Milford Matters

A few months ago my big boss, Matt DeRienzo, wrote a blog post about the need for us reporters and editors to celebrate our mistakes. Initially, the reaction was to roll one’s eyes. And that’s because reporter’s never make mistakes. And when someone claims a reporter made a mistake please refer back to the previous sentence. However, in all seriousness we do make mistakes, and my boss is right in that we should own up to errors when it’s our fault. Sometimes people call us up to say we’re stupid or they don’t like that we quoted someone who expressed an opinion they don’t agree with. That is not an error or something that deserves a correction. An error is what I did last night. In my story on the new Republican Town Chairman Lisa Bull DiLullo, I quoted Jack Fowler as saying he resigned the party in January. The only problem is that was false. Fowler’s term expired in March and he choose not to seek a two-year extension. That’s a big difference. I received an email from Jack at 6:30 a...

MILFORD—Police arrested a 48-year-old Spindrift Lane man on a warrant Wednesday for allegedly stealing close to $7,000 worth of electricity from the United Illuminating Co., police said. Police said on Nov. 28 the department received a complaint from UI regarding a theft of services and equipment that had been tampered with at 6 Spindrift Lane. Investigation revealed that representatives from UI found a hazardous condition at the home consisting of an illegal electrical tap that was supplying unmetered electricity to the home. After revisiting the home UI representatives found that a new unauthorized service has been installed again providing unmetered electricity to the home, police said. Police said it’s estimated that $6,915 worth of unmetered electricity was supplied to Robert Uberti’s home from Sept. 2007 through Nov.2011. Uberti was charged with third-degree larceny and first-degree criminal mischief. He was released on a promise to appear in Superior Court in Milford April 17.

MILFORD—Police arrested a 63-year-old Enfield man for allegedly soliciting a 37-year-old West Haven woman for sex as part of a prostitution sting Wednesday morning, police said. Police said an officer observed a suspicious vehicle in a Banner Drive parking lot around 11:30 a.m. The department’s investigation led to the arrests of Thomas Owens, of Nonotuck Street, and Delois Gatison, of Meadowbrook Court, police said. Police said Owens and Gatison are alleged to have arraigned a sexual encounter in exchange for money. Owens told police he met Gatison online prior to the encounter. Owens was charged with patronizing a prostitute and public indecency. Gatison was charged with prostitution. They were both released on a promise to appear in Superior Court in Milford April 17.

I've covered a couple of Milford superintendent scandals or controversies of sorts in my 12 years of covering the small city with a big heart. So I'm not afraid to get in the middle of things, but one thing I've always felt weird about is asking people how much money they make. To me it's like asking a lady how old she is. And yes, I have to do that sometimes. It is horrible. Today I wrote an article about the top salaried city and school employees , and it's the most read story on the website. I am not too surprised. People love to know where their tax dollars go. But for those of us in the private sector, do we feel like we should reveal our salaries? I'm not going to reveal mine, and it's not because I'm secretive about it, I just don't want people to fall over from laughter. Actually, it's not that bad. I am fortunate to have a job I enjoy. However, that brings me back to one of my original points, and that is, it's always tough for me to...

Drugs, assaults, and larcenies litter today's Milford Police Arrest Log.

MILFORD--Mayor Benjamin G. Blake, in conjunction with Milford Youth and Family Services, will present The 24th Annual Mayor’s Youth Award in a ceremony to be held Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 5PM at the Milford City Hall Auditorium. Any Milford resident, age 18 or under, who has participated in activities to improve the quality of life in this city, or assist its citizens, is eligible to be nominated. All areas are considered such as school, church, volunteer or community service. Nominees will be recognized with individual awards in three age-based categories: elementary, middle, and high school. An additional category acknowledges group activity. Teachers, principals, parents, fellow students, neighbors, group leaders, clergy, and others in the community are among those who may nominate a youth or group for this award. If you know of a young person(s) or a group who meets the above criteria, please submit a completed nomination form. Nomination forms can be obtained from Milford You...

