Jason Rojas

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• East Hartford Community Events and Information

The East Hartford Delegation invites you to attend our Legislative Town Hall at Wickham Library 656 Burnside Ave., on February 13th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. This is an excellent opportunity to engage with your elected officials and discuss the issues that matter most to you and our community. Town hall events are a chance for you to ask questions, share your thoughts, and listen to what others in the community have to say. Your voice is important, and we want to hear from you. We hope you’ll join us for a productive and engaging evening, and we look forward to seeing you there!

As the 2025 legislative session begins, I would like to hear from you! I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your voice informs the decisions I make as your State Representative. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you, your family, or our neighbors. It’s an honor to serve as your voice at the State Capitol and I look forward to hearing from you on ways in which we will continue to make Connecticut a place where individuals, families, and businesses thrive.

Governor Ned Lamont today announced that due to an updated weather forecast showing that the current stretch of brutally frigid conditions Connecticut is experiencing will continue for at least another day longer than anticipated, he is extending the duration of the state’s severe cold weather protocol to remain in effect until 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
The protocol went into effect on Sunday, January 19, and had originally been set to expire on the afternoon of Friday, January 24.

While activated, the protocol initiates a series of actions to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive protection from the severe cold, which could be life threatening if exposed to the elements for extended periods of time.

Shelters and warming centers are open throughout Connecticut. Anyone in need of a place to stay warm can be directed to nearby locations by calling 2-1-1 or viewing the list of available options that has been published online at 211ct.org. Transportation can be provided to a shelter or warming center if needed.

Unsurprisingly, the eclipse – and how to view it safely – was big news in the days and weeks leading up to the 24th.

The amateur astronomer Lewis Ripley, a Glastonbury resident with a hefty telescope and the discovery of a sunspot to his name, wrote a half-page article in the Hartford Courant with advice for readers on getting a good view. His two biggest pieces of advice were to, first, find a high hill with a clear view towards the northwest; and
second, bring a piece of smoked glass at least four by six inches in size to use as a safe viewer (looking directly at an eclipse is dangerous to the naked eye and can cause damage to vision).

In response to demand, the Gustave Fisher Company of Hartford developed an eclipse viewer it named “Filmeo,” consisting of a piece of developed photo film attached to a card. According to the Hartford Courant, the company produced more than 7,000 viewers but this was “not sufficient to accommodate the throngs at the Fischer store on Asylum Street and, at 3 o’clock Friday afternoon – the day before the eclipse – the supply was exhausted, although the store had limited sales to a maximum of three to a customer.”

It was clear that the eclipse would be a sensation: special trains had been scheduled to bring in would-be observers from surrounding states, and Connecticans took every opportunity to make a social occasion of the viewing. Some scheduled eclipse parties with their friends, repairing to the roof of their buildings after breakfast. Others, despite the brutally cold weather (temperatures hovered around zero), tromped out to the nearest local peak or tall building for a good view. Five thousand people gathered at Hosmer Mountain in WiIlimantic, and similar crowds amassed at Hubbard Park in Meriden, on East and West Rock in New Haven, and throughout the campus of Trinity College, which had been opened to spectators. Hundreds of cars parked on Town Woods Hill in Glastonbury for an eclipse drive-in party. The artist Howard Russell Butler wanted to observe and paint the event, and though he had been invited to view the eclipse from the observatory at Wesleyan University, he decided to station himself on the roof of the Arrigoni Hotel in Middletown so he could see in more than one direction.

Newspapers enthusiastically reported the popularity of the event. The Bridgeport Telegram claimed “Business Halts as 20,000,000 People View Sun’s Eclipse.” The front page of the Meriden Daily Journal‘s noon edition was stuffed with eclipse headlines, giving a sense of just how many people of different ages and professions were fascinated by the eclipse. Yale scientists holed up in their observatory to collect once-in-a-lifetime data. Harvard researchers, cooperating with Trinity scientists and using the radio equipment of the Travelers Insurance Company, used the opportunity to determine that short-wave radio signals faded as the eclipse approached its totality. Army pilots hoping to see what things looked like from above the clouds reported no luck (a navy dirigible hovering over Nantucket, however, got better results)

In the end, millions of Connecticans stopped and seized the opportunity to watch the eclipse, even if it took a while to thaw out afterward. January 24, 1925 was a day people would remember, primarily for leaving them in the dark in the middle of the morning.

The next total eclipse viewable from Connecticut is not expected until May 1, 2079

Further Reading

Shirley Wajda, “A Total Eclipse of the Sun” connecticuthistory.org

Nancy Finlay “Total Eclipse Visible in Connecticut,” Connecticut Historical  Society

H. C. Wilson “The Eclipse of January 24, 1925,” Popular Astronomy

Town Resources
https://www.easthartfordct.gov/residents
 
Town Newsletters
Pulse of East Hartford     
East Hartford Public Schools
East Hartford Works

The Town of Manchester will mail Supplemental Motor Vehicle tax bills for the October 2023 Grand List on December 26, 2024.

The second installment of taxes on the Grand List of October 01, 2023 and the Supplemental Motor Vehicle List are due and payable on January 1, 2025.

Failure to pay any tax due January 1, 2025, on or before February 3, 2025, will cause the tax to become delinquent and subject to interest at the rate of 1.5% per month (minimum $2.00), back to the original due date of January 1, 2025.

Rebuilding Together Manchester, a non-profit organization, is now accepting applications for our 2025 home repair and maintenance projects. We assist low-income homeowners in Manchester—especially the elderly, disabled, and families with children—by providing essential home repairs they cannot handle themselves.
Application Deadline: February 1, 2025
Eligibility Requirements:

• Home must be located in Manchester.
• Applicant must be the legal owner of the property.
• Income verification required (low-income homeowners only).

Services Offered:

• Interior and exterior repairs
• Accessibility modifications (e.g., grab bars, railings)
• Painting and yard work
• Clutter removal
• Roof rehabilitation and handicap ramp installation (grant-funded for those who qualify)

Key Event:
National Rebuilding Day: April 26, 2025 (Projects are also done year-round)
Our work is provided at no cost to homeowners, utilizing volunteer labor. We are also seeking sponsors and volunteers for our projects.

The Department of Leisure, Family, and Recreation Winter/Spring Program and Event Guide is here!

Mayor Connor Martin invites you to the second annual State of the Town Address on Thursday, January 30, 2025 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. The meeting will take place in the Town Council Chambers on the second floor of Town Hall, 740 Main Street.

You’ll get to hear key updates, achievements, and future plans for our town. This is your chance to hear firsthand about progress and vision for the year ahead.

In addition, the community will have an opportunity to meet the Mayor and Town of East Hartford directors. A Q&A session will follow the meeting, providing an opportunity for you ask your questions.

This is a hybrid meeting (in-person and virtual). You can join the Microsoft Teams meeting here

Meeting ID: 297 508 827 495

Passcode: tk7aE6Z3

• The workshops will be held in the Town Council Chambers on the second floor of Town Hall (740 Main Street)
• Call-in options are unique to each workshop. Access details are listed on the public meeting calendar on the Town Council webpage here.

Residents are invited to engage in these meetings, where the Mayor and town directors will present and discuss the proposed budget for FY 26. The Mayor's recommended budget book will be available on the East Hartford Finance Department webpage. Once adopted, the book will be updated.

• FY 2026 Town Council Budget Presentations & Public Hearing Schedule
• Previous years’ adopted budgets