12 Reach Connecticut Broadcasters Hall of Fame

The 60th annual convention of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association (CBA) this week featured more than an array of informative seminars for radio/tv sales, news, programming, production, engineering, and technology professionals.  The attention-grabber was the first-ever induction ceremony for the newly launched CBA Hall of Fame. The honorees were a who’s who of broadcasting history in the state, including some very familiar names, and some less so.  Earning their place in the Hall of Fame were NBC Connecticut anchor Gerry Brooks, WFSB anchor Denise D’Ascenzo, WDRC talk show host Brad Davis, FOX 61's Al Terzi, WWUH general manager John Ramsey, WMRD sportscaster Bill Glynn, Radio Cumbre Broadcasting president/CEO Pablo de Jesus Colon Jr., NBC CT engineer Joe DiMaggio, Cox Radio's Rick Ferguson. Recognized posthumously were WTIC sportscaster Arnold Dean, WCCC and WHCN veteran Boyd Arnold, and WMRD’s Ed Henry.

“The Connecticut Broadcasters Association has served the common interests of radio and television broadcasters in our state since 1955 and, ultimately, the Connecticut community statewide,” Klarn DePalma, chair of the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, said in announcing the group of inductees earlier this year. “We have created this ‘Connecticut Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame’ to honor remarkable individuals for their long and particularly distinguished service to the broadcasting industry and to the people of Connecticut.”

Boyd Arnold was one of the founders of the Hartford Radio Association and a longtime board member. He was a partner and VP/GM of Beck-Ross Communications’ WHCN(FM), and later, for Marlin Broadcasting’s WCCC(FM). A mentor for numerous radio professionals, Boyd was involved with the Connecticut Broadcasters Association for as a board member, treasurer and president.

In addition to his TV work at WFSB and NBC Connecticut, Gerry Brooks began his career as news director for WAVZ(AM) radio in New Haven, and as a reporter for WMAS radio in Springfield, Mass. He then worked as sports director at WPOP news radio in Hartford while also serving as weekend sports Anchor for WVIT and provided color for University of Connecticut basketball games on the Connecticut Radio Network.

Pablo de Jesus Colon Jr. pioneered Hispanic radio in Connecticut. He spent two decades at WLVH in the roles of radio announcer, PD, sales manager and executive vice president. In 1989, he co-founded Radio Cumbre Broadcasting, WCUM in Bridgeport, and today is its president and CEO.

Denise D’Ascenzo is a nine-time Emmy Award and seven-time Associated Press-winning journalist who also has earned distinction as the longest serving news anchor at a single TV station. She came to Channel 3 in 1986 and is host of “Advancing Medicine.”

Brad Davis began working at a radio station in Chicopee, Mass., in 1956. He was hired by Channel 3 (then WTIC) to host “The Brad Davis Show” for 11 years. Prior to joining WDRC, he also did radio work at WTIC-AM. And, since 1977, he has continuously hosted his own early morning talk show on WDRC that now also is heard on WMMW Meriden, WWCO Waterbury and WSNG Torrington, on the Talk of Connecticut network.

Arnold Dean, joined WTIC-AM in 1965, was its sports director and the originator of the station’s nightly sports talk program, and did play-by-play for a range of live sports broadcasts. He also hosted music shows on the station.

Joe Dimaggio began his engineering career at WVIT in 1968. When he started in the industry he worked on 16mm and black & white film as a camera operator. He has done everything from lighting shows to operating master control, and then to his long career in engineering management.

Richard Ferguson retired in May 2006 after more than 40 years in radio. He served as chief operating officer and later as EVP of Cox Radio starting when Cox acquired NewCity Communications, a radio group he co-founded and led as president/CEO. He was a member of the Cox Radio Board from 1997 through 2006, and continues to consult. He has also served multiple terms as chairman of the NAB. Prior to founding NewCity Communications, he was president of Katz Broadcasting Co.

Bill Glynn of Wethersfield is the “voice” of high school sports and minor league baseball in Connecticut. He began his broadcasting career with WMRD in Middletown (originally WCNX).

Ed Henry hosts “Polish Melodies Show,” which airs every Sunday on WMRD and WLIS(AM), Old Saybrook, for 65 consecutive years.

