CT's Blockchain Working Group Strives to Drive State Policy in Emerging Field

It was established in the final hours of the 2018 legislative session, and held its first meeting the following month, back in June.  Special Act 18-8 created Connecticut’s Blockchain Working Group, with little fanfare and less notice.  The objective:  make recommendations to the incoming 2019 legislature that will “help promote innovation and economic growth by reducing barriers to and expediting the expansion of the state's blockchain industry.” While the Task Force was getting started, another blockchain initiative was grabbing headlines.  Seven Stars Cloud announced in early  July that it was planning to purchase the former University of Connecticut campus in West Hartford to develop a $283 million financial technology hub that would attract more than 50 companies, along with a research institute and training center, with blockchain technology being the centerpiece.

Local zoning approvals are pending, and the state has agreed to loan the company $10 million for renovations to the 58-acre property, and to forgive the loan if the company employs 330 people there over five years. In late August, the company changed its name to Ideanomics.

The legislation calls for the leaders of the legislature’s Commerce Committee – Republicans and Democrats – to  jointly appoint and convene a working group to develop a master plan for fostering the expansion of the blockchain industry in the state and recommend policies and state investments to make Connecticut a leader in blockchain technology. It calls for the “master plan” to:

• Identify the economic growth and development opportunities presented by blockchain technology;
• assess the existing blockchain industry in the state;
• review workforce needs and academic programs required to build blockchain expertise across all relevant industries; and
• make legislative recommendations that will help promote innovation and economic growth by reducing barriers to and expediting the expansion of the state's blockchain industry.

A final report and recommendations is due on January 1, 2019.

The Working Group, which met initially on June 28 in Stamford, is chaired by Nick Kammerman of Westport-based Chateaux.  Members include David Noble (UConn Business School), Don Tirea (Checkmate Inc.), Jamil Hasan (Blockchain Consultant), Kevin Hart (Green Check Verified), Emily Goodman Binick (Blockchain Consultant), Margaret Feeney (Nat West Markets), Bryant Eisenbach (DappDevs), Spencer Curry (Trifecta Ecosystems), Philip Bradford (UConn Engineering School) and Stephen Ehrlich (Crypto Trading Technologies).  Legislators participating in the Working Group are Senators Joan Hartley and L. Scott Frantz and Representatives Caroline Simmons and Dave Yaccarino.  State Economic and Community Development Commissioner Catherine Smith serves as an ex-officio member.

Among the tax treatments the Working Group discussed preliminarily at the meeting, according to the  official Minutes,  were creating “tax incentives for companies that create blockchain products or use them who are currently in the state or coming to the state,” “changing laws to give blockchain industries access to banks in order to pay taxes,” and “figuring out how the state of Connecticut can implement a system to help blockchain/cryptocurrency companies and individuals pay taxes and fees.”

Testifying in support of the legislature this spring, Spencer Curry, CEO and co-founder of Trifecta Ecosystems, explained that “blockchain stands to revolutionize global industries by creating new revenue models and driving costs down on existing revenue models, automating processes with smart contracts, increasing traceability/visibility, and hardening security to malicious attackers.”

Supriyo B. Chatterjee of West Hartford noted that “blockchain has arrived in the Connecticut industries andwith it brings high-vbalue jobs that will contribute significantly to the Connecticut economy.” He pointed out that blockchain will have a “profound effect on the health sciences industry,” as well as the insurance industry and STEM jobs, and will “fundamentally change the distribution of goods and services worldwide.”

Curry went on to suggest that “supporting this technology will benefit Connecticut’s workforce through an infusion of excellent talent from around the world.  If the State does not embrace blockchain technology, it … will only hasten the corporate flight from our state.”  He said that “if the State chooses to empower companies exploring blockchain technologies, then a new wave of prosperity and success awaits these tried and true Connecticut industries,” such as insurance, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial, agriculture and military supply chain.

Commissioner Smith, one of the seven people to submit testimony on the bill, told the Commerce Committee at the March public hearing that the department lacks “the in-house expertise to conduct an informed analysis” of “all facets of blockchain technology.” The original version of the bill included $200,000 allocation for the Department of Economic and Community Development to conduct the study.  The Senate amendment eliminated the funding allocation.

