Volume 32. No. 1640
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Patton’s right hand, Hillhouse administrative assistant Anna Atkinson, explained that Patton is “so very special because she cares about everyone.”
Hillhouse Stalwart Honored At School-Wide Assembly
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
“This Isn’t Right At All”: Hillhouse Walkthrough Spotlights Ceiling Leaks, Water Damage by Maya McFadden
The New Haven independent
Standing next to a trash can filled with water from a leaking ceiling, roughly 20 parents, community members, and alders gathered in a third-floor Hillhouse High School classroom on Friday afternoon and delivered a lesson to the mayor and schools superintendent: Students need safer buildings. Mayor Justin Elicker agreed that the current facilities problems around the district — like what teachers have spoken out about at Hillhouse this week — are not ideal and should be repaired. He also defended his previous sentiment that the building is currently safe for staff and students. Community members disagreed after seeing Hillhouse’s conditions in-person during a group walkthrough. That’s the latest with New Haven Public Schools’ (NHPS) years-delayed maintenance concerns around the school district. Lately teachers, parents, and community members have raised particular concerns with four Hillhouse classrooms that dealt with leaky ceilings due to the school’s aged roof during the first week of the school year. On Friday afternoon, several school district officials and the mayor listened in on a community rally organized outside of Hillhouse after dismissal. The rally was spearheaded by education advocate Nijija Ife-Waters. It later led to Chief of School Operations Paul Whyte providing parents and community members with a walk around the 480 Sherman Pklwy. building to see the building’s conditions themselves. At the rally, which started at around 3 p.m., Ife-Waters criticized the mayor’s previous statement that he was disappointed that the Board of Alders Education Committee released a letter on the Friday before the start of the school year that requested official citywide school inspections after documenting building concerns in the spring. Elicker said the alders sharing photos of the conditions of school buildings days before the start of the school year served to scare families and sent “a misleading and false message that our schools are not safe.” “Is a child inhaling mold spores in a classroom scare tactics?” Ife-Waters asked on Friday. “Let me tell you what is scary, a child sitting in a classroom inhaling mold and getting sick,” she said. “We want to know right now today what will be the immediate action?” She also shared her own three demands that prompted her to organize the Friday rally: • That no students and staff work from the third floor or other impacted areas until those classrooms have been inspected by health, fire, and industrial hygienists. • That NHPS provide parents in writing by the end of the day a real-time cataloging of work orders, mold inspections, and a clear remediation timeline. • That, if solutions are not possible now, then Hillhouse students should be bused
Rally organizer Nijija Ife-Waters: “It’s time for us as a community to get them out of office because its been too long with the same thing.”
to the old Katherine Brennan School in West Rock. For an hour and a half, the group walked through a few learning areas on Hillhouse’s three floors. While water continued to drip from the ceiling in classrooms B314 and B313, the group stood around desks and large trash bins collecting water to discuss the state of facilities.
Williams added that the air ducts need to be cleaned to improve air quality. Upon entering the third floor, Ife-Waters said that “it smells like mold.”
“This isn’t right at all,” Ife-Waters told school leaders. Sean Reeves asked those same school leaders if they would move their offices to Hillhouse’s third floor to work next to leaks and water buckets. “If you’re saying this is safe for the kids, let me see you move your office here. Would you be happy to work out of here every day?” he asked. Community organizer and Hillhouse alum Sun Queen pointed to missing ceiling tiles and bins full of yellowed water and said, “This is sending a message to our students, our babies, that they don’t matter.” Throughout the walkthrough, the group saw water-damaged floor and ceiling tiles, dust-filled vents, days-old bins of water collected from leaks, and a ceiling-tile water stain so bad it seemed to be growing mold. Whyte took note of the many concerns pointed out by the group to later input into the district’s work-order system. In a first-floor in school suspension (ISS) room, the group took photos of a ceiling tile seemingly growing mold after water damage and a small windowless room with dust-ridden vents. Sun Queen asked school leaders to imagine how the ISS room with walls coated in dust and a moldy ceiling tile would impact “our most vulnerable babies that you’re trying to get on the right
end of the school year. Ochumare-Harris asked that the job not be given solely because a vendor is the lowest bidder but because a company does quality eco-friendly work. Alicia Watley, the mom of a Hillhouse freshman, told Elicker she finds it unfair the district prioritized huge upgrades for the Floyd Little Athletic Center — which gets utilized by schools beyond New Haven — rather than Hillhouse itself or other schools. Elicker responded that the district applied for state funding for the field house and several other school building upgrades but was only awarded the field house funds. That’s why the district decided to apply for grant funding for roof replacements through the state Department of Administrative Services, and as a result was awarded funds for new roofs at Hillhouse, Cross, and Truman School. Local contractor/community activist Rodney Williams raised concerns with one of the leaks in a third-floor classroom being close to electrical wires running through the ceiling. He also said that the HVAC system might not have proper insulation, which he said could cause condensation to build up — as group observed through several areas with removed ceiling tiles Friday.
Sun Queen, with Mayor Justin Elicker: "This is sending a message to our students, our babies, that they don't matter." Credit: Maya McFadden photos
course.” Whyte said he plans to get air testing for the ISS room after the group pointed out possible mold growths. Local organizer Kerry Ellington asked that simple issues like blinking light fixtures be addressed over the next day or so. “Some of these things are easy fixes,” she said. “Everything we’re seeing affects these students’ mental, social, and emotional” health, Ellington said. Ife-Waters questioned how Elicker and NHPS Supt. Madeline Negrón can say schools are safe when water leaks and air ducts full of dust are impacting the building’s air quality. Elicker said the school passed air-quality testing and is therefore safe. Hillhouse Principal Antoine Billy said
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next week there are plans to relocate some staff who are currently in leaking rooms to different spaces. In addition to the buildings conditions, community organizer Ala Ochumare-Harris pointed out that the trash bins collecting water make classrooms non-accessible for students who may use a wheelchair. Fair Haven Alder Frankie Redente, who also works at Fair Haven School, said areas in his building like the auditorium also have buckets collecting leaking water. Whyte also gave the group an update on the upcoming replacement of Hillhouse’s roof. He said the process is underway and over the weekend the roof will be assessed as a step in the process of preparing the roof replacement job for contractor bidding. The estimated project completion date is set to be around the
West Rock/West Hills Alder Honda Smith left Friday’s walkthrough early because she began feeling sick due to what she believed to be mold in the building. At the end of Friday’s walkthrough, Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow said his eye burned and he felt like his throat was closing after spending over an hour in those few areas of the building. Others reported leaving Hillhouse’s building after the walkthrough with headaches and feeling short of breath. When Watley began hearing about deferred building maintenance, she encouraged her freshman to take note of areas of Hillhouse’s building that looked neglected. What her child shared raised huge concerns for her and prompted her to join Friday’s action. Retired Hillhouse history teacher and librarian Robert Gibson also joined Friday’s discussion. He recalled being a student at Hillhouse and then an employee. He said the building has suffered from deferred maintenance for years. “I remember teaching with ceiling leaks and buckets,” he said. If these issues have been long known about for so long, he asked, why is the district wasting money on patch jobs instead of the full replacement that’s needed? He asked: “How was this known but we still went ahead and started this school year in the same place as last year?” Elicker responded that the roof replacement costs around $8 million for Hillhouse, and that patching holes is a quicker
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
City Kicks Off New Afterschool Initiative by Maya McFadden
not just as students who are completing a worksheet,” she said. New Haven Counts also plans to introduce an “Empower Soccer League” to participating after school students to bring athletics, competition, fun, and teamwork directly to students. In one classroom Wednesday, New Haven Counts had several supervisors, interns, and tutors working one-on-one with students. In another area of the building, K-4 students played games like Duck, Duck, Goose in the school’s gymnasium. Miller added on Wednesday that New Haven families deserve the best after-school care “and that’s what we intend to give them.” The Boys and Girls Club programming, Miller said, aims to bring evidence-based methods of learning, development, and support to its students.
The New Haven independent
Celentano fifth graders Kaiden and Camille rolled game dice on Wednesday afternoon and then added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided the numbers to show Mayor Justin Elicker how to play NBA Math Hoops. That was the scene at the 400 Canner St. public school on the first day of the New Haven Afterschool Initiative, a new effort to provide free and low-cost afterschool programming across the city, five days a week. Elicker heralded the start of the new program at a press conference alongside Youth and Recreation Director Gwendolyn Busch Williams, New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) Chief of Youth, Family, and Community Engagement Gemma Joseph Lumpkin, New Haven Counts lead and retired Celentano Assistant Principal Lisa Pietrosimone, Boys and Girls Club of Greater New Haven CEO Tameika Miller, and Community Services Administrator Eliza Halsey. So far, 686 students have enrolled in the city’s afterschool programming, including 325 with the New Haven Afterschool Initiative. The city program’s lead partners are the Boys and Girls Club and New Haven Counts. The New Haven Afterschool Initiative is being offered at 20 school sites which each have a capacity to serve up to 100 students, for a total of up to 2,000 students citywide. Speakers shared that the program focuses not only on academic support like math and reading tutoring but also on athletics and social-emotional learning. The program runs each week day from school dismissal through 5:30 p.m. In addition to supporting students’ needs, Elicker said, the initiative also supports families who need child care. “The focus and goal is to make it comprehensive so it’s really easy for families,” he said. At Celentano, two programs are run by New Haven Counts and the Boys and Girls Club with 45 students enrolled in total. The Boys and Girls Club programming targets kindergarten through fourth graders and has 34 students enrolled at Celentano. New Haven Counts targets fifth through eighth graders and has 11 students registered.
“After-school care is not a luxury,” she concluded. When officials stopped into classrooms Wednesday, students attempted to explain how to play a NBA Math Hoops game. One group played a basic version of the game while a second used more advanced instructions. When student Camille rolled a zero and six she subtracted the numbers on her board. When Elicker noticed a small error he helped guide Camille through subtracting six from zero to then get negative six. “I bet you guys will be experts by the end of the day,” Elicker told the group.
At Wednesday’s presser.
One student told Elicker, “I learned about you in the fourth grade.” Boys and Girls Club counselor Chris Battle took a break from facilitating a game of Duck, Duck, Goose Wednesday afternoon to guide a few students to the restroom. Battle, 19, said he’s worked for summer camps for the past five years after having great experiences himself while attending summer camps and after school programming. “When I got to be around kids my age it encouraged me to talk, laugh, and learn all at once,” he said. “Even the little impacts can change how you become in the future.”
“You can still enroll in the program,” Elicker reminded New Haven families. “We want to make it accessible to everyone.” The programming is either free for families or $25 a week. More information can be found here. To register and see if sites have open slots click here. Busch Williams said the kick-off of the new initiative is more than the beginning of another program. Instead, it “represents an investment into our young people, their families, and the future of our community.”
