Blogs

CES BOXING RETURNS TO MOHEGAN SUN, APRIL 22 with "CHAMPIONSHIP JACKPOT"
TWO TITLE FIGHTS in ONE NIGHT!!!

Jimmy Burchfield's Classic Entertainment & Sports returns to Mohegan Sun Arena with  "CHAMPIONSHIP JACKPOT", headlined by Two Title Fights featuring:

US WBC Super Bantamweight Championship
TRAMAINE WILLIAMS (20-1, New Haven, CT)
vs. ELIJAH PIERCE (16-2, Oklahoma City, OK)

US WBC Super Welterweight Championship
CHORDALE BOOKER (18-1, Stamford, CT)
vs. DANIEL ADUKU (14-2-1, Accra, Ghana)

PLUS
ANTHONY VELAZQUEZ (12-0, 11KOs, Springfield, MA)
 OFACIO FALCON (9-0, 6 KOs, Bronx, NY),
CARLOS VANEGAS NUNEZ (6-1, Port Chester, NY)
MIKE KIMBEL (1-0, Waterbury, CT)
STEVIE JANE COLEMAN (4-1, Colombia, CT)
and the Pro Debut of Polish Amateur Standout SLAWOMIR BOHDZIEWICZ

https://tomficklin.blogspot.com/2022/05/tune-into-first-fridays-with-maurice.html

[Links:   Photo 2, Video of press conference]  

MAYOR ELICKER, ALONG WITH CYCLING ADVOCATES & BUSINESSES, KICK OFF NATIONAL BIKE MONTH & HIGHLIGHT CITY EFFORTS TO PROMOTE BIKE & E-BIKE RIDERSHIP

Connex Credit Union announces new e-bike loan product -- and new state legislation (S.B. 4) will provide e-bike rebates and vouchers -- making e-bikes more accessible and affordable for residents.

NEW HAVEN, CT –Mayor Justin Elicker, along with local cycling advocates, businesses and organizations, came together to celebrate National Bike Month and to kick off New Haven Bike Month, in an effort to promote bike and electronic bike (e-bike) ridership across the city. Over thirty bike rides and events have been organized during the month-long celebration, providing opportunities for both newer and seasoned cyclists. In addition, Connex Credit Union announced the launch of a new e-bike loan product, which – along with the recent passage state legislation (S.B. 4, The Connecticut Clean Air Act) that will soon provide new e-bike rebates and vouchers – promises to make e-bikes a much more affordable and accessible mode of transportation for city residents. The event took place on the New Haven Green in front of the Pierre Lallement plaque, which honors the inventor of the bicycle who peddled from his Ansonia home to New Haven in 1866 in a demonstration for a patent he was pursuing and later received. 

"National Bike Month is the perfect time for residents to explore bikes and e-bikes as a greener, healthier, and more cost-effective way to commute around the city. With its flat terrain and over 40 miles of bike lanes and paths – and more coming online soon – cycling is becoming an increasingly attractive transportation option for more New Haven residents," said Mayor Justin Elicker, an avid cyclist. "In addition, with the new cash rebates soon coming from the state coupled with the new loan product from Connex Credit Union, e-bikes will be much more accessible and affordable for city residents. As a bike rider myself, I’m excited to participate in New Haven Bike Month events and for all the ways New Haven is becoming a more bike-friendly city.” 

NEW HAVEN BIKE MONTH

National Bike Month was established in 1956 to showcase the many benefits of bicycling and to encourage more people to try biking. New Haven’s celebration is being spearheaded by New Haven Bike Month and the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation, in collaboration with other community partners.

“It’s been special to see the coalition of organizers, sponsors, and volunteers that have come together to make Bike Month happen in May,” said Caroline Tanbee Smith, co-founder and organizer of New Haven Bike Month. “That is aligned with our fundamental belief that every single person should have a voice in the future of transportation in our city. Thanks to the hard work and passion of volunteers and organizers — there will be over 30 rides, celebrations, courses, and gatherings across multiple neighborhoods in the city throughout the month!" 

Sandeep Aysola, Director of the New Haven Department of Transportation, Traffic & Parking added, “The Department of Transportation is on a mission to create a transportation system that is safe, equitable, dependable, and affordable. We believe in fostering and creating mobility options that meet the needs of all communities, ensure safety, provide reliable connections, enrich public spaces and most importantly are environmentally friendly and sustainable. We are excited to kick-start Bike Month in partnership with all stakeholders, including residents, businesses, sponsors, volunteers and local and state partners.”

The City of New Haven’s Youth and Recreation Department is also offering bike excursions, events, and education programs -- including on bike safety and bike repair -- which will continue into the summer and fall, with more information to be posted on the city’s website in the coming weeks.