John Ramsey, of West Hartford, entered the industry as a part-time announcer at the University of Hartford’s WWUH(FM) in 1970, and became a broadcast engineer in 1978. He currently is general manager of WWUH and is secretary of Chapter 14 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, president of the Torrington Community Radio Foundation (licensee of WAPJ-FM in Torrington), and is the webmaster for HartfordRadioHistory.com.

Al Terzi has news anchored at three of Connecticut’s TV network affiliates over the past 47 years. He began his career at WTIC as a staff announcer in 1968. He stepped down as a daily anchor last year, but still co-hosts the station’s weekly political show “The Real Story.”

Established in 1955, the Connecticut Broadcasters Association is celebrating its 60th year as a respected industry leader in legal, governmental, education and community issues on both the State and National levels. Members include broadcast TV stations, radio stations, vendors and companies with a business interest in broadcasting, educational facilities, and individuals with involvement in the broadcasting industry.

Member radio and TV stations also participate in Connecticut Broadcasters Association public service campaigns supporting the work of the Connecticut Department of Public Safety’s Office of Statewide Emergency Telecommunications – Emergency Alert System (EAS) and AMBER Alert programs, among other efforts.

Highlight videos for the 12 inductees:

https://youtu.be/ffPKNJPtwek?list=PLJyWxh-cfxLshUszNWljlpPGNA4f0hbAu

Listen, Look and Respond to Texts While Behind the Wheel – Legal in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, Public Act 10-109, enacted into law in 2010, states that “no person shall operate a motor vehicle … while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or while using a mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion. An operator of a motor vehicle who types, sends or reads a text message with a hand-held mobile telephone or mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion shall be in violation of this section.” Now, technology and the nation’s automakers are doing their best to skirt the language of the law, with in-car electronics that allow drivers to listen to, read and send text messages while at the wheel. 

The technology, now being widely advertised as 2016 new car models reach showrooms, “may unintentionally cause greater levels of cognitive distraction,” according to AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

One advertisement seen recently on local television and appearing on-line, from Chevrolet, is for the company’s Text Message Alert system. The description of the new feature explains “When you’re in your vehicle, this convenient feature alerts you when a new text has been received and allows you to listen to messages, view messages (when your vehicle’s not in motion) and reply with a preset message with a compatible smartphone.”

Whether or not the new technology meets the letter and spirit of the Connecticut law, now five years old, has yet to be tested.  And if it does, is that in the best interest of Connecticticut drivers, or should the law be revised to address changing technologies?  Peter Kissinger, President and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, points out that “Technologies used in the car that rely on voice communications may have unintended consequences that adversely affect road safety.”

“We already know that drivers can miss stop signs, pedestrians and other cars while using voice technologies because their mind is not fully focused on the road ahead,” adds Bob Darbelnet, President and CEO of AAA.

The Chevrolet ad exclaims that “Life doesn’t stop when you’re driving. With MyLink you can stay in touch and up-to-date safely with hands-free calling and access to your personal address book through Bluetooth® wireless technology.”  But data indicates that hands-free is not necessarily safe, according to AAA.

AAA has pointed to recent research which indicates that “the accuracy of voice recognition software significantly influences the rate of distraction.”  For example, a team led by Dr. David Strayer and researchers at the University of Utah found that using a speech-to-text system to listen to and compose emails or texts was a greater distraction than talking on a hand-held or hands-free cell phone or listening to the radio.

With three out of four drivers believing that hands-free technology is safe to use, AAA officials caution, Americans may be surprised to learn that these popular new vehicle features may actually increase distraction, according to the new research.  AAA is urging manufacturers to “continue their efforts to develop and refine systems that reduce distractions: while encouraging drivers to “minimize cognitive distraction by limiting the use of most voice-based technologies.”

To assess “real-world” impact, Dr. Joel Cooper with Precision Driving Research evaluated the two most common voice-based interactions in which drivers engage – changing radio stations and voice dialing – with the actual voice-activated systems found in six different automakers’ vehicles. On the five point scale, Toyota’s Entune system garnered the lowest distraction ranking (at 1.7), which is similar to listening to an audio book. In comparison, the Chevrolet MyLink resulted in a very high level of distraction (rating of 3.7). Other systems tested included the Hyundai Blue Link (rating 2.2), the Chrysler Uconnect (rating 2.7), the Ford SYNC (rating 3.0) and the Mercedes COMMAND (rating 3.1).

Chevrolet also offers a feature called Siri Hands Free.  The company’s website explains that “The system allows limited hands-free interaction for when you need to compose important messages on the go.”

