Author: Rob McGreevy

UPDATE FROM NORTH HAVEN: Human remains found in burned structure


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By Grace Manthey, Thamar Bailey and Mary Rose Bevins

Contributions by Rob McGreevy and Samantha Prevot

NOTE: Updated 6:15 p.m., May 3.

North Haven Police rushed to 385 Quinnipiac Ave. on reports of a “barricaded subject,” on May 2 at around 8 p.m., according to the North Haven Police Department Facebook page.

Later reports emerged that a large explosion set fire to the area, injuring first responders and leaving one unidentified person — possibly the homeowner — dead.

Doctors are still treating the nine injured first responders at Yale New Haven Hospital, said Public Information Officer for Connecticut State Police Kelly Grant this morning. These officers came from three different counties and were all a part of the South Central Regional SWAT Team, according to Grant and Deputy Chief for North Haven Police Johnathan Mulhern.

Conflicting reports from witnesses and neighbors make many details hard to confirm, but a White Pages address search listed John Sayre, Jr., owner of Sayre Plumbing Inc., as a resident. His wife Deborah was also listed.

According to Grant, Deborah went to the police department around 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Mulhern said in a press conference Wednesday night that his department responded to a domestic violence incident.

“During the course of this investigation (police) had reason to believe that a tactical intervention or a SWAT team was needed to take the subject into custody.”

At about 8:15 p.m., witnesses say a garage exploded, which injured the first responders.

Sayre has not been apprehended, but Grant confirmed that investigators found unidentified human remains in the carnage. Grant said the coroner will identify the remains.


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Four dogs were in the building when it exploded, according to a police officer on the scene, and are presumed to be dead.

Kenny and Nancy Mahoney live next door. They said the blast shook their house and public utilities shut off power for three hours Wednesday night. The Mahoneys got their power back at around 2:15 a.m. Thursday morning. 

“We looked out our door and you could see the flames and the smoke. The smoke was unbelievable,” Kenny Mahoney said. “There were a lot of other blasts after that, smaller blasts.”

According to Grant, parts of the structure are still burning.

As of 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, police reopened Quinnipiac Avenue near Orient Lane.

 

North Haven resident Francisco Garcia said he moved to the North Haven area just six months ago, and noted that the incident was “crazy and just sad” and the smell of smoke was “overwhelming.”

More fire trucks arrived after the first wave, and Connecticut State Police sent an armored vehicle. 

Quinnipiac University sent out an email at around 9 p.m. Wednesday telling students to “avoid the area of Quinnipiac Avenue in North Haven, near Orient Lane, because of heavy police activity.”

Follow @HQPress for photos and videos.


MiKro Beer Bar moves to a new and improved location

By Rob McGreevy

There’s a familiar face in a different location in Hamden, once located at 3000 Whitney Avenue, MiKro Beer Bar has now moved to 0 Depot Avenue.

Tucked neatly into the space behind Amity Wine and Spirit, and nestled cozily into an old railroad building, MiKro’s new location brings all of the quaint craft beer bar feel of its former location into a bigger and bolder space.


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General Manager Greg Vayneris says one of the main reasons for the move is space. “People have loved MiKro for years but our space was so small that people couldn’t come in. They’d drive by and see that it’s full and they’d go some place else,” Vayneris said.

The new location, which holds over 120 compared to the former location’s 53, sits right on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, which is something Vayneris emphasized as a major reason MiKro chose the location. Not to mention the historic background at the rail depot which is a spot Vayneris says his partner, Mike Farber, has been eyeing for years.

The interior, which Vayneris describes as “kind of industrial yet homey at the same time,” appears to be made almost entirely of wood and accented with metal. Some of the materials that were used to build the structure came from the location itself.

“We used a lot of reclaimed wood, we used 200 year old chestnut that we found in the building,” Vayneris said. “The railroad tracks that were in the ground when we took the space, we used those railroad tracks on the bar as foot rails. The rail spikes that were here, we used those as tap handles.”

The bar offers 20 draft beers which are in a constant location. “There’s always a couple IPAs, double IPAs, there’s always a couple Belgian beers, there’s always a couple stouts or porters, we always have a cider on that’s gluten free,” Vayneris said.


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The bar is fully stocked, but don’t try to order a shot. “We have a full bar but we don’t have everything, we don’t want to have everything. You can’t come here and order a shot, we don’t want people to drink shots, we don’t want people to get drunk here, we want people to have a great experience.”

Vayneris emphasized the culture, or what he calls the counterculture, of craft beer and it’s something MiKro emphasizes from top to bottom. The move forced Vayneris and Farber to toe the line between continuing to cultivate the image they had already established while trying to freshen their style in a brand new location.

“The concern for a lot of the regulars is they didn’t want it to lose the feel of MiKro. So we didn’t, we painted the walls the same color as the old place, the music selection is very similar, the lighting is very similar,” Vayneris said.

