Joshua Hall

Our Hartford community has been devastated after a brave Hartford police officer was tragically killed in the line of duty. Promoted to the role of detective posthumously, Robert "Bobby" Garten’s life was cut short in a crash while responding to a call in Hartford on September 6. Detective Garten was in the passenger seat of a police cruiser when a driver struck the vehicle at a high rate of speed on Asylum Avenue. The driver, Officer Brian Kearney, was seriously hurt and released from Saint Francis Hospital a week after the crash. I send positive and healing thoughts, as Officer Kearney recovers from the physical wounds we see and the emotional wounds we don't see, following the loss of his Street Crimes Unit partner. 

The application period for the 2023-2024 winter season of the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is open. CEAP provides vulnerable state homeowners and renters with crucial support for the associated costs of heating their homes.

Starting September 1, eligible owners of real property in Hartford, who experienced damage caused by flooding on or after January 1, 2021, can apply for financial assistance or reimbursement.

Save the date for the 2nd Annual Sister 2 Sister Health and Wellness Day on Saturday, September 9, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event takes place at the Swift Factory (10 Love Lane) and gives individuals access to breast cancer screenings and other available services.

It’s that time again when we start winding down the summer and begin back-to-school preparations. It can be a chaotic time for families, so I want to share news and events that will help ease that transition for the upcoming school year.

September 1 is the start of the Hartford Flood Compensation Program's application process.

Established through the adoption of the governor's 2024-2025 biennium budget, this $5 million pilot program will be overseen by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC), administered by Dr. Gary Rhule, and charged with providing financial assistance or reimbursement to eligible owners of real property in the city of Hartford who experienced damage caused by flooding on or after January 1, 2021.

The Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), in consultation with the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), announced this week that $8.8 million in special food assistance benefits is scheduled to be distributed Sunday, August 13, 2023, to the families of 57,313 children under age 6 who are enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

We are heading into another heat wave here in Connecticut, so Governor Lamont has activated the state's extreme hot weather protocol, effective today, and will remain in effect through 8 a.m. on Sunday.