HARTFORD — Fifth-graders from the Greater Hartford area displayed thier writing skills essays about important event or invention in Connecticut and won

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on Monday announced the winners of  the 18^th Annual Essay Contest and for the first time added a new feature to the contest for PowerPoint presentations on the same topic as the essay.

This year, students were asked to discuss an important event or invention from Connecticut that has significantly affected the history of our state.  They were asked to answer the question “How is the impact of this event or invention still felt today?” The contest winners were honored at a ceremony in the Old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol on May 17.

More than 400 fifth graders from 38 different schools across Connecticut submitted essays and PowerPoint presentations this year.

A set of five winning essays and PowerPoint presentations was selected from each of Connecticut’s five congressional districts. Each set consisted of a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winner, along with two students who received honorable mention. Every student honored in the contest received a gift certificate from Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Greater Hartford winners for the 2013 Secretary of the State’s Essay Contest are listed below:

Congressional District 1

1st Place, Fatima Rodriguez, Charter Oak International Academy, West Hartford

2nd Place, Zan Huang, Mary Louise Aiken Elementary School, West Hartford

3rd Place, Sara Wills, Philip R. Smith Elementary School, South Windsor

Honorable Mention, Katherine Miner, Highland Park School, Manchester

Honorable Mention, Jankris Bondoc, Charter Oak International Academy, West Hartf

By Brendan T. Campbell, David S. Shapiro and Chief James C. Rovella

Firearm violence is more than a city problem where it glares brightly under the television lights. It is a regional problem no different than drunken driving, burglaries, and outbreaks of communicable diseases. Yes, it is both a public safety and public health problem because guns also get into the city from many different places. People come into the city from many different suburbs to work. We have formed the Capital Region Gun Buyback Coalition to broaden the message that gun violence is everyone’s concern, and we can all do something about it

A small cooperative effort driven by the Hartford Police and Hartford’s three trauma centers for the last four years is now expanding. The Stop & Shop Corporation, the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, Connecticut Transit, Lamar and Hope Street Ministries are among the new partners understanding the need for a regional solution to what is often perceived as only a city problem. And this is more than just a reaction to the shootings at Sandy Hook, which has brought renewed interest in understanding and preventing gun injuries and deaths. Gun violence has been a problem in American cities for decades and is now getting the benefit of increased attention to its devastating effects across cultural, economic and social boundaries.

Opponents will say that gun buy-back programs have not been proven to lower the incidence of firearm violence, but we believe that buybacks can work in cooperation with other law enforcement efforts that make it harder for criminals to obtain firearms. Buybacks take in unwanted firearms, they promote publicity around them to raise awareness about violence and they bring together community members to work together to address a complicated problem. With summer starting and the potential for random acts of violence to increase, a buyback gives that extra push to remove guns that all too often turn hot summer streets deadly.

To show how this can augment existing programs, let’s look at some established accomplishments. The Hartford Shooting Task Force was created to address increased gun violence in the city. Its one-year report last August showed: a 42 percent reduction in murders with a handgun or shotgun, a 30 percent reduction in gun assaults, 51 fewer gunshot victims than last year at the same time, 76 firearms seized and a homicide clearance rate of 67 percent. (The annual average is 20 percent and has been flat for 40 years.)  Moreover, the guns collected at recent buybacks in Hartford have been nearly identical to the guns confiscated from criminals by the Hartford Shooting Task Force.  Removing these unwanted guns from the community prevents them from being obtained by criminals.

Irresponsible individuals and accessible firearms are a dangerous combination and can result in a shooting, a suicide, and in those worst of cases, a mass shooting. Gun violence, when compared to disease, can be easily prevented with effective, common-sense measures. Suicide accounts for about half of all firearm deaths in our state. Firearms are the method used by more than half of older teen suicide victims, and suicide attempts with a gun are more likely than other means to be successful. Lethal means restriction is a tool physicians employ with patients contemplating suicide. Public health research has clearly established that unsafe storage of guns and ammunition is associated with an increased risk of suicide and unintentional gun injuries.

