We learn more and more
about more things every day if we try.
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Saturday, January 07, 2012
Wednesday, January 04, 2012
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
Live VH Concert Thursday?
Check out www.vhnd.com for info about a possible small venue live show from the boys on Thursday in New York.
Info at the following Rolling Stone link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-to-perform-at-new-yorks-cafe-wha-this-thursday-20120102
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Info at the following Rolling Stone link:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-to-perform-at-new-yorks-cafe-wha-this-thursday-20120102
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Music News - Van Halen Press Conference Tomorrow?
Maybe to announce tour plans and album - stay tuned!
The Van Halen News Desk (VHND.com) has breaking news on all things surrounding the much anticipated new Van Halen album! Here’s the schedule of events leading up to the new album’s release:
JANUARY 3rd:
*CONCERT DATES & CITIES ANNOUNCED for first wave of tour
JANUARY 10th:
*FIRST SINGLE PREMIERE
*FIRST MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE
*CONCERT TICKETS GO ON SALE
FEBRUARY 7th:
NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE
ALBUM TITLE: “The Future” is not the album title, as rumored. Stay tuned to VHND.com for an update on the actual album and song titles.
The Van Halen News Desk (VHND.com) has breaking news on all things surrounding the much anticipated new Van Halen album! Here’s the schedule of events leading up to the new album’s release:
JANUARY 3rd:
*CONCERT DATES & CITIES ANNOUNCED for first wave of tour
JANUARY 10th:
*FIRST SINGLE PREMIERE
*FIRST MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERE
*CONCERT TICKETS GO ON SALE
FEBRUARY 7th:
NEW ALBUM RELEASE DATE
ALBUM TITLE: “The Future” is not the album title, as rumored. Stay tuned to VHND.com for an update on the actual album and song titles.
Happy New Year 2012
Working on blogging more for 2012, politics, as usual - but also with music, movies and sports. First attempt to update is today with the addition of my live twitter feed to the website. Enjoy and pass it along if you like it!
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Tough on Blight
L
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
HAMDEN — Bradley Avenue residents are upset by the overgrown grass and weeds at the former Colonial Funeral Home, and the same goes for neighbors of properties on the town’s Top 12 anti-blight list.
Linda Robertson-Matson has been pulling and sweeping away weeds in the street in front of Colonial at Bradley and Circular avenues. Weeds and tall grass circle the building and grow on lots nearby.
Similar sites can be seen at 1372 Dixwell Ave., 25 and 83 Collins St., 104 Dix St., 55 Merritt St., 17 Dest Drive, 1470 Shepard Ave., 50 Maplewood Terrace, 69 Bradley Ave., and 831 Wintergreen Ave., addresses that are on the radar of the Anti-Blight Task Force, according to Curt Balzano Leng, chief administrative officer to Mayor Scott D. Jackson.
“The town is really tired of dealing with continually blighted properties and is taking a tough stance,” Leng said of the properties. All but the Wintergreen Avenue address are vacant, according to the task force list.
Violators can face notices of violation, citations, fines, liens, foreclosures and arrest, depending on the situation and which town agency has jurisdiction, Leng said.
People on Bradley and Circular avenues have been calling about the former funeral home’s condition. According to town and state records, the property is owned by Twenty-Seven Blake Enterprises LLC, whose agent is Paul Moraski of Country Hills Road.
Leng said the town will be hiring a contractor “as soon as possible” to clean up the funeral home and parking lot. Liens will be taken out to pay for the cleanup, he said.
Moraski didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.
Robertson-Matson on Monday said she and others are concerned that if properties aren’t taken care of, they attract “crime, violence and more of a police presence.”
On July 7, Assistant Zoning Enforcement Officer Adam Zona sent anti-blight and property maintenance violation notices to Moraski, who lost his funeral home license in 2006. Both the Superior and Supreme courts rejected his appeals.
“A citation is going out this afternoon,” Zona said Monday.
