Hamden – Page 10

Quinnipiac and Hamden locals surpass QTHON goal

By Michaela Mendygral

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Quinnipiac University students and local families came together Saturday, March 23, for the Miracle Network Dance Marathon, known as QTHON. Surpassing its initial goal of $323,000, QTHON raised a total of $332,567.12 for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

“It means a lot to families like ours for you to put together something like this,” said Bill Stratton, the father of Nicholas Stratton, who receives treatment from Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Children who receive treatment from the hospital and their families had an opportunity to partake in video games, coloring, basketball and other activities with students in Quinnipiac University’s Athletic Center from 2 p.m. – 12 a.m.

“My favorite part of QTHON is I like hanging out with all the girls,” said Emma, a patient of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

For many of the children, QTHON is an opportunity for much needed fun.

“Having a kid with medical issues you get stuck in a routine so it’s good to get out,” said Stratton.

March Madness sweeping through Hamden

By Logan Reardon

March Madness is upon us, which means brackets, food and drinks are the three most important things for a few weeks – both nationally and across Hamden.

The first NCAA men’s basketball tournament tipped off in 1939, but it has evolved into a bigger spectacle than its founder – Harold Olsen – ever could have imagined.

The tournament has expanded from eight teams to 68 over the past 80 years. The “First Four” play-in games begin Tuesday and Wednesday night, followed by the first round on Thursday and Friday. With 16 games on both Thursday and Friday, the games are essentially non-stop from noon until after midnight. The second round is played over the weekend before teams finally get a break until the following Thursday.

Throughout the country, billions of dollars in bets are placed annually during March Madness. This year, Americans bet a combined $8.5 billion – yes, billion – on the tournament, according to a report from the American Gaming Association.

In Hamden, local bars must prepare for the uptick in business as the madness ensues.

Side Street Bar & Grill, a Hamden hotspot known for its chicken wings and beer, is one business that adjusts in March.

“We have to make sure we have enough staff members to accomodate for the people that come,” said Sylvia Pinon, a Side Street employee. “We sometimes double all the servers and we have people come in earlier. We have to make sure that’s OK with our staff members first and that they have availability.”

Part of the battle is having extra staffers, but the bar also needs to be sure it has enough food to serve all the extra mouths. In 2015, The Food Network named chicken wings as one of the seven essential foods for March Madness viewing parties.

Side Street is notorious for its wings, which makes it a prime spot in March.

“As far as food goes, we do inventory every Monday, so we make sure we have enough wings and bleu cheese, because that’s what we’re known for,” Pinon said. “We make sure we have our prep guys every morning making things fresh for us. We just try to do our best. There’s only so much you can prepare.”

While you could easily just watch the games at home, many enjoy going to a bar like Side Street throughout the first weekend.

“I just enjoy the social feel during the games because as you know some of them can get very intense and nail-biters,” Quinnipiac junior Matthew Skiba said. “When (the games are) close, the environment of the bars gets up there and I like the energy that it brings.

“I enjoy the energy more than if I was just sitting on my couch at home.”

Skiba is a huge fan of March Madness and is easy to find at Side Street during the tournament.

“I like how it’s make-or-break for everyone, especially when I have competitions or am making bets with friends about certain games,” he said. “There’s also a bunch of upsets in this first weekend, the first 32 games, and that’s exhilarating.”

The upsets are a key part of the tournament. It’s a single-game elimination tournament, meaning one bad game can end a team’s season.

The make-or-break aspect of the tournament makes every game a must-watch. In an anonymous poll sent to Quinnipiac students, 27 of 50 respondents said they have watched tournament games on their laptop during class and eight said they’ve even skipped class to watch the games.

In the same poll, 35 of 50 respondents said they made a bracket this year, and of those 35 brackets, there were 11 different champions picked.

Skiba believes Duke, led by freshman phenom Zion Williamson, is the favorite to win. Ten of the 35 brackets in the poll also picked Duke, which was the highest percentage of any team picked.