“It is clear that not all voice systems are created equal, and today’s imperfect systems can lead to the perfect storm for driver distraction,” continued Darbelnet. “AAA urges vehicle and device manufacturers to use this research to improve their voice systems and promote road safety.”

As someone once described it during the consideration banning texting while driving in Connecticut earlier in this decade, “cell phones don’t cause accidents, distractions do.”

https://youtu.be/kY6ohMfY2gQ

CT Ranks 14th in Percentage of Women in State Legislature, As Numbers Stagnate Here and Nationwide

For two decades, it has been one step forward, one step back in efforts to expand the number of women serving in state legislatures around the county.  That is true as well in Connecticut, where in recent years the number of women in the Connecticut General Assembly has receded slightly. Connecticut’s legislators include 53 women – 44 House members and 9 Senate members, who make up 29 percent of the General Assembly’s membership.  That is a decline from 59 women, or 31 percent, as recently as 2009. Women currently comprise 25 percent of the State Senate and 30 percent of the House of Representatives, according to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.   That number places Connecticut 14th among the states in 2015 for the percentage of women members in the legislature, tied with Alaska. 

The latest issue of Governing magazine indicates that “women have held less than 25 percent of all state legislative seats for years. But both parties are trying to recruit more female candidates.”  Women make up about a third of Democratic legislators nationwide, but less than a fifth of Republicans. Of the 1,793 women currently serving as legislators right now, 60 percent are Democratic.

A 2013 report from American University indicates that women are less likely to seek political office than men, even if they have similar resumes. Women who are elected, however, are far more likely than men to have participated in a training program, according to Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University.

"Women do need to be recruited more than men," she told Governing. "In our surveys, men were much more likely to say it was largely their own idea, that nobody had to ask them."

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 24.4 percent of state legislators in the United States this year are women.  That is almost identical to 24.2 percent in 2014 – and the 24.2 percent back in 2009. That year, NCSL pointed out that the ratio of women “has increased by less than 4 percentage points over the past fifteen years.”

The leading states are Colorado, where 42 percent of the legislators are women, followed by Vermont, at 40.6 percent, Arizona at 35.6 percent, and three states tied at one-third of the legislature (33.3 percent) – Washington, Minnesota and Nevada.   At the bottom of the rankings are Louisiana, 11.8%, Wyoming, 13.3%, South Carolina, 13.5%, and Alabama, 14.3%.

States with the most women elected to the state legislature:

1. Colorado      42%
2. Vermont      40.6%
3. Arizona         35.6%
4. Washington  33.3%
5. Minnesota 33.3%
6. Nevada        33.3%
7. Montana     31.3%
8. Oregon          31.1%
9. Illinois            31.1%
10. New Jersey     30%
11. New Hampshire 29%
12. Maine                    29%
13. Hawaii                 28.9%
14. Connecticut      28.3%

Supreme Court Justices Who Overturned CT Death Penalty Were Appointed by Three Different Governors, As Were Opponents

The four Justices of the Connecticut State Supreme Court who overturned Connecticut’s death penalty law this month were appointed to the high court by former Governor Lowell P. Weicker (Justices Richard Palmer and Flemming Norcott), former Governor M. Jodi Rell (Justice Dennis Eveleigh) and current Governor Dannel P. Malloy (Justice Andrew McDonald). The vote abolishing the death penalty in Connecticut was 4-3, with Justice Palmer joined in the majority by Justices Eveleigh, Norcott and McDonald. None are household names in the state – at least they were not before the decision – which was both widely criticized and highly praised by proponents and opponents of the death penalty, as well as legal observers and legislators.

Three dissenting opinions were written or signed by Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, appointed to the Court by former Gov. Rell; Justice Peter Zarella, appointed by former Gov. John G. Rowland, and Justice Carmen Elisa Espinosa, appointed by Gov. Malloy.

Thus former Gov. Rell and her successor, Gov. Malloy, each appointed a Justice on each side of the controversial opinion.  Two Justices on the majority opinion were appointed by former Gov. Weicker. Former Gov. Rowland's Supreme Court appointee was among the dissenters.

