District 19's next budget to be discussed

With plenty of financial uncer­tainty looming, the Regional School District 19 Board of Education will host an informa­tion meeting on Thursday (Dec. 2) to discuss next year’s budget.

The meeting will start at 7 p.m. at E.O. Smith High School, located on Route 195 in Storrs, and will bring together local and state officials from Ashford, Mansfield and Willington.

Region 19 school board Chair Francis Archambault said the board has hosted similar meetings in the last few years, but this year’s meeting could be “significantly important.”

He said the meeting allows town officials, such as top elected officials and finance board members, to express any budgetary concerns they may have and discuss their priorities for E.O. Smith.

Archambault said one of the biggest con­cerns typically raised during any budget dis­cussion is each town’s share of the upcoming spending plan.

The Region 19 school board, like many other regional schools, determines each town’s share using tuition figures and Archambault said one of the towns might be impacted more than others in a given year.

He said the budget process is not the proper avenue to change the formula, but Thursday’s meeting does create a forum for town and Region 19 officials to share projections.

The meeting also allows area leaders to talk with state officials about projections for state education aid, which Archambault said could be a hot topic Thursday.

The state is facing a budget deficit that is currently projected for roughly $3 billion at the same time Governor-elect Dan Malloy will be taking office.

“Of course everyone this year anticipates some significant changes,” Archambault said.

But he also said it is too early to try and make determinations on some of those issues. “I think at this point, we’re shooting in the dark a little bit,” he said.

Archambault said the annual informational meetings are well attended by town and state officials and have typically provided a “very good opener” for upcoming budget talks.

But he also said he would like to see more residents attending budgetary meetings to share their concerns and gather information before an eventual referendum, typically in May.

Last May voters approved the Region 19′s current $ 18.67- million budget with 753 ” yes” votes versus 476 “no” votes.

Ashford voters rejected the budget, which came with a 1.9-percent increase over last year’s budget, but those in Mansfield and Willington carried it to approval.

Posted 11-30-2010

UConn to start bike-sharing program

Freshman Alex Lavernoich of Tolland secures his bike with a lock outside the Student Union at the University of Connecticut on Monday afternoon. The Undergraduate Student Government is working with the university’s Office of Environmental Policy, the Homer Babbidge Library and EcoHusky to create a program called ‘UConn Cycles,’ which would lend out bicycles to students. Photo copyright Roxanne Pandolfi

In its continuing efforts to cut campus pollution, University of Con­necticut staff and student leaders will actu­ally be taking a cue from the university’s past.

The Undergraduate Student Government is working with the university’s Office of Environmental Policy, the Homer Babbidge Library and the EcoHusky student group to create a program called “UConn Cycles.”

The free bike-sharing program, likely to start next semester, will provide 20 bicy­cles for students to use for travel across campus in an effort to reduce pollution and congestion.

“It’s cleaner, it’s healthier, it’s a more sustainable way to get around campus,” said Richard Miller, director of the school’s OEP.

USG Vice President Clive Richards, one of the leaders of the program, said a for­mer USG president and EcoHusky mem­bers were among a group of students who started the idea a few years ago.

Miller, meanwhile, said UConn’s Climate Action Plan, created in August 2009 and supported by USG, identified a bike-shar­ing program, among other initiatives, as a way to reduce pollution on campus.

To get the program started, USG recently purchased 20 Raleigh Circa 18 bikes, an

eight-speed bike that is easy to maintain, Richards said.

Richards did not have an exact figure for the purchase, which came from USG funding through student fees, but said USG was able to purchase the bikes below the typical $450 market value.

He also said USG purchased 20 bikes to get the program start­ed, but he anticipates the need to increase that number to meet demand in the near future.

“There’s no doubt in my mind the demand will be more than 20 (bikes),” Richards said.

Miller, who will serve as an adviser for the program, said EcoHusky, a group of students studying environmental sciences, will handle the maintenance for the bikes and report problems to the Tolland Bike Shop.

UConn had a similar bike-shar­ing program, called “Blue Bikes,” in the late 1960s, but required no real accountability from those borrowing the bikes, UConn spokesman Michael Kirk said.