Don Tirea of DappDevs indicated that a blockchain initiative that “incentivizes research and development for enterprises and startups, coupled with a highly skilled tech talent pipeline is a recipe for economic revitalization across Connecticut’s historic industries.  He added that embracing blockchain technology would create a “shift in our nation’s perspective of Connecticut’s ability to innovate”

Co-sponsors of the original legislation (Senate Bill 443), which was later amended in the Senate, included Senators Michael McLachlan, Heather Somers, Scott Frantz, and George Logan.  House co-sponsors included Caroline Simons, Michael Winkler, Livvy Floren, Laura Devlin and Linda Orange.

DataHaven to Launch Innovation Awards to Recognize Data-based Initiatives in CT

In conjunction with its 25th anniversary celebration this year, New Haven-based DataHaven has announced plan to launch the DataHaven Innovation Awards, which will be open to nominees from throughout the state. Winners will be selected in a number of education and community impact categories. Nomination will be accepted through October 1, and the award recipients will be announced at DataHaven’s 25th Anniversary Celebration on November 19, 2018. DataHaven is a non-profit organization with a history of public service to Greater New Haven and Connecticut. The organization’s mission is to improve quality of life by collecting, sharing, and interpreting public data for effective decision making.

“We are proud to highlight the creativity and ingenuity of those who employ data to make Connecticut a better place,” explained DataHaven Executive Director Mark Abraham. The awards will recognize organizations, groups and individuals who have demonstrated the ability to use data to improve the well-being of Connecticut communities.

The inaugural Data in Education Awards will recognize the outstanding use of data for projects developed within a classroom or educational setting. Nominations will be accepted in two categories, University and Graduate Level and K-12 Level.  Nominees can include teachers, students, school-based organizations, and non-profits working with youth.

The Data for Community Impact Awards will recognize the outstanding use of data to make a positive difference in one or more Connecticut communities. Nominations will be accepted in two categories: Large Organization, with more than 20 employees, and Small Organization, with less than 20 employees.  Nominees can include nonprofits, for-profits, funders, unincorporated groups, and municipal/state agencies.

Liberty Bank Foundation is underwriting the DataHaven Innovation Awards.

DataHaven maintains extensive economic, social, and health data, including information collected through the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Surveys in 2012 and 2015. DataHaven is a formal partner of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership of the Urban Institute in Washington, DC.

“We believe that data is a powerful force, uniting our state and helping make life better in Connecticut communities,” says Abraham. “Our statewide survey provides neighborhood-level data in key areas such as health, education, civic engagement and economic opportunity, so that programs and resources can be deployed to change lives for the better. Our goal is still to make life better for our neighbors.”

Presenting sponsors for the organization’s 25^th anniversary year are the City of New Haven, Yale University, Yale New Haven Health and The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.  Nomination forms for the DataHaven Innovation Awards can be found at http://www.ctdatahaven.org/anniversary and are due by October 1, 2018.

Survey: Three CT Metro Areas Among Top 50 Most Educated in U.S.

In an analysis ranking America’s metropolitan areas to identify the most educated in the nation, one Connecticut region – the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk area – was the 10^th best in the nation, and two others earned spots in the top 50.   Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford was ranked number 26 and New Haven-Milford placed at number 44. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area also ranked fifth in the nation in the percentage of bachelor’s degree holders and the percentages of graduate or professional degree holders.  The regions with higher percentages in both categories are Ann Arbor, Washington D.C., and San Francisco, joined by San Jose for bachelor’s degrees and Durham-Chapel Hill, NC for graduate or professional degrees.

Topping the overall list of “Most Educated Cities,” in an analysis from the financial services website WalletHub, were Ann Arbor, Washington DC, San Jose, Durham-Chapel Hill, San Francisco-Oakland, Madison, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Austin, and Seattle-Tacoma.  The analysis was developed by the financial services website WalletHub.

On a substantially less positive note, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area had the largest racial education gap in the nation, of 140 metropolitan regions included in the analysis.

Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, GreatSchools.org, Education Cities.org, Yelp and WalletHub research.  A total of 11 relevant metrics were used, in the areas of Educational Attainment, Quality of Education and Attainment Gap.

In another recent survey, using different methodology, West Hartford was declared the "most educated city" in Connecticut by the financial insurance website Insurify.  The website noted that the  U.S. Census Bureau recently reported that for the first time in history, over one-third of American adults now have at least a Bachelor’s degree and high school completion rates are at an all-time peak.