Gun violence is a community problem. Hartford is our community; it includes teachers, elected officials, parents, police officers, churches, parole officers, businesses, state and local officials, and everyone in between who calls Connecticut’s capital home. But this community needs to invest in the idea that meaningful change can happen through community engagement and responsible gun ownership. The Capital Region Gun Buyback Coalition is a strong forward step in that direction. On Saturday it will hold the first of three buybacks for planned for 2013.

Last December, two weeks before Sandy Hook, the smaller collaborative collected 181 unwanted working firearms, a 53-percent increase over the year before. This included 148 working handguns from Hartford and the surrounding suburbs. In the aftermath of the Newtown shootings and the renewed interest in gun violence prevention, additional buyback programs have been held in New Haven, Bridgeport and New London. New Haven even collected 21 assault rifles.

In the Capital Region, we embrace the idea that a gun buy-back program should be a part of the multifaceted public health and law enforcement approach to preventing firearm violence. Simply put: Removing unwanted guns from the community can only make Connecticut a safer place. A gun removed cannot be used.

Brendan T. Campbell, MD, MPH is a pediatric surgeon and the Medical Director of the Trauma Program at Connecticut Children’s; David S. Shapiro is a trauma surgeon and Associate Director of Surgical Critical Care at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center; and James C. Rovella is Hartford’s Police Chief. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Connecticut residents can drop off unwanted firearms at the Community Renewal Team’s office, 555 Windsor St., Hartford, in exchange for gift cards of $25 to $75.

HARTFORD —  State residents move one step closer to having an easier path to voting, eliminating an obstacle that has long prohibited citizens from voting.

The Connecticut State House of Representatives  on Monday passed  House Bill No. 5599 “An Act Concerning Provisional Ballots for State and Municipal Offices” that would allow voters to use provisional ballots for state and municipal elections instead of only federal elections, as current statutes provide.  The House vote today was 105-37 in favor of sending the bill to the State Senate.

Provisional ballots are cast by voters who appear at their polling place on Election Day and claim they are indeed registered to vote, but their names do not appear on the voter list.  Provisional ballots are counted in the election only if the voter is later verified as being legitimately registered in that town by the local Registrar of Voters.

Currently, provisional ballots can only be used to vote for federal candidates for office.  Those voters whose registration status is uncertain at their polling place on Election Day are currently permitted to vote by challenge ballot for candidates for municipal and state candidates.  Challenge ballots are usually not counted unless the results of an election are challenged in court and a judge orders challenge ballots to be opened and counted.

If enacted, House Bill No. 5599 would eliminate the challenge ballot and make provisional ballots universally available for municipal, state and federal candidates on the ballot.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill today praised the passage, saying that this is “a common sense change that will streamline our election process so those legitimate  voters who for some reason – usually a clerical error – do not appear on the voting list can actually cast a ballot,” s

A provisional ballot are often used when a voter who has recently moved appears at their new polling location and their name has not yet been added to that location’s voter list. This is sometimes the case when voters register incorrectly by leaving off vital information, such as the last four digits of their social security number. This can also occur when errors are made by the Office of the Registrar.  To read the full text of House bill No. 5599, click here on the Connecticut General Assembly’s website.

HARTFORD – Bike Walk Connecticut is promoting bike commuting all around the state this week for National Bike to Work Day.

More than 20 Bike to Work Day breakfasts and events are scheduled in cities, towns, and at companies around the state for the morning of May 17.  Organizers expect up to 30 separate meetups around the state. The Hartford event will kick off at the Old State House at 6 :30 a.m. The program will run from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. rain or shine.

 State government agencies are in on the action too, competing for the “Commissioner’s Cup.”  Bike Walk Connecticut, with Commissioners Jim Redeker (Transportation), Catherine Smith (Economic & Community Development) Dan Esty (Energy & Environment), and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra are scheduled to speak at the Hartford Old State House program.

