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Connecticut Environment Hamden Health Special Projects

Life flows through Hamden’s Mill River, and many are trying to save it

For the full version adapted with multimedia click here. Two years ago a sewer main collapsed in Hamden causing over 2 million gallons of raw sewage to pour into the town’s Mill River — it was accidental, but ultimately cleared quickly. Even before the collapse, this ecosystem, which provides drinking water, as well as fishing…

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Connecticut Feature Food Hamden Health

Connecticut Foodshare’s mobile pantry going strong through the holidays

The holiday season is about giving, especially to those in need. Many organizations try to answer this call year-round, giving donations ranging from food to toys. One local organization, Connecticut Foodshare, answers this call with programs like their mobile food pantry. The nonprofit has lots of responsibilities including, forming programs to get food to those…

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Connecticut Hamden Local Business

Hamden hardware store to close after 75 years in business

Residents and locals may have noticed a large “Going Out of Business Sale” sign appearing in the window of Hamden’s historical Spring Glen Hardware & Appliance this past Monday.  Located over on Whitney Avenue, the family-owned home improvement store is closing down after being open for nearly 75 years.  Frank Landino began working at the…

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Connecticut Crime Hamden Special Projects

Police pups: A look into Hamden’s K-9 Unit

As Lieutenant Jason Venditto opens the back door of his patrol car with “K-9” and “Knight” painted on the side, loud, excited barking is heard. He opens the door and a large, black German shepherd emerges – tail wagging and a tongue hanging out of its mouth. Knight jumped out of the car and bolted.…

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Public Safety Special Projects Traffic Safety

For New Haven, it’s been a slow transition to safer streets

Douglas Hausladen remembers the day in 2008 when he realized he needed to do something about pedestrian safety in New Haven. He described what happened to Mila Rainof, a fourth-year medical student in the city. “She had just left the emergency room, and she had literally just saved someone’s life in the emergency room,” Hausladen…

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Connecticut Crime Hamden Public Safety Special Projects

Juvenile crime in Hamden, what are the root causes?

After the stabbings at Hamden high school last year and the violent carjacking this past July, juvenile crime has been a steadily increasing concern among Hamden residents, and debates about youth incarceration have been ongoing for years.    The Children’s Defense Fund, which focuses on child advocacy and research, reported that 1,909 children are arrested in…

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Food Hamden Local Business Local Events

How Hamden’s Keefe Community Center keeps gift-giving during the holidays

In towns all across America, community centers and shelters look to provide food and care resources to their residents in need. In the town of Hamden, one of the most prominent is the Keefe Community Center, located on Pine Street. According to the Hamden website, the center’s mission is to “enhance the quality of life…

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Connecticut Hamden Latest LGBTQ Special Projects

LGBTQ Pride? Progress on some issues and not on others

In the early 2000s, Andrew Peralta knew he was gay, but he remembers clearly the five students at Hamden High that had come out.  “It was very distressing and confusing because if you felt you were different, or that you were possibly gay, you certainly couldn’t be out at all,” he recalled. “Being gay was…

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Connecticut Deer Hamden Traffic Traffic Safety Wildlife

How Hamden drivers can stay safe during deer mating season

Deer mating season spans from late October through early January. In Connecticut, the peak of the season is the last two weeks of November, putting drivers at a higher risk of car accidents involving deer. According to Andrew Labonte, a biologist at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the deer population in…

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Hamden Special Projects

Hamden residents brace for cold winter as heat oil prices rise

Connecticut residents will be running to their thermostats and pulling out their checkbooks to purchase home heating oil as experts predict a sharp price rise in fuel this winter. The Farmer’s Almanac, an unofficial, folksy weather predictor but one that people in New England swear by, predicts the coldest temperatures in Hamden, Connecticut, will be…