by | Mar 25, 2019 7:46 am | Comments (6)
Paul Bass Photo
Deputy Economic Development Director Cathy Graves, Mayor Toni Harp, and Controller Daryl Jones at Wednesday’s pension board meeting.
The city payroll employee accused of stealing almost $100,000 is getting a pension, at least until he has his day in court.
Continue reading ‘Alleged Thief Gets Pension, At Least For Now’
by | Mar 20, 2019 8:03 am | Comments (27)
Thomas Breen photos
New Haven Uber and Lyft drivers lobbying in Hartford.
Uber’s 37 percent bite.
Uber and Lyft drivers are one big step closer to taking home a larger share of each ride’s pay thanks to a favorable committee vote in Hartford.
by | Mar 19, 2019 7:40 am | Comments (20)
Paul Bass File Photos
Officer Jenna Davis, at right, helping a K2 overdose victim on the Green.
Officer Brian Jackson.
Two more New Haven cops have resigned to take new higher-paying jobs in Hamden.
by | Mar 15, 2019 7:36 am | Comments (3)
Thomas Breen Photo
New Haven/Hamden State Rep. Robyn Porter, pictured at the Capitol, is tackling hiring gaps for teachers and adminsitrators of color.
While proposals that would nudge small school districts toward regionalization might have attracted the most attention at the Legislative Office Building this year, a slew of lesser-known education bills could change the way kids learn, from preschool all the way through college.
Continue reading ‘School Discipline, Racial Diversity Targeted’
by | Mar 8, 2019 3:00 pm | Comments (21)
Thomas Breen photo
New Haven Uber driver Edgar N. en route to state Capitol.
Edgar N. recently drove six college students from Toad’s Place to Fairfield. He earned $82 for the late-night, 26-mile ride. Uber pocketed another $49 from the same trip.
Edgar decided to wheel up to Hartford to demand that the actual laborers of the ride-share economy get a fairer share of earnings from such rides.
by | Mar 7, 2019 6:11 pm | Comments (33)
Thomas Breen photo
Elliott testifying at Thursday’s hearing.
Josh Elliott Thursday urged state legislators to support a $15 hourly minimum wage.
But he didn’t do so in his role as Hamden state representative. He did so as a small business owner who believes that a higher minimum wage will cost him in the short term, but will boost the economy, and his store, in the long run.
Continue reading ‘Elliott: It’s Thyme & Season For $15 Wage’
by | Mar 5, 2019 5:23 pm | Comments (2)
Christopher Peak Photo
MK Elections tallies mailed-in ballots in December.
The runner-up in the recent teachers union election is asking for the results to be thrown out and for a revote to be called, after he pointed out irregularities with the mail-in ballots and advantages for the incumbent.
by | Mar 1, 2019 8:47 am | Comments (6)
Sam Gurwitt Photo
Union members follow the debate.
Over objections of union members who recently agreed to givebacks, Hamden’s Legislative Council Thursday night voted to approve a reorganization of the mayor’s office
by | Feb 28, 2019 6:07 pm | Comments (8)
Protesters march to the New Haven Superior Court.
On her lunch hour, Sotonye Otunba-Payne left her job and walked with her colleagues to New Haven Superior Court in a shirt reading “Integrity Matters.”
by | Feb 22, 2019 8:58 am | Comments (30)
Christopher Peak Photo
Crowd Thursday night demanding Yale meet 1,000 local-jobs pledge.
For three years after graduating from Wilbur Cross, Carlos Hernandez has been trying to get a service job at Yale until he can afford to go back to school to study radiology. Though he has cooked in kitchens and cleaned in hospitals, Yale has rejected his applications.
by | Feb 21, 2019 8:46 am | Comments (15)
Christopher Peak Photo
Gemma Joseph Lumpkin: Superintendent gutted my job.
A top school administrator who adopted an infant from the foster care system returned from a three-month maternity leave to find that her boss had stripped her of several job responsibilities.
by | Feb 20, 2019 2:08 pm | Comments (9)
Paul Bass Photo
Laborers at work Tuesday on Spinnaker’s Audubon Square project.
District Manager Lt. Sean Maher, in foreground, with team chair Smith, surrounded by carpenters.
Hillhouse High School graduate and proud local young carpenter Davon McNeil, 27, is enthusiastic about his profession and his town. A carpenters union member, he commutes daily to a project in Bridgeport.
He’d love to hammer the boards and do the framing of the many rising new buildings in his native New Haven.
But the builders, when they acquire their properties in private transactions involving no city help, don’t have to hire local.
Continue reading ‘Busy Builder Pressed To Hire Local Workers’
by | Feb 20, 2019 9:02 am | Comments (33)
Thomas Breen photos
BZA’s Sarah Locke and Shirl Wilkins lead the charge.