The aim is to reduce emissions polluting the environment. Research shows that bike commuting reduces traffic, avoids pollution, saves gas-and burns calories!  More than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, making bicycling a realistic, fun way to get to work.

Rookies, veteran commuters and everyone in between are encouraged to pledge to Bike to Work on May 17 at www.bikewalkct.org/bike-to-work.

Alfred Dicioco, Alhambra Source

Thick smog encased the crowded streets, jeepney drivers’ horns buzzed in an endless cacophony, and plastic bags scattered all over the streets of Quezon City. So why did I still feel a positive vibe?

Returning to the Philippines for the first time since I left seven years ago at the age of 15, I anticipated feeling like a stranger in my own country. After all, I should be more Americanized by now with my fancy accent and love for Trojan football. Instead, I was surprised at how comfortable I was to be back. Speaking in my native Filipino flowed in a way that English does not. And being reacquainted with family and friends, I felt more at home than I had in years being with people who shared similar experiences and values: they understood why I go to mass on Sunday, follow a curfew even now that I have graduated from college, or still have the need to inform my parents of my whereabouts. I even saw opportunities for myself to work and raise a family.

When I came back to Los Angeles, I felt my eagerness to adapt to American society around me change. For years, I had struggled to fit in — to know the popular cultural references that people grew up with, understand the dating culture, and learn what “success” truly means in this society. After my visit to the Philippines, I started to feel that mastering these things was not enough: even if I could complain about the traffic like a typical Angeleno or declare In-N-Out as the best burger I’ve ever tasted, I could only feel completely at home living in the Philippines.

Knowing that I felt drawn to my homeland does not mean the decision to move back is an easy one. My parents live in Alhambra and I have tons of college loans. I also feel an expectation that if I move back, I have to do it rich. And part of me is terrified to leave what has become my home in Los Angeles. I have met here some of the smartest and most compassionate people from different backgrounds, which has made me more open minded to their experiences regardless of my culture and beliefs.

So for more than a year I have endured this affliction of feeling pulled between two places.

I am not the only one to learn that immigration is not always a simple one-way journey. If I decide to move back to my homeland, I would be joining a large number of educated Asians and Asian Americans returning to their home countries from the United States. Of the 4 to 7 million Americans who currently live abroad, approximately 1 million are of Asian background, according to Edward Park, Professor and Director of the Asian Pacific American Studies Program at Loyola Marymount University.

This group of returning immigrants is growing. Two of the countries where the trend is most pronounced are India and China. In India, almost 100,000 people of Indian descent moved back to the country in 2010 compared to 35,000 in 2006, according to the Migration Information Source. And according to an article about returning Chinese professional migrants from the United States published in the database Project Muse, 632,000 scholars and student migrants who studied abroad including in the United States chose to return to mainland China in 2010 compared to only 108,300 in 2009.

Other places where the trend is increasing are South Korea and Japan. “Samsung, a huge Korean tech company, wanted to innovate. But they realized that they just don’t have the talent in Korea,” Park said. “So, they began recruiting Korean-Americans.”

In my adopted hometown of Alhambra, I had a harder time finding like-minded people. Standing in front of the library and boba shops, I talked to immigrants from Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, and Mexico. Each one said he or she had left and was not looking back. At a community forum, one Mexican woman even told me she had already bought a cemetery plot for herself here.

One difference I noticed between the people I interviewed and myself was that most of them either left their home country at a very young age, married and had children here, or had a negative experience in their native country. “I would like to stay here in a country that has stable politics,” Mei Lam, who moved to Alhambra from Hong Kong, told me. “And my future children, they can also enjoy the democracy instead of having to fight hard for freedom of speech.”

Sonny Sehmi, a native of England who owns the Indian-British fusion restaurant Hot Red Bus on Main Street with his American wife, said he sees a future for himself and his family in this city. “I live here, I married, I opened a business in Alhambra, about to become a father,” Sehmi said. “Home is where your heart is and my heart’s definitely here.”