Students mix math with fun while playing the NBA Math Hoops game. Credit: Maya McFadden Photos
She promised parents that the program will offer students a safe space to continue to learn, build meaningful relationships, and discover new interests. “We thank you [parents] and we recognize the responsibility that we are taking on,” she said. “Please know that we are committed to the young people that are in our envi-
ronment, and we’re going to make sure that this environment continues to be safe and welcoming and warm and engaging and enriching.” She concluded with thanks to the programs partners and Elicker for his vision that recognizes what many parents are experiencing: a desire to put their youth
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in safe and secure programs that feel like home. Pietrosimone, the program director for New Haven Counts, said the three components of programming are learning, building confidence, and having fun. “We want students to see themselves as mathematicians, as problem solvers, and
Therefore his goal is to build students’ confidence and provide them with a safe space to be themselves. Schools participating in the New Haven After School Initiative include Nathan Hale, Barnard, Benjamin Jepson, Bishop Woods, Celentano, Clinton Avenue, Conte West Hills, John C. Daniels, Davis, East Rock, Edgewood, FAME, Hill Central, Lincoln Bassett, LW Beecher, Martinez, Mauro Sheridan, Ross Woodward, Troup, and Truman.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - January 23, 2019 - January 29, 2019
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Hamilton To Resign As Ward 24 Alder by Thomas Breen
The New Haven independent
Edgewood Alder Evette Hamilton plans to step down from her local-legislative role on Sept. 30, teeing up a special election for the Ward 24 seat on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Hamilton, a Democrat and former chair of the Board of Alders Finance Committee, worked for 25 years in medical billing and coding for the Yale School of Medicine. She was first elected as Ward 24 alder in 2011, and currently serves as the chair of the Aldermanic Affairs Committee. A long-time Local 34 member, she was one of more than a dozen Yale union-affiliated candidates to topple incumbents and surge into power that year — kicking off more than a decade of UNITE HERE influence in City Hall. Hamilton, 69, retired from her Yale job in 2022 and currently serves on the executive board for the Yale University retirees union. “I’ve enjoyed my time working with the city and deeply appreciated the opportunity for personal growth, invaluable experience gained, and the chance to contribute to the city’s success,” Hamilton wrote in an Aug. 31 resignation letter addressed to Mayor Justin Elicker. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served our community since 2011, and the indispensable knowledge and experience will take me through life, and for that I am grateful. Thank you for your leadership and support throughout my tenure.” Hamilton’s resignation comes nearly two months after she sold her house at 327 Edgewood Ave. on July 6. In an interview with the Independent at the time,
Alder Hamilton, who was first elected in 2011: "It's my time now to take my leave and give someone else an opportunity to serve our community." Credit: Thomas Breen file photo
Hamilton said that it was “time for me to downsize,” though she planned on staying within the ward. In a phone interview on Friday, Hamilton said she’s stepping down because “it’s my time now to take my leave and give someone else an opportunity to serve our community,” especially now that her children are grown. Will she be staying in New Haven? “Right now, I don’t know where my des-
tiny lies.” She stressed that New Haven is her home and has been ever since she moved here from Jamaica in 1970. That said, “I had a struggling winter last winter,” and she is considering finding somewhere warmer to live. “I did this with a heavy heart,” Hamilton said about stepping down as alder. She expressed pride in her leadership of the Finance Committee over the course of several budget cycles, in working with
Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers and Dwight Alder Frank Douglass in hosting an annual Edgewood block party, and in “being able to support my residents” and advocate for safe, affordable, “equitable, fair” housing. Her advice for whoever next serves as Ward 24 alder? “When residents call you with problems and situations, respond. Respond to the people. If you can’t help them, find someone that can.” Hamilton’s resignation means that there will be a special election to fill the Ward 24 alder seat. Per the city charter, that special election has to take place no more than 45 days “from the effective day of vacancy,” according to city spokesperson Lenny Speiller. Speiller said that the city clerk’s office has selected Tuesday, Nov. 10 as the date for the Ward 24 alder special election. Whoever wins that election will fill out the rest of Hamilton’s current two-year term, which runs through the end of 2027. Hamilton’s resignation also marks the third time so far this year that an alder has stepped away from their post. On Jan. 1, less than an hour before he was set to be inaugurated to a third twoyear term as alder for Downtown/East Rock’s Ward 7, Eli Sabin resigned and moved to Westville in order to run for state representative. Christine Kim, a fellow Democrat, won a special election in February to fill that seat. And on Aug. 5, Caroline Tanbee Smith formally stepped down as alder for East Rock/Fair Haven’s Ward 9 after buying a house and moving a few blocks outside of the ward’s bounds. The special election for that seat is slated for Sept. 15.
by Thomas Breen
Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers stood alongside Elder Sean Gardner on the third floor of police headquarters on Thursday afternoon to mark the arrest of the man who allegedly killed Gardner’s brother — and to mourn a recent spate of deadly violence in the West River neighborhood. Walker-Myers and Gardner joined Police Chief David Zannelli, Mayor Justin Elicker, Capt. Nicholas Marcucio, and neighborhood top cop Sgt. Jonathan Lambe, among others, for a press conference about the Aug. 31 arrest of a 25-year-old New Havener for the Aug. 20 murder of Gardner’s 42-year-old brother, Ichon Ringwood. Ringwood was shot and killed at around 10:30 a.m. that Thursday near the Berger Apartments on Derby Avenue following a dispute and an apparent attempted robbery. Police are not sure if Ringwood was the intended target of the shooting, though Zannelli said that the suspect and Ringwood were familiar with one another. The suspect, who was on probation at the time of the shooting, has been charged
Board of Alders Prez Tyisha Walker-Myers and Elder Sean Gardner at Thursday's presser. Credit: Thomas Breen photos
with murder, felony murder, attempt to commit robbery in the first degree, carrying a pistol without a permit, and criminal possession of a firearm. He hasn’t yet entered pleas to those charges, and is being held on a $2 million bond. Ringwood’s murder was one of four
shooting deaths to take place in the West River neighborhood in August — 19-yearold New Havener Chavis Goldson and 25-year-old West Havener Lorenzo Foreman were shot and killed on Judson Avenue on Aug. 3, and 21-year-old New Havener Garnet Beckford died after being
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shot on Judson Avenue on Aug. 27. “As you all know, August was a very challenging month for the New Haven Police Department and the city, especially for the Dwight/Kensington area,” Zannelli said. Gardner described Ringwood as “the baby of the family.” He said that their family “is reeling right now because of his loss.” “New Haven has gotten significantly badder by senseless gun violence,” Gardner continued, “and it has to stop.” Gardner said that he and Ringwood “were sometimes inseparable, and I’m going to miss him.” Walker-Myers, who represents West River’s Ward 23 in addition to being the president of the Board of Alders, said that she was present at Thursday’s presser “because I represent my neighborhood and any gun violence in the city, whether it’s my neighborhood or not, I’m affected by it. “I live here. I grew up here. I care about what happens here.” Con’t on page 12
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Horn, Jackson Settlements Head To Alders by Thomas Breen
The New Haven independent
The Elicker administration has formally asked the Board of Alders for permission to borrow $27 million to help fund two newly struck wrongful-conviction settlements. That request is included as an ordinance amendment on the agenda for Tuesday’s full Board of Alders meeting. The proposal now heads to an aldermanic committee for review before returning to the full board for a final vote. While the principal amount to be borrowed would be $27 million, interest payments could drive up the total amount of debt service to $40.5 million over the course of the next 20 years, according to an estimated amortization schedule included in the proposal. Ultimately, the final terms of the bonds — including the interest rates — must be signed off on by the city’s Bond Sale Committee. As explained in an Aug. 27 cover letter written by City Controller Michael Gormany, the city is seeking authorization to issue up to $27 million in general obligation bonds “to fund the self-insurance litigation account” in regards to the cases of Horn v. City of New Haven and Jackson v. City of New Haven. The Elicker administration recently settled those two separate but related cases with Vernon Horn and Marquis Jackson for $15.25 million each, or $30.5 million in total. City insurance will cover $5 million of the total award; that means the city needs to pay the remaining $25.5 million, pend-
Vernon Horn and Marquis Jackson outside the Church Street courthouse in 2018. Credit: Thomas Breen file photo
ing aldermanic approval. The mayor’s office announced the proposed settlements on Aug. 12. Gormany wrote that the city’s Litigation Settlement Committee approved the settlements on Aug. 19. “The City is using an amount not to exceed $27M, in the event the City issues the Bonds directly to a bank and needs to pay costs of issuance from the principal amount, rather than original issue premium from a public offering,” Gormany wrote. “In addition, The Ordinance also authorizes the City to use bond proceeds cur-
rently on deposit with the City for other projects to pay the Settlements in advance of issuing the Bonds. If the City used current bond proceeds, the Bonds would be issued to reimburse the other projects from which the Settlements were paid (the City did this for a prior settlement).” The Horn-Jackson settlements mark the first set of wrongful-conviction payouts the Elicker administration has agreed to since a federal jury awarded Stefon Morant $38 million in another wrongful-conviction case which the city took to trial in May. (The city has appealed the Morant
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decision.) Horn’s and Jackson’s respective federal court cases had been slated to go to trial in September. Both Jackson and Horn were incarcerated on convictions related to a robbery-turned-murder at a deli in 1999. As with other wrongful-conviction cases that have surfaced in recent years, a witness eventually recanted, stating that a cop had threatened to pin the murder on him. The men were exonerated after a reinvestigation uncovered nearly 140 pages of phone records found inside the home of retired assistant chief Petisia Adger,
a former detective assigned to the case. The phone records had not been released to Horn and Jackson’s lawyers, and they contradicted the state’s evidence against Horn and Jackson. The pair walked free from prison in 2018. That same year, Jackson and Horn filed lawsuits against the City of New Haven and four former detectives involved in their convictions: Petisia Adger, Leroy Dease (now represented by his estate executor), Daryle Breland, and James Stephenson. They alleged that New Haven detectives coerced witnesses, fabricated and suppressed evidence, and failed to follow through on untapped leads. In February 2025, the state’s Judiciary Committee agreed to pay a $4,817,954 wrongful-conviction award to Horn and a $5,312,921 award to Jackson. Morant and Horn and Jackson aren’t the only Black men who have sued New Haven for wrongful convictions based on alleged police misconduct. The city is also staring down potential future trials for ongoing lawsuits filed by Adam Carmon, George Gould, the surviving family of Ronald Taylor, and Maceo Troy Streater (who happens to be a current city alder for Ward 21). The Horn-Jackson settlements also come roughly three years after the Elicker administration settled still another, more recent police-misconduct case — with Richard “Randy” Cox — for $45 million. See below for an amortization schedule included in the city’s proposed new ordinance amendment.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
CT Officials Pledge Ongoing Support As Ukraine Delegation Visits Capitol by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut officials reaffirmed the state’s commitment to its sister state and cities in Ukraine as they continue to fight against an ongoing Russian invasion. State government officials welcomed a delegation from Donetsk Oblast, Connecticut’s sister state in Ukraine, to the State Capitol Wednesday afternoon. They met with First Deputy of Donetsk Oblast Yurii Vynokurov and Head of Bakhumt District Sergii Kalian to discuss what the Ukrainian state needs in its battle against invading Russian forces. Glori Norwitt, the state’s special international envoy, said the relationship between Connecticut and Donetsk Oblast is particularly meaningful, as it demonstrates the potential of international engagement at the state level. “Our sister state relationship with Donetsk, together with partnerships between Connecticut towns and cities and Ukrainian municipalities, has turned that commitment into a lasting relationship between our communities,” she said. “It is about humanitarian assistance today, but it is also about building the relationships that will support recovery and reconstruction tomorrow.” The sister state relationship was facilitated by Ukraine Aid International (UAI), a Connecticut-based nonprofit that has worked directly with frontline communities affected by the Russian
Gov. Ned Lamont speaks outside the State Capitol about the sister state relationship between Connecticut and Donetsk Oblask in Ukraine. Behind him are Head of Bakhumt District Sergii Kalian (left) and First Deputy of Donetsk Oblast Yurii Vynokurov (right). Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie
invasion since 2022. Co-founder and Executive Director Marshal Mayer was on hand, and said that more than half a million Ukrainians benefit from essential services provided by the nonprofit, thanks to donations from residents and communities across Connecticut. UAI provides support for clean water, heat, electricity, emergency services, medical care and
other services. Mayer described the war as the most consequential struggle between authoritarianism and democracy in the world today. “The people of Donetsk are certainly fighting for their homes. They’re fighting for Ukrainian sovereignty and for the right for their children to grow up in a free country, but they’re also
defending something much larger,” he said. “They’re defending the principles that borders cannot be erased by force, that sovereign democracies cannot be conquered because a larger neighbor decides they should not exist, that authoritarian ambition cannot be allowed to expand unchecked simply because confronting it is difficult or expensive.”