As a result, the bikes frequently disappeared, and many were not discovered until Mirror Lake was drained years later, he added.

To help increase accountability this time around, the Babbidge Library will handle the process for checking bikes, said Jane Recchio, a library staff member helping to coordinate UConn Cycles.

“It’s one way to jumpstart the program,” Recchio said about the library’s involvement, noting former UConn President Homer Babbidge – the library’s name­sake – helped start the Blue Bike program back in the 1960s.

The Babbidge Library will pro­vide a storage space for the bikes and handle checking out the bikes to students, Recchio said, adding it already has a system in place for keeping track of books and other media, so bicycles could be included on the list.

“We’re just trying to piggy-back off of that, instead of re-inventing the wheel,” Richards said about working with the library.

The bicycles will only be avail­able to students, who will need to show a student identification before the library lends one and they would need to return the bikes by 5 p.m.

Richards and Recchio said the UConn Cycles program is being modeled after similar programs at private and public universities across the country, including Yale University in New Haven.

Richards said organizers are still finalizing “a lot of small things,” mostly to address “legalities and liabilities,” and he is confident the bicycles will be available in the spring.

Posted 11-30-2010

Two UConn students arrested for cyberbullying

Two University of Connecticut students are facing cyber­bullying charges after they were arrested by Bristol police earlier this month.

The two students, Jeff Martone and Sarah Johnson, were charged with criminal impersonation, second-degree harassment, conspiracy to commit crim­inal impersonation and conspiracy to commit second-degree harassment after they were arrested Nov. 19.

Both students were released on $2,500 bond and are scheduled to appear in Bristol Superior Court on Dec. 23.

Under state statutes, all four charges are considered misdemeanors, accord­ing to state Justice Department records.

Bristol police deferred comment to Lt. Thomas Grimaldi, the department’s pub­lic information officer, who could not be reached for comment this morning.

But according to WFSB Channel 3, the two UConn students were arrested for creating a fake account on Facebook to harass a former high school class­mate.

According to Connecticut state stat­utes, second-degree harassment includes a person using a computer “with intent to harass, annoy or alarm” another per­son.

UConn spokesman Michael Kirk said university officials are aware of the inci­dent, but UConn does not comment on individual cases involving students.

He did say UConn’s student code of conduct allows for investigations when students are accused of “wrongdoing,” even if the alleged acts occur off cam­pus.

Kirk said students who violate the code of conduct are subject to a “range of disciplinary actions” from warnings to expulsions.

Cyberbullying, or the use of computers to harass victims through e-mail, social networking sites and other avenues, has received plenty of attention among ele­mentary, middle and high schools.

But it recently gained more atten­tion among colleges across the country after Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide in October. Clementi jumped off the George Washington Bridge in New York City after his dorm-mate and another student broadcast, via the Internet, a sexual encounter he had with a male student.

Posted 11-30-2010

Huskies one win away from first-ever BCS Bowl bid

When a defensive tackle as big as Kendall Reyes starts building up steam, the laws of momentum, inertia, motion, gravity and centrifugal force all kick in. Especially the law of physics that states "an object in motion tends to stay in motion." Above, Reyes (99) in motion at the Pittsburgh game. File photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

Move over Jordan Todman, before you get run over by the Huskies’ newest – and largest – ballcarrier, Kendall Reyes, who turned in the biggest – and longest – play in UConn’s 38-17 win over Cincinnati at Rentschler Field Saturday afternoon (Nov. 27).

The win raises Connecticut’s record to 7-4 and puts the Huskies in the driver’s seat for the Big East title, needing only a win at South Florida on Dec. 4 to earn the league’s automatic Bowl Championship Series berth.

Todman scored three touchdowns and gained 175 yards rushing, but it was a 79-yard run by defensive lineman Kendall Reyes that literally turned the game around.

Rumblin’ and stumblin’

With UConn nursing a 17-10 lead, Cincinnati was threatening at the nine-yard line with a bit more than a minute to play in the first half. The Huskies hadn’t been able to stop the Bearcats who were just about to polish off a 10-play, 73-yard drive with a game-tying touchdown.