The more time I spend in the United States, the further I feel from my homeland: the penetrating warmth of the humid tropical weather, the holler of vendors selling taho and fishballs, and the company of people who made me feel welcome even after being away for years. But I also feel a growing urgency to act fast. Growing up in a third-world society, I am scared I might settle for a comfortable and risk-free life instead of living in a place where I can possibly make a bigger impact. It is every person’s right to decide what is best for themselves and their families, but it saddens me every time I hear stories of my own friends and family getting separated from their spouses to work abroad, spending Noche Buena away from their children, or even watching their father’s wake through a computer screen. Unlike millions of Filipinos who remain abroad because of their legal status, not being able to afford to go back home, or having nobody left to go back to, I have the privilege of being able to return. I realized that my last visit to my homeland was not simply fueled by nostalgia for the memories of my life growing up in the Philippines. More than anything else, I think I saw a glimpse of an entirely new future for myself. I just didn’t expect it to be in a familiar place.

Alfred Dicioco emigrated to the US from his native Philippines when he was 15. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Theater and says one day he hopes to move back to the Philippines and host a morning news show. Illustration by Jee-Shaun Wang.

HARTFORD — The board and membership of the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy today welcome Maggie Gunther Osborn as the new president of the organization.

“We are very excited by Maggie Osborn’s energy and experience and her commitment to strengthening the philanthropic sector,” said Council board chair, Kim Healey, Executive Director of the NewAlliance Foundation.

Osborn brings more than 20 years’ experience to the Council, having served community institutions, foundations and grassroots organizations on both local and national levels. She was most recently the Vice President of the Florida Philanthropic Network (FPN), the Council’s counterpart in Florida.

The Council said Osborn’s experience in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and consulting sectors, as well as her proven ability as a leader and advocate, make her an ideal choice to lead the Council.

Prior to joining FPN in 2010, Osborn served for eight years as Grant Director for the Conn Memorial Foundation. Her previous employers include the American Victory Ship Museum & Memorial; the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay; The Florida Aquarium; Alpha House of Tampa; and the United Way of Hillsborough County (FL).

Osborn holds a master’s degree in Leadership & Philanthropy from Antioch University and a BA from Notre Dame of Maryland University, where she was a Morrissy Scholar. She has also pursued academic studies in specialized areas such as non-profit management at Goucher College and the University of Tampa School of Business, where she serves as a faculty practitioner.

Ms. Osborn begins her new position following the previous president Nancy Roberts’ retirement in March 2013.

HARTFORD — Connecticut residents may soon have early voting.

Thanks to the passage of House Joint Resolution No. 36, which calls for an amendment of the state constitution. The House Joint Resolution was endorsed by a vote of 22-14 in the State Senate late Wednesday. The measure passed the Connecticut House on April 17, 2013 and was also approved by both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly during the 2012 legislative session.

The Constitutional question will now appear on the ballot for voters to ratify in Nov. 2014 election.The language will be as such: “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to remove restrictions concerning absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without appearing at a polling place on the day of an election?”

Officials said that these types of early voting could be in the form of in-person early voting, no excuse absentee ballots, or mail-in voting.

Secretary of the State Denise Merrill and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy  praised the Connecticut State Senate’s passage of a resolution providing for an amendment to the Connecticut State Constitution empowering the General Assembly to enact some form of early voting.

“Voting is a great responsibility and this amendment assures the voting rights of every Connecticut resident whether or not they can get to the polls on Election Day,”Malloy said. “While some states are working to suppress voter turnout, we are working to encourage greater turnout by increasing penalties on any effort to block voter access and moving our electoral system into the 21st Century.”

Malloy praised Merrill for her effort in bringing early voting to Connecticut.

“Today marks a historic and significant step forward for modernizing elections in Connecticut so we can finally enact early voting in our state,” said Merrill, Connecticut’s Chief Elections official. “This is about allowing Connecticut voters cast their ballots in a way that works better with their busy mobile lives, and in turn getting more voters to participate in Democracy.”