Despite the town’s action, Robertson-Matson isn’t satisfied.
“It’s too slow a process. I wrote a letter to the mayor last year. Why do things take so long? You’re tired of driving by that every day.”
The town also has sent violation notices and citations to Leona Rogers Sealy of North Carolina, owner of 50 Maplewood Terrace. She has been fined $100 a day since June 30, according to Zona. Sealy couldn’t be reached.
The Planning and Zoning Department is having the planting strips on the property lines mowed and liens will be put on the property for the cost of mowing, Leng said.
Contact Ann DeMatteo at 203-789-5716. Follow her on Twitter at AnnDDeMatteo. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhnews to 22700. Standard msg+data rates may apply.
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By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
HAMDEN — Bradley Avenue residents are upset by the overgrown grass and weeds at the former Colonial Funeral Home, and the same goes for neighbors of properties on the town’s Top 12 anti-blight list.
Linda Robertson-Matson has been pulling and sweeping away weeds in the street in front of Colonial at Bradley and Circular avenues. Weeds and tall grass circle the building and grow on lots nearby.
Similar sites can be seen at 1372 Dixwell Ave., 25 and 83 Collins St., 104 Dix St., 55 Merritt St., 17 Dest Drive, 1470 Shepard Ave., 50 Maplewood Terrace, 69 Bradley Ave., and 831 Wintergreen Ave., addresses that are on the radar of the Anti-Blight Task Force, according to Curt Balzano Leng, chief administrative officer to Mayor Scott D. Jackson.
“The town is really tired of dealing with continually blighted properties and is taking a tough stance,” Leng said of the properties. All but the Wintergreen Avenue address are vacant, according to the task force list.
Violators can face notices of violation, citations, fines, liens, foreclosures and arrest, depending on the situation and which town agency has jurisdiction, Leng said.
People on Bradley and Circular avenues have been calling about the former funeral home’s condition. According to town and state records, the property is owned by Twenty-Seven Blake Enterprises LLC, whose agent is Paul Moraski of Country Hills Road.
Leng said the town will be hiring a contractor “as soon as possible” to clean up the funeral home and parking lot. Liens will be taken out to pay for the cleanup, he said.
Moraski didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.
Robertson-Matson on Monday said she and others are concerned that if properties aren’t taken care of, they attract “crime, violence and more of a police presence.”
On July 7, Assistant Zoning Enforcement Officer Adam Zona sent anti-blight and property maintenance violation notices to Moraski, who lost his funeral home license in 2006. Both the Superior and Supreme courts rejected his appeals.
“A citation is going out this afternoon,” Zona said Monday.
Despite the town’s action, Robertson-Matson isn’t satisfied.
“It’s too slow a process. I wrote a letter to the mayor last year. Why do things take so long? You’re tired of driving by that every day.”
The town also has sent violation notices and citations to Leona Rogers Sealy of North Carolina, owner of 50 Maplewood Terrace. She has been fined $100 a day since June 30, according to Zona. Sealy couldn’t be reached.
The Planning and Zoning Department is having the planting strips on the property lines mowed and liens will be put on the property for the cost of mowing, Leng said.
Contact Ann DeMatteo at 203-789-5716. Follow her on Twitter at AnnDDeMatteo. To receive breaking news first, simply text the word nhnews to 22700. Standard msg+data rates may apply.
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Thursday, July 07, 2011
Transfer Station Open for Business with Town Employees at a Cost Savings to the Town!
Transfer Station to Remain Under Town Control; Rink Workers Still in Limbo
The town has come to an agreement that keeps town workers running the transfer station, still dealing with ice rink workers who must return to work by court order.
By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | 3:00pm
Efforts to privatize the town's transfer station have been abandoned, Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng told the Legislative Council this week.
Last year Jackson indicated a desire to bring in an outside company to run the station after problems arose there, and had been trying to strike an agreement with Trash Master, the company that collects residential garbage and recyclables, to run it.
