Search This Blog

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

With the money that Hartford dumps into Media spokespeople at City Hall, they continue to miss the boat. A lot of good stories are happening in this City, but very rarely will you see that in a press release. Typically it is like pulling teeth to get the details on positive stories.

I regularly take heat for writing the negative stories, but I gladly post positive stories  when they are  made available to me.

Here are just a couple of examples that should have made a press release out of the Mayor's Office, but unfortunately haven't. They might actually take a little more work to put together than the next ribbon cutting, but these are the things that might actually begin to turn around the City's image.

The first one comes out of the Hartford Police Department and the Emergency Dispatch Center. The Dispatch Center has taken a bashing recently, but there are good people that work in there and combined with a Hartford Police Officer, are trying to make a difference.

I don't know all of the specifics, but Hartford Police Officer Matt Labbe and a dispatcher named Betty ( sorry, but no one has provided me with more details, including her name) went above and beyond after a recent incident. If I have the details wrong, please feel free to correct me in the comments.

Apparently Officer Labbe had a contact recently with a homeless family . The mother was confined to a wheelchair, but still the family found themselves on the streets. Now I am not sure how, but apparently Labbe and Betty arranged for shelter at a local motel temporarily. I am not sure if they paid for the room or if the hotel stepped up and provided a vacant room, but the homeless family was offered a roof and accommodation's.

The next problem occurred with transportation of the wheelchair bound mother  to the hotel. Betty the Dispatcher stepped up and made a call to someone she knew at American Medical Response, (AMR) who in addition to their ambulances operates a wheelchair transport service. Betty was able to convince AMR to step up and transport the mother  and her wheelchair to the hotel free of charge.

These are the type of things that should be put out to the public daily instead of the usual nonsense about where Mayor Segarra is cutting the next ribbon No one cares about him and his golden scissors, but a police officer and a dispatcher making a difference would send a good message about the people in our City.

This next story I can already picture on CNN or the national news. He isn't going to be happy with this posting because I don't think he wanted it out, but this is a great story. A Hartford Police Lieutenant who has asked me to remain anonymous, is known  as an accomplished runner. Anonymous LT, has run numerous marathons and is constantly training to shave the few seconds off his times. Sometimes a tough job for an older guy edging closer to retirement.

Again I don't have all the specifics, but  the LT. was recently approached to take part in a rare opportunity for Public Service and it has nothing to do with police work. Because of his reputation as an accomplished runner, he was asked to work with a blind runner who is a middle school student in a suburban school, who is participating in Cross Country running. He runs with her and apparently she wears very dark glasses and even in the bright sun, combined with the glasses she can make out his silhouette to follow him

The Lieutenant says he has to wear a white shirt so she can see him. He is not able to offer her any encouragement as they run, since that would be an unfair advantage apparently, but he calls out obstacles and guidance to her such as curbs, roots, turns  etc. She apparently gave the aging Lieutenant a run for his money today in the heat as she runs an under 7 minute mile.

I am sure there is a lot more positive things going on around our City, but I need to be made aware of them. If you have some good new, feel free to e-mail me or call me. If City Hall won't put it out, I will. And thank you to our City employees that are willing to go above and beyond.

UPDATE: After the original posting , the Lieutenant , who was originally named, asked me to remove his name because he is doing this  to do the right thing, not for publicity. I also removed identifiers as to the students school. Anyone familiar with HPD will know immediately his identity, but at his request I have removed his name.

TIME FOR A NEW PIC

 
Channel 3, WFSB's Hartford Bureau Chief Len Besthoff  has called it quits at Channel 3.Besthoff's last day on the air at Channel 3 was apparently yesterday after he notified station management that he was making the move to WVIT Channel 30 according to sources . Besthoff is apparently under contract to Channel 3 until October 6, 2013
 
Staff at both Channel 3 and Channel 30 were advised of the move yesterday through e-mails to employees.
 
Besthoff has been hired by NBC/Comcast as the Chief Investigative Reporter at the West Hartford affiliate and will be assigned full time to the Troubleshooters Investigative Team. This is apparently the model nationwide for the Comcast stations and their Investigative units to make a strong commitment to in depth Investigative reporting committing a large amount of money and manpower to the effort..
 
