NEWS IN BRIEF
gOP FightS gaS taX hiKe
After General Assembly members voted earlier this month to approve an increase in gas taxes to balance the state budget, Republican legislators are holding a statewide protest and launching a petition to stop the hike. As of July 1, gas prices are expected to increase 4 cents per gallon, as the new tax on the wholesale price of gas increases from 7 percent to 8.1 percent. Republican leaders held a statewide protest June 25 and sought sup-
port for a petition to stop the tax hike at AxeTheGasTaxCT.com.
hOSPital WarnS OF CUtS
After the state budget cut funding to hospitals, officials at the Western Connecticut Health Network say there will likely be cuts in staff and services over the next two years at Danbury and New Milford hospitals. The budget for the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years cuts funding to hospitals by about $550 million, and will deliver about $30
million less to the Western Connecticut Health Network and its two hospitals. Earlier this month, St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport reportedly eliminated 100 positions and laid off 50 employees in response to the budget cuts.
Sale OF PUBliSher aPPrOVeD
Main Street Connect L.L.C., which does business as The Daily Voice, was given bankruptcy court approval to sell its 41 news websites covering towns in Fairfield County and Westchester County to found-
er Carll Tucker and two shareholders. A White Plains, N.Y., bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Main Street Connect’s 41 websites — including 11 in Fairfield County — to Tucker and the two shareholders for $800,000, after no other bids for the company were received. The Armonk, N.Y. company had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May, with Tucker claiming that a lawsuit brought by two former reporters against the publisher was precluding Main Street Connect from attracting new investments while also depriving it of funds needed to maintain operations, according to court documents. In its May 7 bankruptcy filing, Main Street Connect listed assets of $395,000 and liabilities of more than $870,000, including $550,000 in secured debt.
SMOOthie FranChiSeS POOl aD DOllarS
With more people seeking healthier fast food options, a group of owners of Connecticut smoothie franchises plans to increase its advertising efforts — starting in Fairfield County. Eight Fairfield County Robeks franchises recently banded together to form an advertising “co-op” to expand their customer base and brand recognition. Established in 1996, Robeks Corp. is a national fruit smoothie and healthy snack company with more than 100 locations nationwide, including 11 in Connecticut. Earlier this month, ads began running on Pandora radio, Cablevision and in local movie theaters. The group has also reserved several billboards along Route 1 in Fairfield County.
trUMBUll ‘BOOMing’
Trumbull ranked first among Connecticut towns in the “Top Booming Suburbs in America” survey conducted by Coldwell Banker Real Estate L.L.C. The survey ranked more than 1,500 U.S. communities based on year-over-year employment increases, the health of their respective job markets, proximity to good schools, safety and the presence of “suburban staples” like banks and grocery stores, among other categories. While no Connecticut towns cracked the national top 10, seven of the top 10 “booming suburbs” in Connecticut are in Fairfield County. Westport, Ridgefield, Newtown and Fairfield rounded out the top five, with Greenwich ranked seventh and Shelton ninth. Onboard Informatics, a provider of real estate information and technology solutions, collaborated with Coldwell Banker to produce the rankings. -— Jennifer Bissell and Patrick Gallagher
10 Week of July 1, 2013 • FairField County Business Journal