Taking a holiday today ~ Have fun, stay safe!

Talk baseball Thursday at Derby Public Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library is now in its 11th season of Sports Talks.  

These informal sessions are held every Thursday at 10 a.m. throughout the baseball season.

They are facilitated by radio talk show host, author, and Major League Baseball Rules Consultant Rich Marazzi of Ansonia.

Each session includes trivia contests, videos, lively conversation and more.  
All ages, from rookies through veterans, are invited to join Marazzi and his group of Silver Sluggers.

No registration is necessary.  For more information, 

stop by the Library, 313 Elizabeth St., call 203-736-1482 or 

visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org. 

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Adam's House in Shelton to host ribbon-cutting celebration Thursday

SHELTON - Adam’s House,™ a nonprofit grief education center, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday to celebrate the launch of no-cost grief educational programs for Connecticut children and families. 

Community members are invited to attend the ceremony at 241 Coram Ave. 

Volunteers will offer guided tours of the 18 rooms at Adam’s House.™ 
After undergoing extensive remodeling, the charming Victorian home features warm, inviting meeting spaces and colorful, playful murals in rooms for children.

Adam’s House™ is an entity of The Adam Wysota Foundation. 
It represents a strong grassroots network of Connecticut supporters and backers from throughout the country who helped raise funds to purchase the home. 
Adam’s House™ honors the memory of Adam Wysota, a beloved father, Little League coach, and active volunteer in his Weston community. 
Before his passing, Wysota held prestigious Wall Street positions at Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., Barclays Capital, Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley.
For more information, go to adamshousect.org or call 203-513-2808.

Color club held monthly at Derby Public Library

DERBY - The Derby Public Library continues its monthly Color Club for Adults, held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Monday of every month.  

Join the color craze - it’s not just for kids any more!

The next session is Oct. 3. 

Coloring sheets, along with crayons, markers, and colored pencils are provided but you are also welcomed to bring your own materials.  

This simple activity provides social, mental health, and creative benefits. 

Relaxing music and light snacks are included.  

No specific skills or preparation needed, just a desire to 

relax and de-stress. Registration is requested.  

For more information, stop by the Library at 313 Elizabeth 

St., call 203-736-1482, or visit www.derbypubliclibrary.org.          

This is a press release from Cathy Williams, Director, Derby Public Library.

Guest column: Gentile opposes UI's rate hike request

By State Rep. Linda M. Gentile

Absolutely NOT!

United Illuminating is requesting yet another rate increase.  If approved, your monthly electric bill will increase by about 5 percent beginning in January 2017.  

I say, “No way!” 

I am an electric consumer just like you and I am very angry with UI.  
Let me explain why. 

State Rep. Linda M. Gentile

UI says it needs to boost rates to help offset $92 million spent in 2014 and 2015 to upgrade and strengthen its infrastructure.  
The company says these improvements were necessary to ensure that electricity stays on during, and after, powerful storms.  

While I understand that UI spent a considerable amount to upgrade and protect its delivery system, why should you and I have to pay for it? Isn’t that the cost of doing business?

This request for increased rates is just plain wrong! The company is seeking a three-year rate hike beginning in 2017.  
In 2018 it will look for another 5 percent increase and yet another 5 percent in 2019.  

First and foremost, we are already paying too much for electricity.  
Connecticut consumers pay among the highest rates in the nation. So, when it’s all said and done you would be paying, on average, about $360 more per year in 2019.  This is outrageous and unacceptable!

Furthermore, this increased utility cost will harm our fragile economy. 
While the Connecticut economy has certainly been picking up recently, forcing us to pay more for our lights, air conditioning and other electrical needs gives consumers less money to spend on other goods and services, causing additional hardship on our local economy. It is just one more straw to break the camel’s back.  
We are still trying to recover from the Great Recession and higher prices for electricity will hurt working families, forcing them to cut costs elsewhere just to make ends meet. 

The Public Utility Regulatory Authority must stop this madness. 
At a time when energy costs are trending downward, it is inconceivable that UI would ask for increased rates.  Although there has been increases in the cost of distribution, it is my belief that the company should be promoting new grid technologies that would not only benefit consumers, but would also be good for the environment. 

