The Editor's Notepod, Sat., May 14, 2011

Governor Malloy and the state employee unions reached a deal. There will be a lot of relief among state employees as this news gets about.

The controversy over the senior in Shelton who taped large cut-out cardboard letters to the outside of the school. Here’s the problem with too many rules too rigidly enforced.

Lisa Nordgren of Wallingford is closing Helping Hands Thrift Store on May 31 due to her deteriorating health; the store had been helping victims of domestic violence. We hope some other way of meeting this need can be found.

It could be that Sen. Markley (who represents Southington and part of Cheshire in the legislature) was correct in his assessment and argument over the distinction between a fee and a tax. But the Connecticut court raised sovereign immunity as an issue and sent Markley back to the political arena which is where this sort of a problem should be resolved.

The Editor's Notepod, Fri., May 13, 2011

The mother-made documentary shown to Cheshire students about school stress, critical of the rat-race and leading, as her film suggested, nowhere. This is a discussion that schools and their students should be having together.

Congratulations to Patrice McCarthy who has been named the first Connecticut lawyer to head the National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys.

In Southington, some improvements are being made at baseball fields, including in particular at Memorial Park where covers are being installed on dugouts to protect against foul balls. These are wise moves.

Residents of the Atrium off East Main Street in Meriden are finally able to return to their condos as the electrical repair work has been completed. We hope all steps to out the tenants back into good shape are worked out as well.

The Editor's Notepod, Thur., May 12, 2011

The new contract Proton Energy – now Proton OnSite -- has won from the Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, or TARDEC. Located in Hawaii, the Wallingford-based company will build a hydrogen refueling station and increase output of future stations.

Southington’s budget process is now complete with a new spending plan and a new revenue plan which calls for only a 1.08 percent increase in taxes. That’s about $52 a year for the average residential taxpayer.

Meriden’s Planning Commission tabled a proposal to amend ridgeline zoning on a 13-acre hill at Sams Road. This is a property already involved in litigation over this particular issue and both the city and Carabetta (Summerhill LLC) submitted maps; the word here is “stay the course.”

The University of Connecticut did itself no favors by nickel-and-diming the Journal-Inquirer when it asked, per Freedom of Information rules, for a list of highly paid UConn employees. It makes news that 919 employees earn over $100,000 a lot harder to defend.

Senator Edith Prague, after consultations with Dr. William Petit of Cheshire, has decided not to support efforts to repeal Connecticut death penalty laws, out of concern for pending cases. This is a good decision, as, apart from any pending cases, Connecticut appears to want capital punishment on the books and to use it sparingly.

Armed robbery up-tick in Wallingford. Such statistics are good for provoking discussion, but actually prove very little.

Word about Governor Malloy’s plan B is enough to scare anyone, but all guesses are merest speculation. Could plan B close Wilcox in Meriden and other vo-tech schools? All sorts of things are possible, but wait until it happens before giving way to panic.

Southington’s Parking Authority is going to discuss overnight parking downtown, but unless the idea has a strong advocate, there seems to be little to be gained by revisiting the issue.

The Editor's Notepod, Wed., May 11, 2011

Wallingford passed next year’s budget without making any changes in what the Mayor proposed. A $69 per homeowner increase, on the average, is not huge, especially considering the decline in the grand list.

Coping with gasoline prices are you? The best advice is probably simple: don’t drive. But what about the train and the new commuter rail service under consideration?

Meriden’s school system is working out details of conforming its budget to funds actually available. There will be a loss of some teaching positions and a consequent rise in some class sizes: one doesn’t deal in fractions of teachers or students, and numbers, in practice, are “bumpy.”

Cheshire reaching accommodation with its insurer over replacement costs of the Community Pool Bubble, but the long term solution remains elusive and divisive.

Salvia Divinorum, a drug which a lot of authorities seem unfamiliar with, is nevertheless on its way onto the prohibited list in Connecticut’s legislature. Why is it that people are so determined to ingest substances which alter their consciousness?

Congratulations to Anna Wasescha, the new president of Middlesex Community College, who comes to Connecticut from the Minnesota State Community and Technical College System at Fergus Falls.

It sounds as if progress is being made in the repair of the electrical system at Atrium complex in Meriden. It won’t be too soon for residents.

Community Garden, Southington, will be taking on a new location – behind Town Hall – and some new rules designed to reduce some visual issues which had developed at the old East Street site. And how does your garden grow?

The Editor's Notepod, Tues., May 10, 2011

Southington Council fails to add piddling amounts for skate park and bathroom repair. These really minor expense somehow became controversial in a partisan sense.

Wallingford’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved shelter expansion plans to house families with children. This increase, regarded appropriately as a philanthropic use by the planning staff, will allow the shelter to move toward a highly desirable goal for its facility.

The films to be shown at the Drive-in this summer in Southington (beginning June 18) include “Back to the Future 2,” “The Karate Kid,” “American Graffiti,” “Grease,” “Finding Nemo” and “Ghostbusters.” It’s interesting just what features the copyright owners permit to be shown and which they restrict.

The Norwalk mother arrested for sending her child to Norwalk schools – the only person so arrested out of a couple of dozen similar cases in that town – is asking, through her lawyer, to have the chance to work out the issue administratively with the schools, as everyone else has done. She should receive this opportunity.

Problems with Cheshire High School’s air continue. This really needs to be fixed.

The Editor's Notepod, Mon., May 9, 2011

They’re calling it a “tax,” and it functions as one, but a reduction in hospital reimbursement rates is not a tax. Lower Medicare payments mean less income and more stretching of the revenue dollar. But hospitals in Connecticut, which are all non-profits to begin with, pay certain taxes, which seems a rather counter-intuitive situation.

The proof of Gov. Malloy’s budget will be in whether Connecticut's state employees in general wind up supporting whatever plans are worked out. It’s going to hurt a lot.

Removal of the old Ideal Forge factory in Southington to make way for Meridian Development’s Greenway Commons is expected to begin May 24. It’s going to take a while and more funding is needed, but it will be a start.

The Editor's Notepod, Sun., May 8, 2011

There are some good ideas from consumer protection regarding possible identify theft situations, such as that MidState hard drive stolen and “disappeared” earlier this year.

A proposed measure in Connecticut’s legislature would have barred police departments from vetting and otherwise background-checking officers transferring from one force to another. This is a good law to stop.

Meriden had a clean-up day on Saturday, led by the mayor. Volunteers had fun and got fed a simple lunch afterwards.

Meriden High Schools are receiving projectors from 3M Co., following a nomination for the grant. Cool! It should give a productive boost to teaching.