Valley Arts Council prez teaches painting at Derby Public Library

Workshop features watercolor techniques

Derby resident Rich DiCarlo helps Amy Ventura, 13, also of Derby, last week.

Stephen Philips,13, left, and his brother, Jon Philips, 12, of Seymour try their hand at watercolor painting for the first time.

Stephen Philips' painting of a snowman. Below is his brother Jon's version.

DiCarlo said he was impressed at how all six students quickly caught on to the fine art of using watercolor paints. 
The two-session workshop at the library for youths ages 12-17 was free. DiCarlo plans to teach more classes in the new year.

Griffin Hospital in Derby to host insurance talk

DERBY - Griffin Hospital’s Community Health Resource Center, 130 Division St., invites the community to a free talk about health insurance at 2 p.m. Jan. 13.

Certified Health Insurance Assister Margaret Sessa will provide information on navigating Access Health CT, the state’s health insurance exchange. 

Access Health CT assisters offer guidance when selecting coverage, verify that all paperwork is completed properly, check if an individual qualifies for financial aid, and help complete enrollment.

This free program is part of the Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital’s Planetree Programs Health Education, a series of forums to help improve the health of the community.
To register or for more information, call Kerry or Deborah, 203-732-7399.

The Community Health Resource Center at Griffin Hospital is a traditional library that provides an array of medical and health information, including a large collection of easy to read health and lifestyle-related materials. 

The Center is open to the public to educate themselves on ways to enhance their well-being, prevent illness and play an active role in decisions about their health.

This is a press release from Griffin Hospital.

Crisco expresses dismay in CL&P rate hike

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco 

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco Jr., D-Woodbridge, has expressed disappointment in CL&P’s monthly transmission charges increasing by $7.12 for an average household beginning Jan. 1 – an increase that affects 1.2 million CL&P customers statewide, including those in Bethany, Beacon Falls, and Naugatuck.

Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Wednesday issued a final ruling that increased CL&P’s monthly charges for transmission services; earlier this year, PURA approved a separate CL&P electric rate hike for generation services, from 9.96 cents per kilowatt hour to 12.63
cents per kilowatt hour beginning Jan. 1 and continuing through June 2015, adding an additional $18.50 per month to the average homeowner’s electric bill.

While PURA did reduce CL&P’s requested rate hikes by hundreds of millions of dollars, the combined effect of the new CL&P rates will be difficult for homeowners and businesses to manage, Crisco said.

The total impact of all the approved CL&P changes will add about $25.60 a month – about $307 a year -- to the average homeowner’s monthly electric bill.

“CL&P should be playing Santa but they’re playing Scrooge instead,” Crisco said. “At a time when many families are still struggling to emerge from the global recession, are looking to pay off holiday credit card bills, and are trying to save money on their electric bills by instituting energy-saving initiatives, all of that has gone out the window with these recent rate hikes. I encourage CL&P customers to shop elsewhere for their power and to hold CL&P’s feet to the fire regarding their promised system improvements.”


This is a press release from Crisco's office.