And up stepped Kendall – he literally jumped up at the line of scrimmage and got his hands on a pass, then cradled the ball in his muscular arms and headed toward paydirt.

Now, understand that despite his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame, the redshirt junior is fleet afoot. On the previous Bearcats possession, Reyes had roared into the backfield and chased Cincinnati quarterback Zach Collaros out of the pocket and forced him to the left sideline.

The junior passer made a fantastic throw to avoid a sack and found wide receiver Armon Binns who had gotten loose in the corner of the end zone. The 15-yard scoring toss cut UConn’s lead to 14-10.

But now would be the time for Reyes’ revenge for allowing Collaros to get that TD pass away on the previous series.

With a second-and-goal from the nine, the Cincinnati quarterback launched a pass that Reyes scooped out of midair and then began running toward the Connecticut goal line which was 84 very long yards away for a lineman.

Defensive lineman Kendall Reyes, shown here celebrating after a win earlier this season, had a 79-yard interception return against Cincinnati. File photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

Reyes began running down the sideline, his eyes set on the goal line; if a venerable football announcer were calling the game, he might say that “Reyes was rumblin’, stumblin’ down the field,” flanked by a convoy of Huskies who were knocking down Bearcats like bowling pins.

When a defensive tackle as big as Kendall Reyes starts building up steam, the laws of momentum, inertia, motion, gravity and centrifugal force all kick in. Especially the law of physics that states “an object in motion tends to stay in motion.”

Reyes was tending to stay in motion as he barreled past midfield, down to the 40, the 30, the 20, the 10. He was a like a – oh, let’s stay he was like a runaway freight train that even Denzel Washington couldn’t stop.

And he certainly wasn’t going to be stopped by Isaiah Pead, a 5-foot-10, 198-pound tailback who was the last Cincinnati player with a shot at the Runaway Reyes.

Pead’s angle would have intersected Reyes’ path at around the four and it’s hard to imagine that the lineman’s mass and momentum wouldn’t have carried him into the end zone. But we’ll never know, because linebacker Lawrence Wilson nudged Pead off balance and was called for an illegal block in the back (a questionable call, given the replays, but the call is not a reviewable one).

And so, even though Reyes got into the end zone, he was only credited with a run to the five-yard line, the spot of the foul.

Three-way tie

But thanks to his interception, instead of the Bearcats knocking on the doghouse at the nine, now it was the Huskies knocking on the door at the 15.

As he did in the Pitt game (above), guard Mathieu Olivier (66) opened big holes for Jordan Todman, who scored three times against the Bearcats in the Nov. 27 game. File photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

A few plays later, Todman scored his second touchdown of the afternoon and instead of what looked like a 17-17 tie only minutes earlier, thanks to Reyes’ 79-yard interception return, UConn led 24-10 with four seconds left in the first half.

Cincinnati’s Butch Jones realized the significance of the play: “When you look at the big play before the end of the half, there was an opportunity to go into the half 17 to 17, and then there was a big 14-point swing,” he said after the game.

Swingman Reyes didn’t get the lineman’s dream – scoring a touchdown – but his heads up, hands up play could lead to a dream being realized by the entire team, namely a trip to a BCS Bowl game.

With West Virginia having beaten Pittsburgh the day after Thanksgiving, UConn’s win on Saturday leaves all three teams tied atop the Big East standings with 4-2 records. Since UConn beat both the Mountaineers and the Panthers, Connecticut has dibs on all tiebreakers.

If the Huskies can beat South Florida in Tampa this Saturday, Dec. 4, (8 p.m., ESPN2), Connecticut would get its first-ever invitation to a major bowl game, either the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day or the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.

South Florida (7-4) traveled to downstate rival Miami on Saturday and upset the Hurricanes, 23-20, in overtime; so the Bulls haven’t packed their horns away for the season just yet.

Conceivably, UConn could lose and still sneak into a BCS Bowl, if Pitt loses to Cincinnati and UWV loses to Rutgers this weekend.

Stay focused

But Connecticut Head Coach Randy Edsall isn’t looking ahead to bowl invitations, just yet.