Regardless of who wins, it’s clear that March is predicated on madness. Between chaos at bars like Side Street to students eagerly watching games during class lectures, the NCAA Tournament has everyone’s attention for the next few weeks.

Hamden celebrity of the week

Avery Wilson

Avery Wilson, Vocalist and Contestant on NBC’s The Voice

Wilson is an R&B artist, born and raised in Hamden. He is best known for his appearance on the NBC television program, “The Voice.” Wilson, just 16 years old at the time, was a member of team Cee-Lo, where he was eliminated after the “knockout rounds.” He was then signed with notable producer Clive Davis to RCA Records. In October 2018, Avery released his first EP “FYI” which included his singles “Do You” and “Dollar Bill.”

HEART 9/11 helps a local veteran renovate her Hamden home

By Hannah Feakes

HEART 9/11, an organization that rebuilds infrastructure in hard-hit areas, chose a local Hamden family to help out.

Ryan Dostie and her husband both served overseas in the National Guard, and due to PTSD and financial struggles, could no longer afford to maintain their starter home.

That is when HEART 9/11 stepped in.

According to its website, HEART 9/11 is an organization that strives to respond to natural and man-made disasters, rebuild infrastructure in hard-hit areas and build resiliency for individuals, families and communities.

The renovation on the Dosties home started Friday, March 8. The family had to move out of the home and into Dostie’s mother’s home.

The trouble started when Dostie came home after serving for five years, she and her husband bought a small starter home in Hamden.

What they thought would be a starter home turned into their family home, and the family is still living there with their young daughter.

Dostie said that when she returned from serving, she had symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Her doctor recommended that she stay home from work and focus on her mental health.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ended up giving me 70 percent disability for my PTSD alone,” she said. “Once we had our daughter in 2015, it didn’t make sense to work part-time, because we’d just be paying for daycare. So everything financial fell on my husband, and that was really hard for him and for me.”

Ultimately, the financial pressure forced the family to postpone maintenance on the home.

Dostie said that the roof needed to be redone, the water heater had broken recently and there was an inch of water accumulating in their basement.

They needed help.

Erik Trinidad, who works with the VA, contacted Dostie and suggested that the family put their name in for a grant that provides cash to help veterans in need complete home renovations.

Laurie Harkness is the founder and former director of VA Connecticut’s Errera Community Care Center. She has been in contact with Dostie throughout the entire process.

Dostie said that Harkness understands how to work with veterans and understands veterans who are trying to overcome part of their trauma.

“She’s very kind,” Dostie said. “She’s the one who calmed me down and said ‘You deserve this, we want to do this, you should accept this.’”

According to Dostie, she met Harkness when she found out their family was going to receive the grant.

“(Trinidad) comes back to me and says ‘I think you’re gonna get the grant,’” Dostie said. “They want to come in and meet you.’ So I went and I met Laurie. It went from getting our roof fixed to these huge massive renovations that they’re doing now.”

Dostie never thought that the renovation would be as big as it has become.

“I think if I had known it was gonna be this big, I probably never would have applied,” she said. “Because I think there are probably more deserving veterans out there. I said to them ‘Are you sure there’s not someone else?’ but they wanted to do it for us.”

According to the New Haven Register, Harkness was struck by the fact that Dostie did not feel deserving.

“What struck me was (Ryan Dostie) felt like she wasn’t deserving and most people who struggle with trauma feel that way,” Harkness said. “Even after fighting for her country taking bullets, she comes back carrying the invisible wounds and still doesn’t feel like she deserves anything.”

“The moving from my house to my mother’s house, getting stuff out and moving it into a new environment had put me in a tailspin of anxiety and depression,” Dostie said. “I joked I was like a cat, you can’t move me without me freaking out.”

Dostie said that although she is not exactly sure what will be done to the house, she knows they will be getting a lot more space and the mortgage will remain affordable for them.

“It will be nice to have a house that we can maybe have more children in and stay in our neighborhood and have more stability,” she said.