E-BIKES

In an exciting new development that will make e-bikes a more viable transportation option for more city residents, Connex Credit Union announced a new e-bike loan product that offers fixed rates, fix payments, and flexible terms for individuals who live, work, worship or attend school in New Haven, Fairfield, Hartford, and Middlesex Counties covering 80% of Connecticut residents.

With minimum loan amounts of $1,000 and first payments deferred for 90 days, interested residents can easily apply for an e-bike loan online (connexcu.org), over the phone (1-800-CR-UNION) or at a local branch, with most approvals happening the same day. (Additional details about the loan product can be found here.)  To help celebrate bike month, Connex will also give e-bike loan holders a $25 bonus to their Share Savings Account.

"Connex is thrilled to be part of Connecticut's e-bike movement and to put e-bike purchasing within reach for more people," said Carl Casper, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Connex Credit Union. "E-bikes provide clean, efficient, fun, and cost-effective transportation. This is a terrific opportunity."

In addition, last week the Connecticut General Assembly passed Senate Bill 4, also known as the Connecticut Clean Air Act, which among other provisions, will add electric bikes to the state’s CHEAPR electric vehicle rebate program. When signed into law, this legislation will provide rebates or vouchers of up to $500 to low-middle income residents to purchase e-bikes that cost up to $3,000. 

“About 60% of trips in America are under six miles and NCAT believes that by creating a cycling friendly community we can switch a lot of these trips to bicycle,” said Raymond Tsao, board member of the New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation. “Creating a truly bicycle friendly city means providing education and engagement around active transportation. That’s why NCAT is proud to offer free bicycle education to every e-bike loan customer of Connex Credit Union, and that’s also why we partner with organizations like AAA Northeast and SLR Consulting to fund our community engagement work throughout National Bike Month and Bike to Work Week.”

“Creating a bike friendly city means lowering all barriers to people getting on their bikes and riding. By working with Connex Credit Union, Park New Haven is excited to help even more people afford to make the switch and think outside the car,” said Doug Hausladen, Vice Chair of New Haven Coalition for Active Transportation and Executive Director of the New Haven Parking Authority. “With 90 days no payments someone starting in the workforce today will be able to have three months of worry-free riding before making affordable payments, well under the monthly cost of a personal vehicle. For those trips under 5 miles, an e-bike is the perfect vehicle to use and it is a healthy alternative to sitting in traffic.”

The New Haven Parking Authority has also started a new electric cargo bike share program as well, thanks to $18,000 in grant funding from the New Haven Climate Emergency Mobilization Taskforce.

“The mission of NHPA is to support Downtown and to provide safe, affordable, and convenient parking,” said Andrew Orefice, Vice Chairman of the New Haven Parking Authority. “With the increase in apartments and residents downtown and growing capacity at Union Station and transit in New Haven, our Parking Authority is working towards supporting car-free living by working with Connex to create their e-bike loan program and by creating an electric cargo bike share pilot to power the weekly grocery run or the hauling of work gear. Helping to fill in the gaps, NHPA has applied for more grant funding to purchase electric vehicles to add to the bike share system in the future.”

Local bike shop owners, including John Brehon, owner of The Devil’s Gear, and Bob Jacobson, owner of College Street Cycles, along with other advocates and organizations also voiced their enthusiasm for these developments.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete,” said Paul Wessel, Co-Coordinator of Greater New Haven Clean Cities Coalition, highlighting the words of another innovator, engineer, and futurist Buckminster Fuller. "Today we celebrate bicycle innovators - past, present, and future, our local bikes stores - The Devil's Gear and College Street Cycles, Connex Credit Union, our wonderful elected leaders, and supportive organizations for building and promoting a new option for more sustainable transportation.”

Barry Kresch, President of the Electric Vehicle Club of CT, said "The Electric Vehicle Club of CT supports all forms of emission-free transport, e-bikes included. E-bikes are an increasingly popular form of clean transportation, especially in urban environments, and the Connex Credit Union program will serve to accelerate e-bike adoption. They have the potential to reduce total vehicle miles traveled and reduce congestion on our road.”

Today the city of New Haven began the process of distributing at-home rapid tests to essential staff with symptoms or COVID exposures – including teachers and other school staff ahead of tomorrow’s return to the classroom. This will help ensure essential staff can safely return to work. This initial distribution is part of 10,000 tests the city obtained in recent days.

The city has also received 9,000 tests from the State of Connecticut. Distribution of those tests will begin tomorrow. This initial tranche of tests will be distributed to non-profit service providers who work with vulnerable communities – such as the elderly and those experiencing homelessness. A large portion of these tests will also be dedicated to New Haven Public School children with symptoms or COVID exposures. NHPS will share information directly with families in the near future on this.

