THE INNER-CITY NEWS - March 22, 2023 - March 28, 2023
More than 200 business owners have recovered and expanded with loans from the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund
With its low-interest loans and free support services, the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund is a flexible, accessible solution for small businesses and nonprofits seeking working capital. The fund is supported by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, and it has already distributed $23 million to businesses around the state, with an emphasis on historically underbanked communities. More than 200 business owners have now benefited from the fund, one of whom is Willie Jones. He launched YJ Cleaning & Maintenance in 2016 and has been providing janitorial work, construction clean-up and other services in and around the Hartford area. At one point, he was up to 18 staff members. When the pandemic hit, Jones’ company was more in demand than ever, especially when he added COVID-19 decontamination to his list of services. But he also needed a larger staff to meet that demand, which required more capital and resources. “The more opportunities that come up, the more people you need. We fell behind a bit, and I don’t want to miss good opportunities because there’s still a lot of work out here,” Jones explains. “Business is great, but we’re still trying to catch up from three years ago.” Jones was connected to the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund through the
nonprofit Minority Construction Council, and he opted to receive free financial support services through the Fund. His advisors helped get his financial documents in order before applying for the loan, and they have also gotten him leads on new projects, provided clerical services and assisted with OSHA and other relevant trainings and certifications. Since receiving the loan, YJ Cleaning & Maintenance has been able to maintain payroll, expand its scope and purchase cargo vans that can more comfortably transport a growing staff to areas beyond the company’s original reach. “The loan was a lifesaver,” Jones says. “I think the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund could help a business take their next step because some of the banks don’t give you a chance. We’re out here, we can grow with the right capital and guidance, and we can hire more people from the community.” More Connecticut-based businesses could have the same experience: $125 million in loans is still available for at least a year. Businesses that have no more than 100 employees and annual revenues of less than $8 million are eligible to receive loans of up to $500,000 at a fixed interest rate of 4.5%. Learn more at CTSmallBusinessBoostFund.org.
Willie Jones
Legislature Considers New Felony for Threatening Judges by Hugh McQuaid Ct. News Junkie
Two branches of state government engaged in a philosophical debate Wednesday morning over how best to protect Connecticut judges from a rising number of threats and incidents of intimidation. Chief Justice Richard Robinson testified during a hearing of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee in support of a bill that would, among other things, create a new Class C felony for intimidating a judge or a family support magistrate in an effort to influence a court ruling. Robinson told legislators that unprecedented levels of threats necessitated the change. Many of these threats stemmed from civil cases or family court matters, he said. “These are judges who have been experiencing an increase in threats like I haven’t seen since the time I’ve taken the bench,” Robinson said. The intimidation has occurred nationwide, he said. “We’ve had some murders of judges. We’ve had some bomb threats. We’ve had guns. We’ve had people hinting that other people should take action.” According to statistics from the Judicial Marshal Services, Connecticut judges have received nearly 80 threats since 2016. Last year was the worst of those years with17
Chief Justice Richard Robinson and O’Donovan Murphy director of Judicial Marshal Services Credit: Hugh McQuaid / CTNewsJunkie
threats directed at judges. During one recent incident a defendant appeared twice outside a judge’s house and left messages on their work phone. Robinson argued that a judiciary could only fulfill its constitutional obligation if its judges were free to make difficult decisions without fear of physical violence. However, legislators from both parties
were skeptical of the proposal to create a new felony. Connecticut already has a misdemeanor threatening statute under which someone could be charged for threatening a judge. Rep. Steve Stafstrom, a lawyer and Bridgeport Democrat who co-chairs the committee, said that more severe charges often result in fewer prosecutions. “I’m not unsympathetic to the ask, I’m
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really not,” Stafstrom said. “Maybe there should be a broader conversation about, you know, threatening the governor, threatening the legislature, whatever. That’s a valid conversation this legislature could have if it wanted to… But going from the A misdemeanor currently, skipping the D felony altogether and going straight to the C felony, I think is where I get a little — are we going too big, too fast?” Robinson said he believed that law enforcement officials were wary of charging offenders under the current law and expected the specificity of the proposed new charge to ease their concerns. Rep. Pat Callahan told Robinson that he was sympathetic to the issues as well. The New Fairfield Republican’s father, Robert Callahan, was Connecticut’s chief justice from 1996 to 1999. Callahan said his family was threatened when he was a child. “As a kid I was driven to school by the police because of threats,” Callahan said. However, Callahan said lawmakers were also frequently threatened and he had personally been subjected to threats as a football officiant. Two years ago a legislator filed a bill in the Judiciary Committee that would have hiked penalties for threatening sports officials. It was never raised for a
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