Milford Top Wage Earners

High School Faculties to Vie for ‘Bragging Rights’ Basketball ‘Tie-Breaker’ on April 4th All are Welcome!! MILFORD -- “It’s Game 3 of the Law vs. Foran Faculty Basketball Game rivalry and both teams are going all out for this tie-breaker!” commented annual event coordinator Tony Bonetti, a dad who has organized the game to benefit the Post Prom Committees at both high schools for the past 3 years. The annual event is conducted to benefit the Foran and Law Post Prom projects. Several years ago, parents at both schools put together major ‘post prom’ events in order to give students a fun yet safe alternative to after-prom parties. In recent years, the parent committees have devoted a great deal of effort on their fundraising efforts in order to support these Post Prom events. Rivalry at its Best Last year, the Law Faculty evened the score and tied the series one game to one by beating the Foran Faculty 41-36 in an exciting, close basketball game…but now it’s time for Game Three! Word ...

Milford's weekend arrests include, drugs, drugs, drugs .

Why does it have to be cold and rainy on the weekend, and beautiful during the work week, when most of us are trapped inside a concrete building? I think that is what I call a rhetorical question. If it was nice out I was looking to take a walk on the new boardwalk between Silver Sands and Walnut Beach. Haven't been out there yet? How cool is it, please let me know. The Board of Education is meeting Monday night and I will be there to see if anything exciting happens. Probably not though. On Wednesday the Economic Development Commission is meeting and again I will be there. It's been relatively quiet recently. Not that Milford has been devoid of news, but I'm used to there being more. Let me know what you think I should be working on this week. Again you can post your comments here, email me bmccready@nhregister.com, call me 203-789-5719, and follow me on Twitter @nhrbmccready. Have a good Sunday, Brian McCready

I am working on a story about Connecticut requiring colleges to ensure there are automated external defibrillators at all athletic facilities. Do you think this is a good idea? Please let me know by commenting here or email me at bmccready@nhregister.com Michele Ciancola told lawmakers her son, Joseph Ciancola, a 20-year-old baseball player from Orange, who collapsed and later died after performing a workout on a University of Rhode Island athletic field, may still be alive if the college had an automated external defibrillator, or AED. Ciancola addressed members of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee this week in support of state Sen. Gayle Slossberg’s bill mandating AED in athletic facilities at college campuses. The life-saving device would be readily available at all athletic events. The proposed language also mandates that athletic trainers get trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an AED in accordance with standards set by the American Red Cross or Am...

Congratulations go out to Milford Mayor Ben Blake, and his wife, Sandy, on the birth of their second child, Caroline Cawley Blake, 8lbs 4oz., born late Wednesday. But the story gets even better. Earlier on Wednesday I phoned Blake about a board of aldermen matter, and he told me he was on “baby watch.” I forgot that his wife was that far along. Making things even more interesting Blake was also celebrating his son, Carter’s, second birthday party Wednesday. Yes, the same Carter who was a fixture on the campaign trial, and was dancing in the aisle during the Democrats nominating convention in July. So Carter and his newborn sister, Caroline, will share the same birthday. Everyone is doing well, friends of the family say today.

Today's Milford Police arrests include someone tampering with a wheelchair . All of the information is provided by the police department.

UPDATE: 3:30 P.M. ESPN is reporting that the Tebow deal may fall through because the Jets would have to pay Denver $5 million. This isn't really local commentary, but I am a huge sports fan, and I can't believe the New York Jets would bring Tim Tebow to their team. Their starting QB Mark Sanchez is already very shaky from a confidence standpoint, and whenever Sanchez bounces a pass to Santonio Holmes the fans in New Jersey will be chanting for Tebow. I just can't see how this is going to help Sanchez settle down. I know former Miami Dolphins Coach Tony Sparano, formerly of New Haven, is a big fan of the Wildcat package, but teams caught onto it two years ago, and Tebow isn't accurate enough to scare teams with his throwing ability. Tebow's brilliant performance to beat the Steelers in playoffs had to be a result of divine intervention because it was the only game where he scared teams with his arm. I actually think Tebow has value as an H-Back/Tight End. We'll s...

