INNER-CITY NEWS

INNER-CITY NEWS July 27, 2016 - August 02, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Financial Justice a Key Focus at Transformed 2016 NAACPMy Convention Studying Black Identity in South Africa Worldview New Haven, Bridgeport

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Volume 27 . No. 2310 Volume 21 No. 2194

“DMC”

Malloy Dems: Malloy To Dems: CanTo women

Majority of caregivers with family suffering from dementia, spend less time with friends

Ignore On Crime” Ignore“Tough “Tough On Crime” be head coaches

Color Struck?

Holiday Village

Snow in July?

Takes Shape FOLLOW US ON Cotto Seeks Second Term On Ed Board

Slomba introduces some of the artists who will be vending in the Village.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

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10/17/18 4:36 PM

Birks Sets School District Goals THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK New Haven Independent

The school superintendent wants New Haven to score higher on state measurements next year, moving its numbers up in comparison to other big cities and surrounding suburbs.

Superintendent Carol Birks spoke about that drive to change the school system’s stats at the final Board of Education meeting this calendar year, held Monday night at Celentano School.

Presenting her first set of district-wide goals, Birks said she wants to see the schools do better on academic and behavioral measurements that the Connecticut State Department of Education uses to rate all public schools.

Over the past few months, Birks sat down internally with her executive team, union representatives and a handful of principals to decide where New Haven should direct its efforts over the next two years.

The five areas that Birks said they decided on largely mirror what she’s been talking about since a transition team convened in the spring: boosting academic achievement, recruiting and retaining tal-

ent, achieving organizational efficiency, improving culture and engaging families.

“The district goals guide our work. As a district, we have to demonstrate our progress to the state, to the school district, and, of course, most importantly to our community and our families,” Birks said.

“They’re aligned to the expectations that have been set for us by the State Department of Education.”

In academics, Birks said that she wants all students to meet the state-determined “growth targets” that will put a student on grade level within five years. Currently, only about one-third meet their targets at 35.0 percent in reading and 32.6 percent in math.

She wants each kid to have a unique “student success plan.”

Birks said the work will start in early childhood. From preschool through third grade, kids will develop the social-emotional skills that will be a foundation for learning. She also wants them to be on grade level in reading by the end of third grade. Currently, only 30.4 percent of third-graders are reading on grade level.

By high school, Birks said, she wants them to be staying on track for a diploma.

At the end of ninth grade, that means students are passing all core subjects and getting at least a C in Algebra. By the time they take the SAT, she wants to see minimum score of 1000 out of 1600 possible points in the two-part test of reading and math. Currently, the average score is 897.

In talent, Birks said that she wants to recruit and retain a staff that’s equipped for the diversity within the schools.

Birks said that work will start in tweaking the protocols for recruitment to go after a “larger, more robust candidate pool, with more educators of color,” especially in some hard-to-fill areas. She said that they’ll adopt industry standards for how “we enter and exit people.” Currently, 73.6 percent of the district’s teachers are white.

Birks also wants existing staff to have a “career ladder” that defines goals, offers professional training and leadership opportunities, and monitors effectiveness.

She also wants the existing staff to “increase their knowledge of cultures and the assets embedded in diversity.”

In organization, Birks said that she wants to streamline operations and maximize

CHRISTOPHER PEAK PHOTO

Carol Birks unveils plan Monday night.

technology.

In culture, Birks said that she wants the school system to feel “welcoming, safe

and secure.”

Birks said she’ll do her part personally Con’t on page 08

Homicide Victims Memorial Secures $300K

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

A memorial to rememberthose lost to gun violence has secured more than half of the money it needs to become a reality, thanks to the State Bond Commission and Gov. Dan Malloy.

The State Bond Commission Tuesday approved $300,000 grant-in-aid to the city to create The Lost Generation Memorial Garden planned for Valley Street in the shadow of West Rock on city-owned property.

The garden is the brainchild of Marlene Pratt, who lost her son to gun violence back in 1998. For the last two years, with the help of other mothers who have lost their children to gun violence and the Harp administration, Pratt has been planning the garden and looking for a location.

Over the summer a new design for the park created pro-bono by Svigals + Partners emerged and the Valley Street location was chosen. With the support of Mayor Toni Harp who has committed $100,000 (which would have to be approved by the Board of Alders) to the project from the city and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, Pratt lobbied Malloy to support the memorial.

Pratt gave credit to Harp and State Sen. Martin Looney for setting up a meeting with Malloy back in November. After hearing a pitch from Pratt and the mothers and URI, Harp agreed to help them appeal to the state for the funds.

She said Malloy asked why the state should back such a memorial in New Haven when gun violence has impacted all of

Looney, Harp, Malloy, Pratt and URI’s Colleen Murphy-Dunning. the state’s urban centers.

“I told him, let us be the model,” she said.

“He agreed to push it before he got out of office.”

The bond commission approved the funding during Malloy’s last such meeting Tuesday.

“What a happy day,” Pratt said.

The city Parks Commission gave the mothers the green light to move forward with the memorial when they approved the location. The cost of the memorial is expected to be upwards of $600,000 to build.

The Urban Resources Initiative (URI), a lo-

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cal community forestry nonprofit affiliated with the Yale School of Forestry, is serving as the project’s fiduciary.

Pratt said that the mothers are working to raise the rest of the funds for the garden through private contributions and they plan to be involved in maintaining it.

“It is such a great thing,” she said. “By doing this garden we’re saying to our children ‘We’ve got your back. We’re going to make sure that you are remembered.’”

The funding for the memorial garden is part of nearly $2.3 million in funding that will be heading to New Haven thanks to Tuesday’s Bond Commission vote. Of that, $1 million is going to Fair Haven Community Health Care’s locations at 350 and 374 Grand Ave. for HVAC improvements, a new roof, and a renovation, according to a press release Tuesday from State Rep. Al Paolillo Jr.‘s office.

Additional grant-in-aid recipients include $500,000 for the Connecticut Association for the Performing Arts and The Shubert Theatre toward its phase II renovations and improvements and $463,000 grant-in-aid to the Connecticut Player Foundation and Long Wharf Theatre for facilities planning and a market study, according to the press release.

“I am pleased Gov. Malloy and members of the Bond Commission responded to the New Haven legislative delegation’s request for these funds,” Paolillo stated in the press release. “Everyone’s combined efforts demonstrate how vibrant cities like New Haven are critical to providing economic opportunities and job growth for our region. It also recognizes the important role that arts and culture and healthcare play in supporting our local economy, businesses and residents. It is imperative that our cities are recognized and supported by the state.”

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Cotto Seeks Second Term On Ed Board

by CHRISTOPHER PEAK New Haven Independent

Jamell Cotto says he’s just getting started on the school board. He’s asking for another four years, while an advocacy group wants to see an educator take his place.

Mayor Toni Harp submitted Cotto’s reappointment to the Board of Alders on Thursday, Nov. 29, in a form letter.

“I am most confident, given Mr. Cotto’s credentials and commitment to our City, that he will serve the citizens of New Haven in a most conscientious and productive manner,” Harp wrote.

The Aldermanic Affairs Committee plans to take up the appointment at a January meeting.

According to the charter, the Board of Alders has 60 days to weigh in. That means that a decision must be made by Feb. 3, 2019. If the board misses the deadline, Cotto’s reappointment will be approved automatically. That happened last year with Tamiko Jackson-McArthur’s nomination.

Cotto, the executive director at the Farnam Neighborhood House and a lifelong Elm City resident, joined the Board of Education in 2017, replacing then-President Daisy Gonzalez after her unexpected death.

Preoccupied with the superintendent search and a budget crisis, Cotto said that he hasn’t had a chance yet to take on his own projects.

“Due to the fact that I had to immediately deal with a $20 million budget deficit, I haven’t had an opportunity to work on some initiatives I would like to see the Board of Education address. I think I should have that time to serve a full term,” he said. “I now have the experience and institutional knowledge to keep this board focused and moving forward during the crucial stage while a new superintendent and management staff are getting acclimated.”

Cotto’s arrival on the school board swung a prolonged and divisive superintendent search, giving Carol Birks a decisive extra vote over her top competitor for the job.

Since then, as the board’s vice-president, Cotto has gone after maintenance and transportation contractors, pushing for all existing agreements to be re-bid. He has questioned the expansion of Central Office, asking about pointed questions about the role of a deputy superintendent and a talent chief.

He voted to close Creed High School, and he put six elementary schools on the chopping block. Darnell Goldson, the board’s president, later apologized for any appearance of aiming school closures at neighborhoods whose alders flat-funded this year’s budget.

Cotto said he’s most proud of how he has managed difficult financial decisions.

“Though any reductions will eventually impact students, we were able to reduce those negative impacts,” he said. “The changes we make will have a long term positive effect on the system and will eventually help to reduce costs and target funding towards classrooms.”

Everyday Citizens Or Educational Experts?

NHPS Advocates, a watchdog group of parents and teachers, has been pushing for future school board appointees to have a background in education, to be free from conflicts of interest and to have some connection to the city’s public schools.

The Board of Alders approved a task force to discuss qualifications, but it isn’t expected to release recommendations soon. The task force has not convened yet; its membership is still being determined.

Cotto said that he doesn’t believe putting educators on the Board of Ed had necessarily improved the schools.

A Company presents an early challenge for Governor-elect Ned Lamont.

The conglomerate announced late Monday that it would be selling its Otis and Carrier divisions. It will maintain its aerospace companies, including Pratt & Whitney, and Rockwell Collins, its newest acquisition.

UTC is one of Connecticut’s largest employers, and with that in mind Lamont’s administration will feel pressure to make sure all three divisions, especially its aerospace business, remains headquartered in Connecticut.

“I talked to Mr. Hayes a week ago. I’ll be talking to him again later today,” Lamont said Tuesday, referring to UTC Chairman and CEO Gregory Hayes.

“Look we’re going to follow this like a hawk,” Lamont said. “We’re not going to be taken by surprise.”

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration was criticized for not being able to convince General Electric, another iconic company, to keep its headquarters in Fairfield. However, since GE moved to Boston

Governor-elect Ned Lamont

its stock has been downgraded and booted from the Dow Jones Industrial average.

Its decision to leave Connecticut was dissected during the recent election cycle and Lamont and his Republican opponent, Bob Stefanowski, disagreed over the reasons GE left.

There’s no indication that UTC has any immediate plans to relocate its operations.

Lamont said the question becomes what pieces stay in Connecticut, and “how do we

Publisher / CEO

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Editor-in-Chief Liaison, Corporate Affairs Babz@penfieldcomm.com

Advertising/Sales Team Trenda Lucky Keith Jackson Delores Alleyne John Thomas, III

Editorial Team Staff Writers

Christian Lewis/Current Affairs Anthony Scott/Sports Arlene Davis-Rudd/Politics Cotto explains at the vote to hire Carol Birks.

“What the board needs is a balance between educators, parents, students and community leaders who are familiar with the city,” he said. “For 25-plus years, this board was overwhelmingly dominated by educators. To be frank, what has that gotten us? The achievement gap was not reduced, graduation rates plummeted and parents were fleeing from the city.”

Since 2014-15, after New Haven’s transition to a hybrid board with two elected members, New Haven’s performance indicators have been mixed. The graduation rate and test scores have risen; the achievement gap has widened for students with higher needs at all levels in both reading and math. Enrollment is also down slightly Cotto added that other school boards across Connecticut, nearly all of them elected,

also aren’t stocked with experts in pedagogy. They “are populated with everyday citizens who are committed to education, and most of them appear to work well,” he said.

In an email sent to Mayor Harp and President Tyisha Walker-Myers on Tuesday morning, the NHPS Advocates proposed nine alternative candidates for the Board of Ed, including several professors, community organizers, social-service providers, recent graduates and active parents.

“Based on the information provided to us, all appear to have education expertise, no conflicts of interest, and a demonstrated commitment to public education,” the Advocates wrote. “We hope that you will do so and consider them for upcoming appointments.”

Lamont Says He Will Watch UTC Breakup ‘Like A Hawk’

by Christine Stuart

John P. Thomas

help them grow and expand in the state?”

He said there’s “a lot of incentive to staying here and I’m going to make sure they stay here.”

Hayes described UTC’s announcement as “a pivotal moment” in the company’s history that “will best position each independent company to drive sustained growth.”

He added that he’s confident that each company will continue to perform and innovate.

Lamont said he wants Otis, Carrier, and UTC to stay in Connecticut.