To determine the most educated community in each U.S. state, Insurify analyzed over 1.4 million completed auto insurance applications in which individuals were asked about their city of residence and highest level of education. Using a proprietary scoring algorithm, Insurify's analysts calculated a score for each applicant based on educational achievement, and, for current high school students, likelihood of advancement to college based on reported GPA. The resulting data set was analyzed to determine the average scores for each city across all age ranges, and a composite score was created for each city.

West Hartford led the list in Connecticut.  In Massachusetts it was Cambridge; in Rhode Island, Providence led the way.

Legal Challenge Seeks to End Prison Gerrymandering in CT

In 2010, New York State enacted legislation to ensure that incarcerated persons are be counted as residents of their home communities when state and local legislative districts are redrawn in New York, in an initiative designed to end what has come to be called “prison gerrymandering.” Connecticut has repeatedly considered legislation during the past decade – in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016 - that would make the same policy change, but that legislation has failed to pass.  A 2013 report by the Prison Policy initiative and Common Cause found that almost half of the state's prison population comes from the state's five largest cities, but almost two-thirds of the state’s prison cells are located in just five small towns - Cheshire, East Lyme, Enfield, Somers, and Suffield.

Because prisons are disproportionately built in rural areas but most incarcerated people call urban areas home, counting prisoners where they are incarcerated rather than in their home municipality results in a “systematic transfer of population and political clout” from urban to rural areas, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

That shift of political influence has ramification across the electoral system, and was the impetus for a lawsuit filed this summer against the state of Connecticut by the NAACP to force an end to the practice.  It is the first of its kind, and being widely watched.

The NAACP points out that Connecticut, like many states, disenfranchises prisoners and has concentrated its prisons primarily in rural areas. The effect is that white, rural voters in the districts where prisons are located have their electoral power unconstitutionally inflated, at the expense of voters of color in other, over-crowded districts.

The plaintiffs seek to compel the State of Connecticut to adopt a new redistricting map that counts incarcerated individuals in their home state legislative districts rather than in the districts where they are being incarcerated, thereby safeguarding the Fourteenth Amendment principle of “one person, one vote.”

Although a number of states continue to engage in this practice, the NAACP explains, Connecticut has some of the worst discrepancies in population numbers between its prison districts and most populated districts.

According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court, when prisoners are reallocated to their home districts, the population of the 59^th House District, which includes Enfield and East Windsor, where three state prisons are located, has an overall population that is more than 15% smaller than the most populated district in the state. The effect is that the vote of a person in that prison district counts for 15% more than each vote of a person in the largest district.

“This is about making sure everyone gets an equal voice,” said Germano Kimbro, a formerly incarcerated individual and plaintiff in the case. A resident of the 97^th House District, located in New Haven, one of the most overcrowded state legislative districts in Connecticut, Kimbro argues “My vote shouldn’t count less than someone else’s just because they live near a state prison.”

The NAACP, together with the NAACP Connecticut State Conference and individual NAACP members who live in five of the most overcrowded Connecticut state legislative districts, filed the suit.  The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by the Rule of Law Clinic at Yale Law School and the NAACP.

“Each person’s vote is to be equal to that of their fellow citizens,” explains Alden Pinkham, a student in Yale Law School’s Rule of Law Clinic. “Using prisoners to inflate the population of the districts where prisons are located violates this principle.”

Seven states (Colorado, Mississippi, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, and New York) encourage or even require local governments to exclude prison populations during redistricting.  The next legal filings in the case are due just after Labor Day.  A conclusion is not anticipated prior to the 2018 November elections, but with an eye toward 2020.

CT Journalists to Focus on First Amendment, Press Freedoms

Erica Moser was told, “newspapers are a dying industry,” when she began classes at Northeastern University in Boston in 2011. Since June a higher education and business reporter for the Day of New London, Moser will be back on campus in Boston next month as one of four Journalism Fellows from Connecticut selected to participate in the New England First Amendment Institute, organized by the New England First Amendment Coalition.

This three-day institute is open each year to 25 New England journalists and “provides the support and training necessary to become more accomplished investigative reporters, well versed in the freedom of information laws that govern today’s difficult reporting landscape,” according to NEFAC officials.

