio "The Users" or "The Richies".

“Although I was paid a tremendous sum of money from the Middletown school system for doing nothing, I decided to get the band together and play a final gig at Kiegwin Middle School for all my adoring fans,” Dr. Michael Frechette told reporters last night at a literacy press conference last night in Middletown.  “I will be selling CDs and I hope the citizens band together to bring me back for education work in town, which of course would benefit me due to the large consulting fee I will charge the district,” Frechette said with a twinkle in his eye as he adjusted his diamond ring and asked Haynes in a sharp voice to, “move my Rolls [Royce].”

Recorded Live from the Scream Room!

For $12.99 plus shipping and consulting fees, fans get the following songs:

One NIGHT ONLY! (CD COVER)

1)       I Fought the Law and the I Won

2)          Chain, Chain, Chain of Fools.. (Middletown Residents are Suckers!)

3)           Hit me with your Best Shot

4)           You’re so Vain with Carly Simon

5)            Poker Face

6)            Hot For Teacher in the Scream Room

7)            Mo Money, MO Problems

8)           Miki’s Girls

9)             The 466 Blues (Contracts are Null and Void Anthem)

10)         It’s good to be the King

11)         Theme from the Godfather

12)         Don’t stop Believing

13)         The Mileage Anthem

14)         It’s the End of the World as We Know it. (Teachers need Supplies)

Our Bill of Rights Set to Music Performed at Wesleyan

The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, set to music by Neely Bruce to be performed again at Wesleyan University, Thursday March 8 at 3:15 PM and 4:15 PM. The attached video is from an earlier performance and is only Part 1 of 8 Parts.

 

   

 

Click here for more information about this music and composer Neely Bruce. Also here is access to the other 7 videos.