While we do not yet have enough rapid tests to distribute widely to the public, we expect to receive additional tests from the state, at which time we will announce additional distributions.

If you need to get tested, Wren labs is re-opening their testing site on the New Haven Green tomorrow afternoon (3-6 PM) and will continue to operate the 60 Sargent Drive location each morning (8 AM – Noon) except for Fridays. No appointments are required, and there may be wait time.

As a reminder, get vaccinated, boosted and wear your masks.

Check out the City’s Covid website at https://covid19.newhavenct.gov/ or call: 203-946-6999 for more information.

Thanks everyone!

Various artists are shown creating works of art and the text reads NHFPL Arts and Culture Fund"

Real Talk with Maurice Williams, on the Tom Ficklin Radio Show, 11 am eastern Friday Jan 7. 2022. Show focus:  Millions Jobs Campaign by the NAACP. Clink link

First Friday's Real Talk with Maurice Williams, on the Tom Ficklin Radio Show 

• TOM FICKLIN RADIO SHOW
• Ficklin Media Business and Innovation
• Destination Dixwell
• The FICKLIN MEDIA GROUP,LLC
• 16192017
• Total Joy are You Autism Foundation
• Forum for Social Change

City Hall with an update on the parking ban. Por favor espere para escuchar este mensaje en español.  

The citywide parking ban will be lifted at 12:00 PM (noon) today. If you’ve parking in a school lot please remove your car by 2 PM. If you’ve parked in a Yale lot please remove your car by 5 PM. We appreciate everyone’s patience and cooperation.

Please remember to clear your sidewalk – it’s the law. 

Thanks, and have a good day.

The CT Violence Intervention Program works to build strong relationships with community-based groups and the highest-risk youth to prevent conflict, neighborhood shootings and homicide. Skilled Violence Prevention Professionals are prepared for crisis and de-escalation situations that occur in the community. LEARN MORE https://bit.ly/3pQiXsl #violenceprevention #highriskyouth #commnitygroup

How do you take your coffee? Please join The Mayor for a public, roundtable coffee discussion at Triple AAA Diner on Whalley Avenue on Tuesday, January 21st at 8:30AM.

Eddie Murphy opened up to Ellen about the highly anticipated movie "Coming 2 America," and divulged that it went above and beyond his expectations. The comedian also talked about his big family and the new addition of his 10th child.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Detectives with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Homicide Unit are conducting a homicide investigation in the 7100 block of Barrington Drive in the North Tryon Division.  The call for service came in at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 25, 2019. 

North Tryon Division Officers responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call for service.  Upon arrival, officers located a male with a gunshot wound in the parking lot of an apartment complex.   The victim was transported to Atrium Health Carolina’s Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.  An additional male victim later showed up at Atrium Health University City with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.  The deceased victim’s identity will be released pending family notification.  At this time, the relationship between the two victims is unknown.

Detectives with the Homicide Unit responded to the scene and are currently canvassing the area to determine whether there are any additional witnesses to this incident. 

Crime Scene Search has responded to the call for service to process the scene and collect physical evidence.  Representatives of the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Homicide Prosecution Team, Victim Services, RTCC, Medic, CFD and Operations Command responded to the scene. 

This is an ongoing, active investigation.  As further information develops it will be released by CMPD Public Affairs.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 704-432-TIPS and speak directly to a Homicide Unit Detective.  Detective Overman is the lead detective assigned to the case.  The public can also call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or visit the Crime Stoppers website at http://charlottecrimestoppers.com/.    For additional information about this incident please refer to report numbers 2019-0725-213001.

Youth Services Department, NHPD, and Dalio Foundation to make winter warmer for kids with plan to distribute 700+ coats

New Haven – The city’s Department of Youth Services, along with the New Haven Police Department and the Dalio Foundation will team up this week for a third annual Winter Coat Project. Last year this project matched winter coats with approximately 700 young people.

Barbara Dalio leads the Dalio Foundation’s work to strengthen public education in Connecticut through collaboration. The Foundation has a strong belief in giving back to youth across the state.  The Foundation also funds the Connecticut RISE Network, the YouthStat Freshman Project, and Clifford W. Beers Guidance Clinic.

This year, the New Haven Police Department will assist Youth Services and the Dalio Foundation with logistics to store and distribute more than 700 coats donated by the Dalio Foundation. Youth Services Director Jason Bartlett worked to secure arrangements between the City of New Haven and the Dalio Foundation.

