What’s New on HartfordInfo.org

January 2010

What’s New on HartfordInfo.org is a periodic update announcing recent additions to HartfordInfo.org. Please feel free to forward this message to others. To be added to the distribution list send an email message through our feedback page.

HartfordInfo.org, a program of the Hartford Public Library, is a gateway to information and data on issues important to those who live and work in Hartford and the region.

Here’s how your organization can reach over 4,000 people with your message: Sponsor the next issue of What's New on HartfordInfo.org! Call Richard Frieder at 860-695-6365 for full details.

Need Research or Mapping Services?

Let Hartford Public Library’s experienced information professionals assist you with your research, mapping and presentation needs. We can find the best and most current information sources quickly, extract and arrange the data that is most useful for your purpose, and deliver the information to you in presentation formats. For more information, click here.

New Community Programs on HartfordInfo.org:

We have reorganized our Community Programs page! You can now search for videos using the title, date or keywords, search by topic, or by year. Check it out at http://www.hartfordinfo.org/video/default.asp

Videos of these programs have recently been added:

Hartford's Boards and Commissions
Youth Making an Impact
Board of Education Candidates Forum
Dialog on Health Care Reform
Banned Books Week Readout: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

New Data on HartfordInfo.org:

Connecticut Mastery Test Results for the 2005-2006 school year for Hartford Public Schools students by neighborhood of residence. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and click on Schools Data in the center panel under Hartford Data Sets.
Digital Access Data for the Hartford region. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "digital access" in the Google search box and then click "Search."

Go to Top

New Reports on HartfordInfo.org:

One City One Plan Draft – Hartford is currently working on One City One Plan, also known as the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD), to guide development over the next ten years. See the latest draft by going to www.hartfordinfo.org and typing "pocd" in the Google search box and then clicking "Search."
2009 Safe City Overview – In this year-end report, the Hartford Police Department reports that serious crime declined slightly in 2009, although aggravated assault and burglary increased significantly. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "safe city" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Achieve Hartford! Report on Hartford Public Schools Strategic School Profile – This summary provides highlights and observations about Hartford Public Schools based on the recent annual release of School and District Profiles by the State Department of Education. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "achieve report" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Coltsville Special Resource Study, November 2009 – This study concludes that the Coltsville Historic District meets the criteria for "national significance" and "suitability," but that it does not meet the "feasibility" criteria for the National Park System. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "coltsville" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
City of Hartford, Senatorial, Assembly and Voting Districts – A map showing the City of Hartford Senatorial, Assembly and Voting Districts and polling locations. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "voting districts" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Representing Yourself in Foreclosure: A Guide for Connecticut Homeowners – Recently released by the Connecticut Fair Housing Center. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "foreclosure guide" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Degrees Conferred by Connecticut Institutions of Higher Education, 2008-2009 – This report describes all degrees conferred by Connecticut Institutions, and highlights an increase in the number of minority students earning degrees. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "degrees conferred" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
The Suburbanization of Poverty: Trends in Metropolitan America, 2000 to 2008 – The percentage of people living in poverty in Hartford’s suburbs grew far more quickly than the city's poverty rate from 2000 to 2008. This trend was found in many cities across the country. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "suburbanization" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
ConnCAN School and District Report Cards – This website provides report cards on all 1,000 Connecticut Schools and 160+ school districts. It provides profiles, performance information and rankings for schools and districts. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "conncan report cards" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
City of Hartford Parks System – Hartford’s parks system was recently recognized by The Cultural Landscape Foundation as at-risk. Read all about it by going to www.hartfordinfo.org and typing "parks system" in the Google search box and then clicking "Search."
Letter from Center Church About Winter Homeless Shelter – Earlier this winter Center Church was approached by the City of Hartford to house a winter homeless shelter. This letter outlines the specifics of the proposal. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "center church" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
City of Hartford, Committee of the Whole, FY 10-11 Budget Workshop, January 28, 2010 – The recent meeting of the Hartford Committee of the Whole (i.e., the Hartford City Council) with Mayor Eddie A. Perez focused on incoming monies to help build a framework for the upcoming budget. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "committee of the whole" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
MetroMonitor: Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in America’s 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas, December 2009 – The recession has had highly varied impacts on different metropolitan areas, even within the same broad regions of the country. The Hartford region had a difficult third quarter due partly to recent declines in government employment. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "metromonitor december" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
City of Hartford, Department of Health and Human Services, Critical Health Indicators – This document represents the Hartford Health and Human Services Department’s effort to present the health status of Hartford residents in 2009. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "health indicators" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Interstate 84 Viaduct Study, Public Workshop #1, Public Presentation, November 19, 2009 – A presentation made at the first public workshop on the future of the “Aetna Viaduct.” Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "public workshop" in the Google search box and then click "Search."
Raising the Floor for American Workers – This report suggests that comprehensive immigration reform in the US that legalizes currently unauthorized immigrants and creates flexible legal limits on future immigration would help American workers and the U.S. economy. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "raising" in the Google search box and then click "Search."

