Branford Eagle

Quarry Life Recalled

by marcia chambers | May 7, 2012 11:18 am

Carl Balestracci, the former first selectman of Guilford, and Unk DaRos, the current first selectman of Branford, have spent years talking politics, government and shared town concerns. But on Saturday the topic was granite as they returned to the place of their youth, to the Stony Creek quarry, a place that bisects their borders, their town’s histories and their own lives.

Under grey and cool skies, they shared stories of the impact of the quarry on their lives. Their grandparents came to this country from Italy to work in the quarries. The immigration of thousands of workers over decades transformed the once tiny towns of Guilford and Branford and changed their economic, religious and cultural make-up. These immigrants created the great monuments in the world, including the base of the Statute of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. 

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Cop (Communication) Down

by marcia chambers | May 4, 2012 8:46 am

The Branford Police Department’s communications system went down on Wednesday for about eight hours, the chief of police told a town legislative committee as it discussed financing for a new police radio emergency system. 

Chief Kevin Halloran said the breakdown of the old system, now 17 years old, required the department to share band space with the fire department in order to answer and receive emergency calls. “At this moment,” he said in an interview at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, “we are functioning at about 50 percent of our capacity, but we are tied in through the fire department.”

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Wang To Judge: “I Am a Different Species”

by marcia chambers | May 2, 2012 10:59 am

In a series of motions a criminal defense attorney would have barred,  Dr. Lishan Wang explained his motives for setting out to murder Dr. Vanjeer Toor two years ago last week in an ambush shooting outside his condo in Branford. Wang is also accused of attempting to kill Toor’s wife.

In one of his motions seeking documents about Dr. Toor, Dr, Wang, who is representing himself, described Toor’s conduct against him when the two were physicians at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., as “malicious,” “disgusting,” “hurtful” and “evil.”  Many of the statements in the motion could be viewed as admissions of guilt, the judge said. 

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Bring On The Owls

by marcia chambers | May 1, 2012 8:15 am

Decades from now the sounds of owls and migrating birds may be heard from inside the gates of Foote Memorial Park. That’s because a new Pinetum, a habitat of 100 conifer trees, has been planted in clusters of a large lawn within the park. These native trees, including eastern red cedar and white pine, will attract migratory birds, nesting birds, and owls. It may someday become a birdlife refuge. 

In honor of Arbor Day last Friday, the Community Forest Commission, which began three years ago, decided to create a new, dense pine forest within a lovely town park.  All the trees were donated by the Lion’s Club. One by one they were planted last week. 

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Teacher “Mini-Evals” Tested

by Diana Stricker | Apr 30, 2012 11:06 am | Comments (3)

The Branford School District is creating a new system of teacher evaluations that relies on unannounced “mini-observations” instead of scheduled classroom visits that often result in a “dog-and-pony show” atmosphere.

The “mini-observations” would last 10 minutes at a time. The principal or supervisor would return repeatedly over the year in order to determine how the class is progressing.

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It’s Our Birthday!

by marcia chambers | Apr 27, 2012 8:26 am | Comments (2)

Six years ago this week the Branford Eagle began publication in our area’s online newspaper, The New Haven Independent.

With the help and encouragement of people throughout our town, our reporters, all professionals, have written stories on the most pressing issues facing the town. The Branford Eagle also has a television news show on BCTV where we interview the town’s newsmakers on the local and state level.

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Bank Robber Gets 20

by marcia chambers | Apr 25, 2012 3:09 pm

On Jan. 3, 2011, James Bieu went on a bank robbery spree, holding up three banks, including the People’s Bank at a Stop & Shop in Branford where he demanded funds from a teller, saying “Give me money or die.”  Last week Bieu, a career criminal, with a long history of bank robbery and other crimes, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. 

The bank teller at the Exit 56 Stop & Shop, working a few feet from shoppers lined up at the check-out counter, put $8,439 in a bag. Bieu fled.  Four days later, he held up the New Alliance bank in Hamden, telling the teller to give him money or he would blow her head off. She put $2,562 in his bag. He fled.

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13 By 11:30

by marcia chambers | Apr 24, 2012 1:13 pm

UPDATED—Republican voters were hardly flocking to the polls in Branford this morning. At the third district in Short Beach, where there are 263 eligible Republican voters, only 13 voters turned out to vote by 11:30 today. There were no lines anywhere. Six workers were on hand, said Moderator Chris Collins. All awaited voters. In the past, several hundred voters would have cast votes by this hour. But there is no Democratic primary this year because no democrat is challenging President Obama. 

It appeared not many people knew there was even a Republcan primary election for President of the United States. No Republican party workers were outside the third district polling place at Orchard House.   

Anyone see a television ad for Republicans Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul seeking your vote in the Republican primary election for U.S. president today?  Anyone see a presidential candidate in the state over the weekend?  Did you get any robo calls? 

We haven’t either.

What was supposed to be the Northeast version of Super Tuesday is turning out to be ho-hum Tuesday. This year’s primary came too late for Connecticut voters to engage in the race. What may have been a horse race changed when Rick Santorum abruptly pulled out of the presidential race earlier this month.

Still, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday statewide as Republicans cast ballots for their choice for U.S. president. Only registered Republicans can vote in this primary. 

On Feb. 10, Denise Merrill, the secretary of the state, formally placed four Republican candidates’ names on the ballot.  Santorum’s name is still on the Connecticut ballot along with front-runner Milt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. His withdrawal two weeks ago came too late to remove him from the ballot. 

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First Test For New BOS Meeting Rules

by Diana Stricker | Apr 22, 2012 9:31 pm

The first test of the two-week-old rules of conduct for Branford Board of Selectmen meetings came last Wednesday as one resident repeatedly objected to several agenda items, including proclamations for Arbor Day and Open Space Celebration Day.

Although the Board of Selectmen (BOS) did not rule resident Wayne Cooke out of order, it did attempt to keep the meeting moving ahead. Cooke, the resident whose comments have interrupted meetings over the past few years, was not at the April 4 meeting when the rules were adopted.

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Early Bloomers

by Mary Johnson | Apr 20, 2012 11:29 am | Comments (1)

An unseasonably mild winter, combined with summer temperatures in early spring, has prompted flowers and flowering trees to bloom early this year.  Daffodils were early and bright and sturdy. Here they are at Branford Point, a town park by the sea.

Here’s one view of the pear trees on Main Street

Here’s another in the center of town.

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