“I’m going to make darn sure that they know they have a governor whose door is open. We’ll do everything we can to make sure this is a place they can call home,” Lamont said.

Lamont said the breakup of the conglomerate came a little sooner than expected, but it wasn’t unexpected.

A New York-based hedge fund headed by billionaire investor Daniel Loeb urged UTC back in May to break up into three businesses.

Reuters reported in May that Third Point

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— Loeb’s hedge fund — sent a letter to clients stating: “A three way split would unlock in excess of $20 billion of value, net of separation costs.”

In March, Hayes estimated it would cost as much as $3 billion to split the companies and it would take two years to complete. In a press release Monday he said they expect the separation of the three divisions to be completed by 2020.

It’s uncertain whether Otis or Carrier will stay headquartered in Connecticut, but UTC has some incentive to stay.

In 2014, the General Assembly approved a deal that gave UTC access to $400 million in unused tax credits to expand facilities and cut their tax liability.

That deal did not include Otis or Carrier, but it did commit Pratt & Whitney to the state for 15 years.

Through June 2017, UTC has earned a total of $245 million of the $400 million in authorized credits for exchange. Two years remain for them to earn the balance, according to a Department of Economic and Community Development report.

Contributing Writers David Asbery Tanisha Asbery Jerry Craft/Cartoons Barbara Fair

Dr. Tamiko Jackson-McArthur Michelle Turner Smita Shrestha William Spivey Kam Williams Rev. Samuel T. Ross-Lee

_______________________

Contributors At-Large

Christine Stuart www.CTNewsJunkie.com Paul Bass New Haven Independent www.newhavenindependent.org

Memberships

National Association of Black Journalist National Newspapers Publishers Association Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Greater New Haven Business & Professional Association Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Holiday Village Takes Shape

by MARKESHIA RICKS New Haven Independent

Elves were spotted in the shadow of the Temple Street Parking Garage, but they weren’t building toys. They were building a forthcoming New Haven “Holiday Village” set to open in Temple Plaza Thursday and featuring gifts by local artists and craftspeople.

Mayor Toni Harp and the city’s business and economic development administration stopped by Monday to check out the progression of the Village, which sprang up in the plaza almost overnight. The outdoor market runs from Thursday through Sunday.

The “elves” weren’t from the North Pole but from 212 Exchange Street LLC, a Dixwell Avenue-based contracting company.

“We’ve been working 24/7 around the clock making sure that these greenhouses were ready to go by Thursday,” 212 Exchange co-owner Kayla Murray said while supervising the work on site. “The city reached out to us, and we’re excited about this project. They look great.”

Acting City Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli (at left in photo) said that the Village will be an opportunity to showcase 16 local vendors and create a place for people to enjoy the holidays in the Elm City. He called the temporary offerings complementary to the brick and mortar businesses.

He pointed out that such markets are common in bigger cities like New York and Montreal and that the retail market has become quite competitive thanks to online shopping.

“We’re creating an opportunity to identify gifts that are more unique,” he said.

Mayor Toni Harp noted that starting Thursday at noon, when the Village opens, people will be able to get gifts “that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.”

Elinor Slomba, founder of Art Interstices and Verge Art Group, was busy walking artists and vendors through the Village’s greenhouses, letting them know that each one will have electricity and heat. That was welcome information Monday afternoon, as the sun had long since disappeared from the plaza.

“This is an exciting opportunity for small businesses and artists to grow here and do different things at different stages of their life,” said Slomba, who has directed Project Storefronts and worked with the Made in New Haven campaign.

She said the Village will also feature live music by the Hillhouse High marching band, Caribbean steel drums, a Balkan brass band that also will provide a folk dancing lesson. G-Nice & the Family Affair Band will perform along with salsa and bachata lessons by Alisa Bown-Mercado and jazz with Thomas Ice of Musical Intervention. Church groups will also carol.

“We’re encouraging patronage of all the nearby restaurants for food and beverages,” Slomba said. “We will not have those on site. We wanted to cooperate and not compete with the folks at like Prime 16 and Temple Grill.”

She noted that Temple Grill will have its winter outdoor seating available so that people can sit at the patio and continue to enjoy the music. Also look for a visit from the cast (in costume) of New Haven Ballet’s The Nutcracker. The Santa Bus will arrive with the big guy for Sunday photo opportunities.

Potter Hannah Leckman of Hannah Pottery LLC said she and a studio mate from Erector Square jumped at the chance to participate in the Village in large part because it’s close.Her work is big and breakable, so lugging it to far places isn’t particularly appealing.

“I live in Hamden,” Leckman said. “It’s much more appealing to come here than to go to even Guilford. That’s what is excit-

ing to me.”

Cathy Graves, city deputy director for small business development, said that the idea for the market grew out of a smallscale market the city put on last year to provide foot traffic to the many entrepreneurs in the city who can’t afford to operate in a storefront. That one was held in Mayor Toni Harp’s former downtown campaign headquarters on Orange Street. Read about it here.

Graves said that venture was a success helping those businesses generate between $3,000 and $4,000. This year’s project builds on that success.

“When they say ‘It takes a village,’ it truly takes a village,” she said.

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YEARS

Chelsea Tipton, NHSO Pops Conductor

HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA Saturday, Dec 15 | 2:30pm | Hamden Middle School Sunday, Dec 16 | 3:00pm | Shelton High School

Potter Hannah Leckman will be bringing her pottery to the Holiday Village.

Connecticut’s Holiday tradition is back… and this year NHSO Pops Conductor Chelsea Tipton is pulling out all the stops in honor of the NHSO’s 125th Anniversary. From Sleigh Ride to a sing-along with Santa and special guest performances by the Elm City Girls’ Choir, the NHSO’s take on classic and new Holiday carols will delight and enchant.

Tickets: $35-49 | Kids Under 18 Free with an Adult Ticket (203)787-4282 | NewHavenSymphony.org

Ethan Rodriguez-Torrent of Escape New Haven talks to Mayor Toni Harp about the puzzles that people can try during the Holiday Village.

Slomba introduces some of the artists who will be vending in the Village.

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Ordinary Gets A Miracle On Chapel Street

by Lucy Gellman,

Editor The Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

There’s tinsel growing like ivy over the bar at Ordinary. Strings of rainbow lights blink out in unfamiliar greens, yellows and reds nearby. The windows look like they’re snow-kissed, glowing white and gold with a tiny tree in the window. And somewhere back near the fireplace, it appears that a reindeer has thrown up enough joy and good cheer to last through New Year’s Day. For the month of December, Ordinary New Haven has turned into Miracle, a kitschy cocktail bar and Christmas popup in the middle of Chapel Street, meant to conjure holiday magic in even the darkest of months. Gone is the clean, prohibition-era cool that usually defines the bar, replaced with mugs bearing Santa’s jolly mustachioed face, tumblers with tiny sleigh decals, and tiny koala bears wearing redand-white Santa Hats as they climb the stems of cocktail glasses.

It is kitsch of the highest order, at arguably the kitschiest time of year. And for coowner Tim Cabral, it’s also a boozy rite of passage—Ordinary is one of some 80 bars in the world, and only two in Connecticut, to participate in the event. After beginning Nov. 27, Miracle at Ordinary continues through Dec. 31. In the state, the other participating bar is Highland Brass Co. in Waterbury, Conn.

“It’s a big honor to be asked to be part of it, because it’s its own thing,” Cabral said in an interview at the bar last week, mixing the bourbon, gingerbread syrup, Elemakule Tiki Bitters, whole egg and nutmeg that go into a Gingerbread Flip. “It works in our space. I’m very proud to be doing it.”

Miracle first started four years ago at a New York City cocktail bar called Mace, with no stated goal of growing in future years. At the time, owner Greg Boehm

was still building out the bar, and opened a seasonal pop-up called “Miracle On Ninth Street.” People started flocking to it, intrigued then delighted by the idea. The following year, it began to catch on in other cities, a whole Miracle team forming to design a menu Now, the pop-up comes with specific, holiday-themed drinkware and 12 signature cocktails, including the “Jingle Balls Nog” (cognac, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, brown butter, cinnamon, cherry, vanilla, almond milk, cream, sugar, egg and nutmeg), “Koala-La La La, La La La La” (gin, pine, dry vermouth, lime, eucalyptus syrup and orange bitters), and “Snowball Old Fashioned (butterscotch rye, spiced Demerara, Wormwood bitters and orange zest).

When the Miracle team approached Cabral about participating this year, he recalled saying yes almost instantly. It’s not that he is fond of Christmas festivities, he said—Cabral grew up in New Haven not particularly enjoying the holiday. He still associates Christmastimes of his youth with the fact that he was working by age 12. But the honor was too exciting to pass up.

After signing onto Miracle, he picked up the phone and enlisted Kyle Zimmerman, a friend he had made on the Kentucky Bourbon trail years earlier. He made a total of five trips out to buy furry, glittering tinsel, Christmas lights, tiny trees, and other holiday decor, realizing after each one that “I thought I had so much, and it was never enough!” And the day before Miracle began, he and staff spent the day decorating, turning into a winter wonderland Somewhere along the way, it seems that he’s started to believe in the magic too.

Yes—it’s kind of like taking a wrong turn into Frankenmuth, the little Michigan town where it is Christmas all year long. But at its best, it also channels Europe’s warmly

photos by Lucy Gellman: Ordinary Co-Founder Tim Cabral.New Haven Independent reporter Markeshia Ricks, a friend of Rawls-Ivy’s (and this reporter’s!) and a fan of the bar. lit Christmas markets, where visitors can ward off the biting cold with steaming mugs of mulled wine, spiced nuts and hot Kartoffelpuffer that burst with onion when you first bite into them.

On a recent Friday, the bar was hopping, Christmasy cocktails mingling with beer

on tap as the bar filled up just after 5 p.m.

Sitting at the bar across from Cabral and Zimmerman, Inner-City News Editor Babz Rawls-Ivy worked through her first “Run Run Rudolph” (Prosecco, gin, mulled wine puree, lemon, cane syrup) with a Doodle Burger on a bed of lettuce.

“I don’t see any Black Santas,” she told Cabral, who she affectionately refers to as her “bar husband.”

“We’re working on it!” he said.

“It sets the tone for the holidays,” she later added. “Good friends and good food over great cocktails makes the season bright.”

Closing Looms; School “Family” Presses On

by SAM GURWITT

On Thursday afternoon, Church Street School art teacher Katie Anton-Steer sat in the middle of her classroom calling up students to get small pieces of colorful tissue paper. One by one, each kindergartener got up and grabbed a piece of the paper and brought it back to a table. There, they crumpled them up and glued them to the top of their two-dimensional holiday-themed paper hats, simulating a pom-pom.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch, and glue!” Anton-Steer encouraged her students.

Principal Karen Butler, who was in the room observing, chuckled.

“Crunch, crunch, crunch, and glue!” she echoed under her breath.

As Butler left the room and started down the hall, she smiled and shook her head wistfully. If you’re ever having a tough day, she said, just go spend some time with kindergarteners.

This week has been full of tough days for Butler. The Hamden Board of Education voted the previous Thursday on a redistricting plan that will involve shutting down two district elementary schools. On the chopping block are the Shepherd Glen School and Butler’s Church Street School in Southern Hamden. The district also plans to incorporate a school building on Wintergreen Avenue, in which Area Cooperative Educational Services (ACES) currently runs the Wintergreen Inter-district Magnet School, putting that school’s future in jeopardy as well. The closures are a part of a broad plan to streamline the district in an era of limited funding and declining enrollment. It also aims to change the racial makeup of Hamden’s elementary schools in response to a state racial balancing policy. As Butler noted, the district was responding to a “perfect storm” of factors.

If all goes as planned, the process of the district’s restructuring will begin over the

summer, though schools will not close for at least another year and a half.

In the meantime, teachers, students, parents, and principals like Butler have to keep spirits up and their communities together.

Butler has been at the school only since Oct. 1. Before moving to the Church Street School, she had been principal of the Ridge Hill School, another Hamden public elementary, for 13 years.

Church Street and Ridge Hill are similar in many ways, according to Butler. They’re both very diverse. They’re both Title 1 schools, which means they receive federal funding because more than 40 percent of their student bodies qualify as low-income.

They also differ in certain ways. Ridge Hill is more “equally diverse,” according to Butler, meaning the school’s racial and socio-economic demographics are more balanced.

The Church Street School has one of the

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highest percentages of students on free or reduced lunch in the district, in the high 70s. The school has around 88 percent minority enrollment, the highest in the district. It is composed predominately of African American and Latinx students.

