Logan applauds passage of opioid legislation

HARTFORD - State Sen. George S. Logan, R-Ansonia, today stood in strong support of HB 7052, An Act Preventing Prescription Opioid Diversion and Abuse.

“I am thrilled to report that this legislation was unanimously adopted by the Senate this afternoon in concurrence with the House,”

State Sen. George S. Logan

Logan said. 
“Communities and families across the state have been increasingly impacted by opioid addiction and prescription drug abuse, this bill works to address this crisis by taking proactive steps to educate and bring awareness to opioid drug abuse.”

The bill makes several changes to prevent and treat opioid drug abuse, including:

• Requiring individual and group health insurers to cover medically necessary detox treatments
• Requiring a treatment facility to use admissions criteria developed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, which urges admission regardless of health status or addiction levels
• Limiting access to controlled substances by allowing certain registered nurses employed by home health care agencies to destroy or dispose of them
• Requiring practitioners, when prescribing opioids, to discuss with all patients, rather than only minors, the risks associated with opioid drug use
• The bill reduces, from a seven day supply to a five day supply, the maximum amount of an opioid drug a practitioner may prescribe to a minor
• The bill requires prescriptions for controlled substances to be electronically transmitted – with a few exceptions including if the prescriber demonstrates that they do not have the technological capacity
• The bill also creates a standing order – a non-patient specific prescription to licensed pharmacists to prescribe Naloxone

“I want to applaud the hard-work that was put into this bill,” said Logan. “This common-sense legislation encourages prescribers to increase awareness of opioid addiction, it takes steps to help those in need and fosters the proper disposal of unused opioids. The passage of this legislation should be seen as a positive step forward in addressing an epidemic that does not have one solution and in the end I think it will help save lives.”

HB 7052 now heads to the governor’s desk and awaits his signature.

Logan (www.SenatorGeorgeLogan.com) represents Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, and Derby; and parts of Hamden, Naugatuck, and Woodbridge.  

He can be reached at George.Logan@cga.ct.gov and at 800-842-1421.


This is a press release from Logan's office.

Shelton Gaels Alumni to hold golf tournament

Klarides, Klarides-Ditria applaud bill to support special needs children

State Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, and state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour./ Contributed photo

HARTFORD - Last week, the House unanimously passed Senate Bill 246, co-sponsored by House Republican Leader Themis Klarides and state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, which will help children with families with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

“DDS needs to be held accountable, and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families deserve a system that works,” Klarides said. “Helping the most vulnerable in our state should be our top priority, and I will not rest until every child that needs our help receives it.”

“The current services delivered by DDS have not been benefiting children and families with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Klarides-Ditria added. “This legislation will put the well-being of children with an intellectual and developmental disabilities first. We still have a long way to go to ensure that every child receives adequate state services, and I will continue to work with CT-DDS Families First and the ARC to make sure the services provided by DDS are top-notch.” 

If the legislation is signed by the Governor, it will require the Department of Developmental Services to provide accurate and up-to-date information on family needs regarding the Residential Waiting List and other services by requiring a yearly census conducted when families meet with DDS for their annual review. 

By July 2018, DDS must develop a five and 10-year plan for each individual with an intellectual disability who is eligible for DDS services and who has an individual plan from DDS.

The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for his signature.

This is a press release from state Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria's office.

Logan hails Senate passage of hate crime bill he co-sponsored

State Sen. George S. Logan 

HARTFORD - State Sen. George S. Logan, R-Ansonia, applauded the state Senate’s unanimous passage Tuesday of a comprehensive bill aimed at strengthening Connecticut’s hate crime laws, making them the strongest in the nation. 

Logan is a co-sponsor of the legislation, which now heads to the governor for his signature.

“As Republicans and Democrats, we stand united in the face of hate,” Logan said.  

“This legislation sends a strong message that Connecticut has zero tolerance for hate crimes. Our laws will soon be a model for the rest of the country.”

Over the last year, the United States has endured incidents of hate including murders, assaults, bomb threats and vandalism that have been directed against African-Americans, Hindu-Americans, Hispanics, Jews, Muslims, Sikh-Americans, transgender women, and others.

  

House Bill 5743, An Act Concerning Hate Crimes:

• Strengthens hate crime laws by increasing penalties, making it a felony (instead of a misdemeanor) for committing a hate crime against a group of persons (instead of a specific individual.)
• Strengthens and modernizes Connecticut’s hate crime laws to include hate crimes based on gender (sex). Current law protects only “gender identity or expression,” not gender.
• Strengthens hate crime laws by increasing the penalty to a Class C felony (from a Class D felony) for making a bomb threat or other threat of violence against a house of worship, religious community center or other religious institution—or any daycare facility—if the threat is made with the intent to terrorize another person or to cause the evacuation of the building or grounds. This puts the penalty for such bomb threats on par with threats made against schools.
• Strengthens hate crime laws by increasing the penalty for desecrating any house of worship or any religious cemetery from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class C felony if there is more than $10,000 in damage, or a Class D felony if there is less than $10,000 in damage.
• Strengthens hate crime laws by expanding the threshold for a 1st-degree hate crime from its current requirement of causing “serious physical injury” to instead causing “physical injury.”
• Establishes a court’s power to order extensive, relevant community service and/or restitution, in addition to any other penalties imposed for hate crime convictions.
• Establishes a mandatory minimum fine of $1,000 for individuals convicted of hate crimes.