The culture growing around craft beer is something that makes Vayneris hopeful for the future of his business. “People drink more craft beer and we want to continue that legacy.”

MiKro Beer Bar is now open at 0 Depot Avenue in Hamden, it’s former location at 3000 Whitney Avenue has reopened as TexiKo Tequilla Bar.

QU Earth Day speaker sheds light on sustainability efforts in Connecticut


Photo courtesy of Hanna Hejmowski

Photo courtesy of Hanna Hejmowski

By Rob McGreevy

In honor of Earth Day, on April 20 Quinnipiac University’s Student Programming Board invited Mark Robbins, president of MHR Development, to speak in conjunction with other Earth Day related events.


The models at the April 20 fashion show wore eco-friendly dresses. | Photo courtesy of Hanna Hejmowski

The models at the April 20 fashion show wore eco-friendly dresses. | Photo courtesy of Hanna Hejmowski

The event opened with an Earth Day fashion show, where models wore eco-friendly garb, and finished with a speech about the role of buildings in relation to environment sustainability.

Robbins talked about his company, which works to improve buildings, and what it does for the environment.

He spoke about the importance of energy efficient buildings and shed some light on how much buildings contribute to climate change.

“Greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels – oil and gas – to create electricity.” Robbins said. “These buildings consume 40 percent of the electricity emitted.”

Robbins made an indirect connection between the electricity consumed and the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.

“Buildings are responsible for 40 percent of the national carbon dioxide emissions,” Robbins said. “People say ‘why are buildings emitting carbon?’ well it’s not the buildings that are emitting carbon, but the operation of these facilities – the heating and the cooling of the buildings is coming from power plants that are directly emitting carbon, and also heating the atmosphere.”

MHR has worked on a number of significant projects in Connecticut such as Windermere on the Lake, a 80-acre site in North Stamford. It was originally supposed to be subdivided into multiple housing complexes until MHR stepped in. Robbins said, “it’s a very important site from an ecological perspective.”

MHR prevented the land from being fragmented.

“We wanted to create (a) meaningful habitat,” Robbins said.

So MHR reduced the size of each dwelling unit, expanded the wetlands and made sure the entire site was an uninterrupted habitat. In addition to the ecological measures, every building on the land was optimized to be as energy efficient as possible. The streetlights are lit by battery storage and every house is equipped with a septic tank that converts the discharge into water that, according to Robbins, “is actually cleaner than rainwater.”

The cost of energy in Connecticut is the second highest in the country because it imports most of its energy. According to Robbins, “we’re not fracking here in Connecticut, we’re not refining oil.”

This high cost, Robbins says, brings hope to clean energy industry in Connecticut.

“When people say we’re thinking about doing LED light bulbs or solar panels or investing in combined heat/power equipment and better insulation, the payback here in Connecticut is astronomically better here than it is in the rest of the country,” Robbins said.

 

 

 

Hamden recognized as the most underrated city in Connecticut

By Rob McGreevy

Thrillist.com recently published a list of every state’s most underrated city. The list ranges from cities mostly everyone would recognize – like Sacramento, California and Tulsa, Oklahoma – to more obscure cities such as Alliance, Nebraska and Sisters, Oregon.

While there are plenty of cities outside of the sphere of common knowledge, one city on the list should stand out to Quinnipiac students. Connecticut’s most underrated city, according to Thrillist, is Hamden.

The travel blog pegged Hamden as an underdog primarily because of its juxtaposition to New Haven and Yale.

“Hamden is one town away from New Haven, and somehow worlds different,” the writer notes.

According to the author, New Haven’s influence on Hamden can be seen in the brick oven pizza, the classic New England architecture, and even the similarly collegiate atmosphere. The writer goes on to differentiate the towns by bringing attention to Hamden’s “rural charm.” This rural charm includes the nature, the various trails, and of course, Sleeping Giant State Park. However, the writers at Thrillist aren’t the only ones to notice the natural aura of the town.

Quinnipiac graduate student (and one-time Massachusetts resident) Shannon Ryder loves Hamden.

“I’m never, ever leaving so I’m a little biased,” Ryder admitted.

Ryder expanded upon Thrillist’s decision and cited many of the same reasons of the same reasons that they did.

“I think there are plenty of other bigger, better cities in Connecticut but I feel like Hamden is homier than those places. It has the Sleeping Giant and the bike trail which makes it stand out from other cities,” Ryder said.

Not everybody agrees with Thrillist’s assessment, however.

“Honestly, I have to disagree with that. I’ve always said that Hamden is one of the worst places I have ever lived,” Quinnipiac senior and New York native Luke Brenner said. “The traffic between 2-6 p.m. makes it impossible to get anywhere without wanting to pull my hair out. In addition, absolutely nothing is open late besides fast food and rent is absurdly overpriced.”