In addition to the state-level relationship between Donetsk and Connecticut, several municipalities have direct relationships with Ukrainian cities. Darien First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky spoke about his town’s relationship with Sloviansk, which is located in Donetsk. He described the efforts of Darien to support its sister city, including a committee to coordinate relief efforts. “While we understandably focus on the military situation, there is another story as well,” Zagrodzky said. “Local government continues. People still need water and electricity. Children still need to be educated. Emergency services still need to respond. A community has to keep functioning even in the middle of a war. That’s where relationships like ours at the municipal level can matter.” Gov. Ned Lamont drew a direct line between the invasion of Ukraine and the September 11 terrorist attacks 25 years ago, describing Russian usage of drones and other weapons as brutal tactics to terrorize the Ukrainian population. The Ukrainian delegation was scheduled to visit a 9/11 memorial in Westport with the governor. “Twenty-five years ago our country was attacked by terror,” he said. “And you’re here in brotherhood with us because together, we stand up against terror. We stand up for the values that I think make the world a better place. And we’re standing with you.”
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Hillhouse Stalwart Honored At School-Wide Assembly by Maya McFadden
The New Haven independent
For 56 years, Hillhouse High School paraprofessional Lucille Patton has shown up for students, urging them to come to school each day. On Friday, Patton’s school community showed up for her. Patton was honored by Board of Education member Andrea Downer during last week’s school-wide assembly at Hillhouse. Both Patton and Downer are Hillhouse alums; Patton graduated in 1956, Downer in 1989. Both talked Friday about the legacy of Hillhouse being instilled in them since they were students. Downer recalled that Patton provided her with “collegiate direction” throughout her time at the Sherman Parkway public school. She said Patton has long been a welcoming and consistent face for students. She said Patton has helped keep the school running for decades. “She believed in me before I fully believed in myself,” Downer said.
Patton’s right hand, Hillhouse administrative assistant Anna Atkinson, explained that Patton is “so very special because she cares about everyone.”
Board of Alders Education Committee Chair Gary Hogan: “I’ve always felt an affinity for Hillhouse.”
Cheerleaders and band close out Friday’s assembly.
Principal Billy promises a food truck at Hillhouse this year if graduation rates increase into the 70s.
Students cheer at Friday’s assembly.
Andrea Downer (right) with Lucille Patton: "She believed in me before I fully believed in myself." Credit: Maya McFadden photos
Downer emphasized the importance of giving dedicated staff recognition before it’s too late; that is, “giving them their flowers while you can smell them.” Patton said that, in addition to the attendance work she does at Hillhouse, she also does occasional record-verification work. She said she was very grateful for Friday’s recognition because “sometimes older people kind of get discarded.” Patton said that Hillhouse always finds a way to make you feel loved — a goal she aspires to each day with the students she works with. She often connects with students when they first arrive at Hillhouse, helping them adapt to the building. Patton was one of the last Hillhouse classes to graduate from the school’s former site on Tower Parkway. “I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else,” Patton concluded. In concluding remarks, Downer reminded the student body that they are each carrying Hillhouse’s legacy forward. “You are the future walking in real time,” she said. “Distractions are loud but your future is louder,” she said. Friday’s assembly also introduced the students to all of Hillhouse’s staff, including coaches and educators and counselors, security, and cafeteria workers. The assembly reminded students of the school’s wraparound services. The presentation also introduced students during their first week of the school year to Hillhouse’s student clubs and organizations, Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program, and athletics. Staffers explained Friday that Hillhouse’s legacy is made up by the school’s strong sense of family created for staff and students.
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Hillhouse librarian Malcolm Welfare spoke about how students can use the library as a research hub, book club, and space to gathering resources about the world. Hillhouse has support for students both inside and outside the school building, Assistant Principal Jonathan Berryman said. This is the first year Hillhouse has hosted the first-week assembly to introduce students to the school’s resources. Berryman said it was especially important to do so alongside Hillhouse’s growing alumni association. The assembly preparation involved taking photos of each Hillhouse staffer, which Berryman said reminded him of Hillhouse’s “long, rich legacy.” Beryl Bailey, who graduated from Hillhouse in 1977, also shared remarks Friday on behalf of Hillhouse’s Alumni Association. She reminded students that “you can do it and alumni can help.” When student-retention specialist Darrell Brown called out, “Who’s house?,” the student body called back, “Hillhouse!” Beaver Hills Alder Gary Hogan also spoke at Friday’s assembly. Hogan told the school’s community that, as chair of the alders’ Education Committee, he is working to support the district’s efforts to address building deficiencies. Because Hillhouse is in Hogan’s ward, he said, “Hillhouse is coming first.” He explained to the students that as alder it is his “duty and responsibility” to connect with his neighborhood’s constituents, to be a liaison for the ward, and to bring neighbors’ concerns to the city for resolution. Hogan’s parents graduated from Hillhouse, in 1951 and 1953. He grew up on Carmel Street and learned to swim and play baseball at Hillhouse as a child. His father-in-law was a custodian for the school district and his father was previously on the Board of Education. “While I did not attend Hillhouse, I’ve always felt an affinity for Hillhouse,” he said. Hogan added that he enjoyed being in the building to see students’ and staff’s energy. “It was an opportunity to step aside from all the ill things going on just to see the joy and the enthusiasm and the journey that these kids are about to embark on,” he said. At the conclusion of Friday’s assembly, Principal Antoine Billy described Hillhouse staff as “the best staff in the city of New Haven.” He reminded students that attendance is key, especially as the district works to increase its graduation rate and keep ninth graders on track. He promised that if the graduation rate increases to the 70s this year, the school will celebrate with a food truck. He noted that in one year Hillhouse increased its graduation rate from 55 percent to 69 percent. “Look past that chaos and see the possibilities we have and you have,” he concluded. . Friday’s ceremony ended with the school band and Berryman performing the Hillhouse alma mater.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Red Means Stop. Camera Means Fine by Thomas Breen
“We Know That Privacy Is A Concern” Elicker, Simpson, and Zannelli also defended these cameras as essential tools for public safety — as opposed to undue infringements of drivers’ privacy.
The New Haven independent
Three new NovoaGlobal cameras now stand near the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Church Street — ready to catch red-light runners starting next week. Mayor Justin Elicker joined Transportation, Traffic & Parking Executive Director Haley Simpson and Police Chief David Zannelli at that very same intersection on Thursday morning for a press conference announcing the imminent start to that new traffic-camera-and-fine program. Starting on Sept. 15, red-light cameras and speed cameras at seven different locations across the city will be turned on. For a month-long warning period, those cameras will document vehicles that run red lights or, for the speed camera, that drive more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit. After review of the footage by a city worker, the city will then send the registered owner of the offending vehicle a letter alerting them as to the violation. Starting on Oct. 15, with the warning period over, the city will send the owners of offending vehicles fines instead of letters. The first fine for a traffic-camera-caught offense will be $50; each subsequent fine will be $75. This has been a “long time coming,” Elicker said, referencing not just his administration’s announcement of the city’s traffic-camera program in March 2024 — but also the years of advocacy in Hartford before that to ensure the passage of enabling state legislation allowing for municipalities to install traffic cameras in the first place. “We’re committed to safe streets and safe communities,” Elicker said. “If you drive recklessly in New Haven, we’re going to hold you accountable. Period.” Elicker said that, over the past five years, the MLK-Church intersection has seen 164 crashes resulting in 20 injuries and, in 2021, one fatality. He and Simpson said that the seven locations where the first red-light and speed cameras will be going up all have similar histories of crashes and unsafe driving. Elicker said the city is working on setting up red-light and speed cameras at another eight state-approved locations around town, too. At the MLK-Church intersection, there are now red-light cameras up and watching northbound drivers on Church, southbound drivers on Church, and westbound drivers of MLK.
“We know that privacy is a concern,” Simpson said. That said, these new red-light and speed cameras “are not general surveillance cameras.”
TT&P Director Simpson: "We are not launching this program because we want to issue a lot of citations." Credit: Thomas Breen photos
“At its core, this program is about safety,” Simpson stressed. “We are not launching this program because we want to issue a lot of citations.” Instead, the city wants to change driver behavior — to reduce red-light running and speeding, to make the city’s streets safer for all users of the road.
A map of the new red-light and speed cameras, which will turn on on Sept. 15.
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Simpson said that the traffic-camera program will be operated by the city’s transportation department. “We will be the only ones that have access to that data” — that is, the videos and photos of vehicles caught running red lights and speeding. “We cannot share that data by way of state statute and city ordinance,” Simpson said. She stressed that “personal, identifiable information cannot be shared,” and that her department will use that data only for “monthly reports to the police commission and yearly reports” to the Board of Alders and the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Simpson said that the city will be using camera equipment provided by a company called NovoaGlobal to run this new traffic-camera program. “But,” she emphasized, “all that data is owned by the city. It is not owned by them.” How long will the city retain the videos and images collected as part of this program? For no more than 30 days after a fine is payer or a hearing officer determines that the offending driver should not be held responsible, Simpson said. No more than 30 days after that, “we have to destroy the image.” When asked about Gov. Ned Lamont’s urging of municipalities to pause installing any new “safety cameras” amid broader concerns about privacy, Elicker said on Thursday, “We’re not going to pause initiatives that are focused on public safety.” He said he has received “very little pushback” from New Haveners about these new traffic cameras or any of the other cameras the city has deployed — by the police department and on school buses. In regards to the police department’s license-plate readers, which are provided by a company called Rekor — and not by Flock Safety — Elicker said, “We have in writing from that company that they will not share our data.” He said said the city has been assured that “the data is secure.” “These cameras have been unbelievably helpful in ensure that our community is safer,” Elicker continued. Zannelli agreed, noting that three recent homicide arrests were made with the help of video surveillance footage. “It has been a huge component for our public safety operations going forward,” he said. “We are very grateful for these cameras. It’s been an amazing addition to us.”