Last night I attended a Milford Public School Business expo at Jonathan Law High School. I had no idea what to expect. I brought tons of copies of the paper, and an informational sheet on how people can get a hold of me and other departments at the New Haven Register. I was happy to see some familiar faces including Milford Police Officer Jeffrey Nielsen, Architect William Silver, Musician Jay Rowe, Schools Personnel Director Wendy Kopazna, and of course Mayor Ben Blake and Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth Feser. More than 20 business professionals crammed inside Law’s gymnasium, which became very hot. The star of the evening was Parent Cathy Berni, who made sure everyone had bottled water. The event itself was a lot of fun. Clearly, the Milford police and fire department representatives received the most attention. That shouldn’t be a surprise. But many parents and students of all ages came over to take a free paper, and ask me questions about what it takes to be a reporter. Honest...

Today's Milford police arrests include someone allegedly stealing baby formula.

I’m working on a news story about the new Interstate 95 rest stop that opened in Milford last week on the northbound side. The southbound side is opening in mid April, according to the state Department of Transportation. What do you think of the changes? There is now a Subway, Dunkin Donuts, and even an organic food shop. Will you be more likely to stop there for gas and food. If you’ve been there yet, what do you like, and what do you think could have been better? I will use your comments for the story I am writing Wednesday. You can contact me by posting your comments here, or email me at bmccready@nhregister.com Brian McCready

The City of Milford Golf Commission is proud to announce the “Grand Opening” of the Orchards Golf Course for the 2012 golfing season. The event will take place on Saturday April 14th at 10am. The Orchards Golf Course is located at 130 Kozlowski Drive in Milford, CT New additions to the course include new electric carts, pull carts, etc. For additional information, please contact Dan Worroll at dworroll@optonline.net

Last night I had the pleasure of speaking to members of the Milford Parent Leader Training Institute, and came away thoroughly impressed by the dedication of the 20 people in the class. All of the parent leaders are pitching projects that will benefit their communities. Several of the civic projects are aimed at helping children, especially those in Milford. A West Haven parent is trying to organize a special education parent group in her city. There were so many great ideas. I know I will be writing numerous stories about their efforts to make the community a better place. It also made me think that while I do an adequate job of covering the news of the day, i.e. meetings, police, fire, and court news, there is so much more I am missing. I asked the parents to let me know about all of the good things going on in the community. The parents all asked great questions. They were curious about how to write a letter to the editor, when it would run, and how timely. Many parents spoke about ...

A few arrests by Milford Police Monday including an employee theft at Victoria Secret's .

The New Haven Register has made it its highest priority to engage the community, either through social media, or preferably in person. I’ve embraced the social media part as evidenced by my frequent activity on Facebook and Twitter. The face-to-face stuff is still more of a challenge for me. I presided over a candidates forum last year which attracted about 75 candidates and Milford residents. It was successful, but even though I knew most of the people I just deplore public speaking or being the center of attention in a public forum. I did an adequate job at best of keeping the candidate’s forum moving, but it was a struggle. Well over the next two days I have two opportunities to step out from my comfort zone. Tonight at 6 p.m. I will be speaking to the Milford Parent Leadership Institute tonight, where I will share tips on how to submit letters to the editor, and talk about the news gathering process. On Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. I will be a small part of the Milford Public School’s ...

Today's wrap up of a number of police arrests over this weekend . It's a pretty lengthy wrap-sheet.

Just wanted you to know that I'm not being lazy these past two days, Thursday and Friday I'm just off. Each March I take the first two days of March Madness off. I love the idea of 24 hours of basketball, win you and move on, lose and your done. I am a Huskies fan, and in one of my brackets I picked them for the Final 4. It's ok, just $5 down the drain. In my other bracket I have North Carolina defeating Kentucky. We'll see. I haven't won since I was in high school and I was in charge of doing the points, so I'm not sure if I did some fuzzy math. Who did you pick in your office pool? I just saw Texas almost come from way back to beat Cincinnati, but they couldn't climb all the way back. I hope the games are better tonight. Yesterday's including UCONN's game was kind of a bore. Thank goodness for VCU. I'll be back at Monday blogging about my day and what I am working on. If you have any story ideas or tips please post through here or email me at b...