Justice Flemming L. Norcott Jr., who retired at age 70 in October 2013 after sitting on the case in April 2013, was the first African American appointed to the state Appellate Court, in 1987, and five years later was appointed to the state Supreme Court by Gov. Weicker. Justice Carmen Elisa Espinosa became a justice of the Supreme Court on March 6, 2013, having been appointed to the position by Gov. Malloy about six weeks before the case was heard. Justice Espinosa is the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice in Connecticut.  Norcott and Espinosa were on opposite sides of the decision.

Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, appointed to the Court by former Gov. Rell, was initially nominated to the Superior Court by Rowland in 2006.  Associate Justice Peter T. Zarella was nominated by Rowland in 2001.  Judge Dennis G. Eveleigh was nominated for the state Supreme Court by Gov. Rell in 2010, after having initially been appointed to the Superior Court in October 1998 by Gov. Rowland.

The majority decision, written by Justice Palmer, found flaws in the 2012 death penalty law, which banned "prospective" death sentences, those imposed after the effective date of the law. But the majority wrote that it chose to analyze capital punishment and impose abolition from a broader perspective, according to published reports.

Justice Palmer graduated from Wethersfield High School, attended Trinity College in Hartford, and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law.  He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for Connecticut from 1980 to 1982 and from 1987 to 1990.  In 1991, Justice Palmer was appointed as United State’s Attorney for Connecticut and he was later the Chief State’s Attorney for Connecticut.

Justice Eveleigh received his J. D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Justice Eveleigh served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a First Lieutenant.

Justice McDonald began his public service career in 1993 as a member of the Stamford Board of Representatives, where he served until 1995, prior to his election to the state legislature. McDonald was later Legal Counsel to Gov. Malloy, and was nominated by Malloy to the Supreme Court in 2013, the same year as Espinosa, and a year after the legislature passed the non-retroactive death penalty ban, which was signed into law by Gov. Malloy.

In the case, State v. Santiago, Eduardo Santiago was tried for murder for hire, convicted, and sentenced to death. He appealed his sentence, and while the Court did not find that putting him to death was unconstitutional at the time, it did find that there were issues in his original trial that warranted a new sentencing hearing. While his appeal was pending, the 2012 legislation passed, abolishing the death penalty for crimes committed after April 24, 2012—which Santiago argued was grounds to remove death as a possible penalty. The Court then examined his claim that “the death penalty is no longer consistent with standards of decency in Connecticut and does not serve any valid penological objective.”

Four Justices on majority opinion, L to R, above:  Richard Palmer, Flemming Norcott, Dennis Eveleigh and Andrew McDonald.

CT Supreme Court: Seated, L to R, below: Justice Richard N. Palmer, Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers, Justice Peter T. Zarella. Standing, L to R: Justice Carmen E. Espinosa, Justice Andrew J. McDonald, Justice Dennis G. Eveleigh, Justice Richard A. Robinson, Senior Justice Christine S. Vertefeuille.  Justice Robinson was appointed to the Court after the Santiago case was heard.  

Hartford's WPOP Goes Back to the Future with News, Talk Format

The goal, in the latest format change among local radio stations, is to become “the go-to station for news, weather and traffic” in the Hartford market.  WPOP, with a lengthy local history that features incarnations as a pop music station, all-news station, and sports talk station, has again assumed the moniker of “NewsRadio 1410 WPOP”, last used nearly two decades ago. Owned by iHeart radio, which has hired a new program director due in the Capitol City from a major market in the coming weeks, the newly rebranded station aims to make the transition to a news format that responds to and reflects the preferences of the local audience, according to Dave Symonds Sr., Vice President of Programming for iHeart Radio in Hartford.

“There is a huge upside to the format change.  We did a lot of research and there was a high degree of dissatisfaction with the non-sports news talk programming” available in the Hartford market, Symonds said.  Regional Market President Steve Honeycomb added"It’s been almost 18-years since the all-news format was heard on WPOP 1410AM. We’re excited to bring back News Radio 1410 WPOP, an iconic brand and station focused on News, Traffic and Weather to serve the Hartford community, in the iHeartMedia line-up.”

The new WPOP-AM line-up will, at the outset, include mostly syndicated national programs including a daytime focus on financial news and The Vinnie Penn Project, which has been heard on WELI in New Haven since 2011.  The program will now be heard 6-9 AM on both stations, with an additional hour, 9-10 AM exclusively on WPOP.