The school plays an important role for the families it serves. In addition to the regular curriculum, it offers after-school programs and classes for parents in subjects like computer science.

The school is also important for its families because of the food it provides for students. According to Hector Velazquez, the family engagement coordinator, for some kids, “this is their safe haven for food.” In addition to providing free or reduced lunch for those students who qualify, the school has multiple partnerships with outside organizations to combat food insecurity.

The United Labor Agency provides seven families at the school with meals, while the Connecticut Food Bank sends 40 students

home with bags of food each week to get them through the weekend. The school partners with the local food pantries and other organizations to host food banks at nearby churches.

While the parents from the Shepherd Glen School and Wintergreen have shown up in force to school board meetings to fight for their schools’ survival, parents from Church Street have not been as vocal. Butler attributed the relative silence to a number of factors: The population that sends their kids to the Church Street School is mostly composed of “hard-working parents with a lot on their plates.” Many parents are too busy trying to get dinner on the table to make it to a school board meeting. Many also work evenings, when the meetings take place. Others may not have had good elementary school experiences of their own, and therefore don’t readily engage in the school’s affairs. She added that many parents simply trust the district

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Con’t from page 03

Birks Sets School District Goals by meeting with parents monthly and with students quarterly “to receive direct input on every aspect of schooling.” She wants each school to look over their security protocols and behavioral interventions.

If the schools do it right, Birks said that she hopes to see no more than 10 percent of the district’s students marked chronically absent, meaning they miss up to 18 days of class each year. That would be down from the 19.9 percent chronic absenteeism rate now.

Finally, in engagement, Birks said she wants family and community members to “share in the ownership” of the school system, including its “continuous improvement.”

Birks said she wants each school to administer a survey on feelings about the school and to pass out a handbook with expectations for students and contacts for staff.

She also called for each school to set up a governance structure that allows a range of people to participate in decision-making, especially to make sure that parents and community members have a way to “voice their ideas and concerns.”

From Central Office, Birks said, she also wants to set up a Parent University that can train moms and dads in how to participate in their children’s education.

She seeks to redesign the district’s website and create a newsletter. She also aims to increase the number of community partners working in the schools.

“If we work in a coherent way to include all these aspects — not just the district internally but external stakeholders — we will boost student achievement,” Birks said at the end of her presentation. “This is our guide. This is our work.”

School board members said that they want to make sure that parents and students are involved in a deeper way as these broad goals are now translated into more specific plans for the district and each school. But overall, they applauded Birks for taking a first step.

“This is the kind of stuff that I’ve been looking for for some time,” said Ed Joyner, one of the board’s two elected members. “They meet the M.O.M. test.

They’re meaningful, observable and measurable.

“I think all you need to make sure this happens is that policymakers and executives are working in concert, providing the cover and support that you need to execute this plan,” Joyner went on.

“Because while you might be planning, someone else might be scheming. We don’t need that; we need to make sure that, even in a time of limited resources, we help you with the priorities that you deem necessary to move the district forward.”

Alasdair Neale Gets An Arts “Welcome Wagon”

by Lucy Gellman, Editor Arts Paper www.newhavenarts.org

Get to know your community management teams, and not just in the neighborhood where you live. Reach out to potential collaborators as soon as an idea comes to you. Think about who isn’t in the room as much as about who is.

Those were just some of the tips that Alasdair Neale, incoming music director at the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO), received Wednesday morning at Cafe X in Westville, as a small group of area arts leaders welcomed him to New Haven with coffee and breakfast. His visit marks the second of four week-long trips that he will be making to the city between now and the time he steps into the position next fall.

Current Music Director William Boughton will finish out the current season, the NHSO’s celebratory 125th year.

Attendees included Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) Executive Director Anne Coates, International Festival of Arts & Ideas (A&I) Co-Directors Tom Griggs and Elizabeth Fisher, Yale School of Drama Deputy Dean and Rep Managing Director Victoria Nolan, Shubert Theatre Executive Director John Fisher, New Haven Museum Executive Director Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky, New Haven Ballet Director Lisa Sanborn, Long Wharf Theatre Director of Development Elizabeth Monz, Music Haven Executive Director Mandi Jackson, and Arts Council Executive Director Daniel Fitzmaurice. The meeting was convened

by Fitzmaurice, who said he is planning to do the same when Jacob Padrón arrives at Long Wharf Theatre in February.

Neale was named music director in July, beating out over 150 applicants and fellow finalists Rebecca Miller and David Amado for the position. He will officially begin next fall, but is already working with NHSO staff and musicians to plan his first season for the 2019-2020 concert year. He said he’s already looking at apartments, with the intention of living downtown without a car. It marks a paradigm shift from Boughton, who lives in Guilford and isn’t visible in the New Haven community when he isn’t conducting.

But before he signs a lease, he’s making good on a promise to listen. Over four different trips to New Haven—the first was in September, and the next two are in April and June—he and NHSO staff have designed a kind of listening tour, meeting with educators, students, arts organizations, community management team heads, and city officials in all of New Haven’s neighborhoods.

This and last week, those stops included the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library (NHFPL) for visits with Branch Manager Diane Brown and graduates of the Neighborhood Leadership Program, an afternoon with students at Music Haven, and a scheduled meeting with the city’s Black and Hispanic Caucus. Neale also had a meeting with A&I Co-Director Chad Herzog, for a collaboration he’ll be presenting with the symphony during his June visit, timed to coincide with the fes-

Stephen Dest speaks briefly about Cafe X, his new venture at Lotta Studio with longtime barista Nate Blair.

Anne Coates of CAW, with Stacy Graham-Hunt, the new membership director at the Arts Council.

Arts Council ED Daniel Fitzmaurice and Alasdair Neale. tival.

As new Cafe X co-owners Stephen Dest and Nate Blair prepared a spread of coffee, orange juice, bagels and muffins for the group, attendees settled around Neale, getting cozy as they shed their coats and shook off the 30-degree morning cold (despite living in New Haven decades ago, Neale said it’s taking him time to adjust to the cold after living in San Francisco). One by one, they introduced themselves—then told the incoming maestro one thing they

7

Photo credit Lucy Gellman:

wished they’d known earlier in their own jobs.

From veterans of the field, there was a sort of common message: if you reach out to others, you’ll get the support you need in return. At least, if your organization is fairly entrenched in the city. One of the first to speak, Griggs urged Neale to lean on fellow nonprofit leaders for ideas, noting that collaborations often make the city’s arts community stronger.

John Fisher, who has been at the Shubert

for 21 years, praised New Haven’s tightknit feel, with “a lot of potential, a lot of opportunities.” Elizabeth Fisher added that she wished she’d known exactly “what a small world it was,” in which organizations end up sharing board members and supporting each others’ programming. Behind her, NHSO Executive Director Elaine Carroll joked about a request for collaboration that Fisher responded to in 33 minutes flat.

“It’s a small community and a small state,” said Monz, who has served as executive director for The Arts Council of Greater New Haven, cofounded the Connecticut Arts Alliance, and has held positions at Creative Arts Workshop, Choate Rosemary Hall, and The Hopkins School. “A rising tide floats all boats.”

But others reflected on how much they wished they’d done more listening early in their positions. Coates, a transplant who just celebrated her one-year anniversary at CAW, said she now regrets not listening more when she arrived last year, because she still doesn’t have a sense of the community’s needs.

“I didn’t do that [listening],” she said. “I just sort of jumped in, and so I didn’t have a natural way to enter the community and meet people.”

Jackson added that with listening—and in her position especially—she also spends a lot of time thinking about who isn’t in a given room. She spoke about the students she works with almost daily at Music Haven, whose neighborhoods are often overlooked in major arts programming. With a background in community organizing, she said she sees that disparity—and how deeply it’s tied to economic access.

“There’s a really large community of people who want to be invested in the art, who aren’t in that circle,” she said. “We have a huge waiting list, and I think that speaks to the hunger to be part of the arts.”

Opening that insular arts circle, she said while looking at the table’s mostly white attendees, is integral to “the ways we can make this table look like New Haven.”

While she did not mention the neighborhoods by name, the shadows of Dwight, Dixwell, Fair Haven, Newhallville and the Hill all hung over the room, swaths of land whose residents are rarely reflected in audiences at the Shubert, Yale Rep, or Long Wharf.

“I’m so grateful to have the chance to listen,” Neale said afterward. “Having spent six years in New Haven, I came to this fully aware that I can’t think I’ve got this because I lived here. What I’ve been struck by more than anything else is the immense richness of this community and the way that it’s tied together.”

“I’m constantly reminded how much more there is to my job than standing on a podium,” he added. “There’s so much to do.”

To listen to an interview between Neale and LoveBabz LoveTalk host Babz RawlsIvy, click on the audio below. This interview is made possible through the Arts Paper’s content sharing relationship with WNHH Community Radio and its longstanding news affiliate, the New Haven Independent.

Voices Raised At Arts Awards THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

by BRIAN SLATTERY

New Haven Independent

The Arts Council of Greater New Haven’s 38th annual awards ceremony, held Friday during a luncheon at the New Haven Lawn Club, began with a protest. As patrons were seating themselves in the Lawn Club’s expansive ballroom, a troop of young women marched in file toward the stage, chanting and holding aloft signs about stopping domestic and sexual violence, about women’s suffrage, about curing breast cancer.

The women were dancers from Premier Dance Company, headed by Hanan Hameen, one of the afternoon’s award recipients. They took the stage to a blast of music from the speakers, moving from funk to pop to hip hop, as patrons finished sitting down — a fitting nod to the theme of the arts awards this year, of phenomenal women.

That the phrase was taken from Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” was lost on none of the presenters, as Angelou’s refrain — “I’m a woman / Phenomenally. / Phenomenal woman, / That’s me.” — was taken up a few times during the ceremony.

This year’s awards went to five such women: Hameen, Jackie Downing, Ruby Melton, Elinor Slomba, and Hanifa Nayo Washington.

First, however, came presentation of the C. Newton Schenck III Award for lifetime achievement in and contribution to the arts, which went to U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro. In a prerecorded interview, DeLauro said that her

family had “a rich history in the arts.” Her father, a self-taught musician, took her to the Metropolitan Opera to see Verdi’s Aida when she was 9 years old. “Opera and classical music were an everyday experience in my home,” she said.

She wanted to be a tap dancer, but her father said she should get a more “stable profession,” she said. “So I ran for office.”

“I wish we didn’t have to struggle for funding” for the arts, she continued. “There was a time when we eliminated funding for the arts” altogether, a situation she considered “barbaric.”

On the awards’ theme of phenomenal women, she cited her own inspiration: “My mom taught me to never take no for an answer and to never give up.”

In accepting the award in person, DeLauro turned her attention to the awardees, who “deserve the recognition they are getting today” for their roles in New Haven’s arts community. “New Haven is a center of the arts. It’s a cultural oasis,” she said.

She also spoke of the late Schenck himself, whom she’d worked alongside when she was a part of Mayor Frank Logue’s administration in the 1970s. “Newt was a rare and special man,” quiet and effective, with a vision for creating what is now New Haven’s official arts district centered on Audubon Street, DeLauro said. “I could not help but be influenced.”

They became friends enough over the years,

enough that “I lent one of Newt’s daughters my skis. And I never got them back. But it didn’t matter, because I never used them,” DeLauro said, to laughter.

Of the award itself, she said, “I take it as a call to do more, and I will.”

Next, Frances “Bitsie” Clark and her proteges, the self-styled “Bitsie Chicks” — Barbara Lamb, Mimsie Coleman, Robin Golden, Betty Monz and Maryann Ott, led on Friday

by Lamb — took the stage to announce the creation of the Bitsie Clark Fund for Artists, named in honor of the arts leader who was executive director of the Arts Council for two decades and integral to creating the Audubon Arts District. The new fund was designed to provide money for artists and arts organizations to work together more closely. Its first grantee, Lamb announced, will be Barbara Harder. Harder will partner with Creative Arts Workshop, where she has taught printmaking for over 40 years. The $2,500 grant will fund travel to Japan, where Harder plans to visit master papermakers, bring examples back to New Haven, and invite other artists to CAW to explore papermaking as well.

The first award recipient of the day, Jackie Downing, is the director of grantmaking and nonprofit effectiveness at the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven. She has also worked with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Dixwell “Q” House, and the Town of Hamden, along with the Whitney Players, a theater company.