I am working on a story about Milford lawmakers seeking $20 million for a parking garage downtown. One official said there remains a chance the state could approve the funds this year, but if it doesn't happen then next year maybe. What do you think? Please comment here or email me at bmccready@nhregister.com Also there seems to be a graffiti problem with the new boardwalk at Walnut Beach. Have you noticed the graffiti. Let me know if you have and what do you think of the new boardwalk. That's what's news so far today, but please let me know if you hear or see anything interesting. The best news tips come from you the public. Brian McCready Twitter @nhrbmccready

Continuing to seek ways to drive down the cost of city government operations, Mayor Benjamin Blake announced that after monitoring the unusually favorable trends in the energy market, he has renegotiated the City's electricity contract. The new agreement, which goes into effect in July, will save the city an anticipated $1,243,000 over the life of the contract. These savings are based on a reduced cost per kilowatt hour from 9.845 cents to 8.315 cents, with anticipated usage of approximately 1,250,000 kwh per month. "I am pleased that we were able to deliver significant savings for the city," Blake said. "By reducing kilowatt per hour cost while at the same time making efforts to drive down usage we are not only doing what is right for the taxpayers of Milford but also what is right for our environment."

Here is a run down of a few arrests by Milford Police Monday.

Routine arrests this weekend, but there is one at Jonathan Law High School that looks interesting. A student caused a small fire at the school. Read it here.

It appears residents of Milford are enthusiastic about lacrosse becoming a sport at both Jonathan Law and Joseph A. Foran high schools. A fundraiser was held at Rainbow Gardens in Milford last month, and organizers say $4,200 was raised and 125 people attended. Are you a fan of lacrosse? Are you excited to see if offered at the high school’s? Post your comments here. Here is the latest story I've written on lacrosse .

I cut and paste into this post Monday's school board agenda. Does anything stand out to you? Anything your interested in knowing more about? Let me know and I'll do my best to get the answers. Feel free to post your comments and questions here or email me at bmccready@nhregister.com Thanks and have a great weekend! MILFORD BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING Parsons Complex, Milford Board of Education March 12, 2012 7:00 – 9:00 P.M. I. Call to Order II. Student/Staff Recognition III. Student Reports 1. Jonathan Law – Gabrielle Novak & Matthew Ouellette 2. Joseph A. Foran – Tess Gildea & Thomas Bassine IV. Public Comment PUBLIC COMMENT Speakers may offer objective comments about school operations and programs. The Board encourages speakers not to express personal complaints or defamatory comments about the Milford Board of Education personnel or any person associated with the Milford Public School System. Security issues and matters relating to negotiations/grievances will not be...

Today's arrests include a threatening, a larceny, and even some drugs. All of the information is provided by Milford Police.

Here is the latest news on Fowler Field, and what might happen to the former Milford Showcase Cinemas site. What would you like to see happen at Fowler Field and with Cherry Street? The appearance of Fowler Field could be changing “slightly,” while there is the potential for Cherry Street to undergo a drastic face-lift, according to a consultant hired by the Planning and Zoning Board. Director of Yale Urban Design Workshop Alan Plattus spoke to members of the PZB this week where he updated them on four areas they asked him to review. The four areas include Fowler Field, Cherry Street, Walnut Beach, and development of design guidelines for future shoreline development. He said he is far along on plans for Fowler Field and Cherry Street, but still has a lot of work to do concerning Walnut Beach and guidelines for shoreline development. Over the past few months there has been discussion about radical changes to Fowler Field including building shops and a small boutique hotel there, and re...

