Bringing Science to the Masses, Total Eclipse and So Much More

You may have heard, that the first total solar eclipse visible from the United States in 26 years will be seen in much of the country on August 21. While Connecticut is not in the prime viewing path, interest and anticipation is rising even in the Land of Steady Habits due to the unusual nature of the occurrence.

For the uninitiated, an article appearing in the latest on-line edition of the website Massive explains that “During a total solar eclipse, the moon covers the bright disk of the sun. If the sun were a perfect sphere, it would disappear entirely, plunging the viewer temporarily into full darkness. But beyond the surface of the sun extends the corona. Full of beautiful loops and streamers, the corona is normally invisible against the blinding light of the full sun.”

The article was written by Jesse Feddersen, a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Department of Astronomy at Yale University. In addition to his academic research and teaching work, for the past two years he has been presenting live planetarium shows to the public at Yale University's Leitner Family Observatory.

Feddersen notes that “because of its path over populated areas, the August eclipse will likely be the most viewed in history. Two teams plan to exploit this fact to coordinate observations across the United States,” in order to “combine images from 60 telescopes along the track of the eclipse.” It can best be seen along a path from Oregon to South Carolina.

“The continuous view of the darkened Sun,” he adds, “will create a data set for researchers to study.”

It is precisely that connection – between regular citizens and scientific experts – that is behind the launch of the Massive website late last year.  As the founders describe their mission, “we work directly with researchers to transform papers in their field from complex, technical documents into stories that anyone – including other scientists – can understand and enjoy. We focus on eliminating jargon, adding storytelling and perspective, and teasing out the big questions the research is asking without sacrificing depth.”

Put most succinctly, the website headlines, “Everyone should have access to science.” Towards that end, they’re in the midst of enlisting “a group of scientists dedicated to making science accessible to everyone,” by forming the “Massive Science Consortium.”

Recent articles include contributions from a molecular pharmacologist, a genetics expert, a biochemist, and a botanist.  The site offers free subscriptions to its newsletter, which highlights contributions from scientists in a range of fields worldwide.

The three founders – Nadja Oertelt, Gabe Stein and Allan Lasser – have added a veteran journalist who got her start in Connecticut to work directly with scientists in editing their work for a mainstream audience.  Kira Goldenberg, who had stints with the Hartford Courant and New London Day earlier in her career, has more recently been a leading staffer at The Guardian and Columbia Journalism Review.  She joins Massive as Editorial Director, energized by the potential of the fledgling venture.

“I’ve helped academics and reporters edit and hone their writing for the public as an editor at The Guardian and at the Columbia Journalism Review. I love working with people to make their writing the best it can possibly be,” she says on the Massive website.

Massive is a for-profit company funded by Bloomberg Beta, General Electric, and individual investors.  The founders explain the motivation that inspired the venture:  “We believe the world would be a better place if more people understood and trusted science, and used scientific reasoning to make sense of their world. With notable exceptions, we think that most of today’s science journalism and science communication efforts fall short of advancing this goal.”

The Massive team aims to combine “the storytelling and audience development techniques of a media company with the accuracy and authority of professional scientists and science communicators.”

That the first total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. in a quarter-century happens to occur during their first year of operations was, although not unexpected, largely coincidental.

Knowledge Corridor to Gain Boost as More Frequent Rail Runs Through It

For years, the tag line has been “innovation runs through it.”  In the coming year, there will also be more frequent rail service running through it, and that may make all the difference in the world. When proponents of economic development in what’s known as “New England’s Knowledge Corridor” get together for a conference this fall, it will be with the backdrop of the three anchor cities that span two states – New Haven, Hartford, and Springfield – being more connected than ever, with the start of the new regular rail service between the cities just months away.

The half-day conference, “Leveraging the Knowledge Corridor’s Transportation Assets and Investments to Drive Economic Progress,” will be held at Union Station in Springfield on October 18.  It will serve as the coalition’s 2017 “State of the Region” conference.

The keynote speaker will be Robert Puentes, President/CEO of the Eno Center for Transportation.  Panelists will include five members of Congress from the region:  Richard Neal and James McGovern from Massachusetts and John Larson, Rosa DeLauro, and Elizabeth Esty from Connecticut.