Who: A collaborative group of Youth Department staff and the New Haven Police Department will work together to sort, set up and distribute over 700 coats to New Haven Youth to help make winter warmer for them.

Where: 116 Wintergreen Ave., New Haven, Connecticut (The New Police Training Academy).

When: Tuesday, October 16^th, 2018 at 11:30 a.m

Senator Kamala Harris, Michael K. Williams, Tichina Arnold, John Forté, DA Larry Krasner, Shaun King and Many More Come Together to Push for Criminal Justice Reform on May 9th in Washington, DC at “Vote for Justice”

Event will launch innovative campaign to inspire people to vote for justice at the polls.

WASHINGTON, DC (May 7, 2018) – The Justice Roundtable , a Washington-based coalition of over 100 justice organizations and advocates advancing federal criminal justice policy reforms, announces the launch of a six-month social media impact campaign, Vote for Justice.

The campaign will kick off with a May 9th event, Vote for Justice: An Evening of Empowerment with Artists and Activists at Washington DC’s Newseum. The event will take audience members through a historic exploration of the different sectors where the criminal punishment system wreaks havoc; identify the generational, human and equity costs of mass incarceration; and offer solutions to reform our criminal justice system.

The event will be hosted by Tichina Arnold and Michael Eric Dyson .

Readings and testimonials will be performed by Senator Kamala Harris, Michael K. Williams, Congressman Cedric Richmond, Congressman Lacy Clay, State Attorney Kim Foxx, District Attorney Larry Krasner, Open Society Foundations President Patrick Gaspard, Mic Video Columnist Brittany Packnett, Shaun King, Desmond Meade, 11-year-old Naomi Wadler, Carmen Perez, Kemba Smith, Jamira Burley, Jessica Perez, Judith Browne Dianis, former NFL player Donté Stallworth, Charlene Carruthers, Udi Ofer and more. The evening will feature performances by Grammy-nominated artist John Forté, Goapele, Raheem Devaughn and Wes Felton, Reginald Dwayne Betts, Ayanna Gregory and Ka'Ba Akintunde .

There will be an open-press red carpet. In partnership with Mic, the full program will be live-streamed , and Mic will spotlight featured participants in opinion columns following the event, bringing the topics of the night to life in video.

The Vote for Justice campaign will bring art and culture together with education and civic engagement, encouraging the public to imagine what justice looks like in the months leading up to the midterm elections. At the same time, Vote for Justice will normalize progressive narratives on criminal justice system transformation by making the concept of justice personal and proximate to voters and potential voters.

The Vote for Justice campaign will highlight the overarching political, economic and human costs of our country’s criminal punishment system,” says Justice Roundtable Convener Nkechi Taifa . “The campaign will challenge celebrity, athlete and policy influencers to inspire and mobilize their fan bases to ‘vote for justice’ at the polls. We hope to lift up the work of advocates on the ground, who push back on a daily basis against policies and practices that have allowed mass incarceration to flourish.”

Following the Vote for Justice event, The Justice Roundtable will lead a public call to action for justice reform, titled #JusticeLooksLike. The action-oriented, social media challenge will lead up the 2018 midterm election. The nonpartisan Vote for Justice event and campaign will not endorse or support any particular candidate.

About The Justice Roundtable

The Justice Roundtable is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 organizations working to reform federal criminal justice laws and policies. Founded in 2002, the Roundtable’s mission is to bring value to the Justice Movement by coordinating the federal legislative and advocacy efforts of the Washington criminal justice advocacy community.

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Williams remains unbeaten, retains WBC crowd with methodical unanimous decision win over Rodriguez

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Sept. 16^th, 2017) – Jimmy Williams celebrated two major milestones in style Saturday, retaining his World Boxing Council U.S. Boxing Council (WBC USNBC) welterweight title for the second time in less than three weeks at Twin River Casino.

Stepping up for one more title defense after knocking outIssouf Kinda in August, Williams (15-0-1) returned Saturday on his birthday in the headliner of CES Boxing’s 12-fight card at Twin River and remained unbeaten, defeating game challenger Juan Rodriguez Jr. (13-5) of New Jersey by unanimous decision, 98-91, 97-92, 96-93.

A second-round knockdown established the pace for Williams, whose wife gave birth to twin boys less than two weeks before fight night. Rodriguez enjoyed a brief surge in the third and fourth rounds, apparently getting his second wind after the knockdown, but Williams dominated the latter half of the fight, taking rounds five through nine on two of three scorecards to build a comfortable lead.

