by | Dec 3, 2024 10:05 am | Comments (3)
Thomas Breen file photo
Mr. Dye, holding court at the Hill South CMT.
Johnny Dye, a community activist known to many as the “Mayor of the Hill,” died early on Monday morning in his home. He was 84 years old.
by | Nov 1, 2024 8:49 am | Comments (0)
Brian Slattery photo
It’s two photos of people engaged in the same act — one a child and one an adult — practicing a custom centuries old. For the viewer, it’s a glimpse into a space usually not seen outside the community.
The label below the photo on the left quotes an Afghan woman named Seema: “Prayer is very important for us and our children. We start teaching our children to pray when they are about 5 years old; mainly mothers are the ones who teach them at home. When bad things happen, Afghan women go to Allah and ask for help. My husband had an accident, and this is my 5‑year-old daughter; after prayer, she is saying her du’as and asking for help for her dad. Here she is holding a tasbih and wearing the hijab, at this age they only wear the hijab for prayers. I’m so happy when I see them praying to God — to Allah.” As Aryana, quoted at the bottom of the photo to the right, says, “Afghan women love their religion and trust God.”
Continue reading ‘The Lives Of Afghan Women, Through Their Own Lens’
by | Oct 24, 2024 11:06 am | Comments (30)
Jabez Choi photo
Homelessness, policing on the agenda for Hill CMT.
Hill South neighbors pressed the mayor, the police chief, and their district’s top cop to do more to build up the ranks of the city’s police department — and to work harder to address homelessness in the neighborhood.
by | Oct 11, 2024 3:37 pm | Comments (0)
Thomas Breen photo
Fire Chief Alston on Friday.
Make sure you have functional smoke detectors in your home, and a designated area of refuge outside, and a working knowledge of how to “PASS” a fire extinguisher.
Top city officials offered those tips Friday morning at a National Fire Prevention Week press conference.
by | Oct 2, 2024 8:37 am | Comments (8)
Thomas Breen file photo
At the Washington Ave. metal scrapyard.
A four-acre scrapyard in the Hill can continue to recycle 100 tons of metal per day, after securing a five-year special permit renewal from the City Plan Commission.
by | Sep 27, 2024 10:16 am | Comments (6)
Jabez Choi photo
The infamous Kimberly-Boulevard intersection.
Raised crosswalks, designated left-turn lanes, elevated bike lanes, and improved signaling are coming to the intersection of Ella T. Grasso Boulevard and Kimberly Avenue — after that state-owned intersection saw nearly 200 car crashes in two years.
Continue reading ‘Safety Upgrades Eyed For Crash-Prone Intersection’
by | Sep 27, 2024 9:59 am | Comments (18)
Nathaniel Rosenberg photos
Protest organizer Kerry Ellington: “The police could have chosen a nonviolent alternative."
Conley's cousins Tamara Flint, Ronisha Moore, and Maya Harris, at Thursday's protest.
A week to the hour after a fatal confrontation between police and 36-year-old New Havener Jebrell Conley, protesters gathered at the car wash where the shooting took place — to criticize law enforcement for how they handled last Thursday’s attempted arrest, and to describe Conley as more than just his criminal record.
Continue reading ‘1 Week Later, Rally Protests Police Shooting’
by | Sep 20, 2024 3:51 pm | Comments (71)
Laura Glesby photo
Myra Smith: "I feel powerless when it comes to this population."
Myra Smith walked into the Wilson Library Branch with her mind made up about supervised substance use centers: “It is NOT coming to the Hill. It’s not.”
She left with more openness to the concept as a way to address the opioid crisis that has overwhelmed her neighborhood. “I’m not saying I’m totally against it. This sounds wonderful,” she said — as long as it’s implemented with care for the surrounding community.
by | Sep 20, 2024 2:33 pm | Comments (7)
Jabez Choi photos
Shannel Evans and Kevin Arnold get to work recounting ballots.
The ballots have been recounted. The numbers are the same. Angel Hubbard is still the winner of Monday’s Ward 3 alder race.
by | Sep 16, 2024 8:29 pm | Comments (27)
Thomas Breen photo
Hubbard and Pittman at Career after polls closed.
(Updated) Angel Hubbard bested Miguel Pittman in Monday’s special election for Ward 3 alder — but by less than 20 votes, which means city election officials will have to recount the ballots by hand before the results are final.
by | Sep 13, 2024 4:22 pm | Comments (65)
Contributed Rendering
Renderings for the future of the Church Street South site, including a "central green" pictured here, were revealed...
Laura Glesby Photo
...at a packed meeting on Thursday.
Townhomes shift into high-rises as the buildings transition from the Hill to Downtown, anchored by a “central green.” In the mix is a coffee kiosk, an outdoor theater, and a pedestrian promenade.
A team of architects and designers sketched out those ideas on Thursday for a future mixed-use, mixed-income development at the vacant site of the former Church Street South housing complex and the current Robert T. Wolfe public housing apartments.
by | Sep 11, 2024 2:00 pm | Comments (21)
Laura Glesby photo
Thomasine Shaw, next to BZA member Gemini Rorie: The proposed poultry market would have been too close to people, "endangering their health."
The Board of Zoning Appeals denied a proposed poultry market with on-site, on-demand chicken slaughtering on Tuesday night, following a stream of contentious public testimony that invoked concerns about Islamophobia, bird flu, and the wellbeing of the neighborhood.
by | Sep 11, 2024 9:10 am | Comments (4)
Markeshia Ricks and Laura Glesby Photo
Miguel Pittman and Angel Hubbard.
Residents of Ward 3 now have a chance to elect a new alder, with early voting kicking off today and election day itself approaching on Sept. 16.
