WINDSOR — Many Rivers Community Acupuncture, an affordable acupuncture clinic will host a Free Acupuncture Day on Nov. 30 in Windsor.

Free acupuncture treatments will be provided for all new patients between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Acupuncture is helpful around the holidays to reduce stress and boost the immune system.  A recent study showed that acupuncture works on the molecular level to significantly reduce levels of a protein linked to chronic stress.  In fact, experts say acupuncture is so relaxing that most people fall asleep during their treatment.

Acupuncture can also be effective for all kinds of pain, including back pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, knee pain, and heel pain.  In addition, acupuncture can relieve seasonal allergies, digestive problems, and gynecological disorders.

Many Rivers is part of the community acupuncture movement, which is working to make health care affordable and accessible in the United States.  The clinic is located in Windsor center.

Treatments are available on a sliding scale from $15 – $35, plus a one- time $10 paperwork fee for new patients.  Many Rivers will be collecting donations to support the Red Cross and the Hurricane Sandy relief effort at the Free Acupuncture Day.

For more information, call (860) 683-0011 or go to http://www.manyriversacupuncture.com.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis’ meeting today with elected officials, political candidates, community activists and residents in the Greater Hartford region should tackle this burning question: Why is there $12 million for minority businesses sitting at the Department of Economic and Community Development in a time when these businesses are bruising from a deep economic recession and a long recovery?

In a region where Latino and black jobless rates dwarf the state’s recently reported jobless rate of 9 percent, DECD has yet to distribute the allocated money to small and minority business owners, who are likely job creators for many Hartford residents.  We hope that besides her roundtable discussion, press conference and other meetings around the state today, she makes a beeline to DECD.

Hartford has the highest jobless rate in the state. The overall unemployment rate for the city is reportedly 17 percent. The Latino jobless rate is 25 percent. The black jobless rate is 27 percent. These figures do not factor in the number of people who have stopped looking for work after one or two years of unemployment or underemployment.

Moreover, Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra added 14 people to the unemployment line this week, in an effort to balance the city budget.

Besides pontification from pundits and politicians, we need to see leaders taking actions to create conditions that promote economic growth, so that businesses can hire more city residents. Distributing the money to Hartford’s small businesses would allow at least two hires by each company and at the same time help build capacity to provide better services to city residents. It all seems elementary. Yet there is so much malaise in all sections of the city. And the biggest obstacle seems to be the very people who are purportedly community leaders.

Solis must question these community leaders and local officials about their seemingly inability to coordinate efforts to create conditions that help businesses grow so that they can provide jobs.

The $12 million can provide many jobs. News that that much money allocated specifically for minority businesses was just sitting at DECD met puzzled participants at a small business summit for urban business sponsored by the state National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other entities. The irony was that the summit provided possible answers to this predicament. It was clear that summit organizers failed to inform local business owners of the summit within a one-mile radius of the Artist Collective on Albany Avenue, where the event was held. The  auditorium was packed with mostly business owners, who traveled from New Haven and Bridgeport. And the few Hartford business owners present heard the news from friends in other parts of the state—not in Hartford.

The one-day summit had so many key people present to help these businesses. It was also unbelievable that more effort was clearly not made to inform business owners about this economic-boosting opportunity right in thier backyard.

How unfortunate.

HARTFORD — A  West Hartford School official will join the Hartford Public Schools administrative team as chief operating officer to help ”ensure student success.”

The Hartford Board of Education on Tuesday approved the appointment of veteran educator Donald J. Slater. Slater, 47, was prinicipal  of William H. Hall High School in West Hartford for 10 years. The veteran educator is expected to resign Sept. 28 and his position in Hartford will be effective Oct. 1.

Slater will replace Victor De La Paz, who was named chief financial officer for the Baltimore school system in June. As chief operating officer, Slater will supervise facilities, transportation, food services, security, school design and development, athletics, technology and student leadership.

“Dr. Slater is going to be a great addition to our team,” Superintendent Christina M. Kishimoto said. “I am thrilled to recommend him.”

Slater began his career in 1987 as a science teacher at A. I. Prince Technical High School in Hartford. Four years later, he was named assistant principal at E. C. Goodwin High School in New Britain. He moved to Hall High School 14 years ago in the role of assistant principal and in 2002 was promoted to principal.

