Michelle L. Cook

Friendly Hands is holding a free Easter giveaway this Saturday, April 1 at 11 am. T- shirts, beignets, and photos with the Easter Bunny will be available. Hope to see you there!

March 25 was National Medal of Honor Day. The Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. 🎖️

March 25 was National Medal of Honor Day. The Medal of Honor is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. 🎖️

Personal care attendants (PCAs) will have additional access to affordable health insurance after an agreement was reached to expand the application deadline for PCAs to apply for the first round of the new premium assistance benefit.

March is Women's History Month and March 8 was International Women's Day - a day to celebrate women who have inspired change throughout history, and recognize those who continue to fight for the fair and equitable treatment of women and girls around the world.

The Connecticut Office of the Arts awarded one-hundred sixty-five (165) Connecticut Arts Endowment Fund grants totaling $864,233. Four organizations in Torrington will receive funding - $36,462 to the Five Points Center for the Visual Arts, $887 to Joyful Noise, Inc. (Chorus Angelicus), $1,640 to the Northwest CT Arts Council and $2,985 to the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory. Congratulations to all of these organizations!

On Tuesday, I joined Governor Ned Lamont, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) New England Regional Administrator Mike Vlacich, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone, and other state officials to announce the approval of Connecticut’s newest governor-designated Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone). The SBA has approved Governor Lamont’s petition to add a HUBZone in Torrington, expanding access and eligibility to SBA’s HUBZone program to the small businesses in the covered areas.

I am sure we share the same concerns about Eversource and United Illuminating, the state's two main electric distribution companies, which both filed for new standard service supply rates with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) that will increase rates by approximately 40%.