HAMDEN- The crown of all breakfast establishments in Hamden, at least according to Quinnipiac students.
Many refer to it as Acrop, but Acropolis deserves respect on its name as it is family orientated and student loved. The restaurant has been family owned for nearly 45 years.
The restaurant has been in the Gioulos name, like Paula, the new co-owner of the diner, used to watch her father work around the restaurant, interact with customers, and serve people. The Paul Gioulos took over the restaurant in 2006 with her sister in law Christina.
The owners tell of how much they adore Quinnipiac students; the students are usually the only ones who venture into the restaurant after hours. The promotion the students love if a Quinnipiac student I.D. card is shown there is a 15% discount.
Matt Halpin’s student at Quinnipiac University said, “The employees are awesome, it’s a very friendly environment. Many late nights have ended there; many mornings have started there. You do your college thing, and you end up at Acrop end up having a great time and having some great food.”
The Gioulos sisters hope their beloved diner stays in their family forever. The restaurant is open 24 hours a day as the students love the owners, and they’re fine establishment. The news around Quinnipiac is that the co-owners son plans to take over the family business as soon as their parents retire.
To the delight of Hamden residents and students, it seems as if Acropolis diner is here to stay.
HAMDEN- It is official, the state of Connecticut has raised the hourly minimum wage from $10.10 an hour to $11 an hour.
Quinnipiac student workers were pleased about the news; they feel as if it was finally time. The increase is not supposed to stop there as it is said that every year, the minimum hourly wage will be raised by a dollar until 2023.
Quinnipiac students have said that it has a lot of potentials, especially for the people who have to live off of that money
The increase comes after governor Ned Lamont signed the registration last week.
Sadly, with triumph comes hardship, with the rise in the minimum wage, federal work-study employee’s hours are limited and cut down.
HAMDEN- Smart but not safe, Yale University was founded as the least safe college in Connecticut. They might be the brightest but for the students and faculty’s sake they are not safest.
The study was done by safehomes.org, the study has shown that Yale has the eleventh highest crime in the country.
Yale officials were not too pleased with the study as they have insisted that the school is not dangerous and has a very low crime rate.
The safest college was found to be Southern Connecticut State University.
HAMDEN- The state of Connecticut is in panic as the virus known as EEE which is short for Eastern Equine Encephalitis has swept through. The disease has already claimed the lives of three Connecticut residents.
The disease is said to have spread to more than 21 towns in Connecticut
Quinnipiac University health services have taken action, advising students to use special wipes and to stay indoors during the night. The virus has students and residents frightened as a beloved Connecticut state called Sleeping Giant is right next by.
State officials have advised residents to stay indoors from dusk till dawn.
Three people have died in eastern Connecticut after contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis from mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus, and a fourth person remains hospitalized with EEE, according to a Connecticut Department of Public Health press release from Oct. 1.
Scientists are testing mosquitoes across the state for the EEE virus and as of Oct. 5 The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station reported that 19 towns have found EEE-positive mosquitoes. While no mosquitoes carrying the virus have been detected in Hamden, North Haven or New Haven, local officials, including those at Quinnipiac, are urging residents to avoid the outdoors between dusk and dawn when the mosquitoes are most active.
According to CAES, these are the locations that have tested positive for mosquito pools in Connecticut.
Starting on Oct. 1, Mayor Curt Balzano Leng suspended town and school activities from dusk until dawn at the recommendation of the regional public health organization, the Quinnipiack Valley Health District. Officials are taking extra precautions to limit resident exposure to mosquitoes after scientists found insects carrying the virus in Bethany. Public health officials note that the species of mosquito found in Bethany does not typically bite humans, but commonly feeds on birds.
Health District Recommends Suspending Outdoor Activities from Dusk to Dawn Due to Mosquito EEE Virus Precaution
QVHD has recommended the suspension of school and town sponsored activities at dawn or dusk, when mosquitos are most active…. https://t.co/b5drvnEA5r
Quinnipiac officials are also taking caution, restricting outdoor activities and events that occur just after the sun sets and rises.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont issued a press release on Sept. 24 warning residents to be careful, but not panic, after the first person died from EEE this year. Officials have also put up warning signs on highways all over the state to spread the message and encourage people to “avoid outdoors [at] dusk and dawn” even in towns where EEE infected mosquitoes have not been found. (Click on the image below to see the full message of the sign near the I-95 on-ramp in Milford).
