Road paving to start Tuesday in Ansonia

"Ansonia Residents: The city will commence the 2015 road paving projects on Tuesday, October 13. Scheduled hours of work will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first road to be paved will be Beaver Street from Moulthrop Street to the Seymour Town line. This phase of the project is scheduled to last three to four days. 

"Once Beaver Street is completed, we will be moving on to Ford Street, from Martin Terrace, Ford Road and finally, Smith Street. 

"Traffic control personnel will help guide motorists through the work zone. Delays may be expected, but please be patient. The anticipated duration of the projects will last approximately two weeks. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated."

*Sharing this from the City of Ansonia Facebook page.

Community leader named honorary starter for Shelton-Derby 5K

Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day race a Valley tradition

Janice A. Sheehy 

Janice A. Sheehy, Senior Vice President and Team Leader, Business Banking for Webster Bank has been named as the Honorary Starter for the 2015 Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day 5K Road Race. 

Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year.

Sheehy becomes the 10^th person recognized with the award and the first female. 

The award is made to people of distinction who have made lifetime contributions to the two communities along the race course - Derby and Shelton. 
The tradition of selecting the Honorary Race Starter began in 2005. 

The Honorary Starter’s chief duty is to fire the starting gun at the race. 

Sheehy joined Webster Bank in 1997 and has more than 40 years of banking experience. She works closely with business owners to help them achieve their financial goals.  

In addition to her banking career Sheehy is a very active and involved community leader serving on numerous boards including board Chair of the Valley United Way, board member of Birmingham Foundation, the Hewitt Foundation, Shelton Economic Development Corporation, and Center Stage. 

She is also a corporator of Griffin Hospital and was a member of the committee that raised funds for the Hewitt Center for Breast Wellness.

Sheehy is also a former volunteer for Junior Achievement, has served as Chair of the board of the Valley YMCA, and is a past member of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven’s Women and Girls Fund.

Her community leadership has been recognized by the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce which presented her with its Gold Seal Award. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Charles H. Flynn Humanitarian Award presented by the Valley United Way. 

Sheehy graduated from the University of New Haven with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.   

The race is held on Thanksgiving morning starting along the Riverwalk on Canal Street in Shelton and crossing over the Derby-Shelton Bridge to the Derby Public Library and then back to the Riverwalk in Shelton. 

The race honors the memory of one of America’s greatest naval heroes, Commodore Isaac Hull who authored one of the US Navy’s greatest victories as commander of the U.S.S. Constitution in the War of 1812. 

Funds raised from the race have been donated to the Boys & Girls Club of the Lower Naugatuck Valley. Through the first 13 years of the race, that has amounted to more than $140,000. 

Complete information on the race including the list of all past Honorary Starters can be found at http://electronicvalley.org/derby/HullRace/.

This is a press release from the race committee.

Seymour Historical Society program to present history of Ellis Island

Ellis Island in New York Harbor. (Photo from Wikipedia)

SEYMOUR - Ellis Island was the gateway to America – some called it the Golden Door – for more than 12 million immigrants between 1892 and 1954. 

The Seymour Historical Society will present a special program on this landmark in New York Harbor at 2 p.m. Oct. 25.

The program will be hosted by Arthur Gottlieb, a former administrator at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City. 
He will offer a detailed history of Ellis Island, where the typical immigrant spent less than five hours, but answered 29 questions examining their fitness to enter the country, underwent a medical exam and offered evidence that they had the money and skills to support themselves in America. 

Gottlieb will illustrate his talk with dozens of exceptional vintage photographs. 

The Seymour Historical Society is located at 59 West St., near Trinity Episcopal Church. 

The program is free to Seymour Historical Society members and $5 for non-members. Doors open at 1 p.m. 

For more information, call 203-881-2156, contact psussman@snet.net, or visit www.seymourhistoricalsociety.org. 


This is a press release from Paul Sussman, Seymour Historical Society member. 

Seymour to turn pink Wednesday

Seymour Pink, Inc. is the community's fight against breast cancer. It empowers breast cancer survivors and offers financial support to many of them.

I'll wear pink and think pink Wednesday to support this great cause and help raise awareness. 

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Today's the day: Get your hair cut and support Seymour Pink

See you there!

Crisco hails release of $3.3M to Griffin Hospital in Derby

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, today welcomed news that the Malloy administration has decided to release $3.3 million to Griffin Hospital in Derby from a newly-created small hospital pool of funds in order to make up for some of the hospital funding cuts announced by the governor as part of his Sept. 18 rescissions package to help address a projected revenue deficit.

State Sen. Joseph Crisco

“For over 100 years, Griffin Hospital has not only been caring for the residents of The Valley, but they have been a part of our community in all the things they do,” Crisco said. “This reinstated funding – the type of increased hospital funding that I fought for this past spring – is good news for the people who work at Griffin Hospital and for the people who rely on the care they receive at Griffin Hospital.”

Today, the state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) announced that Connecticut will distribute $14.1 million to small hospitals through the Small Hospital Pool. The six hospitals set to receive payments are Bristol, Day Kimball, Griffin, Charlotte Hungerford, Johnson, and Milford.

This money is available because OPM is reprioritizing a portion of the remaining quarter of Medicaid supplemental payments—that is, from that portion of the supplemental pool that was not rescinded. The new Small Hospital Pool payment plan reprioritizes a portion of the remaining quarter Medicaid supplemental payment.

According to OPM, the Small Hospital Pool was established this year for hospitals with no more than 180 beds, not affiliated with any other hospital, and are not in contiguous towns. 
The Medicaid Supplemental Pool is the program by which the state returns to the hospitals a portion of hospital tax revenue on a quarterly basis. 
On Sept. 18, 2015, the final three quarters of installments for Medicaid Supplemental and Small Hospital Pools were rescinded, and the first quarter installment had yet to be released to the hospitals.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.

'Circle of Friends' celebrates breast cancer month at Griffin Hospital in Derby

'Circle of Friends' support group facilitators Joyce Grohe, left, and oncologist social worker Donna Hayes, address members Thursday at the seventh annual Birthday and Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebration.

The monthly meeting at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby was filled with friendship, "birthday" gifts, breast cancer awareness information, and of course, cake!

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Thanks go out to those who made it a wonderful time for all of us members of the 'Circle of Friends.'