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Items by Jen Alexander

  • Board of Education December Meeting

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 8
    The Board of Ed held their regular meeting on Tuesday night. Amid other business, the discussion covered the new student enrichment program and the proposal for redistricting the elementary schools. The meeting was held at the council chambers at City Hall, in front of an audience of a few dozen [...]
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    Posted: December 10, 2009, 12:01am EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • The Nutcracker to be performed in Middletown

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Candy come to life, dancing wooden toy soldiers, and a battle against the giant warrior mice and their evil king -- sound familiar? It's Tchaikovsky's classic holiday ballet: The Nutcracker. And this year, you won't have to go out of town to see it.Presented by the renowned ballet troupe Joseph' [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 12:30pm EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • It's a party!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    In my neighborhood, election night is bigger than the Superbowl. Somebody puts out the nosh, friends gather, children run underfoot - and if someone is caught chatting when the returns come in, it's as if they changed channels during a touchdown.Indecision seemed to be the theme of this year's election [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 8:22pm EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • Answer the Question

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 5
    Here's something I didn't notice: there is a question on today's ballot. The text reads: "Shall Section IX, Section 2 be approved?"  The full text is:"Shall Section IX, Section 2:  Debt Authorization as adopted by the COmmon Council as presented by the Charter Revision Commission to raise debt authorization to $750,000'" [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 1:59pm EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • Who did you vote for?

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 18
    Like Ed, I've talked to lots of folks in the past week who are trying to figure out who to vote for. And after spending the first four hours of election day at the polls at Macdonough, my entirely unscientific opinion is that more people are undecided than ever.Personally, I'll [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 10:35am EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • Snack n' Vote

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Don't forget to support your local PTA bake sale when you visit the polls!' [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 9:49am EST
    by Jen Alexander

  • Board of Ed Meeting Report

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    Middletown middle schoolers who go to the math/science magnet school in Meriden are doing better on the CMT's than their peers who stay in town. That was the news delivered by staff from the Thomas Edison Magnet School who presented their statistics at Tuesday's Board of Ed meeting. Here's a [...]
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    Posted: October 14, 2009, 12:03pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • First Meeting of Parking Committee

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    On Tuesday night, the committee which will oversee the new Parking Department met to discuss organizational business. The department was created by the Common Council last Spring in response to the 15-month Parking Study. That study found that although downtown needs some additional parking spots, much of the shortage and [...]
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    Posted: September 16, 2009, 11:26am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Little Kids to attend Middletown High!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Middletown High is offering classes for 3 to 5 year olds - and it's not just for the gifted and talented.Teacher Kristen Kujawski leads a Family and Consumer Science class that will offer a preschool program from November to June. The program allows high school students to work with preschool' [...]
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    Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:57am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Last chance Vecchitto's

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Vecchitto's Lemon Ice on DeKoven Drive will close for the season on Friday. [...]
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    Posted: September 08, 2009, 6:30am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Kettle Korn Alert

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    The Haddam Neck Fair is open until Monday afternoon.You've already missed the Beard contest - that was on Saturday at 11 am. But maybe you can still catch Multiple Births at noon on Sunday or Skillet Throwing on Monday at 11 am. You'll find the entire schedule here.The town Republicans [...]
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    Posted: September 06, 2009, 9:15am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Maconough staff are all wet

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Middletown schools don't open until next Wednesday, but Macdonough School on Spring Street was packed with families on Saturday for the Back to School Bash. The Faith Christian and Catalyst Churches cooperate to put on a fun-filled family party for all the new and returning students at Macdonough, with a' [...]
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    Posted: August 29, 2009, 6:23pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Board of Ed Meets

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Reading scores are solidly up in our schools. Writing and math…not so much. That’s the condensed version of the presentation on CMT scores at Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.Assistant Superintendent Barbara Senges walked the Board through the results for the 3rd through 8th grade CMT scores, comparing this year to [...]
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    Posted: August 27, 2009, 1:34am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • School Choice for Bielefield, Snow, & Spencer