The scathing review however, did not come without at least a few compliments.

“The only nice thing I can say about Hamden is the locals and staff of the restaurants and bars happen to be pretty nice people,” Brennan said.

Even the most passionately disgruntled Hamden resident can find a bright spot in Connecticut’s new underdog city, it turns out.

Hamden Democrats face changes as winds of change blow


State Representative Michael D'Agostino addresses the committee

State Representative Michael D’Agostino addresses the committee

By Rob McGreevy

The Hamden Democratic Town Committee met on Tuesday night in Hamden Public Library’s senior center to begin its spring session and to welcome newly elected committee members.

According to the chairman of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee, Lew Panzo, the committee welcomed 23 newly elected members. Some incumbent members said that number was even higher.

Whether it was 23 or more than half of the 63 members as some suggested, this is an unusually high turnover for the committee.

“Our body here was an older body of people who served here for 25-30 years and it was time for a change for some of them,” Panzo said.

The meeting was full of young people, and the loudest and most active voices in the crowd all belonged to newly elected members.

The committee didn’t reach a quorum and therefore was unable to conduct official business, but there were still plenty of opportunities for members to ask questions and voice opinions.

Connecticut state senator Martin Looney attended and briefed the room on the party’s status in the town, as well as the state.

He spoke about the senate’s general agenda and how it was going to act on certain matters, as well as what the Hamden Democratic Town Committee could do to help.

After Looney spoke, Panzo allowed a number of speakers who were either running for elected office, or had opened an exploratory committee to do so, to speak to the room. The group included Connecticut state representative Michael D’Agostino, who is running for attorney general.

The group also included two prominent Connecticut democrats — both vying for the same elected office.

Susan Bysiewicz announced she had opened an exploratory committee to run for governor. Her political resume includes 12 years as secretary of state. She spoke at length on major Connecticut issues, including establishing a pay equity law, infrastructure and especially tolls.

The other candidate for Governor was young Hartford mayor Luke Bronin.

Bronin is a former aide to maligned Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy. He lasered in on fixing Connecticut’s budget issues, while also brushing upon the base Connecticut Democratic issues that his opponent did – taxes, tolls, infrastructure, etc.

The HDTC gives these candidates a platform to reach Democrats in places they may not have been able to otherwise.

“Especially in an election year we have so many candidates running they will generally invite candidates to attend town committee meetings so they can present their case,” Looney said.

The HDTC did not have enough members to conduct its affairs, but going forward the newly elected members will be officially members at the committees next meeting on March 12.

Panzo seemed hopeful toward the new and exciting future of the Hamden Democratic Town Committee.

“It’s good to see this new influx of young people,” said Panzo, “that’s what this party needs, it needs to be revitalized.”

Looking ahead Panzo says that Hamden has always followed along with the state’s Democratic platform, “but there’s talk about us writing our own platform” — something that Panzo said will probably take place this year.

What will that platform look like?

“God only knows,” Panzo said.

Despite difficulties, black excellence shines

By Rob McGreevy

Technical difficulties marred what was otherwise a proud and lively display of black excellence last night at the Quinnipiac Black Student Union’s Black History Month Showcase.

The showcase in Buckman Theater was just the latest in a series of events Quinnipiac University planned to commemorate both Black History Month and the 200th anniversary of Frederick Douglass’ birthday.

The event saw its first technical setback during this opening video when the sound feed was cut three minutes in. The video played on in silence. Awkwardly at times of black triumph, yet harrowing at any of the many instances of horror in the history of African-Americans. The sound continued to be resurrected and subsequently cut throughout the night.


Despite the difficulties, the crowd still enjoyed multiple performances that included poetry from students, a performance from Quinnipiac spirit group Step to Perfection, and a series of intermittent hip-hop, spoken word and beatbox performances from proverbial warm-up guy/hype man Frank E. Brady (affectionately referred to as The Hope Dealer).

Though the members of the Black Student Union who organized the event were clearly disappointed, they still had a vision for what the night meant to them and their fellow black students. The organization’s director of public relations Kerri Gravesande described the event as a celebration of black excellence.

“The point of this event was to show the different aspects of black history,” she said. “It’s not like slavery is forgotten but that’s not the point of this, it’s not a pity party and it’s not a cry for help, it to show everybody that we are resilient people and we always come back stronger and that we’ve done amazing things.”

When asked what black excellence meant to her, Black Student Union Secretary Coralie Joseph said, “I would say it begins with just loving yourself and accepting yourself… and realizing you are useful to society whether you see it or not. It doesn’t matter the adversities that you’ve faced throughout your life you are a very valued person in society… and taking that and using that to help other people, not keeping it to yourself and sharing it with the rest of the world.”

When asked the same question, Gravisande simply said “Us.”