LUCIANA Q. MCCLURE PHOTOS

AwardeesMelton, Slomba, Downing, DeLauro, Hameen, and Washington.

“I want to challenge you on a higher level,” Downing said to her audience. “I’m asking you to join me in being a fire starter” — someone who doesn’t simply support the arts, but actively engages with the arts community and brings others along to do the same. “Take a child to New Haven’s Nutcracker and make it an annual tradition,” she said. “Join the cabaret class at Neighborhood Music School ... Take a bookbinding class at Creative Arts Workshop.”

“Don’t ignore the smaller theaters,” she

continued, encouraging the audience to attend more fundraisers and descend with their friends en masse on a production at Collective Consciousness Theatre in Fair Haven. “Your ticket could be just the fire they need,” she said. Each person in the audience, she said, could become fire starters “so our community of artists can continue to ignite the vibrancy in us all.”

Hanan Hameen, daughter of jazz musician Jesse Hameen, founded the Artsucation AcadCon’t on page 10

Can women be head coaches of NFL teams?

“I do hope that the NFL will start to bring women into the coaching profession as position coaches and eventually coordinators and then head coaches.”

Rice went on to say, “One doesn’t have to play the game to understand it and motivate players, but experience counts – and it’s time to develop a pool of experienced women coaches.”

Though Rice never played the game because she is a female, she knows a little somethin’, somethin’.

For three years, she was a part of the College Football Playoff selection committee responsible for determining the top college football teams in the country; ultimately deciding what four teams would compete in the playoff.

Jenny Ziegler, Miami Times

This [NFL] is a man’s world, but it would be nothing without a woman or a girl … (speaking in my James Brown voice).

Sure, we are on the sidelines as cheerleaders, owners, reporters and such, but there has never been a female head coach manning the sidelines in any male professional sport.

There’s always a first time for everything.

Well, hold that thought as we are not there yet.

Recently, Condoleezza Rice was trending on social media when it was reported by NFL insider, Adam Schefter that the Cleveland Browns were considering the former secretary of state for its most recent head coaching vacancy.

Rice, though hailed as being intelligent, a great leader and a woman of great character, is an unrealistic candidate for the head coaching gig with the Browns, yet she has brought the discussion of coaching opportunities for women in male professional sports to the forefront.

Condi, as she is affectionately called, is also an adamant Cleveland Browns fan.

“I love my Browns,” she said.

Her love for the team stems from times

How’s that for “women don’t know jack about football?”

when her and her father watched games together and cheered on Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.

But a love of the game does not make a

head football coach.

She acknowledged that she doesn’t possess the experience needed to take on such a role and had this to say on Facebook:

8

The former secretary of state is wise enough to know that though she is not ready to be a coach in the NFL, there are women who can do the job with the proper training and opportunities.

She has expressed an interest in the role of NFL commissioner. If she can broker peace deals in the Middle East, ceasefires and deal with terrorists and drug lords on behalf of our country — then why not?

She ended her post by saying, “BTW- I’m not ready to coach, but I would like to call

a play or two next season if the Browns need ideas!”

At 4-6-1, the Browns could perhaps use a few plays this season as opposed to waiting until next season. I’m just saying.

The league however is making strides, as there are few teams that have opened their doors and are affording women the type of on-the-job-training required to be able to take that next step toward coaching in the NFL.

The Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets all have hired females in some form of football operational capacity (offensive assistant, special team’s coach, strength and conditioning coach, and assistant coach). Kudos to all of them!

Rice is advocating for more training opportunities for women to get the lockerroom credential that will enable them to climb that proverbial NFL coaching ladder.

Given the right opportunities, the sky is the limit: general manager, commission or even president.

The only thing that is standing in the way of a woman coaching in the NFL is air and opportunity.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

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9

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

10 Cities With The Highest HIV Rates

According to the CDC, the rate of HIV diagnoses in Orlando decreased slightly (0.9 percent) from 2013-2015. New HIV infections appear to be declining globally as well. December 1 marked the 28th World AIDS Day, and according to AIDS. gov, “the vast majority of people living with HIV are in low- and middle-income countries.” Most people in these regions still don’t have access to prevention, treatment and care programs, and only 60 percent of the 36.7 million people living with HIV/AIDS know their status. Since the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief passed in 2003, the U.S. has spent more than $50 billion to test and treat people for HIV in subSaharan Africa, NPR reports. Other organizations, like U2 frontman Bono’s (RED), are targeting mainstream audiences to raise awareness around the issue.

by Derrick Lane, BlackDoctor.org

Around 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States of America (USA). Nearly one in seven of these people are unaware they have HIV. The size of the HIV epidemic is relatively small compared to the country’s population, but is heavily concentrated among several key affected populations. Around 70% of annual new HIV infections occur among gay and other men who have sex with men (sometimes referred to as MSM), among whom African American/black men are most affected, followed by Latino/Hispanic men. Heterosexual African American/black women and transgender women of all ethnicities are also disproportionately affected.

The USA is the greatest funder of the global response to HIV, but also has an ongoing HIV epidemic itself, with around 37,600 new infections a year. HIV affects locations differently as well, so we’ve compiled the cities with highest rates in the nation.

4. Jackson, Mississippi – 32.2 GetTested.com reports that in Jackson, there is “a concerted effort to inform the public about the PrEP pill.” Did you know there’s a pill out there that can actually prevent you from becoming infected with HIV even if you have sex with someone who is HIV-positive? Pre-exposure prophylaxis, a daily medication, can do just that, according to WhatisPrEP.org. It’s approved by the FDA, meaning that it’s safe and effective.

For more information on the PrEP pill and how to get it, click on the related link below.

10. Baltimore, Maryland – 24.3 According to GetTested.com, HIV infection rates in Baltimore are on the rise due to a lack of education. HIV is a lifelong infection that, if left untreated, can lead to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), according to AIDS.gov. AIDS occurs when a person’s immune system becomes damaged, and people who are diagnosed with AIDS typically survive about three years.

3. New Orleans, Louisiana – 36.9 An excess of 19,000 people in Louisiana are living with HIV. More than half of those people have AIDS, according to GetTested.com. Although African-Americans make up only 32 percent of the state population, they represented 73 percent of the state’s new cases in 2011, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. The LDH urges Louisianians to get tested. “If people with HIV have the virus diagnosed early, they are able to receive treatment and care early enough to delay the onset of AIDS,” LDH Office of Publish Health Assistant Secretary J.T. Lane says in a press release.

9. Jacksonville, Florida – 25.1 Although Jacksonville isn’t thought of as a “party city” like other destinations on GetTested.com’s list, the site suggests that, “The number of business people and tourists who travel to Jacksonville,” might contribute to the high rates of HIV diagnoses and prevalence there. Forty-four percent of people diagnosed with HIV live in the South, even though the region only contains about a third of the U.S. population.

Aside from Baltimore, all of the cities on GetTested.com’s list are in the South.

8. Columbia, South Carolina – 25.6 South Carolina’s Channel 10 WISTV.com reports that poverty, rural geography, lack of affordable healthcare and social stigma all contribute to the prevalence of HIV in the South. “Researchers say being a part of the ‘Bible Belt’ adds to the stigma,” they report, meaning that in some cases, a diagnosed person might not seek treatment due to fear of rejection from the religious community. Careteam+, a South Carolina nonprofit healthcare provider, tells WISTV. com that they’ve lately been able to refer 500 percent more patients to specialized care thanks to the Affordable Care Act. With antiretroviral therapy, someone who is HIV-positive can keep the illness under control and reduce their risk of infecting others.

7. Atlanta, Georgia – 25.9 Moving down the list from number 4 last year to number seven this year, more than

1,000 people are diagnosed with HIV each year in Atlanta. What’s even more interesting is that 50 percent of those people aren’t diagnosed until they already have AIDS. Within the first two to four weeks of infection, some people experience flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, rash, night sweats and fatigue, according to AIDS.gov.

Others don’t show any symptoms at all, and about one in eight Americans with HIV don’t know that they have it. The only way to know if you have AIDS is to get tested.

There are tons of places you can go to do this, including Planned Parenthood, medical clinics, hospitals and substance-abuse treatment programs. Check out the related link below to find a testing center in your area. Testing early might result in a false-

negative, so be sure to tell your testing site if you think you’ve been infected recently.

6. Memphis, Tennessee – 27.6 “A particularly concerning statistic from 2014 shows that about 2,000 people in Memphis who have the disease are not aware of it,” GetTested.com reports. “So they may continue to spread the infection.” African-American gay and bisexual men are most affected by HIV, according to AIDS.gov, followed by white gay and bisexual men. Heterosexual contact accounted for 24 percent of all diagnoses in 2015, and 6 percent of infections were the result of injection drug use.

5. Orlando, Florida – 28.8

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2. Miami, Florida – 42.8 In 2015, Miami had the highest rate of HIV diagnoses in the country. It also had the highest prevalence of the disease at the end of 2014, according to the CDC. GetTested. com speculates that the city’s high HIV rates may be due to its culture.

1. Baton Rouge, Louisiana – 44.7 Baton Rouge claimed the No. 1 spot on GetTested.com’s list. The company reports that many of the infections there “are due to shared needles, since the city is the center of a massive opiate addiction issue.”

The CDC provides a list of steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones from HIV. Educate yourself by visiting the CDC website, talk about what you learn with friends and loved ones, and empower people by sharing your knowledge on social media.

Con’t from page 8

At Arts Awards

emy Network, and founded and now directs Ms. Hanan’s Dance and Beyond, directs NMS’s Premier Dance Company. She’s also a founding member of the New Haven Hip-Hop Conference and artistic director of the Healing Drum Society, and works with the Lupus Foundation of America.

Hameen’s acceptance speech took the form of a poem, riffing on Angelou’s to create her own, using the metaphor of women as wearing multiple scarves. Some can silence and do violence. Some can kill. Others can cleanse and protect.

“You determine how and when you will carry your scarf,” she said. She honored “the matriarchs, the womb of man.” She took up the mantle of her past, from Africa to the Middle Passage to the Great Migration and back to Africa, the “legacy of the pioneers” and “the dream of the freedom fighters.”

“I will continue to use my gifts as a weapon in the force of justice,” she said. “Your life is yours to dictate.”

Ruby Melton has served on the boards of Long Wharf Theatre, the Shubert Theatre, National Council for the American Theatre, International Festival of Arts and Ideas, Gateway Community College Foundation, Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame, and Shepherds, Inc., also working on mentorships with high school students in New Haven.

She directed her comments at the representatives of arts organizations in the audience.

“As our organizations seek more representation in the community, we must ask: Does our board look like our community?” she asked.

She also enjoined arts organizations to “take more risks,” citing in particular a performance by theater provocateur Taylor Mac at the Arts and Ideas Festival. He “performed hits from the radical lesbian songbook” of the 1990s, Melton said, and related that while his show made many in the audience visibly uncomfortable, “some of us in the audience quietly celebrated.”

She reminded the audience that 2019 would mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. “I look forward to how our arts community will celebrate,” she said. She hearkened back to the beginning of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, which was created by three women — “women who said, ‘we’re going to change things. We’re not going to ask permission. We’re going to do it ourselves.’”

Elinor Slomba is the founder of Arts Interstices and Verge Art Group. She directed Project Storefronts and has worked with Made in New Haven, The Future Project, The Grove, Artspace, and the New Haven Museum.

“I hope you know how beautiful you look,” she said, addressing the audience from the stage. She described her joy at realizing a dream of getting to “hang around with artists for a living without having to make stuff.”

She then spoke to artists directly. “Your path is hard,” she said, “so much harder than occasions like this would suggest.” But the art they created was as necessary as ever, because it showed that “the world resists flattening” and that “we are not so simply and easily divided.”

“I always wish I could do more,” she continued. “I believe the heart is a public place ... we can continue to create the spaces to live in, love in, and fully be ourselves in.”

Healer, truth-teller, producer, singer-songwriter, and weaver of community stories, Hanifa Nayo Washington is an Inspiring Equity Arts Fellow with the William Casper Graustein Memorial Fund. She curates the Lit Happy Hour and is program director of The Word.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

AARP Poll: Majority of caregivers with family suffering from dementia, spend less time with friends

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent

For family caregivers, the holidays can be a joyful time when spirits are lighter and it feels good to care for loved ones and enjoy time together, celebrating with family traditions.

But for most family caregivers, the holidays also bring stress, according to Amy Goyer, a family and caregiver expert at AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.

“We’re already very busy with caregiving, and there’s even more to do during the holidays,” Goyer said.