In addition to his career in education,  Slater background includes 26 years of military experience, beginning in 1983, in the U.S. Army, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard. His military service included a tour of duty in Iraq between 2003 and 2005.

“I want to express my gratitude to the superintendent and the board for their confidence in me,”  Slater said after the board vote. “I’m looking forward to the challenges and responsibilities of the position.”

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Slater earned his Ph.D. in curriculum administration and special education from Boston College and his Master’s degree in school administration and leadership from Central Connecticut State University. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Jackson State University.

WEST HARTFORD — Reports  that a young Nigerian-American and her family died in a plane  crash in Lagos, Nigeria has devastated a small community in West Hartford

The plane crash killed all 156 people on board, among them were Maimuna Anyene, her husband and her four children under five were on thier way to a wedding, according to NBC Connecticut.

Neighbors from the Park Place Circle vicinity in West Hartford gathered to celebrate the life of  ”a beautiful family.”

The plane was flying from Abuja to Lagos on Sunday.

WEST HARTFORD —  In recognition of Mother’s Day, Calvary Fellowship will offer free family portraits on May 13.

“Moms are amazing, which is probably the understatement of the year,” said Bill LaMorey, lead pastor. “For us, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity to honor mothers in a way that is profoundly special to them. By giving them a family portrait we help moms accomplish two things. We give the family a great excuse to come together on this special day, and we give them a gift that will help capture the memory of the thing Mom’s value most – their families.”

Portraits will be taken by West Hartford photographer Robert Falcetti of Robert Falcetti Photography. Sittings are available before and after the morning service.  Reservations are not required. Sittings are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each family will receive both an 8-inch by 10-inch print and digital file portrait. Portraits will be available for pick-up the following Sunday, May 20.

Calvary Fellowship meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at Conard High School, 110 Beechwood Road, West Hartford. Calvary Fellowship features contemporary music and offers relevant biblical teaching and fun-filled Bible classes for children. Calvary Fellowship is casual in style but serious about faith. For more information and directions, visit www.calvaryhartford.com or call 860-231-9957.

WEST HARTFORD – Calvary Fellowship will launch a new eight-week study entitled “The Becoming One” Easter Sunday, April 8. Bill LaMorey, lead pastor, will teach on the names of God and their meanings and relevance today.

“When we think of God, we often think of someone or something powerful but perhaps impersonal,” said LaMorey. “However, God has a very personal name and that name, and the other names for God used throughout scripture, reveal something unique about him. In our new series “The Becoming One,” we are going to talk about these names and learn how each one teaches us important lessons about who God is and how he relates to us.”

Easter Sunday will also feature the second annual Calvary Fellowship Easter Egg Hunt. Children are invited to attend Sunday School, where they will decorate egg bags they will later use to collect eggs. The adult Sunday service will then be followed by the egg hunt.

Calvary Fellowship meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at Conard High School, 110 Beechwood Road, West Hartford. Calvary Fellowship features contemporary music and offers relevant biblical teaching and fun-filled Bible classes for children. Calvary Fellowship is casual in style but serious about faith.

To participate in the Easter egg hunt, registration is required. Registration takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Easter Sunday service begins at 10 a.m.

For more information and directions, visit www.calvaryhartford.com or call 860-231-9957.
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HARTFORD – Gov.  Dannel P. Malloy on March 6 will hold his next Education Reform Tour in West Hartford.

The forum is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. and end 8  p.m. at Charter Oak School on 425 Oakwood Ave.

Malloy, joined by Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman, began his Education Reform Tour last Thursday in Hartford, where he gave a presentation on the need to fix what’s broken in our state’s public schools and took questions from the audience.

Additional locations and dates on his tour will continue to be added across the state until the legislature approves a bill addressing each of the six principles the Governor outlined in a letter to them in December.

To check the most up-to-date list of dates and locations on Governor Malloy’s Education Reform Tour, visithttp://governor.ct.gov/educationtour.

HARTFORD — Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) awarded West Hartford’s Eric Pagett with bronze and silver Congressional Medals this morning in recognition of Pagett’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life within his community and beyond.

“Eric Pagett represents the best qualities of the first congressional district’s youth,” Congressman Larson said. “His tireless work helping others made him an obvious and much-deserving recipient of a gold, silver and bronze congressional medal.”

The Congressional Award is a non-partisan, non-competitive and voluntary program open to young men and women aged 14-23 that looks to recognize excellence in the areas of voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness expedition and exploration.