“There are a lot of shared issues in New Haven and Hartford,” Symonds points out.  The program will originate in New Haven on some mornings, in Hartford on others. iHeart radio stations in Connecticut, formerly Clear Channel stations, include KC101, KISS95.7, The River 105.9, Country 92.5, 97.9 ESPN, and 960 WELI and WAVZ  in New Haven.

The new station's programming line-up will include: The Vinnie Penn Project    6-10 a.m. The Financial Exchange    10 a.m-12 p.m. Bloomberg  Radio               12:00p.m.-3 p.m. Howie Carr                            3-6 p.m. (based in Boston) Mark Levin                            6-9 p.m. America Now                        9 p.m.-12 a.m.

Most recently, the station had aired a sports/talk format including Fox Sports Radio content. Years ago, from 1956-1975, it was a pop music station, the inspiration for the station’s call letters.  The station routinely battled WDRC for the rock’n’roll music audience, before FM radio came to dominate that format.  In August 1972 it was announced that TV entertainer Merv Griffin's company, January Enterprises Inc., was buying WPOP for $2.75 million. Griffin, who came to town to visit the station, took control the following March, according to published reports.  Just a few years later, the music died on WPOP.  On June 30, 1975, WPOP abandoned music programming in favor of the new (and ultimately short-lived) NBC Radio News and Information Service.  But a news station in Hartford was born.

The station maintained an all-news format, which included local news/talk programming, for more than two decades, before the switch to sports talk programming in 1997 (first ESPN, than FOX in 2012).  Among the local newscasters who spent time at WPOP in its all-news heyday are Gerry Brooks, Scott Gray, and Joanne Nesti, whose careers blossomed at other radio and television stations in the market.  Numerous WPOP veterans went on to broadcast news careers around the country.

Those interested in hearing the new format can tune into News Radio 1410 WPOP on the station’s website, www.newsradio1410wpop.com, and through the iHeartRadio mobile app. Hartford is part of Nielsen radio market No. 52. WPOP is a 5 kW day/night station on 1410 kHz.

The Hartford market currently has other locally originated and syndicated news and talk programming.  Connecticut-based Connoisseur Media purchased a group of stations in the state including the WDRC-led “Talk of Connecticut” stations, anchored by the weekday morning locally originated Brad Davis Show.  The remainder of the broadcast schedule on WDRC-AM (as well as simulcast on WMMW Meriden, WWCO Waterbury and WSNG Torrington) consists of nationally syndicated programs, including Kilmeade & Friends, Dave Ramsey, The Savage Nation, The Schnitt Show, The Lars Larson Show and Overnight America.

WTIC-AM 1080 broadcasts the local Ray Dunaway show and Jim Vicevich program weekday mornings, before moving to nationally syndicated programs, including Rush Limbaugh, for the remainder of the broadast day.

WNPR, part of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network, has locally originated talk programs including Where We Live, weekday mornings at 9 a.m. hosted by John Dankosky, the Colin McEnroe program each afternoon, and Faith Middleton’s long-running talk program weekday afternoons.

There is no word yet on whether WPOP will have local news reporters, as WTIC and WNPR, or news programming beyond local newscasts during the syndicated talk shows.  Those decisions will be made, officials say, as audience feedback to the new format is evaluated and the new program director settles in.  Although iHeart Radio has news and talk formatted stations in other markets across the country, Symonds said the approach taken for WPOP will be “customized for Hartford.”

[Logos for WPOP in its news formats - new logo above left, 1980's logo lower right.]

State Will Step Up Efforts to Respond to Needs of Women Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates there are 16,545 veterans in Connecticut who are women. Some among them struggle with issues such as unemployment, homelessness and mental illness, and many more are unaware of the support services available to them.  That was the impetus for legislation approved this year by the General Assembly and recently signed into law by Gov. Malloy, requiring the Department of Veterans' Affairs to establish, within available resources, a Connecticut women veterans' program.

The new women’s veterans program must:

• reach out to women veterans to improve awareness of eligibility for federal and state veterans' benefits and services;
• assess women veterans' needs for benefits and services;
• review programs and research projects and other initiatives designed to address or meet Connecticut women veterans' needs; and
• incorporate women veterans' issues in strategic planning on benefits and services.

The program must also annually submit recommendations for improving benefits and services for women veterans to the veterans' affairs commissioner and the Veterans' Affairs Committee of the legislature, beginning January 15, 2016.

Under the law’s provisions, a “veteran” is anyone discharged or released (under conditions other than dishonorable) from active service in the armed forces - U. S.  Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force -and any reserve component of these branches, including the Connecticut National Guard operating under certain Homeland Security missions.