For those that have enjoyed Besthoff's reporting style and investigative journalism for the last eleven years on 3, he will be making his on-air debut at WVIT 30 after October 7, 2013. It is only one click up on most remotes in the Hartford area to be able to follow Len to his new home.
 
According to sources, Besthoff may be the first of upcoming departures of on air personalities from the station. WFSB is owned by the Meredith Corporation.
 
For more on this, check out the Connecticut Laurel Blog. The Laurel focuses on Connecticut Media personalities and their moves. The management e-mail and more on Len's departure is posted there
 
Best of Luck Len in your new endeavor

Monday, September 9, 2013

THE BEGINNING OF THE END?

Sources are confirming that the Connecticut Appeals Court has  ruled against State Representative Minnie Gonzalez and her appeal of charges levied by the State Elections Enforcement. This may open the way for a referral to the Office of the Chief State's Attorney for criminal prosecution.

Gonzalez does apparently have the option of appealing the ruling to the CT Supreme Court

The official ruling can be viewed below:



The case stems from allegations of voter and ballot fraud brought against Gonzalez in a 2006 case before the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

CITY EMPLOYEE AND CITY VEHICLE IN DUI CRASH

 
This is not a posting I look forward to posting, but in a sense of fairness, I think I have to. Both Rhonda and her husband are friends of mine. Please keep them both in your thoughts a they work through this difficult time, as well as the victim of the crash for a speedy and full recovery
 
 
FROM HPD:

At 9:30 pm Patrol units were dispatched to the area of Farmington Ave and Prospect Ave on a report of a head-on motor vehicle collision with a person trapped within one of the vehicles. One of the drivers appeared unconscious, but soon thereafter awoke. HFD arrived on scene and extricated the occupant due to the severity of the damage.  She was transported to St. Francis Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. The second vehicle was a 2012 Ford Escape, owned by the City of Hartford. The operator had signs of intoxication, therefore; HPD Traffic DUI Enforcement responded and assisted in the DUI investigation.  CSD responded and processed the scene.  Both vehicles sustained extensive damage.  Preliminary investigation revealed that the Ford Escape was traveling south on Prospect Ave, and veered off into oncoming traffic, ultimately colliding head on with the vehicle traveling northbound. That vehicle crashed into a parked Jeep along the east curb line.  

The operator of the Ford Escape was formally charged with several motor vehicle violations, as well as DUI.  

Rhonda Moniz-Carroll   (Refused medical attention) City of Hartford-DPW
54 Cone St, Hartford CT


Charges:  DUI & Failure to Travel in the Proper Lane  Vehicle: 2012 Ford Escape   (Owned by City of Hartford) CT 240HFD  (Totaled)  

Other operator: Female from Hartford (Transported to St. Francis Hospital;  ankle injury & concussion Stable)

Friday, September 6, 2013

"ARREST ME, I DID IT, I BURNED HIM ALIVE" ANOTHER CASE OF THE JUDICIAL REVOLVING DOOR

Julia Rivera
 
 
 That was the chilling statement made to Hartford police Officers when they were arrived at a scene on South Street in Hartford last night. The female caller informed the dispatcher that she had just burned her boyfriend  to death.

The victim had actually fled the scene before the officer's arrival . A crime scene was located in the apartment.

The victim was eventually located at 18 South Street with severe 2nd degree burns over 70% of his body. The victim was eventually transported to the Bridgeport burn unit in critical condition. The burns were caused by the suspect dousing him in heated cooking oil.

The suspect , Julia Rivera was charged with assault 1st degree, reckless endangerment , criminal violation of a protective order and disorderly conduct..

Rivera had recently been arrested  by HPD after another domestic incident on August 20, 2013. She was released after that incident on a written promise to appear although the charges were apparently serious enough for a Judge to issue a protective order against her, the same order that she violated when she scalded the victim with boiling cooking oil last night.

Luckily for the victim, if he survives, Rivera is being held on a $200,000, at least until the Bail Commissioner reviews it, maybe another PTA.