After earning a Congressional gold Medal in June at a ceremony in Washington, Eric was awarded silver and bronze medals for his hundreds of hours he volunteered in his community mentoring a special-needs student and raising money and doing work for students in Grenada.

“The Congressional Award is a great program for youth to engage with,” Pagett said. “It’s not a traditional thing for high school and college students to participate in. It doesn’t take extraordinary effort, it’s just ordinary people doing simple things to help others that makes it extraordinary.”

This year 246 young men and women received gold medals – Eric was the only recipient from Connecticut.

Eric is 21 years old and entering his senior year at Principia College in St. Louis, Missouri.

By Ann-Marie Adams, Staff Writer

HARTFORD – While many have blasted Gov. Dannel Malloy’s switch to a so-called “Plan B” budget, at least two mayors have applauded this move.

That’s because so far, Plan B hasn’t shifted more tax burdens onto municipalities, as they have been accustomed to in the past, according to two mayors from Greater Hartford.

Hartford, East Hartford and West Hartford mayors on Wednesday briefly discussed the statewide debate over Malloy’s decision to begin 4,742 layoffs after talks with the state employees’ union stalled Monday night. Malloy is asking the union to concede $2 billion over two years. And he chose the to lay off employees instead “shifting the burden on municipalities. For these mayors, it’s a “wait and see situation.” But, they said, they know one thing.

Scott Slifka

“Gov. Malloy finally brought a perspective of a mayor to that office,” said West Hartford Mayor Scott Slifka at a gathering in Hartford Wednesday. “And he [proposed a budget] exactly as a mayor would.”

Republicans are calling for no more tax increases and have pointed to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cumo. Both men went against raising taxes. Slifka said they solved their budget problems by shifting the burden of tax increases onto towns.

“Those two solve their budget problems on the backs of municipalities,” he said. He added that their choices were either to decrease services or increase taxes.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra said he was pleased with Malloy’s proposed budget and his Plan B choice, so much so that he plans to give Malloy the fourth key to the city.

“There’s just no way we could switch that kind of burden on tax payers in the city,” Segarra said.”

Marcia Leclerc

Although, Malloy had pledged not to hurt cities, East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc expressed concerns about state aid to towns, especially the payment in lieu of taxes or, PILOT, which is a big chunk of most town budgets.

Mayoral candidate Edwin Vargas via phone said laying off state workers would also be hurting municipalities. Those state workers, he said, live in towns and cities. If they get laid off, they would have to tap safety net services in cities.

Up to 5,000 state workers could be laid off if the union and the governor’s administration fail to reach an agreement. Other cuts proposed in the Plan B budget include the closing the Commission on Human and Opportunities, 17 vocation technical high schools, state library and prisons.

In a New York Times report, a union spokesman, Larry Dorman, said Malloy’s $40.1 billion budget demands are too much.  He added: “like all middle class families, are already paying 10 percent of our income in state and local taxes, while millionaires are only paying 5 percent of their income and some of our largest corporations are paying little or no taxes at all.”

WEST HARTFORD – Calvary Fellowship on Jan. 9 will begin a new 12-week series entitled “Breaking The Law,” a study exploring legalism versus libertarianism.

“Many reject the teachings of the Bible assuming it will curtail freedom and impose overly restrictive rules,” said lead pastor Bill LaMorey. “Still others work very hard to follow all the rules believing this make them right with God. Both groups are mistaken.”

Breaking the Law will explore the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians and will cover the contrasting themes of the doctrine of the law and the gospel of grace. The series will illustrate how the law confines and condemns whereas grace releases and transforms.

“This study will help us gain a greater understanding and application of God’s grace in our lives and thereby enabling us to experience the freedom and maturity God intends,” said LaMorey.

Breaking The Law begins Sunday, Jan. 9, and ends Sunday, Feb. 27. Calvary Fellowship meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at Conard High School, 110 Beechwood Road, West Hartford.

Calvary Fellowship features contemporary music and offers relevant biblical teaching and fun-filled Bible classes for children. Calvary Fellowship is casual in style but serious about faith. Spring 2011 home fellowship groups are scheduled to begin in February.

For more information on Breaking The Law or on enrolling in a home fellowship group, visitwww.calvaryhartford.com or call 860-231-9957.