Jackie Evonison, the women veterans’ outreach coordinator with the American Legion Connecticut, told legislators considering the program that many female veterans are unaware of available services or don’t feel they’re qualified to receive them.

In 2012, there were   more than 2,600 women veterans residing in Hartford County, according to data included in a report from the Aurora Foundation. Women veterans face substantial and unique challenges readjusting to civilian life, the report pointed out, especially in the areas of housing, mental health, health care, employment and homelessness:

• In Hartford County, approximately 8 percent of the population are veterans; females are 5 percent of this population (approximately 2,619 women vets in Hartford County).
• Female veterans are almost four times more likely to become homeless than women who have not served in the military.
• Only one of the three veterans’ housing facilities in the county house female veterans.

As a group, female veterans are younger than their male counterparts, with an average age of 48, compared to 63 for men. More than 80 percent of the female veterans are working age, compared to 55 percent for men, according to published reports.

Commissioner Sean Connolly of the state Department of Veterans Affairs said the mission of the program will be “to see what kinds of programs are out there, develop recommendations for improving benefits, and determining whether new programs and projects are necessary to meet the needs of our women veterans.”

Sacrifice of Vietnam War Veterans Honored 50 Years Later at Weekend Events

A special two-day event to recognize and honor New England's Vietnam veterans and remember those who did not return is set for Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Connecticut Air National Guard Base in East Granby. "Connecticut's Vietnam 50th Celebration Weekend" will feature many vehicle and aircraft displays, rare helicopter rides in the famous UH-1D "Huey," nationally renowned speakers and authors, and a Saturday 1 p.m. concert performed by the U.S. Coast Guard Band. Other static air displays will be at the New England Air Museum at 36 Perimeter Rd. in Windsor Locks.

"This event is open to everyone and is designed to educate a new generation about the Vietnam War and the part it played in the lives of our friends, relatives and neighbors whose stories are the building blocks of American History," explains Eileen Hurst, Celebration Chair.

]The event is sponsored by the Central Connecticut State University Veterans History Project's Vietnam War Commemoration Committee. Collaborating partners include the Connecticut National Guard, Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs, and New England Air Museum.

Featured will be hands-on demonstrations, memorabilia, and a Veterans' Gathering tent where veterans can reunite and reconnect. There will static displays of a B-52, C-130, C-5, and other aircraft that include a CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk, and an F-15 Fighter Jet. Attendees can get close-up looks at a variety of vehicles and equipment operated by our armed forces during the Vietnam War.

There also will be programs specifically designed to remember and honor those who gave the "last full measure of devotion". Exhibits featuring "Voices From Vietnam," photo displays of veterans who were Killed in Action (KIA) or Missing in Action (MIA), and a special exhibit featuring Gold Star Families.

All events and activities held at the Connecticut Air National Guard base are free.  Admission to the New England Air Museum is free for all veterans; others pay $12 ($2 of each ticket benefits the Vietnam 50th weekend).  For those interested, there will also be $100 donation American Huey 369 helicopter rides that must be scheduled and paid for on-site.

There is no parking on the Connecticut Air National Guard base. Free parking and shuttle bus transportation to the base will be at UTAS (Hamilton Sundstrand) at One Hamilton Rd. South in Windsor Locks. All attendees must go through a security check upon arrival at the base; special instructions and a list of approved items can be found at: http://www.ccsu.edu/vietnam/parking.html

Learn more about the war in Vietnam (PDF) 

https://youtu.be/Fm2Dalx8oB0

Rich Towns in CT Have 8 Times the Resources of Poor Towns to Pay for Municipal Services, Study Finds

The most resource-rich towns in Connecticut had, on average, a per capita revenue capacity that was more than eight times the average of the most resource-poor communities’ capacity.  That conclusion, highlighted in a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which pointed to “large non-school fiscal disparities across cities and towns in Connecticut.” “These disparities are driven primarily by differences in revenue-raising capacity,” the report, “Measuring Municipal Fiscal Disparities in Connecticut,” concluded. “Because municipalities in Connecticut rely almost exclusively on property taxes for own-source revenue, this is directly tied to the uneven distribution of the property tax base.”