Today's police log features a shoplifting at a Milford K-Mart where a woman allegedly concealed four bottles of perfume, and a male motioned he had a weapon as a way of trying to get away. Read the full report here .

Join me tonight for live coverage of the Milford Board of Finance vote on the city's proposed spending package of about $186 million for fiscal year 2012-13 . The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Ben Blake said today it’s still unclear whether residents will have their taxes slightly increase next year, but the budget increase continues to shrink. Blake said in February he was projecting a $186 million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year, which would have increased spending by 1.82 percent. But the budget has dropped by $500,000 and spending will increase by just 1.55 percent next year, and that number is likely to drop even more over the coming months, Blake said. When asked about a tax increase Blake said “I still don’t know.” The current city budget is $183.53 million. The school board approved an $86.88 million budget for 2012-13 in January, which increased spending by $1.42 million or a 1.66 percent increase. Blake’s $99 million proposed city budget for 2012-13 increases spen...

One arrest in Milford today, a failure to appear. That's it. Again all of the information is provided by Milford Police, and again it's just allegations. http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_Police/PressRelease/EB995A95-3B9ACA00.1/March%206.pdf

Richard Platt was named city historian for a five-year period. A number of historical enthusiasts spoke in support of Milford Hospital's real estate entity purchasing the historic John Downs House and then giving it back to the city and pay the city $880,000. However, the hospital would get two acres of land to build on, which more than 10 residents spoke out against. Aldermen still deliberating on the proposal. An approval is expected. I will update later. Also more than 15 Woodmont residents are urging the aldermen to buy a home on Grove Street to place a pump station there because their septic systems are failing and its hard for them to flush, do laundry, and take showers. The aldermen are poised to buy the house for $170,000 to put the pump station there. The house is vacant. The total cost for the sewer project is between $1.7 million and $2.1 million. I'll post full links to the articles once they are on nhregister.com

The Judicial Branch has completed its investigation into Board of Police Commissioner Anthony Candido, who has been placed on administrative leave from his chief judicial marshal position in December for an alleged on the job complaint of sexual harassment. Judicial Branch spokeswoman Rhonda Hebert said Monday the investigation has been completed, but she declined to comment further. “The Branch is now awaiting…Candido’s response to the findings. He remains on administrative leave without pay. The Branch declines further comment at this point,” Hebert said. She said there is no timetable for when the results will be made public. Last month Candido’s attorney Hugh Keefe, of New Haven, said it was “outrageous” Candido was placed on administrative leave for simply “hugging” a co-worker. Hebert at the time declined to respond to Keefe’s remarks. Check www.nhregister.com for the full story, and Keefe's comments concerning the investigation being concluded, and what is next for Candido

The Judicial Branch has completed its investigation into Board of Police Commissioner Anthony Candido, who has been placed on administrative leave from his chief judicial marshal position in December for an alleged on the job complaint of sexual harassment. Judicial Branch spokeswoman Rhonda Hebert said Monday the investigation has been completed, but she declined to comment further. “The Branch is now awaiting…Candido’s response to the findings. He remains on administrative leave without pay. The Branch declines further comment at this point,” Hebert said. She said there is no timetable for when the results will be made public. Last month Candido’s attorney Hugh Keefe, of New Haven, said it was “outrageous” Candido was placed on administrative leave for simply “hugging” a co-worker. Hebert at the time declined to respond to Keefe’s remarks.

Milford Police say the event was a huge success with over 300 people attending, raising over $6,600 for Special Olympics of Connecticut. Milford police say they wish to thank all of the event attendees, volunteers, businesses who donated and the Milford Yacht Club for hosting this event. Judges Choice: 1st place - Milford Fire Department 2nd place – Stratford Fire Department Judges were from Mr. Macs Canteen, Stonebridge Restaurant, Crush Sports Café, Cabo Restaurant, Special Olympics Athlete Beth and our celebrity guest John Ratzenberger. People Choice: 1st place – Stratford Fire Department 2nd place – Fairfield University Department of Public Safety This was judged by the event attendees.