Here’s what you need to know.
by | Sep 10, 2024 12:08 pm | Comments (29)
Jabez Choi photo
Joel Nieves, staying at Rosette for now: "I'm not alone anymore."
With the help of an extension cord providing power to his CPAP machine, Joel Nieves is still living in a tiny shelter on a Rosette Street backyard — two months after the city ordered the power turned off for him and his unhoused neighbors.
In that same time, the Elicker administration has also offered Nieves a new, more permanent place to stay, along with security deposit help.
The problem for Nieves — which has led him to turn down that housing help — is that the replacement apartment is two towns away, in Branford.
Continue reading ‘Tiny Shelter Resident Rejects Branford Move’
by | Sep 6, 2024 3:56 pm | Comments (1)
Allan Appel Photo
At Cordova's funeral service Friday.
contributed photo
Celestino Cordova: Borinqueneer and community advocate.
Dedication to service for others, personal resiliency, and don’t forget those family pig roasts on local beaches beginning at 3 a.m. (It takes time to roast a whole pig.)
These were some of the values and memories evoked Friday morning at a solemn burial mass for Celestino Cordova, one of the New Haven Puerto Rican community’s true trailblazers.
by | Sep 5, 2024 3:40 pm | Comments (12)
Jabez Choi Photo
Miguel and Sandra Pittman, on the Hill campaign trail.
Shauna Williams-Smith had never been visited by a local politician before this week. She also didn’t know about the Board of Alders, let alone the special election to replace former Ward 3 Alder Ron Hurt later this month.
But on Wednesday, Miguel Pittman showed up at her Stevens Street door to pitch his run for the neighborhood legislative role — and won a pledge of support from a Hill resident newly engaged with local politics.
Continue reading ‘Candidate Commits To Community, Communication’
by | Sep 3, 2024 10:34 am | Comments (17)
Laura Glesby photos
Ward 3 alder candidate Angel Hubbard kicks off the campaign launch: “I will never judge anyone for having an addiction. We do need programs.”
Rafael Rodriguez and Steven Fontanez (right) are working hard to help themselves and others out of addiction, as they told Hubbard, Valerie Boyd, and Justin Elicker.
Steven Fontanez is running out of time. He has only a few days left to stay at a sober housing program, and he hasn’t had luck finding an apartment.
Giselle Orosco is running out of patience. She’s tired of guessing whether the people who lie down outside her house are overdosing or merely asleep.
Angel Hubbard is running to be an alder for them both.
by | Aug 20, 2024 5:33 pm | Comments (15)
Contributed Photos
Angel Hubbard and Miguel Pittman are vying for a Hill North Board of Alders seat.
Local restaurateur Miguel Pittman and home healthcare provider Angel Hubbard are officially running to replace former Alder Ron Hurt in a special election to determine who will represent the Hill’s Ward 3 on the Board of Alders.
by | Aug 8, 2024 11:34 am | Comments (1)
Brian Slattery Photos
Damien Clarke sauteeing vegetables at Jammin Jamaican.
Salmon and chicken, en route to being served.
Damian Clarke, chef and owner of Jammin Jamaican Cuisine at 611 Washington Ave. in the Hill, set to work preparing a salmon entree that has become one of the restaurant’s more popular dishes.
First, he chopped peppers and onions into neat strips. He folded a bunch of scallions in half before dicing them, using both onions and salmon to maximize the flavor. Then he sliced some thyme for extra seasoning.
Continue reading ‘"Jammin" Salmon Seasoned Straight From Jamaica’
by | Aug 7, 2024 10:42 am | Comments (21)
Dashboard video sound begins at 0:29. “Get your gun out!” shouts the driver to the cop. “Shoot!”
“Open the door,” a 49-year-old man shouted at a police officer sitting in the passenger side of a parked cruiser on Congress Avenue.
The man said he was being followed. He told the officer to get out of the car.
The officer unlocked the vehicle, tried to radio for help, and the man got in — and started driving.
by | Aug 6, 2024 1:08 pm | Comments (8)
Thomas Breen photo
Police Chief Karl Jacobson (right) with police spokesperson Officer Christian Bruckhart.
A 10-year-old child was injured following an early morning shooting on Congress Avenue Tuesday.
by and | Aug 2, 2024 1:50 pm | Comments (35)
Breen File Photo
Ron Hurt.
Apologizing for “disappointing” the community, Hill Alder Ron Hurt has stepped down from his elected post — as well as his visible community organizing role — in the wake of a controversy involving his former job at a drug rehabilitation facility.
by | Jul 29, 2024 1:00 pm | Comments (32)
NATALIE KAINZ Photo
Hill Alder Ron Hurt: “It was a matter that happened with me personally. ... I don't think that was a power dynamic."
A rehab facility fired Alder Ron Hurt as a therapist after a months-long sexual and romantic relationship between him and a patient came to light.
Continue reading ‘Alder Fired From Drug Rehab Job After Sexual Relationship With Patient’
by | Jul 26, 2024 4:48 pm | Comments (34)
Laura Glesby Photo
Neighbor Radcliffe: "I want my meat in a package."
Your soon-to-be-beheaded dinner inside here?
“Which of these chickens would you like us to slaughter?”
Meat-eaters may have a chance to answer that question at a live poultry market on Kimberly Avenue, unless at least one Hill neighbor has a say in the matter.
by | Jul 23, 2024 2:49 pm | Comments (10)
Jabez Choi Photo
Norman Feitelson: "We're getting there."
When winds blow in from the Sound, windows sometimes pop open at the Towers senior complex. Now $20 million is blowing in to replace windows, roofs, and HVAC systems.