“We’re going to focus on the South Florida game, because that’s our biggest goal right now. South Florida is going to be a hard game. They beat Miami today, so we know it will be hard, but you play the game to be in this position,” Edsall told reporters after the Nov. 27 game.

And he advised the media not to ask players about the BCS Bowl possibilities, “because I told them to keep their mouths shut.”

It was a bit warmer at the Pitt game (above) than it was Saturday, but if UConn beats South Florida in Tampa at the Dec. 4 game, fans will indeed be able to say Connecticut is number 1 in the Big East. File photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

For Husky fans, on the other hand, there’ll be a lot of barking going on in the days leading up to the USF showdown.

Many who have endured previous bowl trips to such un-sunny, un-warm places as Detroit in December and Toronto in January may be hoping they can welcome the New Year in the dry heat of Arizona or the brilliant sunshine of southern Florida.

Edsall did have a message for the 40,000 fans on hand for yet another sellout at The Rent: “I want to thank the fans for being out there and showing the support they did today. It really makes a difference as you can see from us being undefeated at home,” said Edsall “If we continue to sell out, it can help us create something special.”

A whole new team

The Huskies are unbeaten at home, but have only won one road game this season – a week ago against then-second-place Syracuse. And that came in the midst of this four-game winning streak against the best teams in the conference, a streak that began after two straight disappointing – and, in hindsight, hard-to-figure – losses to lowly Louisville and Rutgers.

Todman, who maintained his spot as the nation’s second-leading rusher, says a lot has changed since those two losses that opened Big East play.

“You know, it’s a whole new team. Everybody has kind of switched attitudes and work ethic, and we’ve really started to practice, and we love to win and winning is addictive and makes everybody happy,” Todman said. “So, we’ll stick to what works so far and we have one more game on the way.”

While Todman was his usual workhorse self on offense – he carried the ball 31 times – quarterback Zach Frazer showed he has some open-field moves as well, when he deeked out a linebacker en route to a 19-yard run for a key first down midway through the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Zach Frazer completed 11 passes in 24 attempts for 121 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Huskies beat Cincinnati 38-17. File photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

Frazer hit 11 of 24 attempts for 121 yards, one touchdown (to Anthony Sherman, his first passing TD as a Husky) and one interception, the only turnover UConn had in the game.

Winning isn’t easy

Cincinnati, on the other hand, coughed up the ball five times, including four interceptions.

Reyes had that big one and was in the backfield a couple other times, twice throwing ballcarriers for a loss.

Defensive backs Jerome Junior and Blidi Wreh-Wilson each had a pick, as did Mike Lang, who made a spectacular late-game interception. He dove to snag the ball close to the ground, stretching as far as he could to get it under control before he hit the turf.

Sometimes people think winning is easy, but it’s really hard.

As Edsall said, “If you go back in UConn history, there has only been a couple times when there’s been four consecutive winning seasons.”

He added, “I’m very pleased for the kids, especially because it wasn’t easy today against a tough Cincinnati team… We were able to do a little better than the 700 yards and 47 points they got on us last year; I think the kids got tired of me saying that all week.”

Posted Nov. 30, 2010

Local police: Holiday weekend was a safe one

While statewide traffic statistics var­ied compared to last year, local public safety officials said area roadways were safer this Thanksgiving weekend than in years past.

Local police departments reported only minor accidents, with no major injuries and no fatalities, during the holiday weekend, which started mid­night last Wednesday and continued through this morning.

Willimantic Police Lt. Raymond Evans said the department also had only three drunken-driving incidents over that span, while Coventry Chief Mark Palmer said his department had none.

“I think the visible patrols are effec­tive, as well as the media campaigns,” Palmer said, noting the reduction in drunken-driving arrests. Palmer said Coventry police also re­sponded to four accidents and issued some citations for moving violations, but said local drivers appeared focused on safety.

Evans said Willimantic also had four accidents, issued 19 citations, responded to 10 disturbance calls and made a total of 23 motor vehicle stops, making for a ” very light holiday” weekend.

“We found that the traffic was very similar, if not increased, from previ­ous years,” Evans also said, noting the drop in police activity was the result of safe drivers and not a reduction in traffic.