A major concern is for those caring for sufferers of dementia.

A new AARP poll on dementia care has taken a closer look at the experiences of caregivers for family members with dementia and found more than half say their social life has suffered and nearly 45 percent say they feel alone.

In addition, they are more likely to grow further apart from the ones they care for and other family members because of their caregiving responsibilities. Social isolation and loneliness are linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes, health experts said.

“Family caregivers take on big responsi-

bilities that can be physically, emotionally and financially challenging. AARP’s new research shows that this can be particularly true for those caring for loved ones with dementia,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer.

“That’s why AARP has developed resources to help family caregivers balance their own needs with the needs of their loved one.”

Not only are the millions of family caregivers for those with dementia less socially connected, they are significantly more likely to put off medical care – over half (55 percent) have done so, compared to just 38 percent among the total caregiver population.

However, there were positive health behaviors identified in the poll as well – 79 percent took steps to maintain or improve their brain health and 47 percent exercised more.

Still, when caring for those living with dementia, everyday stress is even higher, and holiday celebrations may be limited, Goyer said.

“Caregivers may feel particularly isolated or lonely – especially if their loved ones aren’t able to understand or take part in holiday traditions and if caregivers are unable to get out to be with friends or other family members,” she said.

“It’s important to acknowledge and validate dementia caregivers’ feelings and needs, and to connect them with resources that can help, especially during the holiday

season.”

Many family caregivers feel alone in their situation, but there are others who understand as they are going through similar experiences, Goyer said.

“I recommend connecting with other caregivers in an in-person support group, at a caregiving event, or online. The Alzheimer’s Association offers support for dementia caregivers, and AARP has teamed with them to offer the online Community Resource Finder, where caregivers can find local events and support groups,” she said.

AARP also offers a free online Caregiving Community where caregivers can post questions, comments and topics as well as get advice from Goyer and other caregiving experts.

Many caregivers also join closed social media groups, such as Facebook.

Other family members, friends or neighbors can help as well.

A previous AARP poll found that almost 8 in 10 family caregivers say it would be helpful to have someone to talk with during the holidays.

Do you know the warning signs of diabetes?

By Marrison Worthington

175 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise plus flexibility and strength training a week.

Sleep: If someone with diabetes isn’t getting enough sleep, it has been shown to elevate their blood sugar levels. It is recommended this group of people receive approximately seven hours of sleep a night to help manage their blood sugar.

Therapy: Poor diabetes management heightens one’s risk for depression and anxiety due to their blood sugar levels. It is important for the individual feeling this way to receive cognitive behavior therapy.

Quit smoking: People with diabetes who smoke are at a higher risk to have heart complications and kidney disease. Smoking cessation courses and nicotine replacement therapy should be considered.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which your body doesn’t properly break down your food and turn it into energy.

When someone has diabetes, their body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or it is unable to use the insulin to its full potential.

Generally speaking, there are three types of diabetes someone can have: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when your body doesn’t produce insulin due to an autoimmune reaction. Type 2 diabetes is when your body cannot maintain a healthy blood sugar level. Gestational diabetes is when women develop high blood sugar levels during their pregnancy, but it typically resolves once they have their baby. However, if a woman has gestational diabetes, she is at a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

If diabetes goes untreated, the condition can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, blindness, kidney and nerve damage, heart disease and stroke, among other health issues.

Dr. Mohammed Kazi, an endocrinologist at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., shares the warning signs you should know: • Increase in urination, espe-

The Future of Diabetes Management

cially during the night • Fatigue • Blurry vision • Increased thirst • Erectile dysfunction (ED) • Headaches

“With lifestyle modifications, type 2 diabetes can be controlled by managing your diet and exercise regimens,” says Dr. Kazi.

He recommends adhering to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) guidelines to help manage the

symptoms of diabetes: Nutrition: It’s important to be highly aware of the food you eat, especially for people who have a BMI greater than 30.

This group should also restrict calorie intake with the goal of reducing their body weight by at least 5-10%. Having a plantbased diet can help reduce your caloric intake.

Exercise: Both aerobic and strength training exercise help improve one’s glucose control, lipid profile and blood pressure.

A healthy exercise goal for weight loss is

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In today’s technology-driven world, there are new options for individuals with diabetes to manage their condition. Some options include wearable blood glucose sensors and implanted sensors that replace the finger stick, automatic insulin pumps and diabetes management apps for your mobile device.

For more health and wellness news, visit www.ahealthenews.com.

This article originally appeared in the Chicago Crusader.

“If you are long-distance, you can call those you know who are caring for someone and really take the time to listen to them,” Goyer said.

“For those nearby, offer to come by with a meal or a cup of hot cocoa and let them know they can confide in you, or offer to care for their loved one so they can enjoy some holiday activities.”

Also, on the AARP Family Caregiving Site, Goyer also offers these 10 Tips for Caregivers During the Holidays: Feeling Stressed? Reset your Expectations.

Meanwhile caregivers should be mindful of such things as prolonged social isolation and feelings of loneliness which have serious health effects that make it important to monitor and take care of themselves before they suffer a health crisis, Goyer said.

“It can be difficult to evaluate the stress levels and vulnerability of ourselves or another person. Isolation and stress can build up over time, so it’s important to make ongoing effort to prevent burnout,” she said.

The AARP Foundation has an assessment tool at Connect2Affect.org to help people better understand the signs of social isolation and offers solutions and ways to help others who are isolated.

“I advise people to watch for signs of burnout, like being short-tempered, changes in sleep patterns – sleeping too much or too little or waking up a lot, for example – crying a lot, severe mental, emotional or physical exhaustion, prolonged overwhelming sadness, loss of motivation – just not caring anymore, feeling hopeless and ineffective, letting paperwork pile up and bills go unpaid, allowing a vast change in our living environment or longing to run away,” Goyer said.

“These are red flags that tell us it’s time to put more effort into taking care of ourselves.

I view it like my car – it can’t run on empty and neither can I.” For the holidays, Goyer said caregivers should try to focus on the simple things like holiday music, movies, stories or food.

“Above all, fully experience the most meaningful things during the holidays and enjoy those treasured moments with your loved ones,” she said.

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Don’t Let Small-Dollar Loans Ruin Your Holidays

Give the the gift of fitness,

By Charlene Crowell In this wonderful time of the year when family and friends gather in good cheer to celebrate the holidays, nearly everyone has a number of lists. From greeting cards to shopping for gifts, decorations and more, lists are made and reviewed to keep pace with the barrage of seasonal activities.

But if holiday lists seem bigger than budgets, turning to a high-interest, “small-dollar” loan can turn joy and merriment into a financial quagmire. The good news is that holiday financial hangovers that predatory lenders give, do not need to be a part of your celebrations.

Just keep walk or drive past the brightlycolored signs advertising high-interest, small-dollar loans. Both payday and car title loans can provide quick cash, but the harms these loans create will likely linger well past the winter’s cold. In truth, these predatory loans often lead to consumers paying more in interest and fees than for the money borrowed.

Research by the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has found that predatory payday loans drain $4.1 billion in fees from consumers annually — borrowers who typically are unable to fully repay the original loan, usually in two weeks’ time.

With average annual interest rates averaging 391 percent, 75 percent of all payday loans go to borrowers with more than 10 loans a year.

Like payday loans, car title loans are often marketed as an easy way to get cash with-

For yourself and/or your loved ones.

Don’t wait for a New Year...

Resolution starts TODAY. out a credit check – but with interest rates that tend to be 20-30 times higher than that of credit cards. The average car title loan of about $1,000 can only be secured by signing a personally-owned car as collateral.

Further, the loan may only be a fraction of the marketable value of the vehicle. While the lender holds on to a car title, the borrower is faced with triple-digit interest and, in one of five cases, a whopping 20 percent, the loss of personal transportation.

As harmful as payday and car title loans are, other seemingly harmful small-dollar transactions can also cause financial havoc.

If you believe prepaid cards will always avoid financial ripoffs, think again.

Before paying cash for this convenient form of plastic, read all of the fine print that explains the terms and fees that come with its usage. Terms and options can and do vary significantly. Many include a range of fees from activation, to learning your current balances, reloading monies and in some cases fees for inactivity. By the time all applicable fees are assessed, the amount of money actually available on that prepaid

card can shrink and shortchange how far it can help on purchases.

Similarly, the convenience of debit cards can easily trigger overdraft charges for consumers with slim or no checking account cushions. CRL research has shown that although overdraft fees vary by institution, the average $35 overdraft fee on a debit card is double the amount of the overdraft itself. Banks engage in a range of unfair and deceptive tactics to maximize these fees, which can amount to hundreds of dollars over the course of just a day or two — talk about a holiday damper. Too many overdrafts can lead to involuntary account closures.

This holiday season, try adding a full measure of practical sense to help your dollars preserve the spirit and joy of the season – it only comes once a year!

Charlene Crowell is the communications deputy director with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at Charlene.crowell@responsiblelending.org.

Spin Class ▪ Boot Camp ▪

Personal Training

232A Captain Thomas Boulevard, West Haven, CT 06516 (203) 903-5586 http://fultonsfitness.com/ Robert Fulton, Owner

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Woman Serving 51 Years in Prison For Killing a Man Who Tried to Rape Her When She Was 16

Nationwide — Cyntoia Brown, a woman from Tennessee who was 16-years old when she killed a 43-year-old man who solicited her for sex, must serve at least 51 years in prison before she would be eligible for release, the Tennessee Supreme Court has decided.

In 2004, Brown was raped and forced to prostitution by her boyfriend, a 24-year old pimp known as “Kut Throat.” That was when 43-year old John Mitchell Allen solicited her for sex and brought her to his home.

There, Brown feared for her life when she thought Allen was reaching for his gun to shoot her, she said during the trial. She then took a handgun from her purse and shot him first, killing him.

Brown, who was tried as an adult, was convicted of first-degree murder, felony murder, and aggravated robbery because prosecutors believed that she shot him to rob him and not to defend herself. She was sentenced to life in prison.

Brown has described her life sentence as a “cruel and unusual punishment” and filed a lawsuit claiming that her life sentence is unconstitutional because in 2012 the U.S. Supreme court already ruled against lifewithout-parole sentences for juveniles as it violates the U.S. Constitution.

WELL­WOMAN CHECK­UPS. IT’S WHAT WE DO. As a response, on Thursday, five justices in the Tennessee Supreme Court’s decided unanimously against Brown, citing that defendants like Brown, who were sentenced to life imprisonment after July 1, 1995, can’t be eligible for release from prison without serving for at least 51 years.

Prior to that, a district court in Tennessee denied Brown’s motion noting that she wasn’t really sentenced to life-without-parole sentence — just a life sentence.

Brown has appealed the decision, which is pending judgment by the US Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Brown’s case was featured in a 2011 PBS documentary titled “Me Facing Life: Cyntoia’s Story.” Her case has also got the attention and support of numerous celebrities such as Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg, and Lebron James who were raising awareness about Brown being the victim of sex trafficking.

Using the hashtag #FreeCyntoiaBrown, people in social media voiced out their thoughts about Brown’s case. Most of them were pointing out how White men and women who commit crimes were often given lighter sentences than Black people.

13

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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Studying Black Identity in South Africa Transformed My Worldview

By Chiagoziem “Sylvester” Agu Albany State University

Of the more than 330,000 U.S. students studying abroad, only 6.1 percent are African American and 10 percent are Latino.

This is one in a series of articles by students of color who are breaking down barriers by studying abroad thanks to the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship, which awards 10 full scholarships a year to students at Minority Serving Institutions. These students will periodically share their stories, hopefully inspiring others to apply.

Nationwide — My name is Chiagoziem “Sylvester” Agu. I’m 20, a sophomore of Albany State University, majoring in biology, a member of the Alpha Phi fraternity, with aspirations of pursuing a medical degree in cardiology. A few months ago, I had an extraordinary experience studying abroad in South Africa as a Frederick Douglas Global Fellow. I spent four weeks in Cape Town on a full scholarship, studying political blackness, black consciousness, and the complexities of colored identity. Every day, I was exposed to something different. Although the knowledge I was acquiring was both intimidating and scary, I also found it empowering. This is my story.

It was 2001 when my young eyes first glimpsed America. I had flown with my family over 6,000 miles from my birthplace in Nigeria. I attended pre-K in the United States, but after a year, we flew back home.

I didn’t return to America until 2012 when I arrived in Georgia for high school.