Fighting for the third time since, Sicilian heavyweightJuiseppe Cusumano (13-1, 11 KOs) continued his east-coast reign of terror in the co-feature, stopping game challenger Matt McKinney (5-3-2) of Oceanside, Calif., at the2:41 mark of the second round. Cusumano sent McKinney to the canvas four times, twice in each round, before refereeJohnny Callas stopped the bout.

Cusumano has won 11 in a row and each of his last three by knockout within the first two rounds, including another dominant performance less than three weeks ago on the last CES Boxing card in August.

Making his fifth Twin River appearance, Providence lightweight Anthony Marsella Jr. (6-0, 3 KOs) remained undefeated in his most impressive performance to date, stopping Mexican challenger Israel Rojas (12-19) at 1:47 of the fourth round. Marsella Jr. sent Rojas to the canvas in the closing seconds of the third and twice more in the fourth before referee Joey Lupino waved it off.

Coming off his first career loss back in April, New Bedford, Mass., native Ray Oliveira Jr. (8-1) got back in the win column, narrowly defeating New Haven’s David Wilson (5-2-1) by split decision, 58-56, 55-59, 58-56.

Judges Eddie Scuncio and Robin Taylor scored the bout in favor of Oliveira while Ken Ezzo gave Wilson each of the first four rounds and the sixth and final round. Wilson started strong, also winning two of the first three rounds on Scuncio and Taylor’s scorecards, but Oliveira came on strong down the stretch to earn his first win since February.

Stealing the show on the preliminary card, female bantamweights Marcia Agripino (1-1-1) of Groton, Conn., and New Yorker Federica Bianco (3-1) fought four entertaining, back-and-forth rounds with Bianco earning the unanimous decision win, 39-37, 39-37, 40-36. The fight was much closer than the scores indicated, but Bianco was the aggressor, establishing a feverish pace from the opening bell and refusing to let up at any point. Agripino, fighting for the first time since 2013, brought the same energy, but Bianco was slightly more accurate with her exchanges, leading her to third win as a pro and first since May of 2016.

Making his 10^th appearance since turning pro last May, Worcester’s Kendrick Ball Jr. (8-0-2) remained unbeaten, trading blows for six rounds with the dangerous Pablo Velez(7-2-1) of Durham, N.C., en route to a 60-54 shutout on all three scorecards. The taller, leaner Ball Jr. used his reach to keep Velez at a distance, but also stayed busy on the inside, unafraid to exchange with his opponent while outworking him consistently within close range. The win highlighted Ball Jr.’s 25^th birthday celebration, which commences Sunday.

In another back-and-forth regional showdown, Stoughton, Mass., welterweight Travis Demko (5-1) narrowly defeatedMarqus Bates (2-2) of nearby Taunton by split decision, 39-37, 37-39, 39-37. Judges Wayne Lima and Taylor scored it in favor of Demko while Scuncio gave Bates the nod. Each fighter had his moments, but Demko hurt Bates in the second and had him on the ropes again in the third. Taylor and Lima each gave Demko the first three rounds while Scuncio scored rounds one, three and four in favor of Bates.

Fighting for the second time in three weeks, Worcester lightweight Jamaine Ortiz (6-0, 4 KOs) looked dominant as ever, stopping the game Darnell Pettis (1-6) of Cleveland, who failed to answer the bell for the fourth and final round. Pettis hung in for three rounds, taking Ortiz’s best, but after a brutal third round, Pettis was done for the night and Ortiz earned his fourth win of the year and second since August.

Living up to his nickname, “Bling Bling,” Providence super featherweight Michael Valentin (2-0) kept his unbeaten record intact with a hard-fought win over debut Henry Garcia (0-1) of New Bedford. Garcia never stopped coming forward, but Valentin’s quick hands set the tone early, and the 18-year-old Providence native scored a big knockdown in the second round to open up a comfortable lead on the scorecards en route to a 39-36, 40-35, 40-35 unanimous decision win.

In a battle of pro debut cruiserweights from Worcester, fighting out of rival gyms, Rafiel Nyakoko (1-0, 1 KO) earned the knockout win over Jake Paradise (0-1) at the2:36 mark of the second round. Nyakoko controlled the pace in the opening round and then staggered Paradise with a hard right midway through the second. Paradise tried to hold on to buy some time, but Nyakoko used his reach to establish his distance and finished Paradise for a good with a flurry of punches along the ropes, prompting Lupino to stop the bout.

Also in preliminary action, Worcester’s Philip Davis (1-1) earned his first career victory in the featherweight division over Providence’s Phil Dudley (1-1), 39-36 on all three scorecards, and featherweight Ricky Delossantos (3-0) of Providence remained unbeaten with his third win of 2017, beating Lowell’s Jonathan Perez (2-2-2), 40-36 on all three cards.

– CES –