Connecticut joins a growing list os states to enact early voting laws. So far, 32 states have enacted some form of early voting or no-excuse absentee ballots and more than 30 million Americans cast their ballots early in the 2012 Presidential election.

The amendment, House Joint Resolution 36, “Resolution Proposing an Amendment to the State Constitution to Grant Increased Authority to the General Assembly Regarding Election Administration,” would amend the state constitution by removing an 80-year-old provision that restricts absentee voting to those who are absent from the town, ill, disabled or forbidden by their religion from secular activity on Election Day. If passed, the legislature would be able to craft laws making absentee ballots available in more circumstances or without voters needing a specific reason. So called “no excuse absentee balloting” is currently available in a majority of states. The amendment also would remove the requirement that in-person votes be collected on Election Day, a technical change that would permit the legislature to enact some form of early voting or mail-in voting.

HARTFORD — A “champion advocate” for people with developmental disability has announced that he will resigned from the HARC, Inc., an organization serving people with intellectual and related disabilities.

HARC President  and CEO Dr. Stephen Becker will retire on July 12, 2013.

Becker, who began his career at HARC in 1977, first became interested in the field of developmental disabilities as an undergraduate at City University of New York at Queens College, working summers at a sleep-away camp for special needs children.

“I was fascinated to see just how much the children could learn in the eight weeks at camp, when everything was geared toward an intensive learning experience,” Becker said upon reflection earlier this week. ”After one summer I was hooked and went back to work at the camp for four more summers. I loved working with the children and their families, but was terribly saddened to see a few of the campers return to large state institutions after these fantastic summers of learning. Because of that, I broadened my training to include a greater focus on the nature and needs of people with intellectual disability.”

While pursuing a master’s degree from the City University of New York at Brooklyn College, Becker taught special education at the junior high level and later worked as the recreational director at an organization serving people with neurological disorders.

He then pursued a doctoral degree at Columbia University in order to gain expertise in all areas of learning, cognition, sensory and perceptual development. When he saw an expose by Geraldo Rivera on Willowbrook, an institution for children with intellectual disability on Staten Island profiling the horrible conditions there, he launched his advocacy work in the field. (Willowbrook was closed in 1987 due to public outcry.)

“The past 36 years at HARC have been an incredible period in our quest to create social change for individuals and families challenged by intellectual disability. Through advocacy and litigation, it became universally clear that isolating people in large institutions, sometimes numbering 5,000 and more, was a tremendous over-reaction to this disability and was frequently fraught with abuse and neglect,” Becker said.

He continues, “I have been blessed to work during this particular time in history as we joined hands to shape and actualize the dreams expressed by self-advocates and their loved ones. What a glorious ride it has been to observe how good life could be: children off to a good start with early intervention; students attending neighborhood schools; people living in the community close to family and friends; presence and participation in community activities; the joy of having a job and being part of the American workforce.  It has been a veritable renaissance, a flurry of innovation and celebration, energizing us forward to a new frontier.”

According to HARC’s board chair, Patrice Calnen, Vice President, Underwriting and New Business, Lincoln Financial Group, Becker was instrumental in helping to bring about  changes.

“During Dr. Becker’s extraordinary 36-year tenure at HARC, tremendous strides were made for individuals and families challenged by intellectual disability. Where our loved ones had been warehoused in large institutions, usually in horrible conditions with a bare minimum of custodial care, they now began to live in neighborhood group homes and attend day programs featuring development, teaching and support. HARC also helped public perception of this disability change from the idea of ‘deficiency’ to the idea of ‘level of support’ needed in various aspects of life.”

When asked if he has any disappointments, Becker said: “I am quite happy with the progress that has been made in the initiation of supportive services spanning a lifetime. However, I am very concerned for the families who continue to struggle with the worry of ‘Who will take care of my child when I am gone?’ It is troubling that in this day and age funding is still an issue, particularly in the area of residential services.”