Before enrolling in high school, my knowledge of America came from sitcoms and talk shows like Maury and Jerry Springer, which I later learned spread stereotypes and false narratives. In Nigeria, I was on track to graduate high school at 15. When I came to America, I was 14 and technically a high school junior, but I was enrolled as a freshman. I studied hard academically but didn’t realize how much I had to learn culturally. It was actually a blessing for me to have the time to assimilate and spend time with American youth in high school.

My father, a geography professor and journalist, still lives with three of my six sisters in Nigeria, where it is sometimes hard to express yourself as a journalist. My mother has been unable to work since 2005 when she suffered an aneurysm. She now lives in Texas with one of my sisters, who is a nurse.

My study abroad experience was one of the best decisions I have made as a college student. I was one of 10 students from a Minority Serving Institution who received the Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship sponsored by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions. The 10 of us from all different backgrounds studied for four weeks at CIEE’s Global Institute in Cape Town. During that time, I had some of the deepest and most

profound conversations and experiences of my life.

Learning about South Africa’s history and the intricacies of colored identity that pervade the country allowed me to carefully analyze and process how similar South Africa is to the United States. Although the terms that classify different racial subgroups are different and the history of colonization might be different, the struggle remains the same.

One day during the program, we went to the beautiful city of Johannesburg. Besides its beauty, we witnessed its unfortunate poverty. Residents wanted us to realize that they do not want money handed to them.

They want transferable skills to build infrastructure and the means to create their own wealth, and a better life.

I am eager to take all the insight, motivation, and knowledge I found in Cape Town and give it back to my family, friends, and community. My experience in Cape Town as a Frederick Douglas Global Fellow was like getting a new pair of glasses – I felt like I was suddenly able to see more clearly. Studying abroad, every single day, I got a new pair of glasses.

Ten college students at one of the more than 600 Minority Serving Institutions across the country will win a prestigious Frederick Douglass Global Fellowship to study in London in the summer of 2019.

All qualified applicants win $1500 grants toward studying abroad programs. The Fellowship is jointly sponsored by the

Chiagoziem Sylvester Agu Photo credit: Seed Lynn Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) and the Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions; applications are due by February 14, 2019, and can be found HERE. The requirements are HERE. CIEE is the oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization in the U.S. Their mission is to transform lives and build bridges between

people and nations. CIEE programs are at more than 60 international sites, including Berlin, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Copenhagen, London, Madrid, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Santiago, Shanghai and Sydney. Last year alone CIEE provided more than $8 million in scholarships, grants, and financial aid.

The Windy City Serves as Setting for Adaptation of Brit Crime Series

Widows was a British TV series which enjoyed a two-year run from 1983 to 1985.

Created by legendary English author Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect), the popular crime show was nominated for a BAFTA award in the Best Television Drama category. In 2002, ABC turned Widows into a four-part miniseries starring Brooke Shields and Rosie Perez, but that substantially-revised overhaul failed to resonate with the American audience.

Now, Academy Award-winning director Steve McQueen (for 12 Years a Slave) has brought a much more faithful adaptation to the screen, although the setting has been shifted from London to Chicago. The crime caper revolves around a trio of widows who opt to follow in their late husbands’ felonious footsteps in the wake of a botched bank heist.

McQueen assembled an A-list ensemble featuring Oscar-winners Viola Davis (for Fences) and Robert Duvall (for Tender Mercies), as well as nominees Liam Neeson (for Schindler’s List), Daniel Kaluuya (for Get Out) and Jacki Weaver (for Silver Linings Playbook and Animal Kingdom).

The impressive cast also includes Colin Farrell and Michelle Rodriguez.

Not long past the point of departure, veteran bank robber Harry Rawlings (Neeson) masterminds a robbery in which he and his partners perish. Trouble is, Harry died indebted to a couple of South Side mobsters (Kaluuya and Brian Tyree Henry) to the tune of $2 million.

14

Widows

Film Review by Kam Williams

Given a month to come up with cash (or else), Harry’s widow Veronica (Davis) hatches a plan to raise the money by burglarizing a safe in the mansion of a well-connected family headed by corrupt, Windy City Alderman Tom Mulligan (Duvall). To that end, she recruits a couple of the other grieving widows (Michelle Rodriguez and Elizabeth Debicki) and a getaway driver (Cynthia Erivo) with promises of a multimillion-dollar payday.

The plot proceeds to thicken in convinc-

ing fashion while touching on such timely themes as politics, loyalty, race and class.

Since it would be a crime in itself to spoil the ensuing developments even one iota, suffice to say McQueen slowly ratchets up the tension in a searing, multi-layered suspense thriller not to be missed.

With the help of a delicious script expertly executed by a coterie of her talented co-stars, the incomparable Ms. Davis steals the show and delivers yet another Oscarquality performance. Vintage Viola!

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

Black Pianist Tours Segregated South with White Chauffeur in Road Trip Dramedy

Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) was a promising prodigy whose formal training in classical piano began when he was admitted to Russia’s prestigious Leningrad Conservatory at the age of 9. Because he had the misfortune of being raised in Florida in the Jim Crow Era, it was very unlikely that his extraordinary talent would be appreciated anywhere in the South upon his return to the States.

The North was decidedly different. While still in his teens, Don was invited by conductor Arthur Fielder to perform with the Boston Pops Orchestra. He would later compose symphonies for the New York Philharmonic and was even allowed to rent an apartment above Carnegie Hall.

In the early Sixties, Don decided to throw caution to the wind by embarking on an eight-week concert tour across the Deep South. This would involve playing numerous “white only” venues where, despite being the headliner, he might not be able to dine or use the restroom.

As far as finding a place to stay, he would turn to the Green Book, a priceless guide for African-Americans in need of public accommodations across the segregated South. And to make sure he kept out of trouble on the road, he hired Tony Lip Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), a blue-collar bouncer from the Bronx.

Thus unfolds Green Book, a fact-based

Green Book

Film Review by Kam Williams

NEIGHBORHOOD CULTURAL VITALITY GRANT

RDS GRANT AWA 00 $2,500-$5,0

grant DEADLINES Letter of Intent: November 21 | Application: December 19 MORE INFO/APPLICATION: 203.946.7172 buddy flick revisiting the unlikely friendship forged between a stuffy classical artist and his rough-edged driver in the face of their racial and class differences. The movie represents a bit of a departure for director Peter Farrelly, whose name has long been associated with lowbrow comedies like Dumb and Dumber, Shallow Hal and There’s Something about Mary.

The relatively-sophisticated Green Book

proves to be far more reminiscent of Driving Miss Daisy (1989) than of Farrelly’s earlier bottom-feeding fare. In fact, the palpable chemistry generated by co-stars Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen will not be forgotten by the Academy come Oscar season.

A touching biopic with a timely universal message about brotherhood and tolerance.

Black Nominees For The Golden Globes

By Defender News Services The Golden Globe nominees were announced Thursday, December 6, 2018, and there is a lot of diversity in the nominees.

Announced live by Terry Crews and Danai Gurira, films like Spike Lee‘s “BlacKkKlansman,” “Green Book,” “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Black Panther” — the first comic book movie nominated for Best Picture — racked up nominations.

Even Kendrick Lamar and SZA got some love.

Other nominees include Mahershala Ali, John David Washington (Denzel’s son!), Regina King, Billy Porter, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Spike Lee and more.

The 76th Golden Globe Awards will be hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh. The show airs on Jan. 6.

ARTS FUNDING

Check out the Black nominees below.

1. Best Motion Picture – Drama: ‘Black Panther’, ‘BlacKkKlansman’, ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’, and ‘Green Book’ 2. Mahershala Ali for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Green Book’ 3. Regina King for ‘Seven Seconds’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ 4. Thandie Newton for ‘Westworld’ for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 5. Donald Glover in ‘Atlanta’ For Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy 6. Spike Lee for Best Director for ‘BlacK-

kKlansman’ 7. Kendirck Lamar and SZA for “All the Stars,” Black Panther for Best Original Song – Motion Picture 8. John David Washington for Best Actor in a Motion Picture for ‘BlacKkKlansman’ 9. Billy Porter for ‘Pose’ for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama ‘Pose’ was also nominated for Best Television Series, Drama.

10. Stephan James for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama In ‘Homecoming’ This article originally appeared in the Defender News Network.

15

UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSIONS Nov. 8 - Ives (Main) Library. 6:00pm.

Nov. 13 - Mitchell Library. 5:00pm.

Nov. 14 - Fair Haven Library. 4:30pm.

Nov. 15 - Wilson Library. 5:00pm.

Nov. 20 - Stetson Library. 5:00pm.

CITY OF NEW HAVEN, TONI. N. HARP, MAYOR

INNER-CITY July12, 27,2018 2016 - August 02, 18, 2016 THE INNER-CITY NEWS - NEWS December December 2018

Dispatcher

POLICE OFFICER

NOTICE

Galasso Materials is seeking a motivated, organized, detail-oriented candidate to join its truck dispatch office. Responsibilities include order entry and truck ticketing in a fast paced materials manufacturing and contracting company. You will have daily interaction with employees and customers as numerous truckloads of material cross our scales daily. We are willing Candidates may register for the testing process at www.policeapp. to train the right individual that has a great attitude. NO PHONE CALLS com/southcentral.

PLEASE. Authority, Reply to Hiring Manager, PO Box 1776, East Granby, CT 06026.

HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus House and the New Haven Housing EOE/M/F/D/V. is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this devel-

Competitive examinations will be held for the position of Police Officer in the Madison, North Branford, Orange, Seymour, and West Haven Police Departments.

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Theopment physical performance, written, and oral board exams will be adlocated at 108 Frank Street, New Haven.

Maximum income limitations apministered by the South Central Criminal Justice Administration. ply. Pre-applications will be available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Monday Ju;y

25,DEPARTMENTS 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately THE PARTICIPATING IN THIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE ARE

DELIVERY PERSON

100) have been received at the offices of HOME INC. Applications will be mailied upon reEQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYERS. Part quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed pre-Time Delivery Needed applications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third One/Two Day a Week, Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Must Have your Own Vehicle

NOTICIA

VALENTINA MACRI VIVIENDAS ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES Scale House Operator , Data Entry,DE Print, Copy & Scan Documents.

If Interested call

(203) 435-1387

Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., & Manifests. DOT & OSHA certification a +.

Forward resumes to Columbus RED Technologies, HOME INC, en nombre de la House y LLC de la Fax New860-218Haven Housing Authority, está 2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

aceptando pre-solicitudes para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo Thede Community ubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones ingresos Foundation for Greater New Haven Coventry Housing Authority is accepting applications for máximos.

Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 its Section 8 Elderly/Disabled housing until January 31, 2019. Anis seeking to fill the position of Director of Gift Planning. julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) nual income limit is $20,350 (one person) & $23,250 (two people).

Please refer to our website for details: http://www.cfgnh.org/ en las oficinas de HOME Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas a petición Interested parties may pick upINC. an application at the Coventry Hous- por correo About/ContactUs/EmploymentOpportunities.aspx.

EOE. llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 durante esas horas.Pre-solicitudes deberán remitirse ing Authority, 1630 Main St., Coventry, CT, or have one mailed.

Electronic submissions only. No phone calls a las oficinas de HOME INCbeenpostmarked 171 Orange or Street, piso, New Completed applications must handtercer delivered no Haven , CT 06510 . later than January 31, 2019.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) Request for Proposals for Architectural/Civil Design Services Submission Deadline: Friday January 4, 2019 at 3:00PM

The Fairfield Housing Corporation (FHC) is a not for profit organization and is seeking an integrated design professional team to assist the FHC in the development of the property located at 980 High Street Fairfield, CT. It is anticipated that the project will be financed through a competitive funding round and include tax credit equity through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority with the goal of FHC (or related entity) submitting a financing application in the fall of 2019.

There is a massive shortage of affordable housing in Fairfield County and the mission of the FHC is to work with members of the Fairfield County communities to address this challenge so that those who need it, have access to safe, quality, affordable housing.

Responses must be received by the FHC at our offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane, Fairfield, CT no later than Friday, January 4, 2019 at 3:00PM. The RFP responses must be submitted in a sealed envelope which must be marked “RFP- JUDD-RUSSO Architectural Design Services”. The responses shall contain one original and three copies for a total of four, and SHALL NOT EXCEED 15 pages. Faxes or electronic submissions will not be accepted.