Plans also include talks by Connecticut Commissioner of Transportation James Redeker and his counterpart in the Bay State, Stephanie Pollack, Secretary/CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  Officials also anticipate releasing the results of the 2017 New England Knowledge Corridor Business Survey.

"In the Knowledge Corridor, we’re convinced that the transportation assets we have; new ones that will be coming online in the  next year or two, plus; those we are planning to see realized over a longer range time line constitute the bedrock of a competitive 21^st century economy that enables ready and affordable access to skilled workers, attractive markets and motivated consumers on a global scale," Tim Brennan, Chairman of New England Knowledge Corridor Partnership and Executive Director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, told CT by the Numbers.

On Monday, Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced that a joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts has been selected as the service provider that will operate and manage service on the Hartford Line – which is expected to launch in May 2018.

Work is continuing throughout the summer, including grade crossing upgrades in Wallingford this month, as part of the overall upgrade of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line – now branded as the CTrail Hartford Line, with expanded service scheduled to being in 2018, according to transportation officials.  Last month, construction in Meriden and Windsor included track construction upgrades.

New England’s Knowledge Corridor is an interstate partnership of regional economic development, planning, business, tourism and educational institutions that work together to advance the region’s economic progress. The region “transcends political boundaries,” officials point out, and it comprises the Hartford, Springfield and New Haven metro areas and is centered on seven counties in the two states, underscoring the area’s “rich tradition of inventions, research and higher education.”

The New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail Program is a partnership between the State of Connecticut, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.  The goal is to provide those living, working or traveling between New Haven, Hartford and Springfield with high speed rail service equal to the nation’s best rail passenger service, officials emphasize.

The Hartford Line will act as a regional link with connections to existing rail services, including Metro-North, Shoreline East, and Amtrak Acela high-speed rail services on both the New Haven Line to New York and on the Northeast Corridor to New London and Boston. There will also be direct bus connections to the Bradley Airport Flyer and to CTfastrak.  With a heightened level of direct and connecting service linking the region, the hope is that towns along the future Hartford Line will become magnets for growth – ideal places to live and to relocate businesses that depend on regional markets and travel.

All of which dovetails perfectly with the “selling points” routinely used to promote the Corridor:

• Academic Powerhouse – One of the country’s highest academic concentrations and largest capacities for research, with 41 colleges and universities and 215,000 students
• Exceptional Achievement – Consistently among the nation’s top 10 in percentage of the population with advanced degrees, science-engineering doctorates and new patents registered
• Big, Concentrated Market – The nation’s 20th largest metro region, with over 2.77 million people, is comparable to Denver and St. Louis, but with twice their population density, which means ready access to labor and consumers
• Large Workforce – A labor force of 1.34 million, 50% larger than the Charlotte metro area
• Business Hub – 64,000 businesses – 60 percent more than the Austin metro

"Providing frequent, reliable, commuter rail service connecting New Haven-Hartford-Springfield, the three major cities that anchor the Knowledge Corridor and its over 2.7 million people, will be nothing short of a game changer enabling the cross border region’s to reach its potential as an economic powerhouse within New England while simultaneously linking it to the white hot economies found in the Boston and New York City mega regions," Brennan added.

The CTrail Hartford Line rail service will operate at speeds up to 110 mph, cutting travel time between Springfield and New Haven to as little as 81 minutes. Travelers at New Haven, Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Hartford, Windsor, Windsor Locks and Springfield will be able to board trains approximately every 30 minutes during the peak morning and evening rush hour and hourly during the rest of day, with direct or connecting service to New York City and multiple frequencies to Boston or Vermont (via Springfield).  New train stations also are in various stages of development in North Haven, Newington, West Hartford and Enfield.

Also, very much a part of the strengthening transportation options with the potential to spur economic development is Bradley International Airport, which recently has added international flights on Aer Lingus (last year) and Norwegian Air (last month) and a direct-to-San Francisco route via United Airlines.

Connecticut Airport Authority Executive Director Kevin A. Dillon said the aim is to “build on Bradley’s strengths and continue our focus to deliver more convenience and connectivity for our region.  Flying to Europe from Bradley has never been easier and more affordable.”

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) conducted a bidding process and cost-benefit analysis for the Hartford Line program and selected TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts, which are forming a joint venture solely for the purpose of serving the Hartford Line. This marks the first time that CTDOT has been able to select and contract with an experienced service provider for a major transportation program, a more cost-efficient alternative to the agency creating a separate internal unit and hiring employees to manage the Hartford Line, according to state officials.