ICE Arrests SCSU Athlete At Tweed THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
by Thomas Breen, Paul Bass and Dereen Shirnekhi
Deng’s announcement on Instagram in May that he would be attending Southern Connecticut State University. Federal immigration agents arrested a Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) basketball player at Tweed New Haven Airport on Friday — as ICE has established an authorized presence at the Morris Cove regional airport. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed that arrest in an email comment sent to the Independent on Tuesday. “On September 4, at the Tweed New Haven Airport, ICE arrested Deng Deng, an illegal alien from South Sudan,” the DHS spokesperson wrote. “He legally entered the U.S. and illegally overstayed, violating the immigration laws of our country. All of his claims will be heard by an immigration judge and he will receive due process. This administration will not ignore the rule of law.” A photo provided to the Independent shows that Deng was arrested while wearing a grey, long-sleeved Southern Connecticut State University shirt. Deng’s Instagram account and an article on NJ Hoops indicate that Deng attended high school in New Jersey before starting at SCSU this year. His Facebook account indicates that
he is originally from the city of Aweil in South Sudan. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) online detainee locator, meanwhile, shows that Deng is currently being held at the Wyatt Detention Center in Rhode Island. Federal court records also show that Deng, represented by local attorneys Glenn Formica and Steven Strom, filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on Friday. On that same day, U.S. Judge Vernon Oliver is-
sued an order preventing Deng from being transferred to any ICE detention facility beyond 150 miles of the Connecticut border. Deng’s case was then transferred from the District of Connecticut to the District of Massachusetts on Wednesday. ”We are aware that one of our students was detained by immigration authorities over the holiday weekend while traveling off campus,” SCSU spokesperson Jason Edwards told the Independent in an email comment Wednesday. “The university is
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in contact with the student and those supporting them and is assisting where appropriate. Our priority remains the student’s safety and well-being.” All of this comes as ICE agents now have access credentials to a part of the airport parking lot reserved for law enforcement. An Avports spokesperson told the Independent that the airport followed federal law in giving agents access credentials. He cited Section 49 CFR § 1542.209(m)(1), which states that “airport operators ‘must
authorize’ unescorted access for qualifying government employees, including law enforcement officers, as long as a background check was part of the employment process. Access and credentialing remain subject to the airport’s TSA-approved security program and other applicable security requirements.” “Airport credentials document access privileges; federal law establishes an officer’s enforcement authority,” said the spokesperson, who said ICE agents had access to the parking area reserved for law enforcement. In a separate comment, that same spokesperson wrote, “Tweed-New Haven Airport, like all public-use airports, is subject to federal law enforcement agencies and has no visibility into or influence over enforcement activity.” Kica Matos, who lives in New Haven and serves as president of the National Immigration Law Center, said the incident revealed that ICE apparently “has unfettered access to the entirety of Tweed Airport, and there is active coordination and complicity between the airport and ICE.” She cited activists’ photos and video of agents wearing Tweed access badges and parking in a staff lot. “The idea that people are being detained and arrested at the Tweed Airport should be repulsive to anybody who lives in our Con’t on page 13
Spirits Rise At Dover Park Clean-Up THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
by Allan Appel
The New Haven independent
Incarcerated at 20 years old, James Flynn was deep in the heart of what would be a 32-year sentence when Covid struck. He volunteered for the dangerous work of being a nurse’s aide in the Covid unit of the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. One of his patients, whose life he helped to save, was Melvin Delgado, incarcerated at age 16 and serving a 30-year sentence. Their lives met again Saturday afternoon amid bright sun, breezes, and dappled light on the waters of the Quinnipiac River, at Dover Beach Park in Fair Haven. This time both are free, running successful organizations. They were surrounded by their partners, kids, and friends as they participated in a community clean-up of the riverine oasis. About 75 people attended the nine-tonoon clean-up and school-bag give-away, said James Flynn. The clean-up began around 8.30 a.m. with two dozen people bearing bags and gloves, which were provided. The idea was to clean the entire park from from sidewalk to the river and from the overpass to the butterfly garden in the south. The result, when this reporter arrived, was a pristine vista, with bottles, broken glass, cigarette butts, and chip bag-type litter all waiting in bags for pick up later by city public works. The day was more than a clean-up and book-bag and picnic event. It was also a fraternal reunion of individuals involved
in the city’s varied re-entry organizations. The air was filled with the glee of kids soaring up on the swings that overlook the river or grabbing burgers and soda. And an atmosphere of quiet hope and achievement was evident. People — veterans of both prison and personal battles — were now enjoying life in a glorious location on a stellar late summer day surrounded by those who have been essential players in the redemptive turnaround of their lives. James Flynn’s community service-oriented Flynn Project was the lead organizer of the event. Also participating was Kyle Gonzalez with his new organization
BeyondThaBars, devoted to community service and helping recently released ex-offenders get a leg up on life outside of prison. Flynn also had met Gonzalez in prison, befriended him there, and advised him that when he gets out, the key is leading by example: “If you’re sincere, people will see and give.” That in part is how BeyondThaBars was born. The nascent group has a different focus and title for each of the events it has done, Gonzalez said. The first was “Love Beyond the Bars,” a distribution of soap and hygiene products for the homeless. The date was this past Valentine’s Day
at the Possible Futures bookstore in the Dwight neighborhood. The next event Gonzalez is organizing will be called “Unburdened” and it’s going to focus on mental struggles specific to the release from prison. Gonzalez told his turn-around story: “I actively was partying and it ended up taking someone’s life. It took years and participation in the Yale Prison Education Initiative,” from which Gonzalez has recently graduated with a college degree. Local Fair Haven alder Frank Redente, Jr., a lifelong friend of Flynn, facilitated the collaboration and brought the varied groups together for the event. Gonzalez is also a friend of Wildaliz Bermudez, the Fair Rent Commission director and a Fair Havener who recently prevailed in the primary election as Democratic nominee for the 97th state General Assembly district seat. She brought Gonzalez into the event, along with a fire truck and enthusiastic New Haven Fire Department members. The Local 825 fire union, who supported Bermudez, was on hand for the festive Dover Beach event. Delgado had gone on, within a year of his release, to establish his own roofing and contracting business. When Flynn told Delgado about the event, he said, “I’ll be there.” He arrived with a dozen book bags to distribute to Fair Haven kids as they prepare to return to school next week. “When you lead and give by example,” Flynn said, “other people will give.” Here’s how James Flynn put his own
Furlow Readies Run For Edgewood Alder by Thomas Breen
The New Haven independent
Randall Furlow, a long-time Ward 24 Democratic co-chair whose cousin currently serves as the Board of Alders’ majority leader, plans to run for an open Edgewood alder seat after Evette Hamilton steps down from the role later this month. Furlow, 47, told the Independent about his upcoming campaign plans during an interview on Tuesday afternoon outside of the newly opened Trowbridge Recreation Center in the Hill. Furlow has spent the past 12 years serving as one of two co-chairs for the Ward 24 Democratic Ward Committee. A New Haven native, he works as the pastor of a Waterbury-based church called Ekklesia Global Worship Assembly. He is also the cousin of Board of Alders Majority Leader and Amity/Beverly Hills/Westville Alder Richard Furlow. “It’s my time to step up into that space and complete what we’ve begun,” Furlow said about why he plans to run for the soon-to-be-open Ward 24 alder seat. Hamilton, a former chair of the Board of Alders Finance Committee, was first elected as Ward 24 alder in 2011. A long-
Randall Furlow (right) with New Haven Rising’s Jaime Myers-McPhail and Mayor Justin Elicker on Tuesday.
time Local 34 member, she was one of more than a dozen Yale union-affiliated candidates to topple incumbents and surge into power that year — kicking off more than a decade of UNITE HERE influence in City Hall. She recently announced that she will be resigning as alder on Sept. 30. A special election to fill that seat will take
place on Nov. 10 — marking the city’s third special election for alder so far this year. Furlow said he plans to officially file to run in the Ward 24 alder special election after Hamilton vacates the role. “Educational equality is something that is very important to me,” especially since he has four children who have been edu-
cated in New Haven, Furlow said when asked about what his top priorities are if elected. He also said that his experience as a pastor, a job in which he deals “with all of the needs people come to the church with,” has been an inspiration to him to run for alder. How might his relationship with his cousin affect his work as alder, if he is elected? Would he feel comfortable, for example, voting differently than his cousin on matters before the board? “My cousin is amazing,” Furlow said about Richard Furlow. “He is a well-respect part of the leadership of the Board of Alders.” That said, “we’re both strong men. We both have our own opinions. We have our own thoughts about things. I think that voting as an alder, I’m not going to look over to him to see how I should vote.” Furlow said he’s confident that his cousin will “respect the fact that I have my thoughts, my opinions,” and he feels the same way. “I think that’s what democracy is all about.” At the end of the day, Furlow said, if elected, “I’m in here as an alder, and not as his little cousin.”
trajectory: “Incarcerated August 1992, out October 2024. I earned every day in there and every day out.” And the turnaround? “I had a bunch of locks on me and I couldn’t find the key.” He started attending different groups in prison with therapy and religious focuses. In the Covid ward, he cleaned showers, learning and in effect performing the work of a certified nursing assistant, he said. Flynn attended by the beds of the dying. “I saved lives. I took care of one guy, and ten minutes later, I heard his death rattles.” For his work in the Covid section of the prison, four years were taken off his sentence, Flynn said. “And I discovered myself. I said if God lets me out, I’ll give back. I dirtied these streets, and I feel I should clean them. I’m giving but I’m getting back.” Flynn’s day job, he said, is with Freedom Reads, an organization established by Reginald Dwayne Betts, that focuses on assembling and installing micro-libraries in prisons all across the country. However, if Flynn has an event coming up, and funds are needed for supplies, Flynn shifts into a second job: He puts in a night or two as an Uber or Lyft driver. His work cleaning up Fair Haven’s green spaces and being the go-to-guy for backup for other groups’ service projects, he said, is all self-funded. For more information or to become involved in the Flynn Project, call 203-570-0501.
Con’t from page 04
A Light On West River’s Walker-Myers described the amount of deadly gun violence in her neighborhood last month as “not normal.” She spoke about the work that the neighborhood has done to reduce violence “by occupying the space. After August happened, we need to understand that, although we changed a lot of things, there’s still more work to be done here.” Walker-Myers stressed that she knows firsthand what it’s like to lose a loved one to gun violence. “Every time somebody passes away in this city, I feel it.” She said she knows that, when the calls stop after the initial flurry of activity following a homicide, “that midnight hour gets dark.” Zannelli and Elicker stressed during Thursday’s presser that technology — and in particular city-owned and private cameras — played a key role in helping police make an arrest as quickly as they did. Zannelli said that video footage from six different cameras — city-owned Milestone cameras, Ring cameras, private business cameras — helped lead Det. Jeremy Cordero’s investigation. The cameras allow police to “sequence witnesses, cars, suspects,” Zannelli said. “We’re able to do that before a crime occurs and after to make sure we’re identifying the correct people.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Activists Embrace Art In Anti-ICE Resistance By Lucy Gellman
Arts Council of greater New Haven
“Ring the bells that still can ring!” Clancy Emanuel sang, in a voice that came from deep in his belly. Around him, two dozen people anchored themselves to the floor, and began to sing the words back. “Forget your perfect offering!” The sound bloomed around them. “There is a crack in everything!” Within seconds, a rollicking call-and-response to Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem” had reached the high, arched ceiling. “That’s how! The light! Gets in!” That focus on artmaking as an integral part of resistance came to downtown New Haven, and then the city’s East Rock neighborhood, on Wednesday evening, as members of Unidad Latina en Acción, the New Haven Peace Commission, Singing Resistance New Haven, the New Haven Immigrants Coalition and the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) came together over two separate events within two miles of each other. First, ULA gathered people in a rally at City Hall, speakers pressed up against Ed Hamilton’s memorial of the Amistad Rebellion. Then, the organizing spirit travelled to Whitney Avenue, where Singing Resistance rehearses each week, and NHIC had joined for an art build. Both responded to recent sweeps from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Danbury and Bridgeport last week, during which ICE arrested and detained nearly 100 people, and left families shaken and traumatized on the first day of a new school year. Both events acknowledged the power of collecting artmaking as a way into organizing and activism. Throughout, a refrain remained the same across languages and organizing tactics: solo el pueblo salva el pueblo— only the people can save the people. “We have to speak every day, we have to organize every day,” said ULA Co-Founder John Jairo Lugo, surrounded by both immigrant families and ULA supporters who are U.S. citizens, many wearing masks and baseball caps to protect their identities. “Only the people can save the people. We don’t want solidarity alone.” Solo El Pueblo Salva El Pueblo During the rally, Lugo called for stronger protections for immigrants in both New Haven, which maintains its status as a Sanctuary City, and across the state. In addition to a general strike, for which advocates in Danbury also called at a rally and march Wednesday night, Lugo also advocated for the creation of a $50 million state fund specifically for immigrant defense, and stronger enforcement of the Connecticut Trust Act. The Trust Act prohibits municipal and state law enforcement officials from working with ICE. While it received expanded protections from the state legislature in 2025; Lugo painted that work as insufficient. He did not reference new state legislation limiting immigration enforcement officials that passed this year. “If folks are being pursued [by ICE], they
should be able to call 911!” Lugo said. “De-Flock!” a woman in the crowd responded. In addition, Lugo called for a comprehensive immigrant defense network, in which volunteer members—ideally citizens, like many of the people assembled Wednesday—can provide more immediate logistical support like rapid response, courthouse accompaniment, and contacting the press. Lugo said that ULA is currently working with 40 families, many of which have at least one member facing final orders of deportation, or family members who are currently in immigration detention. “It’s hard,” he said, pulling off to the side of the rally as he described days spent trying to help families in New Haven, Hamden, Waterbury, Danbury and Bridgeport. “Basically we’re in an emergency, always receiving new calls … every day. I would not be so frustrated if there was mass organizing, but people, they just want to live their normal lives until something happens.” “It’s a hunting ground for ICE,” he added of Connecticut. It’s only a matter of time, he added, until “what happened in Danbury” happens in New Haven. As he spoke, the very human stakes of his ask were clear: two little girls scurried around the Amistad statue, pausing only to look up at the different faces of Joseph Cinqué that populate three sides of the piece. Their mother is working with ULA to stay in this country, Lugo said. Across from them, an attendee who asked not to be identified recalled his own arrest by ICE agents earlier this summer, when he was leaving a job site in Torrington. During the arrest, he said that agents threw him to the ground and pepper sprayed him, injuring his head and his arm in the process. He spent a month in detention in Massachusetts, adding that “it’s thanks to them [ULA] that I’m out.”
