Kellogg Environmental Center in Derby to feature photo exhibit in December

Blue and Gold Macaw

DERBY -  Visit Kellogg Environmental Center  throughout December to view photographer Peggy Boissoneau’s exhibit, “Inspire. Explore. Discover.” 

Boissoneau has traveled the globe for pleasure and business during her corporate IT and finance career and she continues to capture unique experiences through her photography. 

The Center will host a virtual reception Dec. 19 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. via Zoom. 

Join online as Boissoneau discusses her travels around the world and how she captured the planet’s nature and cultures through her photography. 

Registration is required. 

To receive the Zoom link visit the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection calendar of events webpage at https://coeearegistration.wufoo.com/forms/zhc37vv11qz4ca/ or contact Sue Quincy, 203-734-2513.

Boissoneau's photography has exhibited at several locations including the Connecticut Town and Country Club, New Britain Art League, Woodstock Academy, and New Milford Silo at Hunt Hill Farm. She is currently showing at the juried traveling exhibit at Southport Pequot Library.   

Please note Kellogg Environmental Center is following New Normal Health & Safety Guidelines for CT State Parks which provides important guidance for participants and visitors. 

It is available for review at https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/COVID-19/Health_Safety_Flyer_NN_Final.pdf.

Kellogg Environmental Center, a facility of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection State Parks Division at 500 Hawthorne Ave., is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. 

For information or directions email donna.kingston@ct.gov or phone 203-734-2513. 

This is a press release from the Kellogg Environmental Center.

                                                      

Rochelle to host virtual forum on domestic violence

State Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia, Derby, will host a virtual forum on domestic violence at 3 p.m. Nov. 30.

The webinar will be held via Zoom, the web-based video conferencing platform. 

Rochelle will be joined by Lt. Patrick Lynch, Patrol Division Commander & Public Information Officer of the Ansonia Police Department; Meghan Scanlon, President & CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Cindy Carlson, Program Manager at the Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence, BHCare; and Geralyn O'Neil-Wild, TEAM, Inc. Board of Directors Board Officer.

 

Participants will learn more about the warning signs of domestic violence, the power and control dynamics involved, and community resources available to those experiencing domestic violence. 

This will include legal rights, transition services, and counseling options, among other topics. Panelists will also provide an overview of the new 2021 law that expanded Connecticut's definition of domestic violence to include coercive control, among other things. 

Participants will be able to register for the webinar at https://bit.ly/3nIPsHQ.

 

"Domestic violence can affect anyone regardless of their background, and the warning signs aren't always obvious. The pattern of behavior may start subtly and become more aggressive over time. This forum is designed to help those experiencing or possibly witnessing domestic violence to recognize the warning signs and know where they can access assistance in our community. Our goal is to also empower people who may be experiencing domestic violence and friends who may wish to learn how they can connect a loved one who is experiencing domestic violence to support," said Rochelle.

 

The forum comes two weeks after an Ansonia mother of three was allegedly killed by her husband during a domestic dispute. This is the third woman in two years from Ansonia or Derby to be killed by a current or former intimate partner. According to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, this is also marks the ninth known intimate partner homicide in Connecticut this year.

 

Domestic violence is a pattern of coercive behavior where one partner attempts to control and dominate the other through verbal, psychological, physical, sexual, financial, or technological abuse.

 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, domestic violence has become more prevalent as residents experience isolation and grapple with unemployment and diminished access to necessities. 

During the 2020 fiscal year from November 2019 to June 2020, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence reported in June 2020, shelter capacity was at 151 percent, spending $78,803 on hotels to temporarily house victim-survivors. In that same month, outgoing calls to ensure existing clients could access services necessary to be safe increased 97 percent from June 2019.

 

Attendees will be able to ask the panelists questions before and during the event using the Zoom chat function. 

Individuals who have questions they would like to ask the panel privately and confidentially can email them to Rochelle  at Kara.Rochelle@cga.ct.gov.

This is a press release from Rochelle's office. 

Winter concert on tap at Abundant Life Fellowship Ministries in Ansonia

 

Ansonia to continue Christmas tree lighting tradition at Veterans Park

 

Recuperation journey: Looking at the sky

My 'through the window' view of Tuesday's sunset.