Webster Bank, Peoples United Are Among Nation’s "Most Reputable Banks"

Webster Bank and People’s United have been named among the "most reputable banks" in the country, according to the 2017 Survey of Bank Reputations, conducted by the independent organization Reputation Institute. Webster earned the highest score of any Northeast-based banks and ranked seventh overall in the United States. People’s United ranked at number 11.  The annual survey measures U.S consumers' perceptions of major bank brands.

American Banker, a trade publication focused on the banking industry, published the ranking of the most reputable banks in the country based on the Reputation Institute survey. More than 12,000 individual ratings were collected from customers and non-customers.  The ratings took into account citizenship, ethics/integrity, innovation, leadership, performance, products, services and workplace.

In its analysis, American Banker pointed out that regional institutions “are faring particularly well.”  Webster scored 76.4 while People's United scored 74.2.  The top-ranked institution, Georgia-based Synovus Financial, had a score of 80.7.

Stephen Hahn-Griffiths, an executive vice president at the Reputation Institute, said that while providing quality products and services is obviously important, it's a company's governance — or how it conducts business — that can make or break a reputation these days.

"The No. 1 thing people are looking for in terms of reputation of a bank is ethical behavior," said Hahn-Griffiths.

Of the 39 banks evaluated in this year's survey, more than half of them received "excellent" marks from their existing customers, up from just under a third of the banks in the 2016 survey. Perhaps more tellingly, over 30% received "strong" ratings from non-customers, versus zero in last year's survey.

Webster Bank, with its roots in Waterbury dating back to 1935, has over $25 billion in assets and 176 banking centers from greater New York City to Boston, offering a full range of financial services delivered by close to 3,000 employees. People's United, founded in 1842, is a premier, community-based, regional bank in the Northeast offering commercial and retail banking, as well as wealth management services through a network of nearly 400 retail locations and 5,000 employees  in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Consumer Protection, Or Not - Malloy Veto Draws Industry Praise

The Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) and Lumber Dealers Association of Connecticut (LDAC) are applauding Governor Dannel Malloy’s decision to veto Senate Bill 821, which would have affected consumer warranties for windows, roofing, and siding. The legislation was strongly opposed by LDAC since its introduction in February. Despite that opposition, the bill was passed unanimously on the consent calendar by the Senate, after a revising amendment was approved, on May 17.  The House passed it 80-70, as amended, on the last day of the regular session, June 7.  An earlier version was passed unanimously by both the General Law committee and the Appropriations Committee.

In a veto message on the bill, Malloy explained “This bill, while intended to add additional layers of consumer protections to the warranty process, would instead harm consumers due to its detrimental impact to the marketplace.”  The Governor described the bill as “simply unworkable,” adding that “the detrimental impact of this bill would be very real to Connecticut consumers: businesses could decide to not offer their products in our state, or to tailor their warranties in Connecticut by adding in extra fees…”

The association recruited other organizations to help fight aggressively against the bill – unsuccessfully - in the final days of the legislative session.  The full court press at the Governor’s door then began.  LDAC and industry partners “quickly mobilized to urge Gov. Malloy to veto this legislation,” the organization pointed out in a press release. “After a meeting with the Governor’s staff and more than 40 industry letters, the Governor decided to veto S.B. 821.”

Described as “a huge victory for the industry,” the legislation, according to opposing organizations,  would have been “overly burdensome for manufacturers of windows, roofing, and siding – leading to potentially devastating outcomes for independent building material dealers across Connecticut.”

The Window & Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) is among the organizations praising the veto.

"WDMA commends Gov. Malloy for vetoing this unprecedented and problematically-vague legislation," said Michael O'Brien, WDMA President and CEO.  "The bill would have changed existing law without any justification or public hearing, harmed manufacturers, dealers and consumers and created legal uncertainty and needless litigation."

A sweeping mandate for these manufacturers to cover all labor and replacement costs associated with warranty claims would have led to higher prices, they explain, along with weakened consumer protections, and fewer products available to consumers. The legislation would have also required manufacturers to address warranty claims within 30 days’ receipt of a claim – which industry officials say would have been “an unreasonable timeframe” to comply with.

The Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) was established in New York in 1894 and today is an 1,150 member association representing independent lumber and building material suppliers and associated businesses in New York, New Jersey, and the six New England states. The Window & Door Manufacturers Association is the premier trade association representing the leading manufacturers of residential and commercial window, door and skylight products for the domestic and export markets.

A year ago, the state legislature voted to override three vetos by Malloy, the only three since he was elected Governor. Three more bills passed by the legislature have been vetoed thus far this year.

CBIA to Women: Drive a Truck

The Connecticut Business and Industry Association’s Education and Workforce Partnership is turning its attention to the state’s increasing demand for drivers of trucks, buses, and heavy equipment – a demand which is expected to grow to 30,000 by 2024. And the focus of their attention is women, urging them to consider careers in transportation. In an effort to showcase well-paying jobs in the industry, the partnership teamed up with Workforce Solutions Collaborative of Metro Hartford to create a video that highlights this growing industry.

Ellen Underwood, who now drives for the state Department of Transportation’s bridge crew, explains in the video that driving was a “natural pathway” because she enjoyed being outdoors, and driving.  She’s been at it for 20 years, with a number of different employers, including a local municipality.  She says state polices “make it easier for a woman to be treated as an equal,” adding that “if you’re willing to work hard and learn new things, you can do anything.”

A contract driver for CNS Transportation, Karen Roderick, says her career began “as a challenge to see if I could do it.”  She recalls being “the only female” in truck-driving school.  She has since earned Connecticut Driver of the Year, the only woman to do so.

CBIA notes some key facts about women in transportation:

• Women in historically male-dominated jobs earn an average of 25 percent more than women in historically female-dominated jobs.
• Women consistently do better with their paperwork, take better care of their trucks, and are often better with their customers.
• Women, especially when compared with young men, are generally safer drivers.
• There’s a huge shortage of heavy and tractor trailer drivers yet only 6 percent of truck drivers are female.

Daiana Soto, featured in the video, drives a big rig, and launched her career just four months ago.  “My truck is my office,” she explains. The limited number of women in the field is quite evident, and Soto says it is a challenge she’s ready to take on. “You can do the same job (as men)… and maybe better.”

Ezzie Williams, a professional motorcoach driver for Town & Country in New Britain, began as a school bus driver. She says young people should consider the field, so that they can “get a career and make money.”

Two versions of the video are available—one a full-length video with interviews with six women in six different transportation careers and the other is a one-minute highlight reel.  The project was supported by the Walmart Foundation. The Transportation partnership (Transportation, Logistics, and Distribution Partnership – TDL), convened by the CBIA Education & Workforce Partnership, aims to strengthens the transportation workforce pipeline, support on-the-job training, and improve retention rates among new hires.

https://youtu.be/pNRpQ16ZRNU

Public Transit Commutes Double, Triple Driving Time in CT Cities

People who take public transportation to get to work in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area will have a commute nearly three times longer than those who drive to work.  In New Haven, the commute via public transportation is twice as long. Data compiled by Governing magazine indicate that across the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, public transportation riders spend significantly longer traveling to work than those who drive.  Data was compiled for the 25 largest metro areas, including New Haven-Milford and Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk.

Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area public transportation commuters spend an average of 69.2 minutes traveling to work. By comparison, it takes those who drive 24.9 minutes.  The 44,742 estimated public transportation commuters account for 10 percent of commuters, according to the data.

New Haven-Milford area public transportation commuters spend an average of 48.4 minutes traveling to work. By comparison, it takes those who drive alone 23.9 minutes.  The 17,504 estimated public transportation commuters account for 4 percent of all commuters.

In nearly every metro area, driving to work remains far quicker than using a bus or train, taking less than half as long in some places.  Across the country, Governing reports, transit systems are seeking to attract new customers as the latest national statistics show stagnant ridership. Cutting down on commute times represents an opportunity to serve more riders who otherwise have a choice in how to get to work.

“Operating speed is going to be important for customers, so if they want to compete in that market, they need to be more competitive,” says Steven Polzin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research. “Time is important to folks across the full economic spectrum.”

Governing compiled the most recent Census survey data measuring total commute times, including travel to stations and the time spent waiting for buses or trains. In the 25 metro areas where public transportation accounts for the largest share of all commuting, riders reported commute times an average of 1.9 times greater than those who drove alone. Similar gaps exist in regions where public transportation isn’t as prevalent.