Logan (www.SenatorGeorgeLogan.com) represents Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, and Derby; and parts of Hamden, Naugatuck and Woodbridge. He can be reached at George.Logan@cga.ct.gov and at 800-842-1421.

This is a press release from Logan's office.

'Turnback Tuesday' features Birmingham National Bank in Derby

This week's "Turnback Tuesday" features a photo of the Birmingham National Bank. 

The bank was first organized in Crofut's Hotel in 1848 under the name of the Manufacturers Bank of Birmingham. In 1865, it entered the national banking system and adopted the new name of the Birmingham National Bank. 
Edwin N. Shelton was its first president and remained so until his death in 1894. 
In 1892-93, the building shown in the photo was constructed at 285 Main St., and the bank moved there.
In the early 1970s, the Birmingham National Bank merged with Home Trust and Second National Bank to become the Second New Haven Bank. 
Several mergers took place and what now remains of the Birmingham National Bank is technically part of the Fleet system. 
The Main Street building itself was subsequently converted into the Olde Birmingham Restaurant, then Tartaglia's Restaurant and eventually Twisted Vine Restaurant in 2005.

*Thanks go to the Derby Public Library for sharing this interesting local history.

Sterling Lion Theater Company to stage comedy in Seymour

SEYMOUR - The stage is set for this weekend's performances of "All in the Timing" by Sterling Lion Theater Co. at the Strand Theater, 165 Main St.

Shows are at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Click here for ticket information.

Soupstock set Saturday and Sunday in Shelton

SHELTON - The eighth annual arts and music festival will be held this weekend at Veterans Memorial Park downtown.

Admission is $15/day, which includes entrance to the soup or chili competition.
Kids under 12 are admitted free.


*Info shared from a Facebook event page.

Oxford Food & Arts Fest slated Sunday

Photo from a previous Food & Arts Fest.

OXFORD - An annual Food & Arts Fest will be held starting at noon Sunday on Great Oak Road. 
Admission is free.
There will be more than 23 food trucks at the event. 
There also will be craft vendors, business booths, and activities for kids! 

Boy Scout beautifies Ansonia park for Eagle project

Sharing from the City of Ansonia Facebook page:

Veterans’ Memorial Park in downtown is looking finer thanks to a beautification effort by city resident and Ansonia High School student Jason Edwards. 
Jason has been involved in Scouting for several years and is a member of Holy Rosary Church’s Venturing Crew 77. 
He hopes this project will help him earn Scouting’s highest honor, the coveted Eagle Scout. Only 5 percent of Scouts have earned this award.

His park improvement initiative included raising funds for a new entrance sign, assorted landscaping, including flower boxes, mulching, planting of nearly 20 Arborvitae trees, and a half dozen bird houses added for good measure.

Jason said that Scouting “has taught him great skills such as cooking, personal management, financing, and physical fitness.”

The Mayor’s office and residents of Ansonia would like to extend to Jason a big Thank You for your effort.


Congratulations to Jason Edwards on a job well done! 

Seymour Public Library to present talk on life of Queen Victoria

Diabetes group at Griffin Hospital in Derby to discuss summer meal planning

The Diabetes Education & Support Group at Griffin Hospital will host a free presentation June 13 on managing diabetes during the summer./ Contributed photo

DERBY - The Diabetes Education & Support Group at Griffin Hospital will host two free presentations on managing diabetes during the summer holidays June 13 at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the hospital, 130 Division St.

Certified Diabetes Educator Mary Swansiger, BSN, MPH, will lead a discussion on managing diabetes during holidays, vacation and special events during the summer, including meal planning and strategies for making the summer happier and healthier.

Both presentations will be in Childbirth Education Classroom A. 

There will be free valet parking for the 2:30 p.m. presentation.

The Diabetes Education & Support Group meets September - June on the second Tuesday of each month to discuss the management of diabetes, its challenges, and day-to-day dietary concerns. Individuals with diabetes and their caregivers are welcome to attend.

No registration is required. For information, call Mary Swansiger, 203-732-1137.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Ansonia Library to host program on continuing ed opportunities

Program in Derby to uncover the 'real' Frances Osborne Kellogg

DERBY - Connecticut’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will present a program June 17 on what life was like for Frances Osborne Kellogg, a small town celebrity during the early 1900s.  

Frances Kellogg

Visitors to the Osborne Homestead Museum will be entertained from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with tours, and there will be a photo exhibition exploring the fact and fiction surrounding Kellogg's life.

Kellogg was a prominent business woman, philanthropist, musician, and dairy breeder whose life was enshrouded in mystery and legend after her death in 1956.  

In this special photo exhibition, guests will explore the reasons why she wanted everything in her handwriting burnt, the rumors and misperceptions, and the truth about her life.  

Join others to unearth the mysteries and unlock the truth about the “Lady of Derby.” 
The Osborne Homestead Museum, 500 Hawthorne Ave., is open for free guided tours Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and Sundays from noon-4 p.m. 

For additional information call 203-734-2513 or email donna.kingston@ct.gov.


This is a press release from CT DEEP.