Go to Top

New Articles on HartfordInfo.org:

Through agreements with the Hartford Courant, the Hartford Business Journal, the Hartford News, the Hartford Advocate, and the Northend Agent's, and with the Cityline, Real Hartford, Urban Compass, and 40-Year Plan blogs, HartfordInfo.org continues to offer selected articles as permanent additions to the web site. Some recent additions include:

Good News in Hartford

Four Hartford High Schools On U.S. News' List Of The Best — Four city high schools have been named to U.S. News & World Report's list of best American high schools. Click here for the article.
Hartford 21 Complex Gets St. Joseph College Pharmacy School — Hartford 21 in downtown Hartford has signed on a major new tenant — the St. Joseph College Pharmacy School. Click here for the article.
Refugees Craft New Lives For Themselves — Once a week at the Hartford Public Library, women refugees meet to sew. Their handcrafts are lovely, but they are also stitching together lives as new Americans. Click here for the article.
Science Center Flies Past Bumps — After a little more than a half year since its opening in June 2009, the leaders of the Connecticut Science Center believe it is off to a great start. Click here for the article.
City Scenes: A 21-Year-Old Finds A Job, And A Mentor — Kewayn Hudson, wearing a hard hat, works a 30-hour-a-week training job with the Metropolitan District Commission. It began as a summer job training program through the Blue Hills Civic Association and Capital Workforce Partners. Click here for the article.
Project Spreads A Warm Message In Hartford — Dr. Sedrick Rawlins looked around Hartford's Community Health Services on Garden Street and thought it could use more art. The honorary board member focused on quilts since they sent the message of patience, love, and warmth. Click here for the article.
Brazilian Consulate To Open In Hartford Monday — A little piece of Brazil recently came to Hartford with the opening of the Consulate General of Brazil at One Constitution Plaza. Click here for the article.

Go to Top

Big Ideas

Hartford Putting Plan On The Table — When the City of Hartford announced it was seeking public input for its One City, One Plan, there was a certain skepticism. But City officials then did a couple of smart things. Click here for the article.
Getting Main Street On Track — The One City, One Plan public sessions have repeatedly evoked several clear, related responses: "We want a more walkable, bikeable, green and transit-friendly city, better design and maintenance of the public realm, and a reduction in the dominance of the automobile." And the undercurrent, "be bold." Click here for the article.
Bring Back Trolleys, Build Them Here — Connecticut cities should think seriously about using trolleys. But what about trying for a second bang for the buck and manufacturing them here? Click here for the article.
Thinking Big on Eradicating I-84 — Considering the prospect of tearing down the I-84 viaduct to repair the fabric of the city and achieve a goal that was once deemed unimaginable. Click here for the article.
Region Agenda: Little Fiefdoms Or Powerhouse Region? — Is 2010 the year that regionalism ceases to be a four-letter word in Greater Hartford and instead becomes a way of doing business? Click here for the article.

Education

Despite Conflicts, Adamowski Is Reforming Hartford Schools — Student test scores are up in Hartford. Superintendent Steven Adamowski — in a city where it has been OK for poor children to fail to learn to read — delivers. Click here for the article.
Teach for America at SAND School — An account of a recent visit to SAND elementary school, where teachers from Teach For America are hard at work. Click here for the article.
New Haven Education Experiment Could Be A Leading Light For Schools Around Nation — New Haven is about to begin an education experiment that could lead school reform efforts around the nation. Click here for the article.
Company That Managed Construction Of Hartford Schools May Not Get 2nd Chance — When Diggs Construction managed construction for the city school system in 2001, the support of the city's African-American Alliance was crucial. Recently, Diggs asked for the Alliance's endorsement as the city builds four new schools. This time, though, the response was different. Click here for the article.
Panel Calls For Reforms In Charter School Funding — The way the state distributes money to charter, magnet and technical schools, and even local school systems, is such a tangled mess that the entire system should be reformed. Click here for the article.
Fair Lets Schools Promote Their Offerings, And Parents Find The Right Match — Recent school choice fairs in Hartford gathered teachers and administrators from about 70 Hartford area neighborhood, inter-district magnet, technical and vocational schools and agricultural centers under one roof to promote their programs. Click here for the article.

Go to Top

Arts and Culture

Former Hartford Arts Center Needs An Angel — If there's a company, foundation or family that is looking to make a meaningful gift, Hartford has a shovel-ready opportunity. Click here for the article.
Stimulus Money To Help Pay Artists In Hartford — The City of Hartford is using $600,000 in federal stimulus money for urban development to pay artists or arts nonprofits in 2010. Click here for the article.
City Scene: Hartford Artisans Weaving Center —A small weaving center on Woodland Street, Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, serves 22 people who have little or no vision or who are over 55. Click here for the article.