NEFAC provides the institute — from Sept. 16-18 this year at Northeastern University — at no cost to those who attend.  Joining Moser and representing Connecticut will be Ben Lambert of the New Haven Register, Barry Lytton of the Stamford Advocate and Skyler Frazer of the New Britain Herald.  It includes workshops and presentations featuring some of the country’s elite investigative reporters, editors and media attorneys.

Ben Lambert, a reporter for the New Haven Register, worked previously for the Torrington Register-Citizen, Mass Live News and the Valley Advocate.  Barry Lytton, a Stamford Advocate reporter since 2016, previously covered New Milford and surrounding towns for the News-Times in Danbury. Skyler Frazer is a government and education reporter for the New Britain Herald.  A Wethersfield native, he joined the paper in 2016.

NEFAC is the region's leading advocate for the First Amendment and the public's right to know. Formed in 2006, the coalition is a broad-based organization of people who believe in the power of an informed democratic society.  Among the 2018 Fellows are four reporters from Maine, eight from Massachusetts, and three from New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Stephanie McCrummen of The Washington Post, who won a Pulitzer Prize this year for investigative reporting, will deliver the keynote address. Joining McCrummen as featured speakers are Terence Smith, a contributing columnist for the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md., and David Cuillier, an associate professor at the University of Arizona School of Journalism.

Other speakers include Jennifer Bjorhus of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, Minn.; Michael Kilian of the Burlington Free Press; Cheryl Thompson, a contributing investigative reporter for The Washington Post; Cindy Galli of ABC News; Todd Wallack of The Boston Globe; Mike Beaudet of WCVB-Boston and Northeastern University; and Tim White of WPRI-Providence.

In recent years, attendees from Connecticut have included Susan Haigh of the Associated Press, Stephen Busemeyer, Suzanne Carlson and Mikaela Porter of The Harrtford Courant, Jill Konopka of NBC Connecticut, Kaitlyn Krasselt of the Norwalk Hour, Patrick Skahill of WNPR, Martha Shanahan, Lindsay Boyle and Julia Bergman of the Day, and Estaban Hernandez and Ann Misaro of the New Haven Register.

4 Renowned CT Manufacturers to be Inducted into Hall of Fame; Timex, Cheney Brothers, Farrel, Handy & Harman to be Honored

Timex Group USA (Middlebury), Cheney Brothers (Manchester), Farrel Corporation (Ansonia), and Handy & Harman (Fairfield) will be inducted into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame in Connecticut this fall, in the fifth annual ceremony. The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame (AMHoF) celebrates the innovative history of American manufacturing, raises funds for educational programs and promotes awareness of advanced manufacturing, which is critical to the economy.

The Hall of Fame is affiliated with the Housatonic Community College (HCC) Foundation in Bridgeport, which also serves as fiduciary.  BlumShapiro will serve as the Founding Platinum Sponsor of the ceremony for the fifth consecutive year. The 2018 AMHoF Induction Ceremony will take place on October 9 at the Trumbull Marriott.

The AMHoF has also announced that Robert Klancko is the recipient of its 2018 Leadership Award. Klancko has been a manufacturing leader in Connecticut’s manufacturing community for several decades. He has been a partner in his consulting firm of Klancko & Klancko LLC, and held key managerial positions for 20 years in the brass industry and another 15 years in the utility industry.

Timex began as the Waterbury Clock Company in 1854, and initially gained success with its dollar pocket watches. Renamed Timex in 1941, the renowned world-wide brand has its headquarters in Middlebury.  Cheney Brothers was a center of the silk industry in the late 19th and early 20th century in Manchester.  The 175-acre historic district in Manchester, includes over 275 mill buildings, workers houses, churches, schools and Cheney family mansions.

Founded in 1848, Farrel Corporation is based in Ansonia. During the American Civil War, they produced bayonets and cannon barrel.  Today, they manufacture process equipment for the plastics industry, and employ roughly 100 people.  Handy & Harman leveraged an early market advantage in silver bullion through acquisitions to provide not only bullion but alloys and prefabricated silver bands, wires, and moldings, as well as reclamation services to leading jewelers.

Klancko has contributed tirelessly to the field of technical education since 1972. He served as an educator at both the former Hartford Graduate Center and Waterbury State Technical College, and more recently at Mattatuck Community College. More recently, Klancko worked to educate educators in the Materials Manufacturing Summer Teachers' Institute at Southern Connecticut State University. He has also chaired and co-founded Environmental Studies and Materials Technology Advisory Committees at a number of state public and private colleges.