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    I wrote to Barbara Senges at the Board of Ed about the recent news that three Middletown Elementary schools will now have a choice option, due to their CMT scores over the past two years. She got right back to me with the following information, and I'm printing it verbatim' [...]
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    Posted: August 21, 2009, 5:26pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Bits of Board of Ed News

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 9
    I was at the Board of Ed this morning, and I picked up some bits of news for y'all.Middletown takes a medal in the state education olympics!Ok, so there isn't really a "state education olympics", but Middletown did receive honors this morning as one of the top three school districts [...]
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    Posted: August 18, 2009, 4:03pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Hamburg Fair Ends on Sunday

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    It's country fair season in Connecticut. If you are so inclined, you can spend almost every weekend from here to Halloween surrounded by exhibition bunnies, lime rickeys and prize-winning pumpkins. There's a complete list at www.ctfairs.org.Everyone knows about the Granddaddy of all Connecticut Fairs: that would be the Durham Fair [...]
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    Posted: August 15, 2009, 10:15pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Food donations needed

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Food Not Bombs is not the only news item related to fighting hunger.The Amazing Grace Food Pantry has put out a Red Alert that their supplies are unusually low and demand is up. Families in need are eligible to visit once a month to receive food. Last July, 660 families [...]
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    Posted: August 13, 2009, 4:36pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • ConnectiCon 2009

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Win points with the geeks in your life by suggesting a visit to this weekend's ConnectiCon at the Hartford Convention Center. Three days of immersion in the world of comic books, Japanese manga & anime, local zines and game-playing. Costumes optional but fabulous.For my Middletown Eye report on last year's' [...]
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    Posted: July 31, 2009, 12:10pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Now you see it, Now you don't!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 4
    Anyone recognize the scene in this picture? I was so excited to see this completely blank wall this evening, that I drove back around to take a photo just for you. Need a hint? Here's what it looked like before.That's right! After 11 months, the graffiti on Hartford Avenue has [...]
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    Posted: July 28, 2009, 10:43pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Graffiti Removal 101

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 3
    If you've ever tried to remove graffiti from your property, you know it can be a tricky business. Brick, paint, metal - there are lots of questions to answer before you can find the right way to remove it without damaging the surface underneath. There will be a seminar on' [...]
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    Posted: July 24, 2009, 1:04pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Bike Racks on Main Street!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    Here's something we can check off on our "TO DO" list.This morning, the Department of Public Works is installing two bike racks downtown, one at the corner of Court and Main and the other at the corner of Liberty and Main.The racks were donated by Harding Development, the owners of [...]
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    Posted: July 22, 2009, 11:45am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • You are under observation

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    While I was walking on Main Street this morning, I noticed this group of local teenagers taking notes about passers-by. Led by Justin Carbonella of the City's Youth Services Bureau, they are part of a summer-long program in research and community action, called Participatory Action Research. Clipboards in hand, the [...]
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    Posted: July 14, 2009, 11:23am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Mystery Vacation Photo

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 4
    Ed asked for vacation photos - here's one of my girls outside the Visitor Center at an Important Location in American Literature. Can anyone guess where they are? If it doesn't come to mind, try asking a teenager.' [...]
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    Posted: July 14, 2009, 12:37am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Theater for Grownups

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    If you run out of Middletown entertainment options, then head down to the Ivoryton Playhouse where The Full Monty is playing through July 26th.The Ivoryton Playhouse is a classic professional summer theater with a long pedigree of stars (and future stars) who have appeared there over its 70+ years of [...]
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    Posted: July 10, 2009, 5:52pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    I've just come from the screening of It Happened One Night at Wesleyan's summer film series. What a blast - watching this great Frank Capra film surrounded by people from the community. We tsk tsked when the hero missed his first chance to kiss the girl, cheered when she came' [...]
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    Posted: July 07, 2009, 10:05pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Al Fresco Additions