Also at that time the operation of the Lou Astorino Rink was privatized but the State Labor Board recently ruled that was done illegally and the town must bring back the four town employees who lost their jobs because of it.
"The transfer station is coming to a very sound resolution," Leng said. "I want to thank the Public Works Union for working with the town over the last several months crafting this money-saving agreement."
Beginning next year, the new agreement is expected to save the town $150,000, Leng said, and improve service at the station, including added hours two Saturdays a month. The station will be run with three employees rather than the five that have worked there in the past.
"The short term message to the public is the transfer station is open for business and run at a lower cost," he said. "It's a win-win for the town."
But what will happen with the displaced rink workers is still being determined, Leng said. The town is appealing the Labor Board's ruling. Read more about it here.
"Negotiations and discussions with the union are ongoing," Leng said. "The council will get the recommendations which will be submitted in July to [the council]."
The town has come to an agreement that keeps town workers running the transfer station, still dealing with ice rink workers who must return to work by court order.
By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | 3:00pm
Efforts to privatize the town's transfer station have been abandoned, Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng told the Legislative Council this week.
Last year Jackson indicated a desire to bring in an outside company to run the station after problems arose there, and had been trying to strike an agreement with Trash Master, the company that collects residential garbage and recyclables, to run it.
Also at that time the operation of the Lou Astorino Rink was privatized but the State Labor Board recently ruled that was done illegally and the town must bring back the four town employees who lost their jobs because of it.
"The transfer station is coming to a very sound resolution," Leng said. "I want to thank the Public Works Union for working with the town over the last several months crafting this money-saving agreement."
Beginning next year, the new agreement is expected to save the town $150,000, Leng said, and improve service at the station, including added hours two Saturdays a month. The station will be run with three employees rather than the five that have worked there in the past.
"The short term message to the public is the transfer station is open for business and run at a lower cost," he said. "It's a win-win for the town."
But what will happen with the displaced rink workers is still being determined, Leng said. The town is appealing the Labor Board's ruling. Read more about it here.
"Negotiations and discussions with the union are ongoing," Leng said. "The council will get the recommendations which will be submitted in July to [the council]."
Concern Over Potential Loss of State Funds to Hamden
Town Officials Worried About State Union Vote
If state unions reject concessions, aid to cities and towns could be cut.
By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | June 23, 2011
News Wednesday that two major state unions had rejected proposed concessions aimed at closing a $1.6 million state budget gap sent shivers up the spines of local officials who fear the rejected concessions could cost town taxpayers.
Gov. Dannel Malloy crafted his 2011-12 state budget assuming the savings from the state employee unions and has said if those concessions aren't approved, thousands of state employees will receive pink slips.
But layoffs won't fill the entire budget gap, and Malloy also has said that cutting state aid to cities and towns is an option to balance the budget, something town officials said could be disasterous.
"Cuts to Hamden's state promised municipal aid would be extremely harmful toour taxpayers and to the town's financial stability," Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng said Wednesday.
"We base our town budget and set a mill rate based on what the state allocates the town," he said. "A major cut after the new fiscal year begins would be a disaster."
The new fiscal year begins a week from Friday -- July 1 --when tax bills carrying a mill rate of 34.66 will go out to taxpayers.
Two state unions have rejected Malloy's proposed concessions, and more will vote Thursday and Friday. The two unions who rejected the agreements represent 8,300 of the 45,000 state workers, according to the Hartford Courant. An outright rejection would leave the governor with $700 million to scrap up for the next fiscal year.
Leng said the town's state delegation -- which includes Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and state House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey -- will be working overtime to avoid the scenario that includes cuts to municipal aid.
"I am confident that our state delegation, with their leadership positions in both houses of the State Legislature, will work to avoid this and protect our town and our residents," Leng said.
For more information about Hamden and Curt Leng, please follow @townofhamden and @curtleng on twitter of friend/like Curt Leng and Town of Hamden on Facebook.