Palmer agreed, saying traffic appeared similar to last year, and was only heavier on Sunday because of a University of Connecticut women’s basketball game.

Willimantic Fire Department Chief Marc Scrivener said the department also did not respond to any major accidents over the weekend, although he said he did not know about the overall requests for help compared to previous years.

He did say Thanksgiving was “a pretty quiet afternoon.” The depart­ment did not respond to any accidents last Thursday.

Overall, the department received a total of 40 calls for assistance over the weekend, including small fires in Columbia Friday afternoon and He­bron this morning.

Statistics from state police, though, show a mixed bag when compared with last year, as some police actions were up from last year.

State police stopped 2,255 drivers for speeding, compared to 1,528 last year and 3,411 for other moving vio­lations such as unsafe lane changes and cell phone usage, up from 1,460 last year.

State police also saw increases in drunken-driving arrests (80 this year versus 76 last year), accidents (391 versus 376 last year) and accidents resulting in injuries (57 versus 46 last year).

But state police saw a dramatic decrease in seat-belt violations this year, with only 151 versus 769 last year, and had only one fatality, down from five last year.

Posted 11-29-2010

Costs a worry for Mansfield school projects

With some councilmen concerned about the cost of building two new schools, the council has asked school offi­cials to provide a cost analysis of various options when it talks again next month.

The council is hoping to have a school building project proposal in place by February and some councilmen said during a work­shop session last week that they were worried a two-school option could be too costly.

The council has been weigh­ing three proposals, including building either one or two schools and renovating Mansfield Middle School, or simply renovating all three elementary schools along with MMS.

After agreeing in July it was not ready to send a project to the polls in November, the council has been holding monthly workshops with a goal of having a proposal ready for a vote in the spring.

One of the major discussion points during recent workshop ses­sions has been whether the town could find a second location in the north side of town if the council chose the two-school option.

Town Planning Director Gregory Padick indicated the Dorothy C. Goodwin Elementary School property on Hunting Lodge Road could host a new school if the town could purchase two adjacent properties. He and other town and project officials walked one of the two properties last week and said preliminary information shows the purchase could help, but also said the town would need to study the site further.

Councilmen were hesitant to provide as much as $25,000 for the study after learning the cost to purchase the two sites.

Padick said information from the town assessor indicates the two properties have a combined value of $500,000 to $1 million.

Councilman Bill Ryan said he was “very troubled” by the costs of a possible two-school option, saying the project could lead to a tax increase of as much as 5 per­cent on its own.

“We’re going to be looking at a tax hike of 5 percent or more, and that’s not going to fly,” he said, adding the council also needed to consider future budget increases from the town, school board and E.O. Smith High School.

Talks of a two- school option have focused on locating the other school on the property of South­east Elementary School along Route 89. The last projection for the project resulted in cost esti­mate of $59.58 million, with the town funding $27 million and the rest reimbursed by the state.

But the project architect has not created any designs for a two­school option and the figures come from basic numbers, includ­ing space and building cost esti­mates, school officials said.

Councilmen and school offi­cials said they wanted to ask the architect about the information used to calculate the estimate and whether different materials and other changes could bring the fig­ure down.

The council could also decide to build one large elementary school and perform renovations to MMS. That would cost more than $48 million with state reimbursements bringing the town’s share to $19 million.

Councilmen asked Finance Dir­ector Cherie Trahan to provide a cost analysis for a two-school option, including more informa­tion on state reimbursements and how much the town could save with energy improvements in the new building.

They also asked Trahan for a cost analysis for a full renovation of all three elementary schools and MMS to make the buildings last for 20 years. Estimates on the town’s share have ranged from $ 20 million to $ 45.2 million, but a recent projection for a scaled back project, which focused on neces­sary repairs, was approximately $13.28 million.

Posted 11-29-2010

Does your holiday display light up the neighborhood?

Do you go all out this time of year – whether it’s a herd of twinkling deer on the lawn, or a Winter wonderland that the neighbors look forward to each year?

Or maybe your style is a little more subdued, but still lovely?

