Maria Horn

As your State Representative for the 64^th House District, this week’s big news for me was that the Reapportionment Commission voted unanimously to approve new House district maps for the 151 districts throughout Connecticut, which shifted the boundaries of the 64th District.  We gained a new town: welcome, Washington, to the 64th District!  I look forward to getting to know you all.  
 
And we re-unified Goshen.  The last re-districting (in 2011) divided Goshen into two different districts, which caused a lot of headache and expense to the town, and I happily welcome all of Goshen into the 64th.  
 
On the sadder side, I will no longer represent the western section of Torrington, which will now be part of the 65th and 63rd Districts.  Working with the residents of Torrington has been one of the best experiences of being in office, and I fully intend to keep working alongside you on matters of importance to all of us.  Chief among those whom I’ve learned from is Deputy Speaker Michelle Cook.  Rep. Cook is a phenomenally effective advocate for Torrington, and a mentor to me, and I know the city is in good hands under her leadership.  I’m going to continue to consider myself an honorary member of the Torrington delegation as we all work together to benefit our corner of the state.  

Another event that drew a lot of attention in the district was some extensive tree cutting that the Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) undertook in Housatonic Meadows State Park, on the Sharon/Cornwall border, ostensibly to remove hazard trees.  That work began with the cutting of a large swath of oaks along the Housatonic Riverbank, next to a parking area and visible from Route 7.  Thanks to those of you who brought this to my attention on Sunday - we were able to get DEEP to pause the work while discussions could go forward.  I had a meeting on site with DEEP this week to discuss both the drastic cutting already undertaken, as well as the trees (mostly pines) marked as hazardous trees for future removal.   No further work (except for the removal or chipping of trees already cut down) will be undertaken until DEEP does a second evaluation of the marked trees, and proposes a plan both for the replanting of the denuded bank and for appropriate notice to be given before future work of this scale is undertaken. 
 
Finally, today is National Adoption Day and I had the great privilege of observing an adoption proceeding for a Norfolk family in the Torrington courthouse in honor of the occasion. It was an absolute privilege to be with that family as they formalized the bonds of loving care that had already clearly taken root, and I thank them for letting me bear witness.  
 
 
 Here’s a list of today’s topics:

• COVID Data. Click here.
• Governor Lamont Recommends Boosters for All Adults. Click here. 
• Region One Elementary Schools to Hold Vaccination Clinic. Click here. 
• Housatonic Valley Regional High School Sale. Click here. 
• NWCT Arts Council Receives Grant. Click here. 
• Sharon Hospital President to Update Community in December. Click here.
• CT DOT Launches New Online Hub.  Click here. 

COVID Data

For a series of interactive graphs and maps that provide data, including metrics related to age, gender, and race/ethnicity, as well as data broken down by every town and city in Connecticut, visit ct.gov/coronavirus and click the link that is labeled, “Data Tracker.”
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health is reporting that as of November 18, 2021, a total of 21,071 cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated persons in Connecticut have been confirmed. Of the more than 2.4 million people in Connecticut who have completed their vaccine series, 0.87% have contracted the virus.
 
For more data on breakthrough cases in Connecticut, see pages 6 through 9 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.
  
All Connecticut residents over the age of 5 are currently eligible to receive the vaccines. To locate a vaccination clinic, visit ct.gov/covidvaccine.
 
For information on variants, see pages 10 and 11 of this week’s extended COVID-19 data report.
  
The Connecticut Department of Public Health today released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map, which indicates that 67 municipalities are currently in the red zone alert level, the highest of the state’s four alert levels, including North Canaan, Cornwall, and Goshen.
 
Governor Lamont recommends boosters for all adults
 
Amid rising COVID-19 infection rates in Connecticut and throughout the northeast, on Wednesday Governor Lamont recommended that adult residents not wait on federal guidance to get a vaccine booster shot. Early this week Rhode Island made the same announcement. For more information, click here.
 
In the wake of that announcement, today a CDC panel unanimously endorsed booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for all adults, six months after second shot.  For more information, click here.
 
 
Region One Elementary Schools will hold vaccination clinics

Each of the elementary schools in Region One will be holding Pediatric (Ages 5-11) Vaccination Clinics in their buildings in partnership with Griffin Health.  All are open to the public and no appointments are necessary. 