Interested parties may pick up the complete RFP package at the FHC offices located at 15 Pine Tree Lane Fairfield, Connecticut, 06825, open Monday through Friday 10:00 AM to 3:00PM excluding holidays or by requesting via telephone at 203-366-6578. The Fairfield Housing Corporation conducts its business in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and Local laws. Small, Minority, Women Business Enterprises and Disabled are encouraged to participate in this process.

Listing: Retail Assistant

_______________________________ Petroleum Company has an immediate full time opening. Previous Carol J. Martin experience helpful in answering multiple telephone lines and in December 12, 2018 dealing with customers. Personable customer service skills a must.

Previous petroleum experience a plus. Applicant to also perform Invitation to Bid: Coventry Housing Authority is accepting applications for administrative tasks such as typing proposals, scheduling appoint2nd Notice 242-258 Fairmont Ave Property Management Company is seeking a Resident Services Coordinator in its State Elderly/Disabled housing until January 31, 2019. Annual ments and ordering parts and materials. Please send resume to: New Haven, CT. Part time- 16 hrs/wk. Must have experience working w/ senior and disManager, Confidential, P O Box 388, Guilford CT 06437.

Townhouse, BA,(two3BR, 1 level , 1BA income limit2BR is $50,350 (one person) &1.5 $57,550 people).

In- H.R. abled community. Social Services background preferred. Please call (860) 951-9411 x238 ********An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer********** terestedAll parties may pick up an application at the Coventry Housing new apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close to I-91 & I-95 for inquiries.

Old Saybrook, CT Authority, 1630 Main highways, St., Coventry, CT,bus or have mailed. Comnear stopone & shopping center (4 Buildings, 17 Units) pleted applications must be post marked or hand delivered no later Pet under 40lb allowed. Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 than January 31, 2019.

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project For more information call 860-742-5518.

NEW HAVEN

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Mechanical Insulator position

For more information call 860-742-5518.

Insulation company offering good pay and benefits.

CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s Please mail resume to above address.. MAIL ONLY Certificate Program. This is a 10 month program designed to assist in the intellectual formation of Candidates in response to the Church’s Ministry needs. The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday, August 20, 2016This 1:30-company is an Affirmative Action/ 3:30 Contact: Chairman, Deacon Joe J. Davis, M.S., B.S. Equal Opportunity Employer.

(203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT is seeking BIDS FOR MAINTENANCE UNIFORMS.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition, Site-work, CastBidding can be viewed and printed at www. in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyldocuments Siding, norwalkha.org under the Business section, RFP/RFQ. Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, Norwalk Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and FireHousing Protection. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Adam contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements.

Bovilsky, Executive Director.

Town ofThisBloomfield

Notice of Public Hearing

St. New Haven, CT

FT Assistant Building Official The Bristol Housing Authority is developing its 2019-2023 Agency Plan in compliance with the HUD Quality Housing and Work ReBid Extended, Due Date: August 5, 2016 $38.03 hourly sponsibility Act of 1998. A Public Hearing will be held on February For details and how to apply, go to www.bloomfieldct.org.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 15,Sealed 2019 atbids 3:00 are p.m.invited at Gaylord Community Hall located

by Towers the Housing Authority of the Town of SeymourPre-employment drug testing.

Project documents available via ftp link below: at 55 Gaylord Street, Bristol, CT. P/T Fixed Route Driver and ADA Driver – AA/EOE until 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage

MUST HAVE CDL A/B & P and endorsement S, V, A or F Seymour, CT 06483 for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the Information is available for review and inspection at Bristol Hous is currently accepting applications Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living 26 Smith Seymour. The Town of EastFaxHaven ing Authority, 164 Jerome Ave., Bristol, CTFacility, during hours M/W/FStreetLaborer: or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com for the position of Laborer in its Public Works Department. Qualified candiOperate vehicles in the Transit District’s Fixed Route OR ADA /Shuttle 8:30a-4:30p, Tues. 8:30a-1:00p, Thurs. 1:00-4:30p.

HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses

“IMMEDIATE OPENINGS!! PAID TRAINING!!” $21.10hr.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

dates must possess a High School Diploma or GED, some experience in heavy

department, providing manual labor and CDL. Current base pay for this position is $40.782/year.

Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Commuter Shuttle service between the rail staA pre-bid conference will be held at the Housing Authority Office 28 Smith The application is available at http://www.townofeasthavenct.org/civil-servicetions and places of employment and Door-To-Door services.

AA/EEO EMPLOYER Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016. commission/pages/job-notices-and-tests or The Office of the Mayor, 250 Main The Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk, CT

Street, East Haven CT. The Town of East Haven is an Equal Opportunity Emis seeking BIDS FOR (1) F250 pickup truck or equivalent, (1) ployer. Minorities, Females, Veterans and Handicapped are encouraged to apTo apply visit Norwalktransit.com/employment Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housingply.Authority OfTransit Cargo Van or equivalent and (2) Transit Connect Vans or Equivalent. documents can be viewed and printed at www. fice, 28 Bidding Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. norwalkha.org under the Business section, RFP/RFQ. Norwalk Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Adam BoTheExecutive Housing Director Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to vilsky,

Class A driver F/T Experienced Email-Hherbert@gwfabrication.com

reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any informalities in the bidding, if such actions are in the best interest of the Housing Authority.

16

Town of Bloomfield

$39.96 hourly Pre-employment drug testing.

AA/EOE For details and how to apply go to www.bloomfieldct.org

Full Time Assistant Assessor

INNER-CITY July 2016 -- August THE INNER-CITY NEWS - NEWS December 1227, , 2018 December 2018 02, 18, 2016

ELM CITY COMMUNITIES

NOTICE

Request for Proposals

Youth Development Program Services- Eastview and Fairhaven

VALENTINA MACRI RENTAL HOUSING PRE- APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE

Housing Authority City of New Haven d/b/a Elm city Communities is HOME INC, on behalf of Columbus the New Haven Housing Authority, currently seeking Proposals for House Youthand Development Program Services is accepting pre-applications for studio and one-bedroom apartments at this develat Eastview and Fairhaven. A complete copy of the requirement may opment located at 108 Frank Street, New Haven. Maximum income limitations apbeply. obtained from Elm Vendor Collaboration PortalMonday https://nePre-applications will beCity’s available from 9AM TO 5PM beginning Ju;y whavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway 25, 2016 and ending when sufficient pre-applications (approximately 100) have beginning on Monday, November 2018 at 3:00 will PMbe mailied upon rebeen received at the offices of HOME26, INC. Applications quest by calling HOME INC at 203-562-4663 during those hours. Completed preapplications must be returned to HOME INC’s offices at 171 Orange Street, Third ELM CITY COMMUNITIES Floor, New Haven, CT 06510.

Request for Proposals

Master Lease Agreement Services NOTICIA TheVALENTINA Housing Authority of the DE City of New Haven d/b/a Elm City ComMACRI VIVIENDAS ALQUILER PRE-SOLICITUDES DISPONIBLES munities is currently seeking Proposals for Master Lease Agreement HOME INC, nombre de copy la Columbus House y de la New Haven Authority,from está Services.

A en complete of the requirement may Housing be obtained aceptando para estudios y apartamentos de un dormitorio en este desarrollo Elm City’spre-solicitudes Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobubicado en la calle 109 Frank Street, New Haven. Se aplican limitaciones de ingresos blestonesystems.com/gateway máximos. Las pre-solicitudes estarán disponibles 09 a.m.-5 p.m. comenzando Martes 25 beginning on Monday, November 26, 2018 at 3:00PM. julio, 2016 hasta cuando se han recibido suficientes pre-solicitudes (aproximadamente 100) en las oficinas de HOME INC. Las pre-solicitudes serán enviadas por correo a petición

llamando a HOME INC al 203-562-4663 duranteCopy esas & horas.Pre-solicitudes remitirse Scale House Operator , Data Entry, Print, Scan Documents.deberán Working knowl-

a las de HOME en 171 Orange Street, tercer piso, NewaHaven , CT 06510 . edge of oficinas Haz. Waste Regs., INC & Manifests.

DOT & OSHA certifi cation +. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

CJR Now Hiring NEW HAVEN Human Service Positions

242-258 Fairmont Ave 2BR Townhouse, 1.5 BA, 3BR, 1 level , 1BA

Residential Youth Mentor (Waterbury) FT – This position will provide direct care, supervision and assistance, and act as a role model reinforcing the adolescent’s individualized treatment plan. In addition, the Youth Mentor will Allgroups new as apartments, new appliances, new carpet, close under to I-91 I-95 facilitate appropriate and will conduct therapeutic programming the&supervision highways, near bus stop must & shopping center of the Rehabilitation Therapist.

The Youth Mentor be sensitive to unique issues such as mental health, suicide andallowed. contraband.

Pet under 40lb Interested parties contact Maria @ 860-985-8258 Transportation Assistant (Danbury, Torrington, Meriden, New London) FT - Provides transportation for youth and families to and from the LYNC program. Primarily CT. Unified Deacon’s Association is pleased to offer a Deacon’s group travelProgram. pickingThis upismultiple youth within a common The Transportation AsCertificate a 10 month program designed to assistdestination. in the intellectual formation of Candidates sistant plays atokey in sustaining engagement, attendance, and ultimately in response the role Church’s Ministry needs.

The cost is $125. Classes start Saturday,program August 20,completion 2016 1:30Contact: Chairman, Deacon Davis,reliable, M.S., B.S.consistent transportation. of 3:30 youth and families who mayJoe notJ.have (203) 996-4517 Host, General Bishop Elijah Davis, D.D. Pastor of Pitts Chapel U.F.W.B. Church 64 Brewster

St. New Haven, Educational andCT vocational Coach (Meriden/New London) FT – The Educational and Vocational Coach plays an important role in the youth’s development of skills and abilities allowing them to achieve educational and career goals leading to future success. The Coach helps youth achieve goals, overcome barriers, and become more independent.

SEYMOUR HOUSING AUTHORITY

Service specialist (Meriden/New London) FTSealed – The Service Specialist hasby twothe primary roles; Authority one as Resource Specialist with bids are invited Housing of the Townconnecting of Seymour service providers and maintaining a list of all community resources from each town in the catchuntil 3:00 pm on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at its office at 28 Smith Street, ment area and the second as Intervention Specialist facilitating cognitive-behavioral and Life Seymour, 06483 Skills groups toCT youth. . for Concrete Sidewalk Repairs and Replacement at the

Smithfield Gardens Assisted Living Facility, 26 Smith Street Seymour.

Clinician (Meriden/New London and Danbury/Torrington) FT – The Clinician provides limited, crisis management-oriented, individual and/or family therapy, needed conference while the youth andbe family an appointment withOffice a qualifi28 ed provider A aspre-bid will heldareatawaiting the Housing Authority Smith in their community to stabilize the family during emergencies or urgent circumstances.

Street Seymour, CT at 10:00 am, on Wednesday, July 20, 2016.

CJR offers a competitive salary and benefits package – EOE Bidding documents are available from the Seymour Housing Authority OfFor full position descriptions and to apply go to: fice, 28 Smith Street, Seymour, CT 06483 (203) 888-4579. www.ctjuniorrepublic.org

The Housing Authority reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, to reduce the scope of the project to reflect available funding, and to waive any

Field Engineer

State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Information Technology Analyst 1 position, a Municipal Assessment Professional position and a Research Analyst position.

BA/BS in Civil Engineering or Construction Management.

2-5 yrs. experience. OSHA Certified.

Proficient in reading contract plans and specifications.

Resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; Email resumes to info@redtechllc.com. RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Project Manager Environmental Remediation Division

For information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions, please visit https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT and click on:

3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC,

Information Technology Analyst 1 (40 Hour) Recruitment #180815-7603FD-001

RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

Municipal Assessment Professional Recruitment #180817-5864AR-001 Research Analyst Recruitment #180822-6855AR-001 The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

Administrative Assistant

10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CT 06002;

Fax 860.218.2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com

Must have DOT Construction Exp. Involves traveling to Job Site for record keeping.

Reliable transportation a must. NO PHONE CALLS EMAIL RESUME TO michelle@occllc.com EOE/AA Females and Minorities are encouraged to apply

Project Manager

InvitationDivision to Bid: Environmental Remediation nd 2 Notice

3-5 years exp. and Bachelor’s Degree, 40-Hr. Hazwoper Training Req. Forward resumes to RED Technologies, LLC, 10 Northwood Dr., Bloomfield, CTOld 06002; Fax 860.218.2433; or Saybrook, CT Email to HR@redtechllc.com RED(4Technologies, LLC is an EOE. Buildings, 17 Units)

SAYEBROOKE VILLAGE

Tax Exempt & Not Prevailing Wage Rate Project

Common Ground High School

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

seeks: Construction Equipment Mechanic preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment. We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Location: Bloomfield CT We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Dan Peterson Phone: 860- 243-2300 email: dpeterson@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming, Inc

seeks: Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators with current licensing and clean driving record, be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860- 243-2300 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Union Company seeks:

is looking for a Part Time After-School Recreations Programmer.

