EnglishHaitian CreoleSpanish

Update on home energy assistance

Connecticut received $159.9 million for home energy assistance – a record amount thanks to the American Rescue Plan.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that due to passage of the American Rescue Plan, Connecticut has received a record $159.9 million for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) available this fiscal year (October 2021 to September 2022).

As part of a state-by-state breakdown of funding, the Administration reported that in addition to an annual appropriation of $65.8 million for Connecticut, the state received an additional $94.1 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan – more than double the state’s typical annual funding. The total of $159.9 million is the highest amount Connecticut has ever received in LIHEAP to help families struggling with the costs of home heating.

Today in 1943, our namesake George Washington Carver died at the age of 80

The Carver Foundation of Norwalk was founded by volunteer community leaders in 1938 and named after George Washington Carver.

When he died on January 5, 1943, Carver left a legacy of a revived and diversified Southern agriculture and hundreds of new and improved food products. Think of him whenever you're enjoying peanut butter.

Carver was born into slavery in Missouri sometime in the first half of the 1860s: The exact date is unknown. His father was killed in an accident before George was born. Slaveholder Moses Carver sent his slaves to Arkansas during the Civil War, and though George's mother was never heard from again, the boy was returned to the Missouri plantation at the end of the war.

He was no longer a slave, but he was frail and not hardy enough for fieldwork. Instead, he helped with household chores and gardening. Carver developed considerable knowledge of local vegetation and gained a reputation as a "plant doctor" who could nurse sickly plants back to health.

Carver left the plantation and set out on his own at about age 10. He supported himself as a household worker, cook, laundryman, and farmhand. He picked up a high school education in Minneapolis, Kansas, and went on to study at Simpson College in Iowa.

An art teacher there recognized Carver's skill with plants and encouraged him to enroll at the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now Iowa State University). He was the first black student to enroll there, and he excelled in classes and extracurricular life.

Carver received a bachelor's degree in 1894 and was invited to join the faculty (again the first black) as an assistant botanist for the College Experiment Station. He published work on plant diseases and fungi, gaining national recognition and a master's degree.

Booker T. Washington invited Carver to join the faculty of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama in 1896, and Carver became its director of agricultural research. Carver sought to revitalize Southern agriculture through research, education, and diversification.

The continuous cultivation of single crops (cotton in some places, tobacco elsewhere) had seriously depleted soils throughout the South. Carver recommended planting peanuts, soybeans, and other legumes because these could restore nitrogen to the exhausted and eroded soil. He also advised Alabama farmers to plant sweet potatoes.

The first farmers to follow these suggestions got good results, but couldn't find the market to make their new crops profitable. So Carver set about finding new uses for the crops.

Besides peanut butter, he developed 325 derivative products from peanuts, including cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils, and cosmetics. He also came up with 118 sweet-potato products: flour, vinegar, molasses, ink, synthetic rubber, and postage-stamp glue, etc. Add to that another hundred or so products from another dozen plant sources.

Carver carried the Iowa State Extension idea to the South, encouraging the teaching of new techniques to local farmers in their own communities. The boll weevil pest was destroying the South's cotton economy, and Carver's contributions came just in time to save -- and transform -- the region's agriculture.

He stayed at Tuskegee for the rest of his life, turning down job offers from other colleges and from industry magnates Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Praised by many white leaders for his scientific contributions and his cooperative attitude, he was criticized by some black leaders for what they felt was excessive deference.

By the time of Carver's death, peanuts had risen from insignificance to one of the six leading crops in the nation -- and second in the South. Among many other honors, Carver is enshrined and honored in the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the Hall of Fame for Great Americans — and here in Norwalk, CT!

The Hour: Free classes grow a new generation of creatives at Norwalk Art Space

See the entire article here in The Hour.

The Norwalk Art Space is a vital support to Carver youth as seen here and here, and continues to fulfill the vision of its founder, Alexandra Korry.

Building community is never easy. In COVID days, it seems all but impossible. But that is exactly what the Norwalk Art Space is doing: Growing community through art, music, mentorship and food.

The idea behind the Norwalk Art Space on West Avenue is intriguing. Each year, five established artists are named Korry Fellows and exhibit their work in the large main-floor room. In exchange, the fellows mentor four younger resident artists who receive free studio space downstairs. The resident artists then teach free art classes to high school students in a room filled with easels and supplies. Three generations building a community of artists in Norwalk.

Isabella Cuartas, a junior at the Center of Global Studies, said she learned a lot in her first “professional” art class. Lizi Mamukashvili, a sophomore at Norwalk High School, said her art space teacher treated her like a colleague.

“You were not treated like a kid but treated like an equal,” she said. “It was a good feeling.”

…Norwalk Art Space’s founder and funder, Alexandra Davern Korry, was a highly successful lawyer, civil rights activist and educator who lived in Westport. Her goal in buying and renovating the former church was to “enhance opportunities and equity in the local arts community by promoting local artists, offering free educational opportunities to under-served students, and providing the public a welcoming space to enjoy art and music,” according the Norwalk Art Space newsletter.

Artistic and Educational Director Duvian Montoya, a Norwalk native, wants all the classes completely filled.

“I wish there was something like this when I was growing up,” he said.

Art classes are open to any student in the area and are free. Registration is open now for classes that begin on Jan. 24. (www.thenorwalkartspace.org).

How Can I Protect My Family From Omicron?

The Omicron variant is spreading widely and risk for infections is higher than before. This creates uncertainty for parents, especially those with children too young to be vaccinated.

At this time, there is no plan to return to remote learning. Our schools will continue to work closely with the Norwalk Health Department and to follow all state guidelines, which currently require that students attend school in person.

The President announced sweeping measures yesterday to combat rising COVID-19 cases across the country, including buying half a billion at-home COVID-19 test kits that will be sent out for free and utilizing the Defense Production Act to manufacture as many tests as possible. 

Testing:  

There are over 400 testing sites open in the state. Anyone experiencing symptoms should contact their primary care provider to schedule a test. Anyone who does not have a primary care provider should call 2-1-1 or visit the CT Testing Locator to locate the nearest testing site. 

What about protecting my children from Omicron?

The risk of getting infected and the risk of becoming seriously ill are two ways to look at the rise of Omicron. A high level of infection in the community does increase the risk of infection in all ages. But vaccinating children isn’t the only way to protect them. Generally, we can increase the protection of unvaccinated children by ensuring that the adults in their lives are vaccinated. This remains an important way to protect children who are too young to be vaccinated.

You can also reduce the risk that your child will be exposed to the virus by avoiding crowded, indoor spaces and other gatherings, using rapid tests before social events, and having adults wear masks around your young children.

Regarding the risk of disease in young children, fortunately, all the data we have suggest that the risk of their developing severe illness if they become infected is much lower than for adults and teens.

Boosters: 

If you have not gotten a booster and you qualify, public health officials recommend you get one immediately. According to the CDC, studies show after getting vaccinated against COVID-19, protection against the virus and the ability to prevent infection with variants may decrease over time. 

Getting the COVID-19 booster shot if you are eligible will protect you and your family. Click here to schedule a COVID-19 booster shot appointment. Below is information on who is eligible for a COVID-19 booster.