Scenes from a protest that members of Unidad Latina en Acción and the New Haven Peace Commission brought song, folk music, and poetry to
Paula Panzarella, a longtime peace activist in New Haven who read from April Lopez' collection, Nos Están Desapareciendo.
“I’m just saying that we’re surrounded by all this crisis,” he said after finishing the piece.
“The way they pick up people is very bad,” he said through an ULA member who translated. “When ICE, when they stop people and use force, it’s very bad. My hope is that all this ends.” Meanwhile it was artists, all members of the city’s Peace Commission, who sought to bring the message home in both poetry and song. Getting misty-eyed, Beaver Hills resident and longtime peacenik Millie Grenough introduced “That January Day,” written in honor of slain Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renée Nicole Macklin Good. Pretti, a VA nurse, and Good, a mother, wife and poet, were both killed by ICE agents in January, during the agency’s occupation of the city. Grenough, who is a stepmom to two now-adult sons, and “GrandMille” to a gaggle of grandchildren, told attendees that when she read about Good’s death, she couldn’t stop thinking about Good’s six-year-old son, whom she had dropped off at school shortly before she was stopped, shot and killed by ICE agents in the front seat of her car.
As she sang, voice rising and falling around Frank Panzarella’s guitar—”Doing my best to keep us warm / Don’t want anything to cause us harm / On this oh! So! Sunny! January day”—people joined in. At first, it was just a few voices, attendees swaying side to side and bobbing at the shoulders. Then, slowly, voices rose, some gravelly as others carried the tune forward. It opened the door to poetry and music, from Paula Panzarella’s selection from April Lopez’ Nos Están Desapareciendo (We Have Been Disappeared) to an original folk ballad titled “We Can Do Better Than That” from her husband, Frank Panzarella. Even Lugo’s comments, focused on holding politicians to account, teetered on poetry until they flowed right into it, with Gioconda Belli’s 1978 poem “Huelga.” When the poem was written, Belli was a member of the Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, or the Sandinista National Liberation Front, and part of a group focused on unseating then-President Anastasio Somoza Debayle. Somoza Debayle, Lugo explained, ruled with a dictatorial approach—a political style for which his fiercest critic was gunned down in the streets. In 1978, Belli’s poem, “Huelga,” both responded to and fueled calls for a nationwide strike that became reality in January 1979. As Lugo read the words, attendees seemed to lean in all at once, debating whether to take action.
Singing Resistance New Haven member Maz.
Less than two miles away, Emanuel walked into New Haven’s First Presbyterian Church, and took in the sanctuary as it began to fill with people. Around him, attendees set out food and stacked chairs, a well-rehearsed ballet. Someone set a gem-colored cucumber on a paper towel, with a note that it was free for the taking. Kirill Staklo and Phill Campbell, both organizers with PSL New Haven, trickled in with artmaking supplies, arranging tables across the room. Emanuel, who has played music all his life but only recently started singing seriously, motioned for attendees to circle up, as they do every Wednesday. As over two dozen attendees planted their feet on the floor, spines straightened. Shoulders relaxed. Attendees let their heads hang loose and rolled their necks from side to side. As Emanuel walked them through warm-ups, breath filled the room. Before long, it had turned to humming. Since early February, the group has met weekly to practice, mostly at First Presbyterian on Whitney Avenue. Lindsay, a co-founder who declined to give her last name, said that it grew out of both the traditions of resistance singers in Minneapolis, who began singing en masse during the ICE occupation of the city, and musiREAD MORE WWWTHEINNERCITYNEWS.COM
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Prostate Cancer is Twice as Likely to Kill Black Men. Talking to Your Doctor Could Help Save Your Life By Dr. Robert Wynn | BlackPressUSA American Cancer Society board member Dr. Robert Winn discusses risk factors for the disease and why too many Black men still aren’t getting screened September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and as both a Black man and a cancer center director, I know many men in our community think it’s bad luck to talk about cancer. But I’m here to tell you it’s bad luck not to talk about it. We, Black men in the U.S., are nearly 70% more likely than White men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. We’re also twice as likely to die from the disease. But I’m telling you, if you're diagnosed early, you can still enjoy a long, happy life doing the things you love, whether that’s playing with grandkids or staying active in your community. That's because although it can become a serious illness, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer won’t die from it. In fact, more than 3.5 million U.S. men who’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer are still alive today. And when it’s diagnosed early, you boost your odds of survival. It’s that simple. Generally, prostate cancer is most likely to develop after age 50, but when it develops in Black men, they tend to be younger. That means we need to be on the ball about understanding our personal risk. The risk factors include a family history of prostate cancer and certain genetic health risks that come from a parent. When it comes to family medical history, we need to get a lot better at talking. For me, it turned out I had uncles who’d died from prostate and other cancers, but I
didn’t always know that, so I couldn’t use that information to help me make smarter screening choices. The American Cancer Society recommends that African American men speak with their doctor at age 45 about whether prostate cancer screening is right for them. Men at even higher risk should have that discussion at age 40, especially those with one or more close relatives who were diagnosed at an early age.
Look, I get that no one looks forward to a screening, but it typically starts with just a simple blood test, called a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. Even if you end up needing a digital rectal exam, it takes less than a minute and could save your life. So, what I say to people is, what’s the price of your life? Isn’t it worth a minute of being uncomfortable? Brothers, this is essential for you to
know: just because you’re feeling good doesn’t mean you don’t have early-stage prostate cancer. By the time you start to actually experience symptoms, the disease could be at an advanced stage and might be harder to treat.” Prostate cancer is significantly impacting our fathers, our brothers, and our sons. That’s why the American Cancer Society is working with health systems and professionals in your community to help remove barriers in the fight against the disease. We can help you find low-cost or free screening locations. And for men who need cancer treatment, the American Cancer Society can reduce the financial burden of traveling to medical appointments by providing free rides and, if you live far away from where you receive treatment, a free place to stay. When it comes to prostate cancer screening, one size doesn’t fit all. So, it’s important for all men – and especially Black men – to talk to their doctor about what’s best for them based on their age, risk, and health history. Please make that appointment, because we don’t want you to risk missing out on the best years of your life. For more information, call the American Cancer Society’s 24/7 helpline at 1-800227-2345 or visit cancer.org. Dr. Robert Winn is a nationally recognized physician-scientist and researcher. He currently serves as cancer center director at Temple Health’s Fox Chase Cancer Center. Since 2021, he has served on the board of directors for the American Cancer Society, a leading cancer-fighting organization with a vision to end cancer as we know it, for everyone.
Cassandra Wilson, Grammy Award winner and HBCU grad passes away By courtesy of HBCUNEWS.com Cassandra Wilson, a Jackson State alumna whose voice carried an HBCU connection into the highest levels of jazz, has died. She was 70. The two-time Grammy-winning vocalist died September 2 at her home in Jackson, Mississippi. Her longtime manager, Robert Torre, confirmed the news to WBGO. “Cassandra Wilson transitioned peacefully at home, surrounded by family, close friends, and her manager,” Torre said. The statement did not disclose a cause of death. Her family requested privacy, with memorial arrangements to come later. For Jackson State, Wilson’s legacy extends beyond having a famous name among its alumni. Her story includes family ties, a degree and musical relationships formed around the university. Cassandra Wilson’s Jackson State roots According to the National Endowment for the Arts, Wilson earned a mass communications degree from Jackson State. She previously studied theater arts and philosophy at Millsaps College before leaving to perform with the regional band Bluejohn.
Her HBCU connection reached back another generation. “My parents were educators. They went to Jackson College, which is now Jackson State University,” Cassandra Wilson told the NEA. She also performed with the all-women band Past, Present, and Future. Jackson State’s Margaret Walker Center identified
Wilson, Nellie Mack, Rhonda Richmond and Yvonne “Niecie” Evers as members. In 2022, the center announced a CASE Festival conversation featuring the four musicians. The program connected their shared Jackson State history with a broader celebration of Mississippi music. That history offers a different view of Wilson’s rise. Before the international
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recognition, she belonged to a community of musicians creating together around an HBCU. A voice that moved beyond boundaries Cassandra Wilson built a career that crossed musical categories without abandoning her Mississippi roots. She began playing piano at six and guitar at 12. After time in New Orleans, she moved to New York in 1982. There, Wilson joined the M-Base Collective and developed relationships with musicians including saxophonist Steve Coleman. Her recordings brought blues, folk and country material into conversation with jazz. She signed with Blue Note Records in 1993. The NEA’s career tribute documents that musical evolution. Wilson won Grammys for New Moon Daughter in 1997 and Loverly in 2009, according to the Recording Academy. The NEA named her a Jazz Master in its 2022 class. For HBCU audiences, those honors sit alongside the quieter details of her Jackson State story: educator parents, a communications degree and an all-women band. Cassandra Wilson’s place in music history is international. Part of its foundation remains at Jackson State.
ICE Arrests Con’t from page 11
community. We don’t want ICE here. We want them gone. It’s instilling fear across communities irrespective of immigration status,” Matos said. Meanwhile, Anne Watkins from the New Haven Immigrants Coalition told the Independent that two community members were detained at Tweed and one at Hartford’s Bradley Airport last week. “New Haven immigrants and others are in solidarity with Deng Deng,” Watkins said. “They [ICE] are actively at Tweed. They are parking in the Tweed parking lots, sometimes in illegal parking spaces. They have applied for and received Tweed badges. We are curious about what decisions Tweed is making to give them the kind of access that they have.” Watkins also said that federal agents “were aggressive with legal observers and rapid responders,” and that the New Haven Police Department “threatened to cite legal observers on the ground who were trying to ensure the protection of the constitutional rights of the residents who were detained.” “Every place, every public place is a hunting ground for ICE,” Unidad Latina en Accion lead organizer John Lugo told the Independent on Wednesday. “They’re going to increase their presence, we need to be aware about that, and we need to be careful as a community.” In a Wednesday afternoon phone interview, Mayor Justin Elicker told the Independent that he spoke with SCSU President Sandra Bulmer on Friday about Deng’s arrest, which he described as “just awful.” He also said that he met on Tuesday via Zoom with various Avports officials who told him the same thing they told the Independent about the airport being required to give authorized federal agents access to the airport. “We’re looking into confirming that that is true,” Elicker said. And, in response to Watkins’ critique of city police officers’ conduct, he said that the city is currently reviewing New Haven Police Department body camera footage to see if officers interacted appropriately with activists on the scene. “We clearly want to facilitate people protesting and expressing their opinions on things,” Elicker said. People cannot, however, do such things as “block the entrance and exit to the airport and obstruct the airport from functioning.” Elicker stressed that city police “do not coordinate with ICE,” and that there is always an officer at the airport — usually in the arrivals area. “That officer is responsible for public safety.” Deng’s arrest comes amid a surge in ICE detentions across Connecticut and the country in recent weeks, including at airports. It also comes several months after ICE made an off-campus arrest of a SCSU nursing student on March 31. That arrest prompted a campus rally, a GoFundMe fundraiser, and concerted efforts by local activists and lawyers to secure her release on bond in May. This article has been updated to include comments from Mayor Justin Elicker and a SCSU spokesperson.