2017 inductees into the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame were Better Packages, MacDermid Performance Solutions, R.C Bigelow, Stanley Black & Decker and Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Specialty Metals. In 2016, the inductees were Bead Industries, The Benedict & Burnham Mfg. Co.; C. Cowles & Co., Chance Vought & Platt Brothers & Co.

The manufacturing firms added to the Hall in 2015 were Bridgeport Brass, Moore Tool, Inc. and Wheeler & Wilson/Singer, from Bridgeport, and A.C. Gilbert, Brewster Carriage and Auto and Sargent Co., from New Haven.  In the inaugural year of the Hall of Fame, the inductees were Bridgeport Machines, Bullard Machine Tool, Hubbell, Inc., Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Warner’s.

The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame is comprised of “a group of passionate citizens and manufacturers who believe it is important to appreciate and understand the proud history of American Manufacturing as a catalyst to take advantage of the distinct opportunities that advanced manufacturing can bring to American lives today and in the future.”  It was launched in Bridgeport at HCC, because the city was a “hub of manufacturing leadership and innovation in America for over a century, the organization’s website points out.

The site highlights that the first practical submarine, the first practical carbon electric light bulb filament, the modern automobile assembly line and the first robot all have their roots in, or were invented, in Bridgeport.

Any company engaged in manufacturing for at least ten years can be considered for induction. Companies considered have made “significant contributions to the field of manufacturing either by innovation, the improvement of a manufacturing process or by creating a product that has advanced humankind.”

Founding sponsor BlumShapiro is the largest regional accounting, tax and business advisory firm based in New England. The HCC Foundation was founded in 1990 to provide financial assistance to the College and its students beyond the fundamentals provided by the State of Connecticut.  Tickets to the induction ceremony event are now available.

New $1 Coin Series to Be Produced by U.S. Mint; CT’s Himes, Murphy Advocated for Innovation – and CT Company

American innovation is about to be highlighted by the U.S. Mint, but don’t expect to see the results in your loose change. The American Innovation $1 Coin Act will launch the newest numismatic coin program of the United States Mint later this year. The Mint will soon produce and sell $1 collector coins in recognition of American innovation and significant innovation and pioneering efforts of individuals or groups from each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories.  The new program – passed by Congress and signed into law this year - calls for the minting and issuance of non-circulating American Innovation $1 coins.

The legislation was initially proposed by U.S. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut’s 4^th District, and in the Senate by Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy.

The program’s duration is a 14-year period that begins January 1, 2019.  The coins are to be issued in the order in which the state or territory ratified the Constitution or were admitted to the Union. The law also authorizes a 2018 introductory coin which will be minted and issued in the latter part of this calendar year.

When the bill passed the House, Himes said: “This bill will support jobs and the industry around collectible coins, including here in Connecticut, all without costing taxpayers at all.” Murphy added: “Our country was built on innovation and entrepreneurship, and what better way to celebrate it than through a program that creates jobs and reduces the national debt.”

He noted that the proposed coin series would also support local jobs at Norwalk-based MBI Inc., one of the leading commemorative coin companies in the country.

The introductory coin will bear an obverse common to all coins in the program. It will consist of a likeness of the Statue of Liberty, and the inscriptions of “$1” and “In God We Trust.” The reverse of the introductory coin will be inscribed with “United States of America” and “American Innovators,” and it will include a representation of President George Washington’s signature on the first U.S. patent. The inscription of the year of minting or issuance, mint mark, and “E Pluribus Unum” will be edge-incused into all coins.

American Innovation $1 coins, to be issued at a rate of four new coins per year, will bear a reverse image or images emblematic of a significant innovation, an innovator, or a group of innovators from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States.  Published reports indicate that the $1 coins would sell for more than face value — up to $1.32 — providing a healthy profit for the federal government since the coins cost less than 35 cents to make.

“Americans tinkering in the shed, programming in the garage, and growing big ideas from humble roots have always had great impact on our economy and future,” added Himes. “We can honor them, inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and scientists, and help the economy with this coin series.”