The study, issued in May, “found that municipal costs are driven by five key factors outside the control of local officials: the unemployment rate, population density, private-sector wages, miles of locally maintained roads, and the number of jobs located within a community relative to its resident population.”  Fiscal disparities exist when some municipalities face higher costs for providing a given level of public services or fewer taxable resources to finance those services than others, according the report synopsis.

The study explains that “in Connecticut, municipalities provide a range of services including education, public safety, public works, human services, and general government.  While educational fiscal disparities—and the effectiveness of the state’s Education Cost  Sharing (ECS) grant in addressing them—have received considerable attention in Connecticut, less is known about how municipalities’ underlying characteristics affect their ability to provide other vital public services and the degree to which state policies ameliorate differences.”

The highest-cost group of communities had average per capita municipal costs that were 1.3 times the average per capita costs of the lowest-cost group of cities and towns, the study found, noting that “variation in measured capacity stems from differences in resources, not choices about tax rates. In Connecticut, real and personal property taxes are virtually the only source of revenue that cities and towns are authorized to levy.”

Breaking down the state’s geography, the report indicated that “the highest capacity areas (darkest shades on the map) are located in the southwestern and northwestern corners of the state, and along the shoreline. Connecticut’s lowest-capacity municipalities (the lightest shades on the map) are mostly scattered through the central and eastern portions of the state. In general, communities in northeastern Connecticut also tend to have fairly low per capita revenue capacity.”

The municipal gap data highlighted in the report is described as “the difference between the uncontrollable costs associated with providing public services and the economic resources available to a municipality to pay for those services.”  To calculate the per capita “gap” for each community, the study subtracted per capita revenue capacity from per capita cost for each municipality:

• Thus, a “positive gap” indicates a municipality that lacks sufficient revenue-raising capacity to provide a given common level of municipal services, with larger gaps indicating a worse fiscal condition.
• By contrast, a negative gap represents a municipality that has more than enough revenue-raising capacity to provide this common level of municipal services.

The study found “a wide range of municipal gaps among Connecticut’s 169 communities, indicating significant fiscal disparities across the state.” Although cost differences play a role, “these gaps are largely driven by the uneven distribution of revenue capacity across the state. This, in turn, is the direct result of the uneven distribution of the property tax base.”

• The report indicated that “a total of 78 Connecticut municipalities had a positive fiscal gap, meaning there was insufficient revenue raising capacity, representing 46 percent of the state’s communities (and close to 60 percent of the state’s population).
• The state’s remaining 91 communities had a negative fiscal gap (more than sufficient revenue-raising capacity) in the year studied, FY2011.

The state’s cities, with the notable exception of Stamford, tend to have the largest positive gaps, or insufficient capacity to raise funds to provide adequate municipal services. Most communities in northeastern Connecticut also have positive gaps. The largest negative gaps, the report found, —representing communities with high revenue-raising capacity—are generally located in lower Fairfield County, the northwestern corner of the state, and certain communities along the shore in eastern Connecticut.

The report was coordinated for the New England Public Policy Center of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston by Bo Zhao and Jennifer Weiner and a team of researchers.  Bo Zhao is a Senior Economist in the New England Public Policy Center, specializing in public finance and urban and regional economics.   Jennifer Weiner is a Senior Policy Analyst with the New England Public Policy Center. Her work focuses on state and local public finance and has included research on state business tax credits, unemployment insurance financing, state debt affordability, transportation funding, and the fiscal systems of the New England states.

Smith, Johnson and Brown are Connecticut’s Most Popular Last Names

The top surname in Connecticut and the United States is Smith.  The next most popular are Johnson and Brown.  Brown is most common in California, Nevada and the Northeast, and ranks 4^th nationally, according to data compiled from the Social Security Administration by the website MooseRoots. Williams is 6^th in Connecticut, but the third most popular in the nation.  Jones is 7^th in Connecticut and 5^th ranked nationally.  Miller, which is most popular in the Pacific Northwest and across the Rust Belt, ranks 6^th in the nation but 5^th in Connecticut.

The website points out that “baby name trends can change wildly from generation to generation, but last names tend to stick around. Still, immigration, birth rates and geography can all have an effect on the overall ranking, which can shift from decade to decade.”

Smith’s popularity is unmatched: the name is the most prevalent in a majority of US states, only slightly less popular in New Mexico and some northern states.  Johnson’s US popularity can be split into three regions: less popular in the East, more popular in the West, and especially popular in the North, according to the website’s analysis. Most popular in the Southeast, Williams is notable for being more evenly split between whites and blacks.