Instead of a rate increase, UI should be focused on reducing their rates in accordance with a law that the legislature passed in 2015 that required UI’s fixed charges be reduced to less than $8.

I am asking that you add your voice to mine in opposition to higher energy bills.  
Tell the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority that enough is enough!  We don’t want to pay more for our already costly electricity.  PURA has two public hearings on the UI rate increase request.  
The first is at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at Bridgeport City Hall in Bridgeport, followed on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Mitchell Hall of Records in New Haven. 

Additional public hearings will be held during the month of September at the PURA offices at Ten Franklin Square, New Britain.

We need to send a clear message to regulators, and United Illuminating, that we do not want to pay exorbitant prices for electricity. It is immoral!

This is a press release from the House Democrats' office. Gentile represents Ansonia and Derby. 

Streep brings NYC socialite to life in 'Florence Foster Jenkins'

Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins loved to sing. And sing she did.

But she was undoubtedly the worst singer of her generation. Or dare I say any generation! 

And she certainly was not good enough to sing at Carnegie Hall. But she did. 

Jenkins (1868-1944) was a New York City socialite. Her life of great wealth and love of great music was brought to the silver screen by the one and only Meryl Streep. 

The movie, directed by Stephen Frears, also starred Hugh Grant as her devoted British stage actor husband, St. Clair Bayfield.

Jenkins, a soprano, is tone deaf, but she fancies herself a great opera singer. Her husband perpetuates that myth. He pays people to write positive reviews of his wife’s performance. 

The two have a marriage in name only, since Jenkins was infected with syphilis by her first husband when she was 18. But it’s clear they love each other.

The movie - rated PG-13 - also featured Simon Helberg as the pianist hired to accompany Jenkins’ off-key-to-say-the-least singing. Helberg’s character, Cosme McMoon, a gifted young pianist, politely calls Jenkins’ voice “flat.”

This is a fun film, and one that touches the heart and soul. Streep truly becomes the heiress whose ambition clouds rational thought processes. She really believes that her fingernails on the blackboard style of singing sounds good.

If you want to sit back and laugh go see Florence Foster Jenkins. You’ll definitely be entertained.

Crisco offers tips from police to help prevent car break-ins

HARTFORD - Noting recent news stories about car break-ins in Cheshire and the Valley, state Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr. D-Woodbridge, is offering a list of tips from police to help prevent car break-ins.

Joseph J. Crisco

“A lot of this is just common sense: lock your vehicle, and keep your valuables out of sight,” Crisco said. 
“It’s unfortunate that some individuals try and make a living stealing from hardworking people, but if they are going to do that, we should make it as difficult as possible for them.” 

Tips offered by Crisco and police officials include:

• First of all, roll up your car windows all the way and lock your doors every time you leave your vehicle unattended. This goes without saying!
• Second, never leave anything visible inside your vehicle! This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent your car window from being smashed and your valuables stolen. Place valuables out of sight in your center console, under a seat, in a glove box, a map pocket, or in the trunk. Better yet – leave your valuables at home, or take them with you!
• GPS units are the most common items stolen in car break-ins. Even the mere presence of a suction cup ring on your windshield or dashboard indicates to a thief that a valuable electronic is hidden in a console or glovebox, so clean that up!
• Handbags, purses, wallets, gym bags, and briefcases are the second-most stolen items. Place these large items in the trunk if you can.
• Unfortunately, putting large items in your trunk while in a parking lot might tip off a thief that you have good stuff to steal. Try to place large, valuable items in your trunk before you leave your house, or consider using the “pass through” feature from the rear seat to the trunk that some cars have.
• CDs, DVDs, radar detectors, GPS units, cell phones and MP3 players usually have cords and chargers. You may not leave the big item out in plain view, but if a thief sees a cord or a charger, he knows that a valuable electronic is likely in the car too. Hide these cords and chargers as well! 
• A lot of laptop computers, notebooks, and cell phones have cases, too. Place these out of sight!
• Believe it or not, your loose change in a cup holder or open ash tray can also be inviting to thieves. Hide your loose change! 
• Finally, if you have a car alarm, be sure to use it, but don’t count on it to deter a thief. A thief can get in and out of your car in about 30 seconds, too fast for even the most well-meaning citizen or police officer to respond.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.