What’s New on HartfordInfo.org

July 2007

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.

New Data on HartfordInfo.org:

Vital Statistics Data - Birth Data: This interactive data retrieval system provides access to information about births in Hartford by neighborhood for the years 2000 to 2005. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and select Vital Statistics Data from the blue Hartford Data Sets box near the center of the home page.

Crime Data: HartfordInfo has updated this interactive data retrieval system to provide access to Hartford Crime Data from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2006, providing 7 years of data. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and select Crime Data from the blue Hartford Data Sets box near the center of the home page.

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New Community Programs on HartfordInfo.org:

Hartford 2010 Press Conference
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Click here for the video
Mayoral Candidates Forum
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Click here for the video

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New Reports on HartfordInfo.org:

Hartford Small Business Alliance Tax Proposal - The newly formed Hartford Small Business Alliance presents its proposals for equitably distributing the tax increases that are the result of the recent state-mandated property revaluation. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “small business ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Hartford 2010: Final Report - The final report of the joint effort of the City of Hartford and the MetroHartford Alliance in developing a strategic framework to build on the accomplishments of the past five years in revitalizing Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “2010 final ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
North Frog Hollow Neighborhood Improvement Plan - Mayor Eddie A. Perez designated a 13-block area in North Frog Hollow as Frog Hollow’s Target Area for the Neighborhood Improvement Program. The report presents the findings and action steps. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type "target area" in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
An All-Choice System of Schools - A presentation by Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Steven Adamowski to the Board of Education on May 23, 2007, a multi-year plan to establish an all-choice system for the Hartford Public Schools. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “all choice” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Literacy Behind Bars: Results From the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Prison Survey - This report assesses the English literacy of incarcerated adults for the first time since 1992. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “behind bars ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Alliance For Excellence in Education: Understanding High School Graduation Rates - This web site explains the intricacies of calculating graduation rates, state-by-state, and evaluates the accuracy of the method used in Connecticut. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “excellence in education ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Missing the Goal: A Visual Guide to Sheff vs. O'Neill School Desegregation - This report from Trinity College evaluates the progress toward the goals provided by the court ordered settlement in the Sheff vs.O'Neill desegregation case. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “missing goal ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Hope VI: Where Do We Go From Here? - The 1993 HOPE VI program targets some of the most beleaguered housing in this country. The seven briefs are based on Urban Institute research conducted in 2001 and again in 2003 and 2005, following HOPE VI residents at five sites to evaluate where they moved and how the program has affected their overall well-being. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “hope VI ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Reconnecting Massachusetts Gateway Cities - This report looks at cities outside the Greater Boston Region and recommends developing strong economic ties with cities like Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “gateway” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America's Older Industrial Cities - This report, an examination of the performance of 302 U.S. cities on eight indicators of economic health and residential well-being, reveals that 65 are lagging behind their peers. Hartford is one of 26 cities that were among the weakest economically in 2000, but did not meet the criteria to be included in that group in 1990. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “state role ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
South Hartford Problem Properties: Abandoned and Blighted Property in South Hartford - This web page, developed by Hartford Areas Rally Together, shows maps of blighted properties in the south end of Hartford. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “blighted” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
DiversityData.org - DiversityData is an online tool for exploring quality of life data across different metropolitan areas, for people of different racial/ethnic groups in the United States. Visitors can explore issues such as Health, Housing Opportunity, and Residential Integration. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “diversity data tool ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”

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New Articles on HartfordInfo.org:

Through agreements with the Hartford Courant, the Hartford Business Journal, the Hartford News, and the Hartford Advocate, HartfordInfo.org continues to offer selected articles as permanent additions to the web site. Some recent additions include:

Just Pure Medicine - Three afternoons a week, a band of volunteers open The Malta House of Care clinic. While a national debate over covering the uninsured rages in Washington, this tiny group of volunteers in Hartford is providing health care the old-fashioned way. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “medicine” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Businesses Launch $1.2M Improvements - By the end of May, Downtown and Asylum Hill property owners are expecting a big bang for the 1 percent tax surcharge they are paying to fund a newly-formed Hartford Business Improvement District. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “launch” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Retiring Councilman Looks Ahead - Dr. Robert Painter has decided he won’t be seeking a third term on the Hartford City Council, thus ending one of the most improbable and unique political careers in Hartford history. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “painter” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Frustration Over Sheff - Mayor Eddie Perez and School Superintendent Steven Adamowski recently urged state legislators to reject the latest Sheff v. O'Neill desegregation agreement. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “frustration” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
A Walk With History - A brisk tour of Bushnell Park in Hartford reveals its key shapers, trees, and a buried river. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “history” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
The Truancy Epidemic - On an average day, school officials estimate, up to 2,000 Hartford children are absent from school without excuses -- nearly 10 percent of total enrollment. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “truancy” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Home Sweet Home - My Sister's Place, a local nonprofit, will break ground next year on an apartment building in Hartford’s North End to house 30 of the city's homeless. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “sweet” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Taking the High Road - The Connecticut Department of Transportation announced a $100 million rehabilitation of the Aetna Viaduct. However, a group of Hartford community groups have joined together and asked the DOT to use the chance to not only make repairs, but to incorporate a public process in its planning for the long term. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “high road” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
All-Night Problems - Hartford city leaders are out to clean up the 24-hour convenience stores they say are all-night drug establishments and a plague on Hartford's neighborhoods. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “night problems” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
No Deal for Small Biz - Last minute negotiations to spare Hartford's small business owners from a crippling tax increase broke down recently, leaving owners to face tax bills on July 1 that in some cases have doubled. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “small biz” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Hard Times at the Atheneum - Hartford's venerable Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the oldest in the nation, is struggling to remain relevant in a changed city. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “wadsworth hard” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
AIDS Services Slip Away - Earlier this year, a change in how funds are distributed resulted in Hartford and New Haven receiving about half the money expected by organizations that work with people with HIV/AIDS. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “aids slip” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Magnets Not Closing Color Gap - This op-ed expresses the opinion that while the magnet schools may not have achieved the desegregation goals, they may have improved the educational opportunities of Hartford students. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “color gap” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
It's Clothes-ing Time - After 34 years as a tailor to Hartford's elite, Alvin Bell is finally hanging it all up. Bell recently closed the doors to his 30 State House Square shop. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “clothes” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
ID Cards Bitterly Divide Region - The controversy surrounding New Haven's decision to create a city identification card for illegal immigrants drew more than 500 people to parades and rallies recently. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “ID” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Constant Tax Problems Are Symptoms Of A Broken System - Toni Gold expresses the opinion that a permanent, structural shift of the burden off the local property tax and onto other, more broadly based sources - mainly the state income tax - would be fairer and more efficient than the current system. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “tax problems” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
Out of Prison, But Not Money - A new law that took effect July 1, 2007 aims to prevent current inmates from facing a return to the streets without any money when they are released. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “out of prison ” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
A Lifeline from Park Street to South Sudan - Park Street resident Shadrack Jolobi has survived an ordeal: growing up in the war-ravaged country of South Sudan. Jolobi has joined with Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART) to collect donations of gently used clothing, computer equipment, etc. to send to South Sudan. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “sudan” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”
New Way of Thinking Marries West Hartford to Hartford - The idea of the business owners in the Parkville neighborhood, is to create one continuous, similar-looking area to attract entertainment seekers and pedestrian traffic from much of Central Connecticut. Go to www.hartfordinfo.org and type “new way” in the Google search box and then click “Search.”

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