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Woman who fatally shot man at Walmart parking lot won’t be charged by Francis Akhalbey, Face2FaceAfrica.com Charges won’t be brought against a woman who fatally shot a U.S. Army veteran at a Walmart store in North Lauderdale. Per WPLG Local 10, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office identified the woman as Melissa Payne in a closeout memo. “If at the time Melissa Payne used deadly force: she was not doing anything unlawful; was in a place she had a right to be; and ‘she reasonably believe[d] that using or threatening to use such force [was] necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm,’ then she is immune from arrest and prosecution,” the memo said. Payne is said to have shot Bart Diguglielmo on June 30. The incident occurred at the parking lot of a Walmart in North Lauderdale after they got into a disagreement when they tried to park in the same parking space. Memo disclosed that the incident was captured on multiple videos. Prosecutors said Payne and Diguglielmo exited their vehicles after a “brief stalemate.” The memo also stated that Diguglielmo left his car in the travel lane, then entered Walmart while holding a shopping cart. Diguglielmo then came back to his vehicle after about 90 seconds. Two witnesses said that Diguglielmo subsequently told Payne, “I’m gonna f*** your shit up,” per the memo. Prosecutors said Diguglielmo then moved his car before parking about two aisles from Payne’s car. Witnesses said Diguglielmo also said it appeared Digug-
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lielmo was angry while he was taking a look at Payne, adding that he was shaking. Payne then came out of her car after Diguglielmo approached her. She was said to be in possession of her phone and a gun at the time. She told Diguglielmo, per the memo, “If you keep coming up to me, I’m going to f***ing shoot you!” The memo also stated that witnesses
told the pair that their back-and-forth wasn’t “worth it!” Per WPLG Local 10, Prosecutors also said that Payne cautioned Diguglielmo, “Don’t come over here!” “Don’t come near my car!” and “Don’t try that!” Diguglielmo is said to have subsequently approached Payne after he initially withdrew. Payne then opened fire on Diguglielmo.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
COMMENTARY:
Big Mama Said 'Don’t Let Grief Break the Bank'
By By Terry Allen, Texas Metro News Source: Black Press USA Wire
My grandmother, Lucille “Big Mama” Allen (1906–2003), understood something about money and emotions long before anybody called it financial literacy. Big Mama raised generations with faith, common sense, and the kind of wisdom that could stop you in your tracks. I can almost hear her from the porch saying, “Baby, don’t spend your money on your feelings.” I understand that lesson differently today. Recently, I had a frontrow seat as a close friend, and his family planned the homegoing of someone they deeply loved. I wasn’t hearing about it secondhand. I was close enough to witness the conversations, decisions, and dollars firsthand. What I saw taught me how quickly grief, guilt, and glory can become expensive. When somebody you love dies, you are not walking into a funeral home as an ordinary consumer. You are hurting. You want to honor your loved one. You want everything to be beautiful. Most of all, you want to make sure you have done enough. That is when wants can begin masquerading as needs. And that is exactly when somebody must remain financially awake. Funeral professionals provide an important and necessary service. Families need their expertise during one of life’s most difficult moments. But there is a difference between helping grieving people make informed decisions and selling to people whose emotions have made them vulnerable. Sales trickery is not sales support. What concerned me most was watching how knowledge of relationships, emotions, and available financial resources could influence the conversation about services. That information should help professionals serve a family better—not become an opportunity to sell them more. From what I witnessed firsthand, my friend’s family paid more for the funeral than they should have. I don’t say that
to point fingers at anyone in that family. Grief affects everybody differently. Some people become quiet. Some want to do everything. Others may believe spending more is somehow evidence that they loved more. My lesson is about becoming a wiser consumer when our emotions run highest. Big Mama would have reminded me, “Separate your needs from your wants. Everything you want, you don’t necessarily need.” That means we have to STOP before we spend. S means separate needs from wants. T means total every expense before agreeing. O means obtain options and ask what can be removed. And P means protect the family budget. Ask for an itemized price list. Compare providers when time permits. Bring someone into the conversation who can think clearly about money. Establish a spending ceiling before discussing upgrades. And never allow the
question, “What would your loved one have wanted?” to become a sales closing technique. Because grief can make us believe that the price of the funeral somehow represents the value of the life. It doesn’t. Black history offers some sobering reminders that fame, earning money, and financial security are not the same thing. Jazz legend Billie Holiday reportedly died with only 70 cents in the bank, and another person ultimately paid for her funeral. Legendary entertainer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, once among America’s highest-paid Black performers, earned extraordinary sums during his career yet died nearly penniless; friend Ed Sullivan reportedly helped cover his funeral. Literary giant Zora Neale Hurston died with so little that friends and neighbors collected money for her funeral, and she was ini-
tially buried in an unmarked grave. Think about that. These were people whose talent enriched American culture, yet their final days remind us of something Big Mama already understood: You can have glory without having financial security. That’s why conversations about money, preparation, and final wishes need to happen while we are living—not be left entirely to grieving people after we are gone. A casket cannot measure love. Flowers cannot measure sacrifice. A limousine cannot measure memories. And the size of a funeral bill certainly cannot measure somebody’s importance. A beautiful homegoing does not require an ugly financial aftermath. Proverbs 21:5 reminds us, “The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance.” Big Mama taught us to give people their flowers while they can smell them.
That may be the greatest financial lesson of all. Love people while they are here. Celebrate them while they can hear you. Honor them with your presence, your time, and your actions. And when that difficult day comes, send them home with dignity, love, and celebration. But don’t send your financial security with them. And when that difficult day comes, send them home with dignity, love, and celebration. But don’t send your financial security with them. Terry Allen is an NABJ award-winning Journalist, DEI expert, PR professional, and Vice President at FocusPR, founder of the charity City Men Cook, and Dallas Chapter President of NBPRS.org Based on reporting by Orlando Advocate. Originally published by Black Press USA Wire — https://orlandoadvocate. com/big-mama-said/
Chicago Native Creates Artwork for Snoop Dogg’s Dr. Bombay Ice Cream By The Chicago Defender Source: Black Press USA Wire
Malachi Wright, a 24-year-old artist from the Chicago area, has created a new mural for Snoop Dogg’s ice cream brand, Dr. Bombay. Located near LAX, the mural is designed to attract the company's ice cream taste testers. Wright graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Design & Media Arts in 2024 and is currently completing a master’s degree in fine art at California State University Long Beach. Wright is available for interviews before and during the mural’s unveiling on Saturday, August 29. The exact time of the unveiling is to be confirmed. He can discuss the meaning behind the mural’s design, his creative process, and what it
has meant to work with Snoop Dogg and his son at this stage in his career. The mural depicts Snoop Dogg driving a colorful convertible with his son, Cordell, and his dog in the back seat. Cordell is holding a Dr. Bombay ice cream cone. Wright depicts both Snoop Dogg and Cordell at age 29—Cordell’s current age—imagining father and son spending time together as peers. Both are looking toward the viewer to directly engage the audience. The mural also features the words “Dr. Bombay, Snoop’s Hiring” in the top left corner and “Powered by Deel” in the bottom right corner. Deel is collaborating with Dr. Bombay to hire ice cream taste testers. The project marks another chapter in
Wright’s continuing creative relationship with Snoop Dogg and his family. While still in high school, Wright designed the cover for Snoop Dogg’s 2019 album, I Wanna Thank Me. He later collaborated with Snoop’s son, Cordell Broadus, on an NFT project and designed a mural for the rapper’s Dr. Bombay brand in Venice Beach. This latest mural continues a creative relationship that has evolved alongside Wright’s career, from his beginnings as a young artist in the Chicago area to his established practice in Los Angeles. The mural is a project of Golden Street, LLC, a company Wright co-owns with his brothers Amoz and Ira. Amoz and Ira, along with their close friend/artist Lamar Hawkins, who flew in from Chicago to
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collaborate on the mural. Golden Street completed two other murals this summer —one for the Chicago Park District and the other for Harvey City Hall in Illinois. Golden Street’s work centers on creating meaningful experiences in public spaces through art, storytelling and community-driven projects. The mural is located at The Coffee Company, a popular restaurant in Los Angeles’ Westchester neighborhood. Address: 8751 La Tijera Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045 Based on reporting by Chicago Defender. Originally published by Black Press USA Wire — https://chicagodefender.com/ the-man-behind-the-mural-chicago-native-creates-artwork-for-snoop-doggs-drbombay-ice-cream/
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Despite key courtroom fair housing victories, HUD seeks more cuts By Charlene Crowell
Despite getting slapped down by three courts over this summer, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) still plans to continue its efforts to hobble fair housing investigations and enforcement. In late August, a federal judge warned that Congress – not federal agencies – authorizes and appropriates funding for programs and operations. Noting on August 26 that “HUD failed to make “a satisfactory explanation for its decision” Judge Myong J. Joun ruled, “It belies credulity to think that five awards alone could broaden and strengthen fair housing work across the nation, and excluding almost all existing fair housing organizations will certainly not strengthen fair housing work. I cannot ignore this disconnect.” Judge Joun’s ruling rejected HUD’s attempt to limit grant criteria to only organizations with annual budgets of $5 million or more. That move would have had the effect of shrinking over 100 fair housing organizations to only five nationwide. In March 2025, a court ordered HUD to reinstate Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) grants it had terminated for more than 60 organizations. Later in June, yet another court ruled HUD must administer appropriated FHIP funds when the agency refused to disburse FHIP funds for the 2024 fiscal year. “When someone is wrongfully turned
away from a housing opportunity because they have experienced domestic violence, because of a disability, their gender, or the color of their skin, they don’t call Washington,”, said Lisa Rice, President and CEO of the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) reacting to the decision. “They call the fair housing organization in their community. HUD tried to shut the doors of the frontline groups who fight housing injustice and today a federal court emphatically said ‘no.'”
Rice and other housing advocates still worry that this recent courtroom victory will be short-lived, as it only affects funding appropriated through the end of the current fiscal year, September 30. For the new fiscal year that begins October first, HUD has already made clear its intent to resume efforts to further diminish fair housing funding. Its budget request of $68 million for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO) would continue recent fair housing cuts, this
time by 21 percent. In 2024, Congress provided $86 million to fund FHEO, far below the $153 million needed to fully staff the division. As a result, FHEO now has only a third of the staff it had on January 20, 2025. Two other fair housing programs targeted for cuts are the Private Enforcement Initiative, which pays for the investigations and testing that prove discrimination happened, and the Education and Outreach Initiative, that funds efforts to ensure people know they have rights in the first place. These and other regressive actions will continue to be legally challenged by NFHA and its consortium of more than 290 private, nonprofit fair housing organizations; state and local civil rights agencies; and individuals throughout the United States. As it works to ensure every neighborhood has the resources people need to thrive and expand equitable housing opportunities for all people and communities, the organization also analyzes housing trends. For example, NFHA’s most recent analysis of fair housing trends found that in 2024: • From 2023 to 2024, housing discrimination complaints based on color increased 26.2 percent. • Nationwide, 32,321 housing discrimination complaints were filed one of the
highest figures in more than two decades. • Nearly 75 percent of all housing discrimination complaints were investigated and filed by community-based local fair housing agencies. • 83.56 percent of the year’s complaints were rental related. As only 44.7 percent of Blacks owned their homes in 2024, Black families are more likely to become rental victims of racial housing discrimination. The irony of these and other still unfolding events is that the agency designated to enforce the nation’s fair housing law is clearly demonstrating its determination to roll back over 60 years of hard-won civil rights. NFHA’s analysis aptly summarizes why the fight for fair housing must continue: “In the U.S., place is inextricably linked to opportunity: where we live determines our access to fresh air, clean water, well-resourced schools, healthcare facilities, reliable transportation, good jobs, quality internet service, and much more. Meanwhile, too many people are stuck in places that impede— rather than promote—their ability to thrive. Millions of Americans struggle under the weight of excessive housing costs, a dearth of affordable housing supply, and a lack of resources and amenities in the communities where they live.”