A metro area’s overall commute times partly reflect its different types of transit. Commuter rail passengers spend an average of 69 minutes traveling to work, far longer than those taking bus or light rail. Accordingly, areas relying more on heavy rail, like Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, report lengthier commutes overall, Governing points out.

On average, the latest Census suggest Americans who drive alone spend an average of nearly 25 minutes traveling to work. The national average for bus commuters is 45 minutes, while those who ride subways or streetcars spend an average of 47 minutes traveling to work. For those who primarily walk to work, commute times average only 12 minutes.

College towns are about the only areas where public transportation commute times mirror those for auto commuters, according to the data compiled by Governing.

Financial Woes Aside, Dunkin' Donuts Park is Nation's Best Double-A Ballpark

With almost 49,000 voters weighing in on the top Double-A facilities, Dunkin’ Donuts Park, home of the Hartford Yard Goats, was the winner in the third-annual Best of the Ballparks fan vote from Ballpark Digest. It is the first time a new facility has won a Best of the Ballparks vote. Fans selected Dunkin’ Donuts Park over Peoples Natural Gas Field, home of the Altoona Curve, in a bracketed online competition at ballparkdigest.com that saw over 178,000 fans vote on their favorite minor league ballparks.

“We are extremely proud to hear that fans voted Dunkin’ Donuts Park as the best Double-A ballpark in the country,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said. “We want to thank all the fans for taking time to vote over the past few weeks and for Ballpark Digest for having this contest to help showcase Dunkin’ Donuts Park on a national level. This is such a wonderful honor and we have been completely overjoyed by the outstanding fan support at our games in Hartford this season.”

The Yard Goats have played in front of capacity crowds 15 times. This past weekend, 19,956 fans watched the Yard Goats in Hartford. Dunkin’ Donuts Park has been sold out completely in each of the last three weekends (Friday through Sunday) and filled to capacity in 11 of the past 17 home games.

Voters were asked to choose among Eastern, Southern and Texas League ballparks in five rounds of voting. Last year’s top vote-getter among Double A stadiums was Pensacola Bayfront Stadium, home of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.  In this year’s voting, Dunkin’ Donuts Park was seeded sixth when the voting began.

Dunkin’ Donuts Park is the first brand new venue to open in the Eastern League since Northeast Delta Dental Stadium—home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats—opened its doors in 2005, and it is seen as the biggest change to the league’s facility landscape since the extensive multi-phase renovation to the Harrisburg Senators’ FNB Field was completed prior to the 2010 season.

“Dunkin’ Donuts Park is one of the great stories in Minor League Baseball in 2017,” said Ballpark Digest publisher Kevin Reichard. “The Yard Goats front office persevered during a rough 2016 season and never wavered from a commitment to creating the best possible fan experience. That commitment to fans helped Dunkin’ Donuts Park snare a great honor in a highly competitive field.”

The stadium includes 18 luxury suites and two other suites adjacent to the dugouts, a kids “fun zone” just beyond the center field fence with an inflatable slide and bounce house and a glassed-in batting cage, which will allow fans with premium tickets to watch the players practice.

The Yard Goats are in their second year after moving 15 miles north from New Britain, where the team played through the 2015 season as the Rock Cats.  The club was forced to play its games on the road last year when construction delays caused the opening of Dunkin’ Donuts Park to be pushed back numerous times, ultimately to this season.

The team, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, is the first professional baseball club to call Hartford home since the Hartford Chiefs in 1952.  The team’s home opener earlier this year was played on the 20th anniversary of the home finale for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers.

Florida vs. Connecticut - Mixed Bag of Growth and Opportunity

Florida Governor Rick Scott spent much of Monday in Connecticut, urging businesses here to relocate to the Sunshine State. There’s no question that Florida has attracted some Connecticut residents and created jobs in recent years, but recent published reports highlight more of a mixed bag that appearances may suggest at first glance.

Chris McCarty, the director of the University of Florida's Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said in a PolitiFact.com article earlier this year that the state has yet to regain the construction jobs that were lost in the recession. McCarty said these jobs are important to note because they are high-paying. Prior to the recession (2006), there were about 668,700 construction jobs and in November 2016 there were only 461,800.

Scott, elected at the start of this decade, pledged to create 700,000 jobs (on top of what the state would have created anyway) in seven years, according to PolitiFact, has “more work to do before Scott hits the jobs total that he promised,” McCarty noted.