Not only does this organization help people in need, but the volunteers who work on the house say that it benefits them as well.

Dostie said that the thing that keeps her from backing out of the project is that she knows it helps the volunteers work through their own PTSD as well.

“The HEART 9/11 people have emphasized for them that it’s therapeutic,” she said. “ It’s helpful for them to give back now, and that helps them with their PTSD process. So to know that they’re getting something out of this, and it’s not just about me, that it’s for them I guess lets me accept all that they’re giving to us – which is a lot.”

Dostie also said that the volunteers and construction workers have never made her feel undeserving.

“I just can’t get over how kind everyone has been,” she said. “Never once have I felt like I’m a burden or that what they’re doing is too much. I never feel looked down on in any way. I’ve never felt like they pity me either. They treat me with kindness and respect and like an equal, which is really cool considering what they’re doing and what they’ve been through, which is considerable.”

Hamden school employee resigns following racial tirade

By Jeremy Troetti

Corinne Terrone resigned from her position as a clerk in the Central Office of the Hamden school district following the release of a video in which she called a man the N-word and spit on him in an East Haven supermarket, according to the New Haven Register.

East Haven Police Lt. Joseph Murgo said in a statement that the department “is aware of this disturbing video and the hate speech contained in it,” according to the Register.

Hamden mayor Curt Leng also denounced Terrone’s actions in a statement, per the Register.

“What I saw was vile and shocking,” Leng stated. “While I am disgusted and disheartened seeing such hateful behavior, wildly unacceptable anywhere, I am thankful for the swift and effective actions taken by our school system to address this head on and make clear that hate and violence will not be tolerated.”

There is currently no known motive for Terrone’s actions. She faces a number of potential charges, including breach of peace and assault.

Hamden´s Clubhouse Cafe for sale

by Michaela Mendygral

It has been an unusually quiet month for Clubhouse Cafe on Whitney Avenue. On Friday, March 1, a ‘For Sale’ sign was posted outside the bar and the cafe is officially on the market.

“We just put it on the market last week,” Lindsey Carnage of Colonial Properties said.

The Clubhouse, located just a little over a mile from the Quinnipiac University Mount Carmel campus, was a convenient hangout for students of both legal and underrage status.

The local bar has been closed for a little over a month after it was raided. Its doors are covered with notices regarding the cafe´s liquor license, deeming it indefinitely suspended.

“On Jan. 25, 2019, after receiving numerous complaints, Hamden Police again conducted a liquor compliance check at Clubhouse Café. Officers issued 131 infractions for ‘Simple Trespass’ to patrons that were under 21 years of age,” captain Ronald Smith of Hamden Police stated in a press release on Jan. 30. Most of the underage patrons present were Quinnipiac students, according to Hamden Police.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull also released a statement on Jan. 30, issuing a summary suspension for the establishment.

Seagull cited an inspection by Hamden Police in the statement.

“We are deeply concerned as our officers have noticed that Quinnipiac students from nearby are walking intoxicated in the road coming to and from the Clubhouse Café,” acting Police Chief John Cappiello said in a press release from the Department of Consumer Protection. “Due to the repeated offenses and risk that this establishment is causing to our young residents and area college students, any assistance in mitigating the obvious dangers posed to minors who patronize the establishment would be greatly appreciated.”

Clubhouse’s license has been suspended before, most recently within the past year.

“On April 20, 2018, approximately 100 people, under 21 years of age, were on the premises. Police seized 42 fraudulent identifications during the liquor compliance check,” Smith stated.

The compliance check in January could be the last straw for the Liquor Control Commission, who would not lift the suspension until a hearing, according to Smith.

“We don’t take the issuance of a summary suspension lightly, but feel it is warranted in this instance. Serving underage patrons is a very serious offense, and our partnerships with local police, other state agencies, and community organizations are all needed to keep this from happening in our communities,” Seagull stated in the release.

According to the New Haven Register, director of communications for the Department of Consumer Protection, Lora Rae Anderson said Clubhouse Cafe was barred from opening while under summary suspension.