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Listing: Full-Time Class A Driver
VIDEO TECHNICIAN I (PART-TIME)
Opening for a Class A Full-Time driver for petroleum/asphalt/like products deliveries for nights and weekends. Previous experience required. Send re-sume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email: hrdept@eastriverenergy.com
The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Video Technician I (Part-Time). Wages: $20.00 to $22.00 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the July 6th, 2026 closing date please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE
***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Disabled & Veter-ans***
Listing: Licensed HVAC Technician This is a full-time Licensed HVAC Technician position. The candidate must possess a technical school certificate in heating, ventilation, A/C, oil, propane, and natural gas. The candidate must also hold a valid “S”, “E”, “B”, “D”, or “G” license. We are looking for some-one who is detail-oriented and is comfortable working in a fast-paced environment.Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or emailHRDept@eastriverenergy.com **An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans**
ST. LUKE’S REDEVELOPMENT SUBCONTRACTOR TRADE FAIR DATE: 9/10/2026 TIME: 3:30 -6:30 pm
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for multiple Agency Labor Relations Specialist Trainee (Leadership Associate (Confidential) positions in the Office of Labor Relations. Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/ sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 260831&R2=5989VR&R3=001
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
LOCATION: St. Luke’s Church Hall, 111 Whalley Ave, New Haven (Parking available behind Church, access via Sperry St. Additional parking 117-125 Whalley Ave)
PROJECT SCOPE:
Demolition of existing 1-story building
New Construction of One 5-Story Mixed Use Bldg | 49 Units Project Scopes include, but not limited to: Structural demolition, site-work, asbestos roofing removal, lead abatement, concrete, gypsum cement underlayment, masonry, structural steel, misc. metals, wood trusses, rough & finish carpentry labor and material, EPDM, waterproofing, insulation, composite material wall panels, firestopping, doors, frames and hardware, vinyl windows, glazing, storefronts, gypsum board, acoustical ceilings; flooring, painting, signage, toilet & bath accessories, postal specialties, residential appliances, window blinds, casework and countertops, bicycle racks, entrance floor mats and frames, elevators, facility chutes, fire suppression, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, paving, landscaping, fencing, final cleaning and sanitary facilities This contract is subject to state set-aside and contract compliance requirements, as well as, LCP Tracker, HUD Section 3 Reporting, City of New Haven Hiring Requirements (CEO/SBA), CHFA Reporting and Section 3 Self Certification and 12 ½ % & 12 ¼ % City of New Haven Ordinances. State law requires a minimum of twenty-five (25%) percent of the state-funded portion of the contract be awarded to subcontractors holding current certification from the Connecticut Depart of Administrative Services (“DAS”) under the provisions of CONN. GEN. STAT § 4a-60g (25% of the work with DAS certified Small and Minority owned businesses and 25% of that work with DAS certified Minority, Women and/or Disabled owned businesses) The contractor must demonstrate good faith effort to meet the 25% set aside goals. HCC encourages the participation of all Veteran, S/W/MBE & Section 3 Certified Businesses Haynes Construction Company, 32 Progress Ave, Seymour, CT 06483 AA/EEO EMPLOYER
POLICE OFFICER ENTRY LEVEL City of Bristol $78,813/yr. Required testing, general info, and apply online: www.bristolct.gov DEADLINE: 12-07-25 EOE
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The Town of East Haven is currently accepting applications to participate in the examination for the position of Secretary II, Grade Level 10$25.40/hour, 37.5 hours per week, 12-month position. Qualified candidates must possess a High School Diploma or equivalent with a business course background and a minimum of 3 years secretarial experience. Prior experience in a school system or related work with children preferred. The application is available online at https://www.easthaven-ct. gov/jobs.aspx or from the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven and must be returned by August 17, 2026. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.
Water Treatment Pumping Operator I
The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Water Treatment Pumping Operator I. Wages: $30.35 to $36.64 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the April 20, 2026 closing date please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
360 Management Invitation for Bids
Fairmont Fire Unit Turnover 360 Management is currently seeking bids from qualified contractors to Fairmont Fire Unit Turnover Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing. cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
August 10, 2026, at 3:00PM.
Exp. Welder call Jill 860-274-9668 Attendant I The Town of Wallingford is accepting applications for Attendant I. Wages: $29.93 to $34.66 hourly. For additional information and to apply online by the September 11, 2026 closing date, please visit: www.wallingfordct.gov/government/departments/human-resources/. Applications are also available at the Department of Human Resources located in Room #301 of the Town Hall, 45 South Main Street, Wallingford, CT 06492. Phone: (203) 294-2080; Fax: (203) 294-2084. EOE
Listing: HVAC Apprentice Level 1 Opening for a full time HVAC Apprentice Level 1. Candidate must possess a technical school certificate in heating, ventilation, air conditioning, oil, propane and natural gas. Must be detail oriented and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or emailHRDept@eastriverenergy.com
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE DRAFT ANNUAL INTENDED USE PLAN FOR STATE FISCAL YEAR 2027 The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is holding a remote Public Hearing via Microsoft Teams video conferencing on August 18, 2026 at 10:00 a.m., to receive testimony from the public on the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) Draft Annual Intended Use Plan (IUP), which includes the draft Project Priority Lists (PPLs), for State Fiscal Year 2027. This draft IUP includes the fifth year of additional funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The hearing will be held in conformance with the provisions of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (Public Law 104‐182), and pursuant to Sections 22a‐478(h) and 22a‐482 of the Connecticut General Statutes and Section 22a‐482‐1(c) (4) of the Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies. Copies of the Draft Annual IUP, which includes the draft PPLs, may be obtained online at the DPH’s webpage at www.ct.gov/ dwsrf. To listen to or participate virtually in the Public Hearing please visit DPH’s webpage at www.ct.gov/dwsrf. The access information for the hearing will be posted in the near future. Please continue to visit our webpage for information regarding the DWSRF Program. Upon request, a physical location and electronic equipment necessary to attend the meeting will be provided to anyone submitting such request in writing at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Persons wishing to provide comments to the DWSRF section on the Draft Annual IUP are invited to do so in writing no later than 4:30 p.m. on August 10, 2026 to DPH.CTDWSRF@ct.gov. Please note in the Subject line “DWSRF Public Hearing”. DPH is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
**An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled and Veterans**
Listing: Part-Time Class A Driver Opening for a Class A Part-Time driver for petroleum/asphalt/like products deliveries for nights and weekends. Previous experience required. Send resume to: HR Manager, P. O. Box 388, Guilford, CT 06437 or email: hrdept@eastriverenergy.com ***An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Disabled & Veterans***
INVITATION TO BID: LaRosa Building Group, as Construction Manager, is seeking trade bids for
demolition and new construction of Leroy Downs Apartments located at 79 S. Main St. in Norwalk, CT. The project consists of structure remediation/demolition followed by the new construction of 68 apartments and common areas. This project is subject to prevailing wages, is tax exempt, and is subject to CHRO Set Aside requirements (all firms must solicit trades and materials accordingly). A prebid will be held on site, Tuesday, August 18, 2026 at 10am. Bid documents can be obtained by contacting Vince Parete via email. Bids are due to Vince Parete no later than 3PM Thursday, August 27, 2026 via email vparete@golarosa.com. LaRosa Building Group is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Small, Minority, Women, Disabled, and Section 3 Businesses are strongly encouraged to participate.
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UNION CONTRACTOR SEEKS: Construction Equipment Mechanic (preferably experienced in Reclaiming and Road Milling Equipment) We offer factory training on equipment we operate. Job is in Bloomfield, CT. Contact: Tom Dunay Phone: 860-243-2300 Ext. 122 Email: tom.dunay@garrityasphalt.com Reclaimer Operators and Milling Operators (must have current licensing and a clean driving record; be willing to travel throughout the Northeast & NY) Contact: Rick Tousignant Phone: 860-243-2300 Ext. 133 Email: rick.tousignant@garrityasphalt.com Tractor Trailer Driver for Heavy & Highway Construction Equipment (must have a class A CDL license with Tank Endorsement and a clean driving record; be capable of operating heavy equipment and willing to travel throughout the Northeast and NY) Contact: Brian McKee Phone: 860-558-6189 Email: bmckee@garrityasphalt.com
• We offer Excellent hourly rates and benefits. • Women and Minority Applicants are encouraged to apply. • Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
360 Management Invitation for Bids
Snow Removal Services 360M
The State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management is recruiting for an Undersecretary for Education and an Undersecretary for Special Projects position in the Office of the Secretary.
360 Management is currently seeking bids from qualified contractors for Snow Removal Services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Vendor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems.com/gateway beginning on
Further information regarding the duties, eligibility requirements and application instructions are available at: https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 260824&R2=0450EX&R3=001 and https://www.jobapscloud.com/CT/sup/bulpreview.asp?b=&R1= 260821&R2=0450EX&R3=002
August 31, 2026, at 3:00PM.
The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.
The Town of East Haven
Elm City Communities
is currently accepting applications to participate in the examination for the position of Secretary II, Grade Level 10-$25.40/hour, 37.5 hours per week, 12-month position. Qualified candidates must possess a High School Diploma or equivalent with a business course background and a minimum of 3 years secretarial experience. Prior experience in a school system or related work with children preferred. The application is available online at https://www.easthaven-ct.gov/jobs.aspx or from the Civil Service Office, 250 Main Street, East Haven and must be returned by August 17, 2026. The Town of East Haven is committed to building a workforce of diverse individuals. Minorities, Females, Handicapped and Veterans are encouraged to apply.
Invitation for Bids Trash Collection Services Elm City Communities is currently seeking bids from qualified contractors to perform Trash Col-lection services. A complete copy of the requirement may be obtained from Elm City’s Ven-dor Collaboration Portal https://newhavenhousing.cobblestonesystems. com/gateway be-ginning on
August 10, 2026, at 3:00PM.
Exp. Welder call Jill 860-274-9668
For Immediate Hiring: Operations Specialist This is a full-time position in a fast-paced environment. The candidate must be highly organized, analytical and detail-oriented. This opportunity offers exposure to all areas of the business and plays a critical role in driving operational excellence and supporting company growth. A college degree is required. Benefits include: Competitive Hourly Wage, Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans, Vacation & Sick Time, Paid Holidays, Retirement Plan 401(k), Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance Options.
LEGAL NOTICE
The South Central Regional Council of Governments is accepting qualifications for: RFQ #027-04: SCRCOG Forward – An Organizational Strategic Plan (2027-2032) The South Central Regional Council of Governments (“SCRCOG”) is soliciting qualifications from reputable consulting firms to create SCRCOG Forward – An Organizational Strategic Plan (2027-2032) for the regional agency that includes fifteen member municipalities in South Central Connecticut. The selected firm will lead a comprehensive organizational strategic planning process to assess SCRCOG’s current role, programs and services, governance, organizational capacity, and establish a clear strategic direction for the organization over the next five years. Responding firms should have experience with strategic planning, organizational planning, and other related planning efforts.
Send resume to: HR Manager, P.O. Box 388, Guilford, CT. 06437. Email: HRDEPT@eastriverenergy.com *An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, including Disabled and Veterans*
Galasso Materials LLC,
The complete request for proposals (“RFQ”) document can be obtained on the SCRCOG website, www.scrcog.org/
a quarry and paving contractor, has positions open for the upcoming construction season. We are seeking candidates for a variety of positions, including: Scalehouse Dispatcher/ Equipment Operators and Laborers. NO PHONE CALLS. Please mail resume and cover letter to “Hiring Manager”, Galasso Materials LLC, PO Box 1776, East Granby CT 06026. Galasso Materials is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion,
RFQs shall be submitted in the manner specified to Laura Francis, Executive Director, 127 Washington Avenue, 4th Floor West, North Haven, CT 06473, until 12:00 P.M. eastern standard time on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026. For questions concerning this RFQ, send questions to scrcog@scrcog.org. SCRCOG is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
sex, orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Stephen A. Smith calls out Cari Champion and Jemele Hill after podcast interview By Courtesy of HBCUNEWS.com
Stephen A. Smith is calling out former ESPN colleagues Cari Champion and Jemele Hill over how their nearly threehour “Flagrant and Funny” interview was handled after being recorded. Smith’s response comes amid his ongoing dispute with critics over his treatment of Black women. Yahoo Sports reported that Smith addressed the interview on his “Straight Shooter with Stephen A.” podcast, saying he believed the full conversation would be released unedited. Instead, the twopart episode totaled about two hours and 38 minutes. Smith said he wants the complete interview made public, wants the YouTube comment section reopened, and wants a
copy of the footage so he can post it on his own channel if he chooses. He also objected to Champion questioning whether his appearance had benefited the show. Smith claimed “Flagrant and Funny” had roughly 9,000 YouTube subscribers before his appearance and gained more than 30,000 afterward, while videos from the interview drew hundreds of thousands of views. “A simple thank you would have sufficed,” Smith said, adding that he sat for the interview because of his respect for Champion and Hill as former colleagues. Smith also read a response from the show’s team saying the edited upload reflected a production mistake. The team said comments were disabled on the second part because the first video attracted abusive and threatening messages directed at the women.