PolitiFact Florida is a partnership of the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald, “to help you find the truth in politics.”

Scott’s office announced last month that Florida tied Georgia for the fastest private-sector job growth rate of the 10 largest states in the nation during the past year, when Florida added 233,800 new private-sector jobs, the second-most in the nation.

Scott is a former resident of Stamford.  He has made similar trips to California, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and Minnesota, according to the Miami Herald.  The paper reported that Scott brought chief of staff Jackie Schutz Zeckman to Connecticut, but none of his economic development experts joined him. Scott has previously urged GE and Yale University to relocate to Florida.

The Connecticut foray comes a week after he gained legislative approval of a “growth fund” for infrastructure and job training meant to create new jobs, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

The new fund cannot be used for direct payments to businesses, according to published reports, but can be tapped to build roads or other infrastructure and improve job skills to benefit citizens at large, rather than just one company. Local governments and state colleges can apply for money for specific projects from the fund.  It was the result of a compromise with legislative leaders in Florida, who had been critical of what was described as “corporate welfare.”

Job-poaching trips to other states had been routine for Scott, the Sentinel reported, but were cut back last year when lawmakers eliminated funding for direct incentive payments to businesses. Florida legislators have set aside $1.6 billion for business incentives over the past seven years but have become increasingly wary of their effectiveness in light of high-profile projects such as the Orlando biotech firm Sanford Burnham, which is leaving the state after failing to meet its job creation goal, set more than a decade ago. The company had been approved for $350 million in incentives.

A recent United Way report in Florida shows that nearly 70 percent of jobs in the state pay less than $20 an hour, the state’s public radio station, WFSU, recently reported. The most common job in Florida is a retail sales position paying an average of $10 an hour. Next are food preparers and cashiers, according to the report.  An economic analysis compiled for the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau by Florida International University Metropolitan Center last fall showed that although many jobs have returned since the Great Recession, the new jobs are paying workers significantly less than the jobs they replaced, and the rebound has been dramatically uneven across the state.

Last month, Scott announced the unemployment rate in Florida stood at 4.5 percent in April, the lowest it had been since September 2017 and just above the national unemployment rate of 4.4 percent. Connecticut’s unemployment rate rose from 4.8 to 4.9 percent in April as the state lost 1,500 non-farm jobs, according to the state Department of Labor.  The jobless rate was 0.5 percentage points lower than a one year ago and the state added 5,500 jobs during the previous 12 months, with private sector employment increasing by 9,900 positions during the previous year.

Earlier this month, Scott signed a state worker pay raise into law, marking the first time in over a decade that Florida state employees will receive an across-the-board raise. All employees who earn $40,000 a year or less will get a $1,400 raise, and employees who earn more than $40,000 a year will get a $1,000 raise. Most state law enforcement officers will get a 5 percent raise and most correctional officers will get a $2,500 raise, and judges, elected state attorneys and public defenders will get 10 percent pay hikes, the Tampa Bay Times reported.  In addition, state group health insurance will begin moving toward a four tier system, and most public sector employees will default into a 401-k style retirement program.

Subway Looks to Technology to Spur Growth, Reinvigorate Brand

If it seems like Subway restaurants have stepped up the use of technology to combat the company’s first dip in growth in memory, you’re right.  Low-tech is out and high-tech is increasingly in at the Connecticut-based sandwich franchise mega-chain. Subway is aggresively introducing touch-screen ordering kiosks and a new mobile app – an effort to close the gap with competitors that have credited technology with helping boost sales. Subway is also testing dedicated pickup areas for mobile orders, a first for the company.

“It’s really a vision and strategy in how we want to evolve,” Carman Wenkoff, Subway’s chief information and digital officer, said in an interview with Bloomberg. “Customers are demanding a more complete experience.”

Subway launched a “bot” for Facebook Messenger in April that allows guests to order sandwiches and salads. The first-of-its-kind sandwich ordering bot was announced at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference with Agilitee, one of Subway’s digital partners, and is an innovation driven by the company's year-old Subway Digital division.

Customers can use the bot to order a sandwich or salad, customize it with their favorite bread; cheese; vegetables; and sauce, and pay on any device that supports Messenger. The bot for Messenger is described by the company as the latest addition to the brand’s mobile order systems that includes web ordering and app ordering. The new mobile app is available in about 26,500 of the chain’s 27,000 U.S. stores, which the company says is the largest deployments of a Messenger bot in the restaurant industry.