If state unions reject concessions, aid to cities and towns could be cut.
By Kathleen Ramunni | Email the author | June 23, 2011
News Wednesday that two major state unions had rejected proposed concessions aimed at closing a $1.6 million state budget gap sent shivers up the spines of local officials who fear the rejected concessions could cost town taxpayers.
Gov. Dannel Malloy crafted his 2011-12 state budget assuming the savings from the state employee unions and has said if those concessions aren't approved, thousands of state employees will receive pink slips.
But layoffs won't fill the entire budget gap, and Malloy also has said that cutting state aid to cities and towns is an option to balance the budget, something town officials said could be disasterous.
"Cuts to Hamden's state promised municipal aid would be extremely harmful toour taxpayers and to the town's financial stability," Mayor Scott Jackson's Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng said Wednesday.
"We base our town budget and set a mill rate based on what the state allocates the town," he said. "A major cut after the new fiscal year begins would be a disaster."
The new fiscal year begins a week from Friday -- July 1 --when tax bills carrying a mill rate of 34.66 will go out to taxpayers.
Two state unions have rejected Malloy's proposed concessions, and more will vote Thursday and Friday. The two unions who rejected the agreements represent 8,300 of the 45,000 state workers, according to the Hartford Courant. An outright rejection would leave the governor with $700 million to scrap up for the next fiscal year.
Leng said the town's state delegation -- which includes Senate Majority Leader Martin Looney and state House Majority Leader Brendan Sharkey -- will be working overtime to avoid the scenario that includes cuts to municipal aid.
"I am confident that our state delegation, with their leadership positions in both houses of the State Legislature, will work to avoid this and protect our town and our residents," Leng said.
For more information about Hamden and Curt Leng, please follow @townofhamden and @curtleng on twitter of friend/like Curt Leng and Town of Hamden on Facebook.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Union Concessions Approved
Union Concession Packages Complete
Agreements with municipal unions will save the town almost $1.5 million.
By Kathleen Ramunni | 1:18am
The last of the municipal union concessions for the next fiscal year have been negotiated and approved, saving the town almost $1.5 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
At a special meeting Monday and after two executive sessions, the council approved the packages with the unions representing workers in the Government Center, crossing guards, the library and the police and fire departments. It had earlier approved concessions from the Public Works, Recreation and Supervisor's unions.
The Town Hall, crossing guards and library unions agreed to take four unpaid furlough days, as well as postpone their 2 percent raises until Jan. 1, rather than getting them July 1 of this year.
New language in the workman's compensation sections of the agreements also reduces the percentage of pay the town is responsible for, Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng said, which will save the town money. Rather than paying 100 percent of wages, it will now pay 80 percent, he said.
Workman's comp wages aren't taxable, Leng said, so those receiving it actually received more since the taxes aren't taken out, leaving little incentive for those on it to return to work.
The Fire Department employees won't get a raise this year, Leng said, but will get this year's and next year's raise -- 4.5 percent -- next year. As a guardian service, they can't take furlough days, he said, but have agreed to give up four paid holidays.
The Police Department employees will get their 2.5 percent raises but agreed to give up 13 paid holidays, Leng said, and will have higher medical copays.
Both the police and fire departments also can take part in a sick pay buyback, Leng said. Under their contracts, upon retirement they can cash in up to 97 banked sick days, resulting in large payouts at retirement. Under the buyback, they can exchange those days for pension credits -- 45 days for one year, 90 days for two years and 140 days for three years.
"That reduces the payout of sick time," Leng said, and when they retire those hired to replace them are hired at a lower rate.
The concessions extend the contracts by two years, Leng said, and in September, town officials will begin negotiations with the unions over changes to the medical insurance and pension provisions in the contracts that he said are unsustainable into the future.
"If we don't do some changes, we will be in the same situation next year," Leng said.
"I would like to say thank you to all of the unions for coming to the table and helping out in these tough economic times," council member Kath Schomaker said.
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