Stephen A. Smith
Smith condemned the harassment but maintained that the complete conversation should still be available. Champion later responded in an Instagram Story, thanking Smith for appearing on “Flagrant and Funny” while saying she now realized her words would be closely scrutinized. She made clear she was speaking only for herself and not Hill. The interview followed months of public tension between Smith, Champion and Hill. During the conversation, they revisited their years at ESPN, disagreements over Champion’s career, Hill’s 2017 suspension and criticism of Smith’s public commentary about Black women. Stephen A. Smith’s response suggests their lengthy attempt to clear the air has not ended the dispute, with the former colleagues continuing to address one another through podcasts and social media.
Texas’ Regan Hutsell takes home Miss America 2027 crown after overcoming eating disorder
by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Texas native Regan Hutsell has been crowned the winner of Miss America 202. The prestigious pageant took place on September 6 in West Palm Beach, Fla., featuring delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands competing for the title. Hutsell, who became the 99th woman to take the crown and sash, will also benefit from scholarship money as part of her prize. Shelby Bordelon, Miss Louisiana, finished as first runner-up, and Kate Dimmett, Miss Illinois, finished as second runner-up. Miss America 2026, Cassie Donegan, 28, officially crowned her successor in accordance with pageant tradition. Hutsell, who previously danced as a Radio City Rockette and performed with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, was raised in the dance community, which often places a strong emphasis on physical appearance. Before her victory, she opened up to People about her experiences with an eating disorder and how she has used her platform to advocate for women’s body positivity. Hutsell emphasizes that while looking your best and representing the Miss America organization is significant, “it’s not the most important part of it.” She, however, added that what she cherished most about the “Miss America Op-
Photo credit: Instagram, Regan Hutsell
portunity” is “empowering women to lead with purpose.” She said, “For me, navigating that as a woman, I have to rely on what I would call my community service initiative, which talks about your body as your home.” “Which stems from the fact that when I had an eating disorder, a coach sat me down and she said, ‘Your body’s more than your instrument; it’s your home.’ And so to find the other side of my eating disorder, I had to navigate that with
some little mental management tools that I’ve now put in a little toolbox that I carry out with me.” She acknowledged that competing in pageants for the first time made her “really nervous” about stepping into an environment that heavily emphasized appearances, outfits, and other cosmetic things. “Something that helped me was the fact that when they talk about fitness, they say that it’s about living an active lifestyle,” she explained. “It’s not about being
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your skinniest self; it’s about being your healthiest and your strongest self, and it’s lifestyle-based and not one moment that you’re seeing on stage.” Shifting her perspective resonated with Hutsell and motivated her to compete in her first local. She soon realized that competing was more about being the healthiest she had ever been on stage than it was about being the thinnest. “I stand here, and I sit here in this chair knowing that I’m the strongest I’ve ever
been, I’m the most confident I’ve ever been, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been, and I’m very thankful I’m not the skinniest I’ve ever been,” she recounted. “I stand here, and I sit here in this chair knowing that I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, I’m the most confident I’ve ever been, I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been, and I’m very thankful I’m not the skinniest I’ve ever been,” she recounted. Hutsell described her “toolbox” that guided her through her eating disorder, explaining, “I had to navigate that with some little mental management tools that I’ve now put in a little toolbox that I carry out with me.” One tool is a measuring tape, symbolizing “not measuring up to others, but measuring your own growth.” She shared, “And so I have to use that sometimes with myself when I’m looking around and maybe finding myself in patterns of comparison, realizing, no, I have to measure the fact that I’ve invested a lot to be here.” Though she still has moments of concern about her appearance, she can now pause and reflect. “Sometimes you do have to take those moments and find some good self-care, but equally as much, I know for myself that I feel most at home, most like I’m living in my purpose when I’m helping others, and I can’t do that to the full capacity if I’m constantly wrapped up in negative thoughts,” she said.
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
Colin Kaepernick believes Jay-Z has a ‘guilty conscience’ over deals with NFL and Target By Rohan Nadkarni
Colin Kaepernick said he believes that Jay-Z’s recent comments about him speak to a “guilty conscience,” as the fallout between the former quarterback and the rapper deepens. Kaepernick responded as part of an extensive interview with NBC News after Jay-Z dissed the athlete during a recent concert. In July, Jay-Z took aim at Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers star, mentioning him and his settlement with the NFL in an impromptu rap during a series of concerts at Yankee Stadium. “They run out of characters, had to bring back up [Kaepernick] again,” Jay-Z said, referring to people who have criticized him for a recent partnership with Target. “Buddy took a check, I ain’t even mad at him, but along with that check you have to sign a non-disparagement. I’m the one [the NFL] can’t control.” Earlier this year, Jay-Z drew ire when it was announced that he would sell an exclusive version of his “Reasonable Doubt” album at the retailer, which has been subjected to boycotts by Black shoppers after it rolled back its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. Kaepernick, on the other hand, is honoring the boycott despite the potential financial cost. A spokesperson for the former quarterback confirmed he would not be selling his upcoming memoir, “The Perilous Fight,” in Target stores. Target did not immediately respond to requests for comment. For his book tour, Kaepernick is partnering with the National Association of Black Bookstores. Jay-Z was freestyling about the hypocrisy of his critics in July when he mentioned Kaepernick. The lyrics were a far
cry from 2017, when Jay-Z dedicated a performance of his song “The Story of O.J.” to Kaepernick after he had taken a knee to protest police brutality in America. At the time, Kaepernick was a free agent. He never found employment in the NFL again after he protested during the national anthem in the 2016 season. Jay-Z, who wore Kaepernick’s jersey during a performance on “Saturday Night Live” in 2017, was one of Kaepernick’s highest-profile supporters. Jay-Z was critical of the NFL, rapping on the 2018 song “Apes—” with his wife, Beyoncé, “I said no to the Super Bowl. You need me; I don’t need you.” In his book, Kaepernick wrote that Jay-Z asked him in 2017 to kneel onstage during a performance of “The Story of O.J.” but that he declined, in part because he objected to the use of racial slurs in the lyrics. Kaepernick also wrote that before he
was asked to join Jay-Z onstage, he had difficulties connecting with him on the phone as they exchanged emails in an effort to join forces on social justice issues. Their relationship flipped in August 2019, when Jay-Z announced that Roc Nation, the entertainment company he co-founded, would partner with the NFL. Roc Nation has since produced every Super Bowl halftime show, and it partners with the league on social justice work. Roc Nation declined to comment to NBC News for this article. In his book, Kaepernick wrote that Jay-Z told him about the partnership only after it had been agreed to, and Kaepernick expressed his displeasure. “I just want you to know, one, you’re serving the culture up to a bunch of racists and, two, they don’t care about you,” Kaepernick wrote about what he told
Jay-Z when they spoke. “You’re the music guy to them. They quite literally need a Black face—and have said as much.” In 2019, Jay-Z faced blowback for the NFL deal, as many viewed it as his turning his back on Kaepernick, who remained unemployed by the league. At a news conference announcing the partnership, Jay-Z defended the decision. “I think we have moved past kneeling. I think it’s time for action,” he said. “We forget that Colin’s whole thing was to bring attention to social injustice. In that case, this is a success. This is the next phase.” The NFL declined to comment. Kaepernick, who told NBC News’ Lester Holt that he did not sign a non-disparagement agreement with the NFL after having settled in 2019 with the league over his collusion lawsuit, said several people sent him the video of the freestyle.
“First and foremost, what it speaks to is power of people,” Kaepernick said about his reaction. “The backlash that [Jay-Z] received for partnering with the NFL and going counter to people’s interests in 2019 was a major problem for him, so much so that he’s still bringing it up in 2026.” He added: “People are now realizing, ‘Why are you so comfortable stepping into these positions that are counter to the positions that people on the ground actually want?’ And to me, I view that as speaking to a guilty conscience and trying to reposition or reframe the conversation.” Kaepernick said people who supported him have been consistent in not agreeing with Jay-Z’s actions. “I haven’t publicly spoken about him in any matter, but it speaks to the level of impact that people are having and being able to continue to move not only individuals but corporations,” he said. As for why he didn’t respond to Jay-Z immediately after the freestyle, particularly in regard to the misinformation about a non-disparagement agreement, Kaepernick said that there have always been efforts to discredit him and that Jay-Z is “another player” in that effort since he partnered with the NFL. “He has built the alignment with the NFL, the NFL that has blackballed me, the same NFL that, in a players-owners meeting in 2017, said we need a Black face to help us get rid of the protests,” Kaepernick told NBC News. (The NFL has long denied Kaepernick’s blackballing claims.) Kaepernick added: “I understand why he’s trying to do reputational recovery. I get it. I don’t agree with the actions, but I’m also not gonna respond to everything that’s said about me, because I also believe the actions and the work that I do will speak for themselves.”
40-year-old Ciara is pregnant with baby No. 5, her 4th with husband Russell Wilson by Dollita Okine, Face2FaceAfrica.com
Singer Ciara, 40, is expecting her fifth child with her NFL husband, Russell Wilson, 37. They shared the exciting news in a September 6 Instagram post featuring photos and videos that showed Ciara’s baby bump. “One more person to love,” the couple captioned the post. Together, Ciara and Wilson already have three children: daughters Amora Princess, 2, and Sienna Princess, 9, and son Win Harrison, 6. The singer previously welcomed son Future Zahir, 12, with her ex-fiancé, rapper Future. Ciara is shown in the pregnancy announcement standing next to a blank baby onesie and four shirts bearing their children’s names. The “Level Up” singer resumed touring after giving birth to baby Amora in Decem-
ber 2023. She shared an Instagram carousel in August 2024 with photos of her family-filled moments while on tour. At the time, the proud mother stated that the “in-between” time spent with her four children filled up her cup during her travels. To begin her post, the mother of four posted a photo with her two daughters. In the image, Sienna was perched on her mom’s back while Ciara cradled her youngest child in her arms. “The moments that filled my cup in the between. #TourLife,” she wrote in her caption. Ciara discussed traveling with her whole family during her tour in an interview with People in September 2024. Ciara discussed traveling with her whole family during her tour in an interview with People in September 2024. “My kids traveled with me, and I couldn’t have done it any other way,” she told People.
“They were like little precious babies of a tour having so much fun with Auntie, Missy, and Uncle Busta,” she said. “I mean, it’s just the energy was just incredible.”
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According to E! News, Ciara and Russell’s announcement comes just under two months after telling the outlet that they were expanding their squad.
“We have four amazing kids, and I’m trying to convince Ciara to have a fifth,” Russell shared in an interview at Fanatics Fest in July. “Cinco, you got to be on the way soon.” “I want to have five, Ciara does too,” he added. “We’ll see. Hopefully, I can convince her.” After sharing the news online, the couple received several congratulatory messages from fans and friends, including La La Anthony. Ciara and Russell also recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in July. A month before, the “1, 2 Step” artist revealed details about their relationship, telling E! News, “I always tell him [that] the sexiest thing about him is watching him be a father to our babies. He’s like Superman to us in the house, and we all want a piece of Dad.” She continued, “He has the biggest heart.” “We don’t have to worry for nothing, which is a blessing.”
THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
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THE INNER-CITY NEWS - September 09, 2026 - September 15, 2026
October 2—24 Tensions and temperatures rise during a blistering recording session in this electrifying masterpiece.
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WEEKDAYS
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August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com
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