Local News

COMCAST AWARDS $54,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO CONNECTICUT HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program Recognizes
Connecticut Students for their Academic Achievement and Community Service

HARTFORD, CT –May 1, 2012– The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999 to provide charitable support to its local communities and to empower and enrich lives, is awarding 45 Connecticut high school seniors scholarships through its annual Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program. The program, one of the Comcast Foundation’s signature community investment programs, recognizes students’ leadership skills, academic achievement and commitment to community service.

Comcast, joined by Secretary of State Denise Merrill, State Senators Steve Cassano, Joseph Crisco, Len Fasano, Rob Kane, Joe Markley and Kevin Witkos, and State Representatives Brian Becker, James Crawford, Marie Lopez Kirkley-Bey, Matthew Lesser, Douglas McCrory, Rob Sampson, Pamela Sawyer and Diana Urban, recognized the students at a special event held today at the Connecticut State Capitol. Forty-four of the 2012 Connecticut Leaders and Achievers recipients received $1,000 scholarships and Alex Cannata of Haddam-Killingworth High School was awarded a $10,000 Comcast Founders Scholarship - instituted in honor of Ralph J. Roberts, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Comcast Corporation - for a total of $54,000 awarded in Connecticut this year.

"I would like to congratulate all of the scholarship winners and thank the Comcast Foundation for recognizing the achievements of some of our state's brightest young minds," said Connecticut Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor. "I encourage our winners to continue to engage both academics and civic involvement with the enthusiasm they have demonstrated to this point in their academic career."

“Comcast has a vested interest in providing our youth with opportunities to excel and succeed in a highly competitive higher education landscape and job market,” said Mary McLaughlin, Senior Vice President for Comcast’s Western New England Region, which includes Connecticut. “We commend these students for their outstanding achievements, and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.”

The Comcast Leaders and Achievers® Scholarship Program provides one-time $1,000 scholarships to students who strive to achieve their potential, who are catalysts for positive change in their communities, who are involved in their schools, and who serve as models for their fellow students. The philosophy behind the program is to give young people every opportunity to be prepared for the future, to engage youth in their communities, and to demonstrate the importance of civic involvement, and the value placed on civic involvement by the business community.

Since the program’s inception there have been over 17,000 scholarship winners totaling more than $17.2 million.

MADISON, Conn.- The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter has named Darren Kramer, WTNH News 8 anchor, grand marshal for the 31st annual Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, on Sunday, June 3, in Windsor and Westport.

Kramer’s mother-in-law is forced to use a wheelchair as a result of the effects of MS, and he returns to the ride for his seventh year as grand marshal. This year, Kramer will also saddle up to fundraise and ride for a cure.

“My mother-in-law has lived with the effects of multiple sclerosis for more than 30 years,” said Kramer, a resident of Madison. “The fight against MS is personal, and I’m committed to doing what I can to move us closer to a cure.”

Kramer, a native of Peshtigo, Wis., first joined the New Haven-based WTNH News 8 in 1998 and returned to News 8 in 2006 after a little more than two years in Chicago. The station is a longtime partner with the chapter and Kramer has been worked closely with the chapter, as his personal connection to multiple sclerosis motivates him to keep saddling up. Participants are encouraged to either establish a fundraising team or join an already established team.

Funds raised by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, through events such as Bike MS, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, as well as to provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter to those in the state living with multiple sclerosis.

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents are affected by multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease affecting the central nervous system. The cause is unknown and, as a result, there is currently no cure for MS. Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some sever cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.

The 2012 Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, will feature two locations on Sunday, June 3 – Griffin Center in Windsor and Sherwood Island State Park in Westport. The Windsor ride features 100-, 50-, 25-, 12- and 2-mile routes while Westport offers 50-, 25-, and 10-mile rides as well as a kiddie ride.

The registration fee is $35 per cyclist, with a $125 fundraising minimum per rider. The Ticket To Ride program allows registered cyclists to offer free registration to three first-time participants. The $125 fundraising minimum still applies.
The ride will take place rain or shine, and includes a finish-line barbecue.

Community partners for the ride include WTNH News 8 and Lite 100.5 WRCH. For more information on the Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, please visit www.ctfightsMS.org.

Hartford - Mayor Segarra issued the following statement following the adjournment of the legislative session and the non-passage of a critical bill that would have allowed the City of Hartford to generate an additional $8 million dollars in revenue:

“The result tonight is a reckless disregard for the residents and business owners of the City of Hartford. After months of meetings, proposals and conversations – and six days of continuous discussions with all stakeholders – the entire legislative delegation finally came together to support House Bill 5156 (LCO Amendment 5565). It was not a perfect bill, but it would have made essential technical corrections to Public Act 11-212 and allowed the City the ability to generate the additional revenue that was assured 3 weeks ago when a previous compromise was struck and my recommended budget was due. The continual back-and-forth, the brinksmanship, the willingness by some to kill a bill or concept simply because it wasn’t 100% of what they desired will only end up hurting residents and business owners.

While I am angry that an important action was blocked, I have already taken necessary steps to begin addressing what will be a significant revenue shortfall. Earlier this week I met with my finance team and began reviewing the most recent data, assumptions and projections available to see where modifications could be made with confidence and without causing unnecessary pain. However, this is a significant hole and I stand ready and prepared to make what may well be hard decisions; decisions that will be severe, noticeable and may impact the delivery of important services.

While other possibilities still exist, such as a request to include this issue in any call for a special session by Governor Malloy, tonight marks a very disappointing low in my tenure as Mayor. And to be clear, this is not because of the inability of the legislative delegation to come together for the benefit of Connecticut’s Capital City, it is because of disingenuous motives and an inexplicable unwillingness to compromise by those who would benefit from this bill the most.”

McDonald’s and the Lincoln Culinary Institute Partner to Teach Kids about Wholesome Meals

 
In support of a national McDonald’s Happy Meal Chefs contest, the local Connecticut and Western Massachusetts McDonald’s partnered with the Lincoln Culinary Institute in Hartford to host a fun and educational program for children from the Boys & Girls Clubs in Hartford: a hands-on lesson about making mealtime fun while also being wholesome.

Above: Ronald McDonald and Lincoln Culinary Institute Chef Instructor Steven Kantrowitz are joined by children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford at a special event to support the McDonald’s Happy Meal Chefs contest.

On Saturday, April 7, one dozen children ages 8-11 arrived at the Institute and were greeted by Ronald McDonald himself, who provided them with special chef hats and aprons. Nutritionist Nancy Dell then showed the kids how the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines make it easy to ensure the right portions from the five food groups are incorporated into each meal. Finally, the children received a hands-on cooking demonstration with Lincoln Culinary Institute Chefs and created a whole wheat pasta primavera dish from scratch. The event concluded with a luncheon featuring the new Happy Meal, which automatically includes Apple Slices and a smaller kids size French Fry.

 The event was an extension of the national McDonald’s Happy Meal Chefs contest, which was held March 5 to April 18. Kids ages eight to 11 could enter a short video with their parents/legal guardians creatively showcasing how they cook with wholesome ingredients at family mealtime. In June, McDonald’s will name 10 winners, who will receive a trip to the London 2012 Olympic Games as part of McDonald’s Global Champions of Play program. Two Grand Prize Winners will then become honorary “Happy Meal Chefs” and will experience a one-of-a-kind apprenticeship with the company’s executive chef Dan Coudreaut.