This is the busy time for the Northwest Corner, as the eye-popping beauty of the season is on full display.
Last weekend hundreds of residents turned out for rallies in our region: in Kent supporting access to full reproductive healthcare, and in Sharon for maintaining Sharon Hospital as a full-service hospital. Local advocacy matters: we gain strength, ideas, and energy from one another, ensure that our voices are heard, and help catalyze action. The Office of Health Strategy was originally scheduled to hold the public hearing on Nuvance’s request to close labor and delivery at Sharon Hospital on October 18, but, due at least in part to the voluminous testimony that has been submitted in opposition to their request, the hearing has been delayed. A new date has not yet been set.
The Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity kicked off a series of webinars on housing affordability earlier this week with an event hosted by the Goshen Housing Trust. It was a chilly evening, and a reminder of the importance of ensuring that all of our residents have a warm and safe place to call home. For more information on their webinars, click here.
Yesterday, I was honored by the CT Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) with their 2022 Advocacy Award. As Chair of the committee that has jurisdiction over gambling in Connecticut, I’m particularly proud of the work we’ve been able to do to make sure the state has protections in place to help problem gamblers, and to work toward catching problematic behavior before it causes financial ruin. CCPG’s work and partnership are a big part of that effort.
This weekend includes several events on Saturday, October 22:
- Housatonic Youth Services Bureau 5K run at Indian Mountain School (see more information below)
- Touch a Trade at CT Antique Machinery Assoc in the Eric Sloane museum from 10am -4pm
- John Brown Project Community Art Unveiling at Five Points Arts Center on University Drive in Torrington– starting at 6pm.
This morning the funeral services for Lt. Dustin Demonte and Sgt. Alex Hamzy are taking place in Hartford. The officers, shot and killed while responding to what appears to have been a fake 911 call, will be honored by thousands across the state for their valor and service, and mourned by their families, communities, and friends. Sgt. Hamzy has a local connection, as his family owns the Collins Diner in North Canaan. I hope you can join me in honoring the family’s request that all who are able display a blue light outside your home through the end of the month to honor these officers and let the family know we are with them in their grief.
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