The Duncan: Soon to be “Graduate New Haven” … or will it?
A surprise last-minute attack led by two union-affiliated zoning commissioners scuttled a boutique hotel developer’s bid for its final needed city approvals.
Continue reading ‘Surprise Attack Thwarts Hotel Duncan Plans’
by | Feb 13, 2019 5:34 pm | Comments (23)
Melissa Bailey File Photo
Peggy Moore.
A schools superintendent has once again asked Peggy Moore to take the helm of a school in transition.
Last time, that didn’t work out so well.
by | Feb 12, 2019 8:57 pm | Comments (12)
Aaron Kelsey shows Von Roll factory building to visitors from China; the space was later snapped up by a Brooklyn manufacturer.
Thomas Breen photo
The old Von Roll factory at Chapel Street and Blatchley Avenue.
From electrical insulation to custom art frames.
A Fair Haven factory is about to make that transition as a Brooklyn-based frame manufacturer moves to town and a heavy industrial manufacturer rolls out, in the city’s latest property transactions.
by | Feb 12, 2019 8:42 am | Comments (4)
Christopher Peak Photo
Michael Pinto at Monday night’s school board meeting.
(Updated) The Board of Education Monday night voted to approve Mike Pinto as the school system’s new chief operating officer (COO).
by | Feb 8, 2019 5:35 pm | Comments (23)
Christopher Peak Photo
Police Commission Chair Dawson: It’s a start.
Former pot smokers, ravers and drunk drivers are all welcome to join New Haven’s police force.
Former steroid-taking bodybuilders, acid trippers, cocaine sniffers, and recovering opioid users need not apply.
Those categories of disqualifying drug use are set out in a policy that the police department illegally discussed behind closed doors and then illegally withheld from the public for more than a year.
Continue reading ‘Illegally Secret Cop Drug Policy Released’
by | Feb 5, 2019 8:40 am | Comments (2)
Sam Gurwitt Photo
School system Director of Human Resources Gary Highsmith at Monday night’s vote.
Starting July 1, Hamden’s teachers union will begin a new contract with the Board of Education that includes a new health care plan, raises, and a requirement to monitor recess.
Continue reading ‘Hamden Teachers Get Raises, Make Concessions’
by | Feb 5, 2019 8:32 am | Comments (7)
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Police Chief Anthony Campbell
Alder leaders said the police chief took their remarks “out of context.” The police union leader called the chief’s remarks “disgusting.”
Continue reading ‘Cop Union, Top Alders Criticize Campbell’s Parting Shot’
by | Feb 4, 2019 5:38 pm | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen photo
Drivers Eddie Funaro and Al Barnes: Spots needed.
Charles Brown, Roger X, and Kat Kat on Monday’s “equity” ride.
Rosa Parks fought for a seat on the bus. Now city bus drivers are fighting for another seat: A toilet seat.
by | Feb 1, 2019 1:37 pm | Comments (49)
Thomas Breen Photo
Chief Campbell at a police promotion ceremony Thursday night, surrounded by assistant chiefs who are also looking for new jobs.
Anthony Campbell is retiring, thrusting onto Mayor Toni Harp a politically volatile decision to make about who should next lead the police department.
Campbell Friday unleashed a parting shot at city lawmakers who he said “don’t respect” the work he and other top cops are doing and are driving them out of the department.
by | Feb 1, 2019 8:52 am | Comments (8)
Thomas Breen photo
Newly minted segeants (in blue) and lieutenants (in white) at Thursday’s promotion ceremony.
Sgt. Chris Cameron.
Chris Cameron had a full beard earlier this month as he finished a yearlong undercover investigation into a group of Fair Haven drug dealers.
Now clean shaven, he’ll be back in uniform when he hits New Haven streets for his next police assignments — as no longer a detective, but a newly-minted sergeant on the local force.
by | Jan 31, 2019 5:54 pm | Comments (4)
Paul Bass Photo
New union prez Florencio Cotto with predecessor Craig Miller.
The leader of New Haven’s police union is joining a cop exodus to the suburbs, handing off the reins to a 12-year veteran officer.
by | Jan 30, 2019 5:16 pm | Comments (25)
Christopher Peak Photo
Goldson (at right): Why not make it public? Birks (left): Hmmm …
A consultant advised New Haven’s Board of Education not to put any part of the schools superintendent’s upcoming performance review on paper, other than a single summary sheet at the end.
Otherwise, he warned, the public would find out what’s really in it, through a public-records request.
by | Jan 29, 2019 5:08 pm | Comments (4)
Paul Bass Photo
The woman ran outside. Her twins were still inside, amid the flames.
John Alston Jr. headed inside hoping to save them.
Continue reading ‘The Night John Alston Jr. Will Never Forget’