While Davis is a predominantly white name, nearly one third of Americans with the name identify as black.  Davis ranks 7^th nationally, and 9^th in Connecticut.  The Nutmeg State’s 4^th most popular last name is Anderson, which ranks at #12 in the U.S.  Anderson is described as “a distinctly northern name, most popular among states like Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where it ranks 2^nd.  Anderson also ranks high in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, at #6.

The top Hispanic surname nationally is Garcia, ranked at #8.  In Connecticut, Garcia ranks #317 among last names of state residents, according to the data.  It is directly followed by Rodriguez, ranking #9 in the U.S. and #114 in Connecticut.  Over 90 percent of individuals with a last name of Rodriguez identify as Hispanic. The name is most popular in large states such as New York and Florida, as well as across the entire Southwest.

The #10 surname in the U.S. is Wilson, which is described as having “a checkerboard-like popularity across the United States.”  In Connecticut, Wilson ranks as the 13^th most popular last name.

In Connecticut, the 11th most popular last name is White, which ranks #20 among the nation’s population.  While White is predominantly a Caucasian surname, the website points out, it is still reasonably common among blacks. Geographically, the name is most popular in the Northeast, particularly among the New England states.  White ranks as #6 in Maine and New Hampshire, #8 in Vermont, #7 in Massachusetts and #10 in New York  The only other states where White is a top-10 surname are Missouri (#10) and West Virginia (#9).  In addition to Connecticut, White ranks at #11 in Mississippi.

The MooseRoots website “combines historical records with relevant supporting information to provide unique insights into your family's past.”  It is operated by FindTheBest, a technology company focused on collecting and interpreting data.

Sol LeWitt Designed Synagogue Is Focus of World Premiere Documentary in Madison

Complete with a red carpet, the Madison Art Cinemas will host the June 14 world premiere of the documentary We Built This House, a one-hour film telling the story of Chester synagogue Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek—known as a global art landmark for being the only public building that acclaimed artist and Connecticut native Sol LeWitt ever designed. Film producer-director Jon Joslow, a lifetime member of the congregation, will discuss the movie and a reception will follow the screening. Tickets are open to the public and may be obtained for a donation of $18 each through the synagogue office, 860 526 8920. The showing begins at 11:00 am, and organizers have offered that “paparazzi are welcome.” Joslow is a crisis/transition leader for private equity who spent a year researching the history of the congregation and its building.

In a 2013 profile, Town & Country’s arts editor compared the striking Chester sanctuary with a masterpiece chapel Henri Matisse created in Nice, France. But the synagogue, opened in 2001, started as a napkin sketch, organizers of the project say. LeWitt first drew a structure inspired by traditional wooden temples of Eastern Europe combined with elements of colonial New England barns.

We Built This House traces how architect Stephen Lloyd translated LeWitt’s vision into post and beam, and how the Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek community collaborated and improvised—even adapting a design discovered in a medieval English watermill—to give structure to the sanctuary’s wooden dome. LeWitt’s iconic installation on the ark drew national attention when the building opened; it prompted Town & Country to observe “modern art as [the sanctuary’s] focal point.”

LeWitt, a Chester resident who died at age 78 in 2007, is recognized as one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.  His work is prominently featured in venues worldwide, including at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford.  A retrospective of his work is featured at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, through 2033.

The sanctuary has become known as one of the most astonishing, and spiritually welcoming, religious spaces in the world.  True to its roots, the Chester synagogue has become one of the shoreline’s most vital cultural centers.

Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek—Hebrew for “House of Peace Pursuing Justice”—is marking the 100th year since the founding of one of its two predecessor temples in Moodus. We Built This House is part of yearlong centennial celebrations culminating in an October 3 gala and the inaugural presentation of the synagogue’s new annual Pursuer of Peace and Justice Award. Though it is located in Chester, temple members come from 36 towns, from West Hartford to Westbrook, Norwich to North Branford.

Given the film’s unique insights into art as architecture, and into how a community can join together in creative enterprise, organizers anticipate interest among public television stations, those engaged in architectural and design collaborations, and art museums, in airing it following the premiere.  DVDs of are expected to be released later this year.

The Madison Art Cinemas is located at 761 Boston Post Road in Madison. For more information on We Built This House or Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, visit www.cbsrz.org or www.ancientandcool.com.