If so, why not share your creation with a wider audience?

The Mansfield Beautification Committee will be visiting holiday displays on the evening of Monday, Dec. 13.

The most impressive displays of holiday spirit will be awarded certificates of recognition.

Judging will be based on originality and creative design.

Any resident of Mansfield who wants to nominate their home or business should call the Beautification Committee Chairman at 860-429-3855 before Dec. 12, 2010.

Don’t miss this opportunity to share your holiday spirit!

Posted Nov. 28, 2010

UConn tames Bearcats, 38-17, now closer to Bowl Championship Series

Defensive tackle Kendall Reyes (99), shown here in the Pittsburgh game, had a key interception against Cincinnati in the Nov. 27 game. Photo © 2010 by Vito J. Leo for HTNP.com Sports

Junior tailback Jordan Todman ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns as the University of Connecticut recorded a 38-17 BIG EAST Conference football victory over Cincinnati Saturday afternoon (Nov. 27) before a sellout crowd of 40,000 at Rentschler Field on Senior Day.

With the victory, UConn has now won four-straight games.

The victory improves the Huskies’ record to 7-4 overall and 4-2 in BIG EAST games.

With Saturday’s victory and if another next week at South Florida, the Huskies will be league champions and earn the conference’s automatic bid into the Bowl Championship Series.

The Bearcats drop to 4-7, 2-4 on the season.

Todman, whose three rushing touchdowns give him 31 in his career, (good for a tie for third all-time at Storrs with Terry Caulley) scored twice in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Cincinnati had drawn within seven on a three-yard run by Zach Collaros with 8:41 to play.

After redshirt junior tailback Robbie Frey returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to set the Huskies up at the Bearcat 36, Todman bulled over from the one to cap a five-play drive to put the Huskies back up by two scores, 31-17.

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson intercepted a Collaros pass and returned it 53 yards to set the Huskies up again deep in Cincinnati territory.

Three plays later Todman scooted in from the nine and the victory was sealed. Todman now has surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark 14 times in his career, nine times this season and in 11 of his last 12 games.

The Huskies drew first blood in the contest on their second possession, when redshirt senior quarterback Zach Frazer connected with senior fullback Anthony Sherman on a 16-yard scoring toss. It was Sherman’s first career touchdown reception.

Frazer was efficient all afternoon, throwing for 121 yards on 11-of-24 passing with the one touchdown and one interception.

Cincinnati got on the board on a field goal late in the first quarter, and then the Huskies took advantage of the game’s first turnover.

Redshirt senior linebacker Lawrence Wilson forced a fumble by Bearcat wideout Anthony McClung that was recovered by redshirt senior defensive tackle Alex Polito at the Bearcat 48.

Nine plays later, Frey ran it in from the six to put the Huskies up 14-3.

Cincinnati quickly answered on a 15-yard pass from Collaros to Armon Binns, but the Huskies responded with a 12-play, 50-yard drive that climaxed in a 24-yard field goal by redshirt junior placekicker Dave Teggart.

The field goal was Teggart’s 46th at Connecticut, and moved him into first place all-time at Storrs.

The end of the first half saw a crucial turnaround that helped the Huskies’ cause.

The Bearcats had driven to the Connecticut 9 and were threatening to tie the score when redshirt junior defensive tackle Kendall Reyes knocked down a Collaros pass, snagged the ball in midair and rambled 84 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown. However, Wilson was called for blocking in the back at the Cincinnati 5.

Five plays later, Todman scored from the one with four seconds to play before intermission and the Huskies took a 24-10 lead into the locker room.

Collaros threw for 288 yards while completing 26-of-50 passes, but he was intercepted four times. He also ran for 84 yards and a score.

Binns finished with 107 yards receiving on nine catches.

Redshirt sophomore cornerback Dwayne Gratz led the Huskies with nine tackles, but was called for three pass interference penalties on one drive in the fourth quarter.

Sophomore defensive end Jesse Joseph registered the only Connecticut sack.

The Huskies will wrap up the 2010 regular season next Saturday, Dec. 4 at University of South Florida. That game will be played at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.

Posted Nov. 27, 2010