The Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation is
donating 2,500 gun safety locks to the police departments of Bridgeport,
Stratford, Fairfield and Waterbury, which will be distributed to residents free
of charge.
Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch thanked the foundation and
said, "Every lock we give out potentially prevents a tragedy and saves a
life.”
During the past decade, Project ChildSafe, administered
by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, dispensed 36 million firearm safety
kits nationwide. The kits include a cable lock that makes a gun impossible to
fire, and safety brochures.
The Foundation opposes strengthening gun safety laws in
Connecticut, or anywhere else in the U.S.
Finch said, “Reasonable people can disagree on public
policy, but today’s event illustrates that people with divergent views even on
a subject as important as gun control can find common ground and come together
for the safety of families and children.”
A bill introduced in
the Connecticut legislature would require pediatricians to screen their
patients in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 for behavioral health problems during annual
physical exams. The objective is to identify mental health problems in a timely
way.
It was proposed by Senator Toni Harp, who co-chaired the
legislative working group on mental health issues set up after the Newtown
massacre. The bill has generated criticism from parents and homeschool
advocates who say it would stigmatize children, intrude on parents' rights,
and cost millions of dollars.
Under the bill, the assessments would be done by the
child's pediatrician, who would submit a form to the state verifying that the
child had received the assessment. The results would be confidential and
disclosed only to a child's parent or guardian.
The bill as written, applies to all public and
homeschooled children, but Harp said Tuesday she would drop the requirement for
home-schooled children. She would also consider adding private school children
to the legislation.
Opponents said the bill is unnecessary because it
duplicates federal laws that require boards of education to identify, assess
and serve children with serious emotional disturbances. Deborah Stevenson,
founder of National Home Education Legal Defense, said the issue is one of
parents' rights, and has been upheld by a long line of cases in the U.S. and
Connecticut Supreme Courts.
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A group of 26 professional and amateur cyclists rode
400-miles from Newtown to Washington, D.C. to campaign for stronger gun safety
laws. They were welcomed by Connecticut’s congressional delegation on Tuesday.
While they may have stirred public support with their
ride, Congress is gridlocked on the major gun-control measures under
consideration, a proposed assault weapons ban and an expansion of FBI
background checks to all gun buyers.
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Brookhaven Town officials are considering
a proposal to build large-scale renewable green energy facilities on as many as
15 sites over the next two years. . If approved, the proposal could net
the town an estimated $40 million to $50 million over the next 20 years.
The plan's primary component is a private-public partnership with solar developer American Capital Energy to construct solar panel arrays and small-scale wind turbine sites at town-operated facilities.
If fully implemented, the systems would
generate up to 50 megawatts of alternating current electricity, enough to power
8,400 homes.
The developer would sell the energy produced to
LIPA through a Power Purchase Agreement .
Each of the proposed sites will include at least
one, or a combination of ground, roof or car port solar panel arrays with some
having wind turbines.
In addition, 10 solar fueling stations are
proposed for Town Hall to allow residents to charge the batteries of electric
powered vehicles.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Panelists included Long Island labor leaders and representatives of the Long Island Farm Bureau and the Long Island Association. The discussion was introduced by First District Congressman Tim Bishop
A video of the meeting is available at Patchogue.Patch.com
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