Whose Interests Are We Guarding?
Comments (3) Other than the military personnel who are armed to the teeth with coffee and junkfood from Dunkin Donuts, I rarely see significant foot traffic near the Legislative Office Building. Mostly, people drive to the parking garage and enter the building through the pedestrian entrance, never needing to come into contact with sunlight. Yet, there are large, well-marked warnings painted on the driveway, warning motorists to slow down. There are stop signs posted in places that make them more noticeable. There are even neon yellow signs telling motorists to stop for pedestrians — the signs are posted right in the crosswalks. I do appreciate this, as I use the area as a safer passage to downtown, given that the alternative of continuing along Capitol Avenue means having to cross the I-84 on/off ramp. Even with the stoplights all working and with the pedestrian walk signal on, the cars do not stop. Last week I saw a noticeably pregnant woman pushing a stroller across and the cars were not even obeying the law for her. It seems strange that few such safety features exist along a major street, but within a parking lot, traffic is managed quite well.
Sunday morning, when I read about the volunteer crossing guard who was threatened with arrest for keeping children safe, my heart sank. I read the article a few more times, trying to find a hidden clue that would make this story make sense. In a nutshell, a grandfather, who happens to be a disabled Vietnam Vet, decided to contribute to society by helping children safely get across the street to the Achievement First Academy in the Blue Hills neighborhood. He began this back in September. He had been honored by the school in the school newsletter and by being given a vest and stop sign. That sounds like his actions had been more than merely approved of by those he was interacting with directly.
Why threaten a man with arrest for helping society? Continue reading 'Whose Interests Are We Guarding?'»
The final community listening session for the Planning & Zoning Commission will be Tuesday evening at Rawson School. So far, there have been sessions at the Pope Park Rec Center, United Methodist Church, and Metzner Rec Center. Each session has focused on proposed land use for nearby neighborhoods.
Tonight’s transportation update meeting was geared for transportation insiders, or at least for those who have been closely following these issues for the last thirty years. Councilor Cotto and Councilor Ritter both pointed out that there should be more outreach to the community, particularly those who may be affected by the proximity of the proposed busway to their properties. Initially, one of the speakers dismissed this sentiment, saying that the New Britain-to-Hartford Busway, has been in the works for years. It has been a slow project, but expecting that all residents are up to speed with the project shows a lack of understanding about the high mobility of the Hartford community. The population is so transient that patrons are forced to renew our library cards every single year! That should indicate how unlikely it is that the average resident knows about what began years back. If you are not employed with a transportation agency or sitting on one of the transportation organizations, not a local politician, not affiliated with an NRZ, and not a nerd who spends hours sitting in meetings about electrified rail, do you really know what is going on?
Lyle Wray of the 
You may not go watch a movie at the Mansfield Drive-in. While you’re being hardcore about this, refrain from purchasing movie tickets or dvds of films with Connecticut residents — past or present — starring, producing, or involved in any way. No more Katharine Hepburn and Paul Newman films. Prisoners and The Witches of Oz are currently being filmed in CT. You will not get to see those. Since this is retroactive, if