Again all of the information is submitted by the Milford Police Department, and all of the arrests are allegations at this time. This weekend's roundup includes spitting, fighting, disorderly conducts, and arrests of a fugitive from justice. Here is the link from Milford Police http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_Police/PressRelease/2B489067-3B9ACA00.1/March%205.pdf

Yale Dean Allan Plattus will be speaking to the Planning and Zoning Board Tuesday night 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. Plattus last week addressed more than 100 residents about future plans for downtown. Plattus said downtown needs a parking garage, redevelop Harrison's Hardware, redevelop underutilized properties along the Green, dress up the entranceway into downtown by the railroad tracks, more housing, and more restaurants. Do you agree with this? Let me know your thoughts! Email me at bmccready@nhregister.com Thanks, and below is the full zoning agenda including approval for East Shore Middle School and their $12 million addition, which has garnered a bunch of ink lately. http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_BComm/planningdocuments/2012planningdocuments/Agenda%20P%20&%20Z%20Meeting%203.6.2012.pdf

Tonight I'll be at the Milford Board of Aldermen meeting beginning at 7:30. I'll be live tweeting about important agenda items like the future of the John Downs House being decided tonight. If you're interested please follow me @nhrbmccready and I'll post a story at www.nhregister.com If you have any Milford news tips please email me at bmccready@nhregister.com. Brian McCready

Here is the link to Monday night's Board of Aldermen agenda. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. I'd like to know what you think is the most important topic on the agenda, and what you'd like to see covered the most. Final approval of the historic John Downs House purchase with Milford Hospital's real estate arm is on the agenda along with the city purchasing a house on Grove Street for a pump station so residents in Woodmont without sewers can finally get them. The city is paying $170,000 for the house. As always your feedback is much appreciated! Email me at bmccready@nhregister.com This is the link for Monday's agenda. http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_BComm/aldermendocuments/2012aldermendocuments/AGENDA%20-3-05.pdf

Today I am writing an article on the abundance of interest in the 119th State House District. School Board Majority Leader James Maroney, a Democrat, is the latest to throw his hat into the proverbial ring. Already announced candidates are former Democratic Alderman James Patterson, and former Alderwoman Pamela Staneski. More candidates can come forward as the political conventions aren't until much later this year. So with that said who do you plan to support? Feel free to comment here or email me at bmccready@nhregister.com and I'll use your comments in the story I am writing for www.nhregister.com Thanks again for reading the links and comments. Brian McCready Milford Bureau Chief New Haven Register Twitter @nhrbmccready

Again a little bit of everything. An employee theft, a public disturbance are examples of the latest arrests by Milford Police. All of the information comes from Milford Police and are just allegations at this point. http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_Police/PressRelease/518FB86F-3B9ACA00.1/March%202.pdf

I've provided the link from the Milford Police Department to their police log for today. It features an arrest for identity theft, a failure to appear, an arrest of a fugitive from justice, and an alleged case of harassment. Remember all of the information is provided by the Milford Police Department, and if your interested follow the link. http://www.ci.milford.ct.us/Public_Documents/MilfordCT_Police/PressRelease/51A9FBD6-3B9ACA00.1/March%201.pdf

I was asked to cover a West Haven/Ansonia court case this morning. A West Haven man is accused of violently shaking an infant to death in Ansonia, and he was due to appear in Superior Court in Milford. The case was called for 10 a.m., but because of a lack of judges the case wasn't heard until 12:45. Relatives and the media stood in the hallways waiting for court to commence. Once court opened up here is the news, and a full story is coming to www.nhregister.com It's truly a heartbreaking story. I'm told there may not be any resolution for at least a year. April 11 is the next court date and we'll be there to cover it. By Brian McCready Milford Bureau Chief MILFORD--The 35-year-old West Haven man accused of violently shaking to death infant Kyle Robinson last year pleaded not guilty to manslaughter and assault charges facing him. Angel Luis Santiago, 35, of Center Street, appeared before Superior Court Judge Richard Arnold shortly before 1 p.m. where Public Defender Dav...