Connecticut isn’t alone, as local news outlets report Rhode Island has experienced three human cases and one death from EEE. Massachusetts has experienced 11 human cases and four deaths.
Steve Mansfield, the health director of the Ledge Light District, which includes much of eastern Connecticut, was one of the first health officials to deal with re-emergence of EEE in the state.
“We were contacted by the state department of epidemiology a few weeks ago to notify us about the first positive mosquito pools in Connecticut,” Mansfield said. “The most important thing now is we’re waiting for a hard frost because that’s how the mosquitos will die.”
Mansfield explained that the EEE virus is relatively uncommon. Prior to this year, Connecticut had not seen any cases of EEE since 2013.
“Although the disease is very severe, it’s between 30 to 50 percent fatality rate and it’s extremely rare,” Mansfield said.
Mansfield further explained that people who survive EEE typically suffer from cognitive impairment, such as impaired memory or dementia. Some symptoms of EEE include chills, fever, malaise (discomfort), arthralgia (joint pain), and myalgia (muscle pain). Symptoms don’t typically show up until three to ten days after a bite.
Towns across the state are taking different measures to protect residents.
Concerns about the virus have spread to high school athletics, which have postponed or moved up events, according to Twitter accounts from Xavier High School, Stonington High School, Ledyard High School and Windsor public schools.
Stonington 40, Montville 34 – Final suspended after 3 quarters EEE restrictions until Saturday, 10 a.m. #cthsfb
Health officials say that limiting exposure to mosquitoes is a quick way to act upon the virus.
“I think it’s preventive, very cautious and assuring that people who do not want to take action against mosquito bites are not caught off guard,” said Balch of QVHD. “I don’t think it’s necessary in every town of the state to try to prevent mosquito bites.”
Mansfield added that Connecticut residents can take further steps to protect themselves.
“People can minimize outdoor activity around dusk and dawn, wear long sleeves or protective clothing that can cover as much skin as possible,” Mansfield said. “That’s the most effective way to prevent the disease.”
But getting the correct information out to the public is also key.
“We field a lot of phone calls from people who are very concerned and haven’t done their research,” said Mansfield. “They start asking questions, so the most important thing is spreading that message.”
Balch of the Quinnipiack Valley Health District wants residents to feel comfortable contacting her office for more information and guidance.
“I do feel for anyone who is confused by the multiple messages or the level of messaging that’s going out from different areas of the state,” Balch said.
“Whether it’d be the media, department of transportation, from one town to the next town they must find it very confusing. I want them feeling comfortable calling the health department.”
To reach a public health official at QVHD, residents can call 203-248-4528.
The data in the report covers all three Quinnipiac campuses
Hate crimes and drug arrests on campus have increased in the past year, but the number of liquor referrals have gone down.
The noteworthy differences from 2017 to 2018 include a rise in hate crimes and drug arrests, and a decline in liquor referrals.
In 2018, the number of hate crimes on campus increased to five. Three of the five hate crimes were acts of vandalism based on sexual orientation. The other two were instances of intimidation based on race. There was one hate crime on campus in 2017, a simple assault based on religion.
There were 17 drug arrests on campus in 2018. This number was significantly higher than 2017, when there were seven drug arrests on campus.
In 2018, there were 327 liquor referrals on campus, a dramatic decrease from the 436 liquor referrals in 2017.
The reason there are so many referrals and no arrests for liquor offenses is because the Connecticut does not require the university to report these offenses to law enforcement, according to Karoline Keith, Quinnipiac’s Clery compliance officer.
“[Quinnipiac] has the discretion to determine how they want to handle these incidents,” Keith said. “These incidents are handled by the Dean of Students in collaboration with campus partners such as public safety and the state’s attorney office.”
Rape, aggravated assault, burglary and drug referrals are four crimes that have maintained a steady rate since 2014.
Crimes that remained close to previous totals include rape, aggravated assault, burglary and drug referrals.
In 2018, there were three reported rapes on campus. There were no reported rapes on campus in 2017, two in 2016, four in 2015 and five in 2014. Most of these crimes occurred on Mt. Carmel campus.
Aggravated assault is defined as “an unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury,” according to the Clery report.