New Construction, Wood Framed, Housing, Selective Demolition,Tractor Site-work,Trailer Cast- Driver for Heavy & Highway ConFor job details and how to apply, please visit http://commonstruction Equipment. Must have a CDL License, in-place Concrete, Asphalt Shingles, Vinyl Siding, groundct.org/2018/08/common-ground-seeks-a-part-time-afterclean driving record, capable of operating heavy Flooring, Painting, Division 10 Specialties, Appliances, Residential Casework, school-recreations-programmer/

Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing and Fire Protection. equipment; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY. Listing: Transportation - Immediate Openingcompliance requirements.

This contract is subject toAssistant state set-aside and contract

We offer excellent hourly rate & excellent benefits

High Volume petroleum oil company is seeking a full time TransContact Dana at 860-243-2300.

Bidtime Extended, Due6:00AM. Date: August 5, 2016 portation Assistant. Work begins at Previous peEmail: dana.briere@garrityasphalt.com troleum oil, retail or commercial dispatching experience a plus.

Anticipated Start: August 15, 2016 Women & Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply MUST possess excellent attention to detail,available ability tovia manage Project documents ftp linkmulbelow: Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer tiple projects, excel proficiency and good computer skills required. http://ftp.cbtghosting.com/loginok.html?username=sayebrookevillage Send resume to: Human Resource Dept., PO Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437. ********An Affi rmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer********** Fax or Email Questions & Bids to: Dawn Lang @ 203-881-8372 dawnlang@haynesconstruction.com HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 Large CT Fence & Guardrail Contractor is looking Scale House Operator, Data Entry, Print,EMPLOYER Copy & Scan DocuAA/EEO for experienced, responsible commercial and resiments. Working knowledge of Haz. Waste Regs., & Manifests. dential fence erectors and installers on a subcontracDOT & OSHA certification a +. Forward resumes to RED Techtor basis. Earn from $750 to $2,000 per day. Email nologies, LLC Fax 860-218-2433; or Email to HR@redtechllc.com resume to pking@atlasoutdoor.com AA/EOE RED Technologies, LLC is an EOE.

FENCE ERECTING SUBCONTRACTORS

17

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

The Race For The Playoffs Is Heating up!

by Anthony Scott, ICN Sports.

NFL Week 14 concluded Monday night, so the race for the playoff is heating up with only three weeks remaining. A sole three teams have been officially eliminated, so multiple teams with .500 or worse records are still in contention. The scores this week were: In the NFC, the division leaders are the Saints (11-2), Rams (11-2), Bears (9-4), and Dallas (9-4), with the Seahawks (7-5) and Vikings (6-5-1) as the wildcard. Carolina, Philly, and Washington are still in the hunt at 6-7. In the AFC, the division leaders are the Chiefs (11-2), Pats (9-4), Texans (9-4), Steelers (75-1), with the wildcard being the Chargers (10-3), and Ravens (7-6). The Colts, Dolphins and Titans are 7-6 as well, setting up for an interesting finish.

A handful of the teams in playoff hunt are limited at the QB position, but they are finding ways to win regardless. Aside from being great defensively, these teams can win when their QBs are good runners and can convert on third down. Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky and Lamar Jackson are all prime examples.

This was the formula for Jacksonville’s success last year. Dallas effectively won the NFC East this week despite erratic play by Prescott.

Barring a 3-0 Philly finish coupled with Dallas going 0-3, the Eagles cannot win the division.

The Redskins are still technically in contention, but the QB disaster since losing Alex Smith makes another win seem dubious. Coming off their inspired defensive performance against the Saints, Dallas shut down their opponent again. Dallas led 9-6 entering the fourth quarter, where both offenses exploded thereafter. Prescott missed several downfield throws throughout the game, further highlighting his flaws. With that said, he also had a bunch of key conversions and showed grittiness in pressure situations. The Cowboys deserve credit for putting Dak in the best position to win. They rode Ezekiel Elliott as usual, and he was the main reason they were able to kill the entire clock in overtime. Amari Cooper showed why he was worth a first round pick, finishing with 217 yards and three touchdowns, including the game winner. His elite route running and ability after the catch makes him the perfect fit for a less than accurate QB. Having a number one target who can create big plays himself has changed everything in Dallas. Before Cooper, Dak’s QB rating was 85. Since the trade, his rating has been 122. As for the Eagles, they have not looked like their championship selves this year. Whether it’s a lingering injury, or the offensive coaching shakeup, Carson Wentz is off. His mechanics are lackadaisical, and he seems less patient in the pocket. He seems like the type who may be pressing; eager to prove himself after seeing Nick Foles win the Super Bowl, and is now playing tense in an all but lost season. That is speculation on my part, but Philly is one loss away from being done for good. As a side note; the refs were horrific in this one. It’s not why Philly lost, but still. Ugh. The Monday night game between the Seahawks and Vikings had huge playoff implications, and it was close as one would expect.

It was a defensive struggle where the Vikings made less plays key plays down the stretch.

They essentially lost the game early in the fourth quarter, when they went for it on fourth down at their goaline and failed. Kirk Cousins made the wrong read, missing an open Adam

Thielen. The Seahawks are looking like a legit NFC contender, despite the fact they do not score many points. They did finish with 21 points, but their only two touchdowns came at the very end. Nonetheless, their approach wins games. The three headed RB monster, plus the niftiness of Russell Wilson, allows them to physically dominate games. Aside from being able to eat clock, they are able to prevent opponents from finding a rhythm.

Seattle has many flaws, and it’s hard to think a team with such a stagnant offense can be so scary. But their tough style of play is perfectly suited for the cold weather. Catching the Rams for the division is out of reach, but they will be a though playoff out as a wildcard. With that said, the offense should still be better. After being relieved by a huge pass interference call that put them inside the 20, the Hawks still settled for a field goal. This is problematic, but their ability to run so effectively fixes a lot of holes. The Vikings have enough talent to be a playoff team, but the play calling of OC John DeFilippo is quickly becoming a problem. He has made Minnesota a pass first team, although they have a stud in Dalvin Cook at RB. Midway through the fourth quarter, he called an unsuccessful third-and-one rollout pass after a nice run by Cook. This was an obvious running down, and constant calls like this makes Cousins job way harder. Minnesota did their job on defense, but the disconnect on offense could keep them out the playoffs. Considering they have a defensive, smash mouth head coach, it made no sense to hire an OC from the Andy Reid west coast style tree. Anything Minnesota does the next few weeks will be futile.

The Rams played their worst offensive game of the year Sunday in Chicago, but the weather certainly played a role. Jared Goff, the lifelong California native, looked out of his element in the cold. He finished with 180 yards and four picks. Todd Gurley had a season low 28 yards on a shockingly minuscule 11 carries. Coach McVay is great, but he can become far too pass happy at times. Considering the weather and the circumstances, he should have obviously adjusted the gameplan at some point. Despite that, the Bears defense is unbelievable. There is not another defense who is as dominant in all three phases. Their top level secondary prevents the QB from making quick throws, allowing for their elite Khalil Mack led front seven to feast. Goff played particularly bad, but the Bears are one of the few teams capable of that type of performance. Goff should just throw this one in the trash. As poorly as he played, I’m guessing LA would win a playoff rematch at home. The defense is stellar, but I don’t trust Trubisky at all yet. He was only a one year starter at UNC, so he is still developing. He will be fine in the future, but his inexperience could cost them.

Despite being an elite runner, his inability to properly read defenses is an issue. Chicago’s fate this year could be similar to the aforementioned 2017 Jags; win a playoff game or two but still come up just short. If they win out and somehow gain home field throughout the playoff, I may have to consider them the favorite then. Speaking of underachieving, what happened to the Carolina Panthers? After a 6-2 start, they have lost 5 straight since.

Cam Newton looks bad throwing the football lately, leading many to believe he’s playing hurt. Christian McCaffrey has been doing his job, but the red zone play calling has been

Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports Dallas Cowboys: NFC East division playoff scenarios, Eagles OT | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

subpar. Like failing to punch it in on their last goal line chance. They can move the ball, but scoring points is another story. The Panther defense has been getting torched by big pass plays, and have been awful on third down.

Baker Mayfield’s performance against them was a prime example. Coach Rivera took over defensive play calling duties this week, but things have gotten even worse. As promising as this season was for Carolina, it is basically over now.

The Chiefs are still the class of the AFC, although their days of scoring 50 may be over.

Defenses are more effectively pressuring

18

Patrick Mahomes, and losing Kareem Hunt is also huge. KC is clearly not as dominant as they were early on, but the other top AFC teams are underachieving as well. The Chargers look like their biggest challenge right now, so the upcoming Thursday game between the two teams will be quite telling. If the Chargers get a convincing win, they may leapfrog KC as the favorite in my mind. With that said, it may be good that KC is learning to win in different ways. I though Mahomes may be headed for the same fate as 2009 Aaron Rodgers, who lost the playoff opener to Arizona 51-45. Now their defense and clock

control ability look to be improved.

The Patriots are thrilled they aren’t in a tight division race, because the Miami miracle would have hurt that much more. The Dolphins beat the Pats on a crazy hook and ladder 70 yards TD to go up one as time expired. To add insult to injury, Rob Gronkowski was on the field and missed the game saving tackle.

Gronk is part of the Hail Mary defense personnel, but Ryan Tannehill had no chance of airing it out that far. This was a rare mental lapse by coach Belichick. Despite the awful finish, New England is still sitting pretty in the playoff standings. Miami is the only other AFC East team still in contention, and they are still two games back despite the win. Like Goff and the Rams, the Pats can dispose of this game. This may actually be good, since it gives them something to build on. The Pats do have a major issue though; their reliance on Gronk. They struggle against teams who shut down TEs, and the Chargers happen to be one of the best. That would be a tough draw if New England faces them in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh’s loss to Oakland was particularly devastating, considering how hard their remaining schedule is. They finish with the offand-on Bengals, but they play the Pats and Saints the next two weeks. Big Ben has been throwing costly picks lately, but he was not the issue this week. Their running game has been bad since the James Conner injury, unsurprising considering he was the backup to the absent Le’Veon Bell. Their rushing yards per game are down, and their red zone offense has suffered as well. Coach Tomlin has looked lost, frequently wasting timeouts and losing challenges. Kicker Chris Boswell slipped twice Sunday on Oakland’s shoddy field, but he has been bad anyway after signing a contract extension. It is hard to believe Pittsburgh will play this poorly down the stretch because of their talent. But they have allowed the Ravens to pull close, so a division which was locked up a few weeks ago is now in question.

The Colts have been my dark horse for some time now, and they continue to impress after a 1-5 start. They had an awful performance last week when they lost 6-0 to the lowly Jaguars, but the Colts bounced back and looked like their normal selves Sunday against Houston. This win was huge, because it prevented Houston from clinching the division. Many factors have played into Indy’s recent success; the post injury re-emergence of Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton looking like a star again, and Eric Ebron is doing everything Detroit wanted when they drafted him tenth overall in 2014.

Indy’s defense has been stellar, led by rookie LB Darius Leonard. He surprisingly leads the league in tackles with 135. Most importantly, the Colts have a top level o-line now, which has benefited Luck and the running game especially. The Colts have all the pieces of a contender, but the 1-5 start makes the playoffs a long shot. But if they get in, watch out. Just when I was starting to buy into the Texans, they laid the egg I should have expected. It seems like no matter how good a season they are having, Houston can never get over the hump. The previous nine game win streak is nothing to scoff at, so Houston is still a good team. But they need to win next week to regain positive momentum. The offense has been better under the stewardship of Deshaun Watson, and DeAndre Hopkins has been exceptional too. But I’ve seen this movie too many times before. I have to see them have

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

a music-infused drama Collaborating SponSor

By DOMINIQUE

MORISSEAU

DIREctED By AWOYE

TIMPO

noV 21 – DEC 16 203.787.4282 longwharf.org

19

THE INNER-CITY NEWS - December 12, 2018 - December 18, 2018

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11/27/18 6:12 PM