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Two more restaurants have joined the sidewalk table trend on Main Street. Esca debuted their outdoor seating on Friday, and Fiore's is constructing a planters into their barriers, with tables soon to follow. Now if it would only stop raining! [...]
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    Posted: July 05, 2009, 2:33pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Lost Bird

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Click on the photo to read all the details. [...]
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    Posted: July 03, 2009, 7:14pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Car Vandalism and Break-ins

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Unfortunately, there's been a rash of car break-ins downtown recently, especially in the Main Street area, both in daylight and at night. In a few cases, the car windows were broken and in other cases, items were stolen from the cars. The primary target seems to be GPS systems that [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 3:06pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Good Transportation

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    I'd like to recommend the Spring issue of GOOD magazine to anyone interested in the issues of transit, cycling, walkable neighborhoods or highway policy.The articles range from solidly practical (how to choose a bike) to whimsical (the development of floating cars). There's a great image on how to arrange a' [...]
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    Posted: July 02, 2009, 12:01am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Countdown from 98

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Some may think that summer begins on the 21st of June. Others, looking at our soggy weather, may think it will never arrive. But Middletown families know that the first true day of summer is the morning that you wake up to summer vacation.That's today.Back in September, I wrote about [...]
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    Posted: June 26, 2009, 12:28am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Nehemiah digs in

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    The performance hall at the Green Street Arts Center was packed with dignitaries for Monday's groundbreaking ceremony for the North End Home Ownership project. After remarks by no less than 15 politicians and stakeholders in the project, the crowd moved outside for a golden shovel ceremony. The developers, Nehemiah Housing [...]
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    Posted: June 22, 2009, 9:57pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Meeting Middle City

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    I went to tonight's "getting to know you" reception for the new theater group in town: the Middle City Stage Company. In spite of the rain, they had a nice turnout at Main Street Market. Kelly DiMauro, one of the principals of the group, is already planning for their first [...]
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    Posted: June 18, 2009, 8:45pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Not News Anymore

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 3
    It was nice to rest on our birthday laurels here at the Middletown Eye. But what's this sensation of nagging guilt? Oh yeah. It's all the unfinished blog entries and photos that I never got around to posting over the past year.I'd like to claim today as a sort of' [...]
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    Posted: June 17, 2009, 1:00am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Happy Birthday to Us!

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Happy Birthday!One year ago today, Ed McKeon sat down at his computer and tapped out a post on the power of the people to create their own press, unleashing the Middletown Eye upon the world.One year later, it adds up to 93,814 visits, 1236 articles, and a current average of [...]
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    Posted: June 16, 2009, 8:54am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Roses in the Rain

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    I know there's a lot of important business going on in town lately, but I didn't want that to distract us from one of the North End's shining moments: the annual blooming of the roses. Planting a rose near the door is part of this neighborhood's long tradition of front' [...]
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    Posted: June 12, 2009, 6:00pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Esca: worth getting a babysitter

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 4
    It's official: being a grown-up is in.Esca, the long-awaited wine bar at the corner of Washington & Main, ushers in a new level of sophisticated dining in Middletown. At a family & friends opening party on Wednesday night, the new restaurant was packed with well-wishers who clustered around the bar [...]
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    Posted: June 11, 2009, 1:00am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Citizenship for dinner

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    We're having a full-course meal of Chamber of Commerce events this week -- and if Monday morning's meeting was the appetizer, then Wednesday's Annual Awards Dinner was the main course. Each year, the Chamber honors members who have used their business success to give back to the community, naming them' [...]
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    Posted: June 04, 2009, 12:01am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Arafeh feels the love & local boy makes good

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    As Chamber President Larry McHugh likes to say, the sun always shines in Middlesex County. That sums up the mood at this morning's Chamber breakfast at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cromwell. A crowd of about 600 people shared breakfast, while Middletown maven Barbara Arafeh was honored for 40+ years [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2009, 9:42am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Restaurant Rumors