Transportation

Let Bradley Airport Stretch Wings — Bradley International Airport is one of few airports in the country run by a state Department of Transportation. Most are run by independent, self-funded airport authorities or boards. Click here for the article.
Finish Bus, Rail Lines — 2010 could — and should — be the year the state closes in on two major transportation projects. Click here for the article.
Backers Say Busway And Rail Plans Are Much More Than Just Ways To Connect Cities — Advocates of mass transit push for three big transportation proposals — a busway between New Britain and Hartford, high-speed rail from Springfield to New Haven, and perhaps, commuter trains linking Waterbury and Hartford. Click here for the article.
Parking Towers a Hit — A little more than a year ago the city did away with 1,600 single-post meters and replaced them with 250 parking "towers" at a cost of about $3.3 million. Click here for the article.
Don't Let Rail Run Roughshod Over Cities and Towns — The $40 million in federal funds that Connecticut will get should put the New Haven- Hartford-Springfield commuter project on steroids. But it's hard to imagine the New England built environment absorbing high-speed rail facilities without massive destruction. Click here for the article.
Hartford: It's A Parking Place — For the past half-century, city leaders in Hartford have worked hard to satisfy a critical need — the need for more parking, so that downtown Hartford could compete with suburban office parks and shopping centers. Click here for the article.

Go to Top

Downtown Development

A New Player For Grocery Store Downtown — A plan for a downtown grocery store has been quietly percolating with the target of opening in the summer of 2010. Click here for the article.
Are the Dominoes Falling? — Foreclosure is stalking some of Hartford's biggest downtown properties. Click here for the article.
Coburn & Meredith Leaves Hartford For Simsbury, Glastonbury Sites — After 75 years in downtown Hartford, investment firm Coburn & Meredith is moving out of the city and into the suburbs. Click here for the article.
Visions For A Lively City — Parts of downtown Hartford are very attractive, but other areas suffer from serious structural problems. Click here for the article.

Other Major Developments

Tackling The City’s Toughest Budget Ever — At a meeting at Hartford City Hall, Council members and Mayor Eddie Perez were asked what words they hope city residents will use to describe the upcoming city budget once it is finalized. Click here for the article.
Residents Packing Up, Moving Out Of Nelton Court Complex — Nelton Court is the last federally subsidized public housing still standing in Hartford. Demolition of Nelton Court should start sometime after January 1, 2010. Click here for the article.
Who Owns Colt's Future? — Colt developer Lance Robbins insists a $29 million judgment won't affect the historic factory's chances of becoming a national park. Click here for the article.
How To Beat City Crime: Legalize Drugs — Taking control of Hartford's $42 million drug market from criminals and placing it in the hands of citizens who will be responsible for regulating it seems a strikingly sensible strategy. Click here for the article.
Connecticut NAACP Pushes Civil Rights Probe in Jashon Bryant Killing — More than 20 supporters of Jashon Bryant, along with the state NAACP, vowed recently to urge the federal government to take a closer look at the 2005 fatal shooting of the black 18-year-old by a white police officer. Click here for the article.
Out Of Sight No Homeless Solution — If we were serious about eliminating homelessness, we'd stop arguing about where the homeless should be temporarily housed and instead start looking at the bigger picture. Click here for the article.
Ex-Con Still Holding On To His Dream — Follow up on Tjayda Jones, an ex-con approaching middle age who planned to sell hot dogs. He hasn't achieved his dream, but he is still holding on. Click here for the article.
Waste Watchers — When the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority opened its first recycling plant in 1993, officials realized that the key to selling the concept was education. The Trash Museum was born. Click here for the article.

Go to Top

Hartford History

Want Some Hartford History? Look No Further Than The Hartford Public Library — If it's about Connecticut's capital city, you'll find it in the Hartford History Center on the third floor of the Hartford Public Library. Click here for the article.
What Happened To Hartford's WWII Honor Rolls? — In 1941, Hartford Mayor Thomas Spellacy asked each neighborhood in the city to construct a monument to honor WWII veterans. But, today the North West Honor Roll no longer exists. Click here for the article.
Restoration Beats Demolition — Nearly three years ago, Hartford enacted a historic preservation ordinance to maintain the city's disappearing architectural heritage. Click here for the article.
Thank You Miss Emma Rose — This is a shout-out to Miss Emma Rose, wherever she may be. Like a good librarian, she kept at least one newspaper and magazine clipping file about black liberation and American history. Click here for the article.

Notable Transitions

Hartford Fire Chief Retiring — When Charles A. Teale Sr. was growing up in the city, the last place anyone could find him was inside a classroom. Now, Teale is retiring so he can get back to the classroom. Click here for the article.
Michael J. Fallon, 47, Chief Of The State Capitol Police, Dies — Michael J. Fallon, chief of the State Capitol Police and a long-time member of Hartford’s police force, died of cancer recently. Click here for the article.
Artist Richard Welling Dies At 83; Pen-And-Ink Drawings Captured Hartford's Essence — For more than 40 years, Richard Welling captured Hartford in his pen-and-ink line drawings, telling the city's story with every stroke. Click here for the article.
George David's Legacy — George David rose from elevator executive to the pinnacle of Connecticut's largest private employer, United Technologies Corp. Click here for the article.

Go to Top

Questions? Suggestions?

Click here to send Feedback/Comments

Visit us at www.hartfordinfo.org