“The permit remains under the summary suspension, and the matter is still pending,” Anderson said.

Permittee Anthony Danonoli could not be reached for comment.

Hamden’s Lucky Ewe is closing up shop

By Shayla Colon

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As of March 17, 2019, the Lucky Ewe Irish Goods shop on Whitney Avenue will be closed. The store is in the process of selling any merchandise left in a closing sale and shutting down operations.

But the Lucky Ewe Irish Shop is going out with a grand celebration. On St. Patrick’s Day, the shop owner will be hosting its annual party. There will be Irish music, step dancers and a bagpiper to celebrate the holiday and the store’s closing.

Kathleen O’Neill, 56, opened the shop three and a half years ago and is parting with the store on good terms. According to O’Neill, the shop is not closing because it was not doing well- it was actually growing, but O’Neill has come to a crossroads and decided it was time for her to make a transition in her life.

“I’m planning on spending more quality family time. My family has grown, I have three grandchildren and also my kids have moved away. I just want to have more availability,” said O’Neill.

Although O’Neill is closing the location on Whitney Avenue, that leaves the possibility of pop-up stores for her to dabble in. She hopes to have some pop-up locations across Hamden at the Playwright Irish Pub Restaurant and Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum. She plans to donate the store’s heraldic pins to the museum.

“We would like to do whatever we can to support the Hunger Museum. I think it would be a great fit if they [Ireland Great Hunger Museum] do a little gift shop. I’ve been planting those seeds and watering them, so we’ll see what happens with that one,” said O’Neill.

In her time running the shop, O’Neill finds the best part to have been the people she met as a result.

“It’s been amazing that people have come in and shared their stories. It’s been wonderful just getting to know people and when people come into an Irish store they tend to talk, so they’ve been sharing their stories, sharing their families. On a personal level, it has been wonderful because it has helped me to reconnect with my Irish heritage. As much as you think a store is about selling goods, no. It’s been more about the relationship with people that has been the best blessing of all,” said O’Neill.

Hamden celebrity of the week

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, 46, Professional Wrestler and Actor

Though “The Rock” was born in Hayward, California, he attended fifth and sixth grade at Shepherd Glen Elementary and Hamden Middle School when his father, “Rocky Johnson” moved to Connecticut to wrestle professionally for WWE. Johnson, who later moved to Pennsylvania, played collegiate football on scholarship at the University of Miami before beginning his career as a professional actor.

Humans of Hamden

Valerie Smith, 61

“I grew up in the ’70s, this may have been the ‘60s. I remember my mother taking us out of school so we could go and protest the Vietnam War (at the time Valerie was about 10 years old). That was kind of like a big ‘oh God mom, you’re breaking the rules.’ So I was aware that there’s something going on and aware that you’re supposed to do something about it and speak up about it, which makes me feel very empowered in a lot of ways. It was comfortable because I was with my mother and I knew she wasn’t going to let anything happen to me. A lot of it was sitting on the ground and listening to speeches, and then someone would come out and play some music and it was exciting to be involved in a mass movement of people like-minded, knowing that you were doing something that was actually meaningful. I think the marches that we have been having in the last couple of years sort of replicate some of that sense of there’s something really wrong going on here and people need to start absolutely doing some grassroots because otherwise, it’s not going to get fixed.”

Tolling Connecticut – how proposed tolls will impact major roadways throughout the state

By Shayla Colon

Today, Connecticut leaders will hold a meeting to discuss the future of bringing back tolls to the state. Governor Ned Lamont is considering building 53 gantries state-wide as part of his plan to toll all vehicles, according to CT News Junkie. The gantries are bridge-like, overhead structures that will have cameras for tolling purposes. The idea to toll all vehicles came from a 2018 study done by the CT Department of Transportation that initially sought to have 82 gantries with the potential to produce $1 billion dollars annually. Lamont’s plan has the tolling structures mapped out along major interstates (I-95, I-84 and I-91) and routes (15 and 8).