MBI markets a wide range of historic coinage, like rare silver dollars and foreign coins from antiquity, according to the company website.  The company also capitalizes on the newly minted designs in circulation, and has already begun marketing the new state innovation dollar series to collectors.  The coins offered by the company, through PCS Coins, would be “protectively encased” in custom-designed “collector panels” prepared for placement in albums.  The coins will also be available from numerous other sources, but will not be issued by the U.S. Mint for general circulation.

The company’s publicity suggests that the Connecticut coin would include a back design honoring the state’s contribution to American Sign Language, but it is unclear if that decision has yet been made.  The company’s coin designs are shown on marketing materials “for illustrative purposes only.”

According to the legislation, the Secretary of the Treasury will select the designs after consultation with each Governor or other chief executive and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts; and review by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee.

Congress created the United States Mint in 1792, and the Mint became part of the Department of the Treasury in 1873. As the Nation’s sole manufacturer of legal tender coinage, the Mint is responsible for producing circulating coinage for the Nation to conduct its trade and commerce. The Mint also produces numismatic products, including proof, uncirculated, and commemorative coins; Congressional Gold Medals; silver and bronze medals; and silver and gold bullion coins. Its numismatic programs are self-sustaining and operate at no cost to taxpayers, according to the Mint.

Avon Library to Explore First Amendment, Freedom of the Press

Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote, “our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost,” is the centerpiece of a lecture series hosted by the Avon Public Library examining freedom of the press in America’s democracy. Anti-media rhetoric from President Trump, which was a constant during his campaign and since, has spurred interest in the topic.  The discussions in Avon, which are free, will be led by local educators and historians and continue into the fall.

Upcoming sessions are:

Discovering Katherine Graham  - Wednesday, August 15, 2018, 2:00 pm:  This program will consider relevant sections of Katherine Graham’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Personal History (1997) alongside the film adaptation, The Post . It will focus on Graham’s representations of the Newspaper Guild and the pressman’s strike, the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate Affair, and the Vietnam War in light how The Post depicts the struggle to uphold the principles of journalistic integrity when faced with adversity.   The literature discussion will be led by Aimee Pozorski, CCSU English Department; film discussion will be led by Dr. Karen Ritzenhoff, CCSU Communication Department.

“We Hold These Truths”: The Declaration of Independence; A Single Page that Changed the World - Tuesday, August 21, 2018, 2:00 pm:  An interactive and illustrated discussion about the events surrounding the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress will be led by Bev York, Education Director for the Windham Textile and History Museum.  Attendees are asked to review the declaration of Independence prior to the session.

The Bill of Rights for High School Students - Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 3:00 pm:  What can students say and do to exercise the First Amendment right of free speech and freedom of religion in schools?  How has the Supreme Court ruled on these issues, and what avenues of redress are open to students if they think that their rights have been violated?  These and other questions will be explored in this session, led by Stephen McGrath, CCSU History Department.  It is geared for teens, but attendance is not limited.

The Popularity of Alexander Hamilton - Thursday, September 13, 2018, 3:00 pm: An illustrated talk about the inspiring story of the Alexander Hamilton, and his contributions, struggles, and tragic death.  After years of being perceived as having only a supporting role, Hamilton’s star has risen, confirming his belief that “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” The discussion will be led by Bev York, Education Director for the Windham Textile and History Museum.

Social Media, the Press, and Us - Monday, September 17, 2018, 6:30 pm:  The everyday reality of media use around the globe is changing rapidly due to the proliferation of smart phones, tablets and multiple screens that allow access to, and immediate dissemination of, the news. This talk will focus on the way social media is not only shaping our human relationships in a digital age but also our understanding of the world around us. How does user-generated content allow for new participatory energies to develop while also deeply affecting cultural identities and generating new types of intimacies. Lecture and discussion will be led by Dr. Karen Ritzenhoff, CCSU Communication Department.

A full description of the upcoming lectures is available, and the library also has resources available through their website, at www.avonctlibrary.info.

CT’s K-12 Enrollment Drops, Demographic Diversity Grows

Between the 2007-08 school year and the just completed 2017-18 school year in Connecticut, total K-12 student enrollment across the state dropped by nearly 40,000 students, reflected a gradual year-over-year decline in every year of the decade. According to state Department of Education data, enrollment in 2007-08 was 574,848, which slid down to 535,025 this past year, a decline of 39,823 students, or just under 7 percent.