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    Hope you're hungry, because there are lots of changes at Main Street restaurants - either because of the economy or in spite of it.First, a trio of alterations at Metro Square:•Megawraps has given up on the lunch crowd in favor of a piece of Middletown's growing nightlife. Now called the' [...]
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    Posted: June 01, 2009, 6:00am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Make friends with the library

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 2
    When I'm counting my Middletown blessings, Russell Library always makes the list. Whether they're offering a folk music concert, hosting a lively community meeting or feeding my teenagers' Japanese manga addiction, the library helps to make this a great place to live.As the Eye noted, the staff at Russell Library' [...]
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    Posted: May 28, 2009, 3:59pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Positive funding news for North End Housing

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Supporters of the long-awaited North End Home Ownership project heard some good news at Tuesday's Redevelopment Agency meeting. The project, which has been in the planning phase for several years, will construct 17 home-ownership units on Ferry, Green and Rapallo in the North End, in a combination of new and [...]
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    Posted: May 19, 2009, 10:27pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Thank you to Teachers

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    This is Teacher Appreciation Week, and all across Middletown, students, families and PTA's are letting their teachers know how much they are loved. Here's my own Thank You to the teachers at Macdonough School in the North End. Our teachers not only do a great job every day, but last [...]
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    Posted: May 08, 2009, 5:00am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Suspect turns himself in

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 1
    I'm passing along the news that it appears that Stephen Morgan has turned himself in to the police:http://www.wfsb.com/news/19393161/detail.html' [...]
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    Posted: May 07, 2009, 9:57pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Last Chance Contra Dance

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Tonight! Come to the last contra dance of the semester, Beckham Hall on Wyllys Avenue on the Wesleyan campus, 8 pm, FREE!No experience or partner necessary. Good music and company guaranteed.For more details: http://wesleying.org/2009/05/04/9010Photo is from the April 10th Contra Dance at Beckham Hall. [...]
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    Posted: May 05, 2009, 1:13pm EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • A tradition of impermanence

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    Sunday afternoon's rain did not stop a group of Wesleyan students from doing their homework. This semester's Architecture II class gathered on the soggy lawn of the Center For the Arts to construct a Sukkah, which is a temporary shelter created for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. This year, as [...]
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    Posted: May 04, 2009, 12:01am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Monday's Budget Hearing

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 3
    As Common Council meetings go, Monday night's budget hearing was brief, clocking in at just three hours. The Council heard from eight city departments, posing questions about the effect that the Mayor's proposed cuts would have on their ability to do business. The first few departments were dispatched quickly -- [...]
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    Posted: April 21, 2009, 9:00am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Riverfront Races

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    In case you'd like to join the spectators at Harbor Park, here's the calendar for the Middletown High Crew Team home races for this season.Saturday, April 26 at 8 am for the Novice Regatta.Saturday, May 2 at a time TBD against East Lyme and (TBD) Greenwich AcademyWednesday, May 6 at' [...]
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    Posted: April 18, 2009, 11:32am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Giving out the grants: CDBG Part Two

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 0
    A few weeks back, I wrote about the local non-profit groups and city departments that submitted applications for Community Development Block Grants. On Wednesday, the Citizen Advisory Committee met at City Hall to discuss how to distribute this federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is [...]
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    Posted: April 16, 2009, 8:52am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Will there be more cuts to the school budget?

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 9
    Mayor Sebastian Giuliano has proposed a budget for the July 2009-June 2010 fiscal year that funds the school system at exactly the same level as this year. That's $69.3 million for the school district, which is $3.9 million (5.61%) less than the School Board says they would need to avoid [...]
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    Posted: April 13, 2009, 11:30am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

  • Where thy victory, O Grave?

    —Middletown Eye

    Number of comments: 4
    The sun rose over the bend in the Connecticut River this morning, just as it has for some time now.At 6:00 AM, a few dozen Middletown Christians gathered at the "chapel" at Harbor Park for a sunrise service led by Rev. Joan Cooper Burnett of the First Baptist Church. Coffee, [...]
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    Posted: April 12, 2009, 7:15am EDT
    by Jen Alexander

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