Becker’s friend and colleague, Dr. Janis Abrams Spring, sums up Becker’s coming transition aptly. “With great compassion, intelligence, and a delightful sense of humor, Steve Becker has been a champion advocate for families facing intellectual challenges. Wherever he goes next, the people around him will be blessed.”

HARTFORD – Congressman John B. Larson (D-Hartford) will host a Field Hearing of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force on May 10th at the Hartford Public School on Forrest Street

Congressman Mike Thompson (D- CA), Chairman of the Task Force, will preside over the hearing. Larson will also be joined by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Mayor of Hartford Pedro E. Segarra, Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Christina M. Kishimoto, various state and local officials and subject matter experts to discuss gun violence in Connecticut and across the nation.

The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was created to develop new steps Congress can implement now to reduce gun violence while protecting the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding Americans. Congressman Larson is a cosponsor of several pieces of legislation aimed at reducing gun violence, recently calling on Congress to pass expanded background checks that nearly nine in ten Americans support.

Following a brief speaking order, four separate panels of officials and experts will address the task force: Gun Violence Reduction; Urban & Gang Violence; Effective Interventions to reduce mental, emotional and behavioral disorders in young people; and School Safety.

Who:     Congressman John B. Larson

Congressman Mike Thompson, Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Governor Dannel P. Malloy

Mayor of Hartford Pedro E. Segarra

State Representative Steve Dargan

Hartford Police Chief James Rovella

Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Christina M. Kishimoto

Dr. Dennis Embry, Paxis Institute

Reverend Michael Williams, Regional Director, CT Department of Children & Families

Dr. Patrick Nickoletti, Professor of Human Development, University of St. Joseph’s

Dr. Harold Schwartz, Institute of Living

Joseph Sikora, Security Chief, Hartford Public Schools

Members of the First Congressional Youth Cabinet

What:   Field Hearing of the Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force with Congressman Larson & Congressman Thompson

Where: Law & Government Academy, Hartford High School, 55 Forest Street, Hartford, CT 06105

HARTFORD – Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) will present the inaugural Hartford Cares about Health…A Choice Affair on May 9. This entertaining evening will take place from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Riverfront Boathouse, 20 Leibert Road, Hartford, CT with a Sponsor’s Reception taking place from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Lizz Winstead, comedian, activist and co-creator and former head writer of “The Daily Show” will host the event.

Winstead is known for her progressive ideas and her commitment to creating a public conversation around women’s health. As co-creator of The Daily Show, co-founder of Air America Radio, and author of Lizz Free or Die her humorous, analytical slant on the news cycle — one based on questioning authority and identifying the real drive behind the issues — has not only influenced a growing generation of writers, reporters and broadcasters but also inspired thousands of women and men to speak-up about their own experiences.

An advocate and friend to Planned Parenthood, Winstead has toured the nation with her profound comedy show, “Planned Parenthood: I Am Here for You”. Recently, she joined elected officials, supporters, sponsors and advocates at PPSNE’s annualOcean State CHOICE Affair in Rhode Island for an evening of laughter and compassion.

“Lizz Winstead has proven to be such a great friend to Planned Parenthood,” said Judy Tabar President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. “She is so entertaining and passionate about our mission. We just had to share her with Connecticut as well.”

All proceeds from Hartford Cares about Health…A Choice Affair go directly to care for PPSNE patients who receive high quality health care, regardless of their ability to pay. Annually, PPSNE serves close to 70,000 men, women and teens, providing a range of critical, life-saving health care services, including breast cancer screenings, Pap tests, birth control, and STD/STI testing and treatment. 

 Hartford Cares about Health…A Choice Affair will feature an evening filled with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, comedy and camaraderie while celebrating the important work of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. This special event is open to the public. For more information or to purchase tickets go tohttps://giving.ppsne.org/hartford2013 and register online; or contact Laurie Diorio at (203) 865-5158 or laurie.diorio@ppsne.org.

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