The demographic characteristics of Connecticut’s students has changed substantially.  During the past ten years, the percentage of White students has dropped from 65 percent of those enrolled to 53 percent, while the percentage of Hispanic students has grown from 17 percent in 2007-08 to nearly 25 percent (24.85%) during the school year that ended last month. The percentage of Black students has nudged upward, from 13 to 14 percent.

There were 286,506 White students, 132,940 Hispanic students and 68,697 Black or African American Students during the 2017-18 school year.  That compares with 373,818 White students, 96,127 Hispanic students and 80,234 Black students.  In the past decade, the number of Black students has increased by about 11,000 while the number of Hispanic students has grown by more than triple that - about 36,000.

There were 79,256 students who had qualified for Special Education status last year, up from 68,750 in 2007-08.

Seven percent of students, a total of 38,368, qualified for English Learner status, compared with about 5 percent, or 30,088 students, during the 2007-08 academic year.

Looking ahead, there were 36,239 students in Kindergarten in Connecticut public schools last year.  In 2007-08, there were 39,944.

Education, Individual Impact Drive Mission of New Climate Change Center

Former Connecticut Commissioner of Environmental Protection and Administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency Gina McCarthy has made the shift from government to academia, with the launch of The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. C-CHANGE is a new collaboration between Harvard University and Google that will seek to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in building products and materials.  C-CHANGE is committed to transforming science into meaningful actions that will deliver a healthier, more just, and sustainable world, according to the university.

The Center aims to ensure that government officials, business leaders, and the public have access to the best science so they can understand the health and environmental challenges they face, why it matters to them, and how they can get engaged.

McCarthy headed the Connecticut DEP from 2004 to early 2009, and left to become head of EPA's air and radiation office before advancing to the nation’s top environmental protection job in 2013.

Appearing on Conversations on Health Care, a podcast produced by Middletown-based Community Health Center Inc., McCarthy discussed past, present and future.  On the program, hosted by President and Co-founder Mark Masselli and Senior Vice President and Clinical Director Margaret Flinter, McCarthy said C-CHANGE was working to make climate change “very personal, and actionable to individuals, and families and businesses.”  She added, “information is power… I want people to have that information.”

McCarthy said she understands the concerns of some in the environmental community regarding Trump Administration efforts to roll back many of the Obama-era policies, but she said it will be tougher to accomplish than most believe.

“What we did was follow the science, we followed the law, we did great public process around it and I think we did a really good job,” McCarthy said, noting that many of the rule-change proposals of the past year or so are not yet final, and may not become final. “They’re going to have a very hard time.”

Her work at C-CHANGE is designed to accelerate and strengthen public education on climate change and pollution issues, bringing the science down to the individual level, highlighting the impacts on people, rather than the planet.

Reflecting on her time leading EPA, McCarthy said “We showed you can make progress environmentally, to preserve and protect public health, and our natural resources, but you can also, at the same time, do them in very cost effective, reasonable ways that in fact enhanced our economy and jobs.”

Last spring, Gov. Malloy appointed McCarthy to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Green Bank.

At the C-CHANGE kick-off this spring, Harvard Chan School Dean Michelle Williams said “The Center will pave the way for new research and student engagement on energy systems, food and nutrition, healthier buildings, and products to benefit our school, our country, and the world.”  McCarthy spoke about the importance of broadening support for environmental and climate action by calling attention to the impact of climate change on people’s health and the solutions to address it.

“Climate change isn’t about saving the planet and it’s not about politics, it’s about our kids and making sure they have the opportunity for a healthy, sustainable world,” said McCarthy. “C-CHANGE will ensure that cutting-edge science produced by Harvard Chan School is actionable—that the public understands it, and that it gets into the hands of decision-makers so that science drives decisions.”

C-CHANGE, the Harvard Office for Sustainability, and Google will work together to develop a set of public tools and resources that use the latest scientific research to inform decision-making by large institutions, purchasers, and manufacturers to help transform the marketplace to healthier alternatives. The collaboration,  to the university, aims to improve public health and the well-being of communities, reduce the use of harmful chemicals and leverage lessons learned to create a model that can be replicated by other organizations.

Moving forward, the two groups intend to continue partnering with Harvard’s schools to use the campus as a living lab to test new ideas and verify performance.