Subway has a presence in 112 countries, with more than 44,600 franchised locations. The company reports 7.5 million sandwiches a day served around the world.  Subway has more locations than any other restaurant chain U.S., but sales fell 1.7 percent last year to $11.3 billion, marking the third straight annual decline, according to research firm Technomic. Industry analysts point out that traditional fast-food chains are upgrading their equipment and embracing more natural ingredients, cutting into Subway’s decades-long edge in the healthy-eating arena.

The company, based in Milford, Connecticut, was founded almost 52 years ago by Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck. It remains a family-owned business. The company now operates about 26,744 stores in the U.S., a decline of 359 locations in 2016, the first annual decline the company has experienced.

A year ago, Subway announced the launch of Subway Digital, a new division centered on tech initiatives. The division’s focus was to be on evaluating all of the chain’s technology, ranging from its app to its loyalty program, with the ultimate aim of enhancing guest engagement, according to published reports in June 2016.

“With the creation of Subway Digital, we are committed to making the guest experience as meaningful, convenient and contemporary as possible, across all channels,” Suzanne Greco, Subway president and CEO, said in a statement at the time.

Subway is currently testing about 50 of the new self-ordering kiosks, Bloomberg reported. The technology allows customers to walk in and tailor their meals with more accuracy. Digital menus, meanwhile, are available in hundreds of stores. They can be changed instantly without having to print new signs and replace them. The chain also is testing out remodeled restaurants in eight areas in the U.S., Canada and England, according to published reports.

The upgrades require buy-in from franchisees, which own all of Subway’s locations. Though the company is helping pay for the changes, independent owners will bear much of the cost.

“We are investing heavily,” Wenkoff said in the Bloomberg interview. “Our franchisees are with us 100 percent.  Mobile devices are attached at the hip to pretty much all our customers these days.  It’s all about convenience.” The company also noted that Subway Digital, established last year, is in the midst of hiring more than 150 people for jobs supporting the brand’s “omnichannel approach.”

Broadway Awards Point Spotlight at Connecticut Connections

Westport native Justin Paul is having a big year.  The 2003 Staples High School graduate  added two Tony Awards this week to an Oscar won just months ago. And he is not the only Connecticut connection to the Tony Awards, announced on Sunday night. Paul won in the Best Original Score category for his work on Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen,” along with writing partner Benj Pasek. Before the night was out, the writers were back on the Radio City Music Hall stage to share another Tony for Best Musical for “Dear Evan Hansen.” In all, the play won six Tonys. Paul was the show's co-composer, co-lyricist and co-creator.

Rebecca Taichman won for directing "Indecent," the klezmer-scored historical drama about the Yiddish Theater that she co-created with playwright Paula Vogel. "Indecent" had its world premiere at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven in 2015. The play began as Taichman's thesis project for the Yale School of Drama in 2001. "Indecent" also won for best lighting for a play.

The 9/11-themed musical "Come From Away" won for best direction of a musical, Yale University graduate Christopher Ashley. It had a significant early reading at Goodspeed Musicals' Festival of New Artists in 2013. One of the show's producers spoke about "Come From Away" at this year's Goodspeed festival, just prior to the Broadway production opening.

Paul won an Oscar Award in February for Best Original Song during the Academy Awards for “City of Stars” from “La La Land.” At that ceremony, he thanked Westport's education and arts communities in his speech: "I was educated in public schools where arts and culture were valued and recognized and a resource," said Paul. "I am so grateful to all my teachers who taught so much and gave so much to us."  Paul shared the award for the song "City of Stars," from the film "La La Land," with fellow lyricist Benj Pasek and composer Justin Hurwitz, and Hurwitz's score from the film also won an Oscar.

Additional Connecticut connections at the Tony Awards:  the revival of "Hello, Dolly!" won awards for best revival of a musical, actress, featured actor and costumes. The show is based on a play by Thornton Wilder, who lived a large part of his life in the New Haven area. And the late August Wilson's "Jitney" won a Tony for best revival of a play. The majority of the 10 plays in Wilson's "Century Cycle" (though not "Jitney") were developed at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford and the Yale Repertory Theatre.