ONLY PEDIATRIC (AGES 5-11) VACCINATIONS WILL BE ADMINISTERED AT THESE CLINICS - NO ADULT (12+) DOSES WILL BE AVAILABLE.

A parent or guardian must accompany the child, ages 5-11, and only the pediatric Pfizer vaccination will be administered.  A Pediatric Intake Form.pdf  must be completed - you may print and complete it in advance, or forms will be available to complete at the clinic.  Here are the clinics that we have scheduled at this time:

• Kent Center School:  November 17th and December 8th, 3:30 - 6:30 p.m.
• Lee H. Kellogg:  November 30th and December 21st, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
• North Canaan Elementary School:  November 17th and December 8th, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Information will be forthcoming regarding clinics at Cornwall Consolidated, Salisbury Central, and Sharon Center Schools once the clinic dates are confirmed at those locations.

Housatonic Valley Regional High School Sale

NWCT Arts Council to Receive $150,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the American Rescue Plan

The Northwest Connecticut Arts Council has been selected to receive an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help the arts and cultural sector recover from the pandemic. The Arts Council is receiving $150,000 and will use this funding to distribute grants in their community to eligible recipients to save jobs and to fund operations and facilities, health and safety supplies, and marketing and promotional efforts to encourage attendance and participation. In total, the NEA will award grants totaling $20,200,000 to 66 local arts agencies nationwide for sub granting. 
  
The funds allocated to Northwest CT will be used to provide subgrants of $2,500 - $5,000 to eligible organizations in the Arts Council’s 25 town service area.  Organizations will be able to use the grants for general operating support to help recover from the effects of the pandemic.  The grants will also be open for teaching artists to work with local social service organizations.  The Arts Council aims to award funding to 25-40 recipients.

For more information on the NEA’s American Rescue Plan grants, including the full list of local arts agencies funded in this announcement, visit www.arts.gov/COVID-19/the-american-rescue-plan.
 
 
Sharon Hospital president to update community on Dec. 14

Sharon Hospital, part of Nuvance Health, will host an online community update from 5:30 – 7:00 pm on Dec. 14, via livestream video.

Members of the surrounding community are invited to join the virtual webinar to hear from hospital President Dr. Mark Hirko. He will discuss the latest hospital developments and provide updates on the affiliation that created Nuvance Health. The independent monitor, engaged by Nuvance Health, will report on its review of compliance with the affiliation agreement issued by Connecticut’s Office of Health Care Strategy.

A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance by emailing sharonhospital@nuvancehealth.org or calling (845) 554-1734 with their name and phone number.

Questions can also be mailed to: Sharon Hospital, Attn: Community Forum, 50 Hospital Hill Road, Sharon, CT, 06069. 
Instructions on how to join the virtual meeting are posted on the website: www.nuvancehealth.org/CTForums.

The recorded session and a copy of the digital presentation will be accessible on the website following the event. To request a physical copy by mail, please call (845) 554-1734 (TTY/Accessibility: (800) 842-9710).

CT Department of Transportation launches new online hub for transportation data

DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti announced that the Connecticut Department of Transportation has launched Open Data Hub, a new one-stop-shop for the public to access transportation data. The Hub allows the public to access and download timely location-based data and perform analysis through online tools, applications, and dashboards.

As a live platform with geospatial data, the Hub allows users to access official CTDOT data, such as traffic volumes, crashes, and roadway characteristics and classifications. Additional authoritative datasets and applications are in development and will come online as they are available.

The public and users are invited to get started at the following link CTDOT Open Data (arcgis.com) and to check back often for the Newest Applications section to see the exciting new additions to the Open Data Hub.
 
 
Providing information to Connecticut residents
 
For the most up-to-date information from the State of Connecticut on COVID-19, residents are encouraged to visit ct.gov/coronavirus. Residents can also subscribe to text message alerts from the state by texting the keyword COVIDCT to 888-777.
 
Individuals who have general questions that are not answered on the website can call 2-1-1 for assistance. The hotline is available 24 hours a day and has multilingual assistance. Anyone who is out-of-state or requires a toll-free number can connect to Connecticut 2-1-1 by dialing 1-800-203-1234. This is intended to be used by individuals who are not experiencing symptoms but may have general questions related to COVID-19. Anyone who is experiencing symptoms are strongly urged to contact their medical provider.