There were three aggravated assaults on campus in 2018. In 2017, there were five aggravated assaults on campus. In 2016 there was one aggravated assault, in 2015 there were four and in 2014 there were five.
In 2018, there were 13 burglaries on campus. This was a slight increase from the nine burglaries in 2017. There were 10 in 2016, 19 in 2015 and 17 in 2014.
There were 170 drug referrals on campus in 2018. In 2017 there were 172. This was a big increase from 2016, when there were 127 drug referrals on campus. In 2015 there were 128. In 2014, there were 160 drug referrals on campus.
Officer Keith speculated that this increase is due in part to the popularity of marijuana.
“I suspect some of the increase is due to social acceptance of marijuana use in the United States,” she said.
Quinnipiac has a zero tolerance policy for drugs on campus, which is spelled out in the student code of conduct. Due to federal funding, the university must abide by federal laws, which does not permit recreational marijuana.
“Even if Connecticut legalizes recreational use of marijuana, it would still not be permitted at QU,” Keith said. “
To report an emergency on campus, students can one of the “Code Blue” boxes, which are located throughout campus. The boxes are noticeable by their blue lights and only require users to push a button to notify authorities.
Another option for reporting emergencies on campus is the Rave Guardian app. Students can notify public safety from their smartphone, and an officer will respond to the student’s location. The third way to report an emergency is to simply call 911.
To report a non-emergency, students should call public safety at (860) 582-6200 or Hamden Police at (203) 230-4000.
The state of Connecticut has increased the legal age to purchase tobacco products, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcement of new mysterious lung illnesses due to vaping. Starting Oct. 1, businesses can no longer sell cigarettes, cigars, tobacco paraphernalia and vaping products to customers under the age of 21.
Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York worked together on a regional partnership to put policies in place on e-cigarettes and other vaping products.
“It makes no sense to pass one set of rules in New York when they can just drive across the border to Connecticut and have a different set of rules and vice versa,” said Cuomo at a recent press conference.
Photo by: Leah Sutherland
Government officials passedTobacco 21 in Connecticut and New York in hopes that it will slow down the rising number of young adults vaping. The legislation went into effect days after a CDC stated that 805 people have suffered from lung injuries due to vaping in the United States.
Graphic by: Leah Sutherland
In Hamden, at least ten stores around Quinnipiac University sell vaping products. At Amity Wine and Spirits at 3300 Whitney Ave, staff have not noticed a change of behavior among customers. “We haven’t seen much of a decline in sales since the news came out about people getting sick from these things, but with the new Tobacco 21 law, I think there will definitely be a decrease in tobacco sales here at the store,” said employee Michael Goglia.
Quinnipiac student Anna Barton says the illnesses haven’t changed her mind about vaping, “I still use my juul. It seems like the people that are getting really sick is because they’re overusing them.”
After receiving data on 771 people with mysterious lung illnesses, the CDC reported that 16% of the cases are individuals under the age of 18. In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health released health reports involving those ill due to vaping related illnesses. Connecticut has had 18 cases of vaping related lung injuries with 9 in Fairfield County, five in New Haven, …. Most of these cases are among 18 to 34 year olds (11), with four cases among those under 18 and three among those 35 and older.
Source: CDC
Illnesses due to vaping include sudden unexplainable weight loss, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal problems. Healthcare professionals are dealing with otherwise healthy teenagers now needing a ventilator to breathe.
Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states, according to the CDC.
In addition to the legal age change, an additional tax was added to sales of any tobacco products. The bill includes a 40 percent-per-milliliter tax on electronic cigarette liquid that is pre-filled and a 10 percent tax on the wholesale price of all other vaping products.
“People are noticing the extra tax,” Goglia said. “I had someone comment on the price increase this morning, so that is something that will definitely affect all the stores negatively.”
Although the CDC reports that no single product or substance has been linked to all cases, in a recent report, it confirmed about 77% of the ill reported using THC-containing products and 36% reported exclusive use of THC-containing products.
Graphic by: Leah Sutherland
The New York and Connecticut governors will meet again Oct. 17 to discuss the details of vaping and legalizing marijuana and how to do it most effectively.
This week on QNN, what Hamden is doing to protect people from a dangerous disease carried by mosquitoes. Plus, why Connecticut’s higher minimum wage may end up hurting student workers, and a look inside the Acropolis Diner. Those stories and more are in this week’s QNN newscast.
