Dear Neighbor,

I hope this email finds you well. Below, you'll find updates on district resources and news.

Please feel free to reach out to my office if you have any questions or concerns and be sure to follow my social media accounts for updates on a variety of topics including resources, events, housing updates, and more (links included at the end of this e-newsletter). 

The topics covered in this e-newsletter are as follows:

• Capitol Update
• Community Resources
• This Week In Connecticut History
• Manchester Community Events and Information
• East Hartford Community Events and Information

Remember, there are resources available to follow along and make your voice heard. Here's how you can stay connected and actively participate:

• Read summaries of bills from nonpartisan and unbiased researchers from the Office of Legislative Research
• View the Connecticut General Assembly's upcoming events on its schedule
• Follow CT-N for live coverage of House floor debates and more
• Click here to register to monitor any bill's journey in the legislative process
• Click here for information on how to testify on a bill a public hearing

These resources ensure you are an active participant in our democracy. Take a look at the graphic below and learn how you can track bills!

Chime Scholars Foundation Applications for 2026-2027 Now Open

Offers scholarships up to $20,000 for students of all backgrounds pursuing various forms of higher education 

Launched in 2022, program has helped more than 1,000 scholars achieve their educational goals 

Scholarship recipients have made real financial progress, with 72% finding employment in their field of study within six months of graduation

Chime® (Nasdaq: CHYM), a leading consumer financial technology company, announced today that Chime Scholars Foundation (CSF) has opened applications for the 2026-2027 academic year. Aspiring scholars can now apply for scholarships of up to $20,000 to support their education, paving the way for greater career opportunities and higher earnings. The scholarship program is open to students of all backgrounds and stages of life, and it supports a wide range of educational pathways, including traditional college degrees, apprenticeships, trade schools, and technical certifications.

Since 2022, CSF has provided $7 million in scholarship funding to over 1,000 students. Last year alone, CSF welcomed its largest cohort of scholars to date, awarding more than $3 million in scholarships to 800 students for the 2025-2026 academic year. This work is supported by Chime’s 1% pledge, which commits 1% of its equity over a decade to fund the foundation.

“At Chime, we believe financial progress starts with access to opportunity,” said Chris Britt, CEO and Co-founder of Chime. “Through the Chime Scholars Foundation and our 1% pledge, we’re investing in ambitious students and helping remove financial barriers to education. We’re proud to have supported more than 1,000 scholars so far and excited to continue helping the next generation build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.”

The program has demonstrated strong outcomes for its scholars. According to a survey of graduates:

·        100% credit the program with helping them complete their degree or certification

·        87% projected graduation rate — nearly double that of Federal Pell Grant recipients¹

·        72% of scholars secure jobs in their field within six months of graduation

Beyond these outcomes, scholars join a supportive network of fellow CSF scholars and Chime employees. Applications for the CSF scholarship program are now open through March 31, 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the Chime Scholars Foundation website at  chime.com/about-us/chime-scholars-foundation.

2026 Revaluation in East Hartford

East Hartford, CT— The Town of East Hartford has commenced the state-mandated revaluation project of 2026 with the assistance of Municipal Valuations Services, LLC (Munival) of Fairfield, CT. This process continues to take place from February 2026 through December, 2026.

As part of this process, Municipal Valuation Services is mailing a Data Verification Letter to all residential property owners. This letter contains information specific to your property. Property owners are asked to review the details provided on the form, make any necessary corrections directly to the form, and return the completed form to Munival promptly. Forms can be returned directly to Munival by mail, email, fax or dropped off in person at the Assessor’s office during regular Town Hall business hours. Complete address and contact details for Munival will be printed directly on the letter.

In addition to the data verification letter, Munival will have data collection personnel assigned throughout the Town of East Hartford taking exterior photos, inspecting, and measuring the exterior and interior of residential and commercial properties. Residents and business owners should expect to see Munival staff visiting properties and knocking on taxpayer’s doors to ask questions.

To ensure the safety and authenticity of the revaluation process, all Munival personnel will carry both a Town-issued identification badge and a company badge. Additionally, field representatives will be clearly identifiable by their company logo on attire and magnetic vehicle decals. They will also carry an official letter of introduction.

This important project will help ensure accurate property assessments, which in turn supports fair and equitable tax assessments for all property owners.

Please call Municipal Valuation Services at (203) 292-5500 for any additional information or questions.

Please join us for an important and timely discussion on the impact and implementation of An Act Concerning Housing Growth. This session will provide an overview of the legislation, explore what it means for our community, and outline how it will be put into practice at the local level.

As housing availability and affordability continue to shape the future of our neighborhoods, it is essential that residents, stakeholders, and community leaders understand both the opportunities and responsibilities created by this new law. We will review key provisions of the Act, discuss anticipated benefits and challenges, and answer questions about how it may affect housing development, planning, and community growth. We hope you will join us.

Today in 1863, in the midst of a bloody Civil War that pitted Americans against each other over questions of slavery and freedom, scores of Connecticans mourned the passing of Roger Sherman Baldwin. One of Connecticut’s most accomplished politicians and perhaps its most ardent abolitionist lawyer, Baldwin had lived just long enough to witness the Emancipation Proclamation, ending the Southern slavery that he had fought so hard for so long go into effect – only one month before he died.

Baldwin was born in 1793 to a well-to-do Connecticut family, the grandson and namesake of Connecticut’s greatest Revolutionary-era statesman, Roger Sherman. After graduating from Yale with high honors in 1811, he attended the Litchfield Law School and entered the legal profession in 1814, setting up his own practice in New Haven. Admired for both his legal mind and oratorical skills, Baldwin succeeded at both law and politics.

Committed deeply to the abolition of slavery, Baldwin worked early in his career to defend and secure the freedom of an escaped slave. In 1831, he joined another abolitionist, Simeon Jocelyn, in facing an angry mob on the New Haven green who were opposed to the creation of an African American college there.

Baldwin gained national recognition when he took on the defense of the wrongfully captured and enslaved Mendi people involved in the violent takeover of the Spanish slave ship Amistad off the coast of Cuba in July 1839. Brought to New London by an American naval vessel, they were taken to a New Haven jail and subsequently charged with piracy and murder. They and their defenders claimed, that because they had been illegally captured and transported against their will, they should be freed and returned to Africa. Their case took two full years to adjudicate, finally being decided before the United States Supreme Court in 1841. Baldwin and former President John Quincy Adams presented the case for the Mendi. Baldwin’s legal arguments, focused on the basic liberties of human beings and the free status of illegally enslaved people in the United States, and combined with a moving summation by Adams, won freedom for the Mendi and a measure of fame for Baldwin.

Having previously served in the state General Assembly as both a Representative and Senator, Baldwin was chosen Connecticut’s 32nd governor in a close election in 1844 and elected outright in 1845. As governor, Baldwin advanced election reform, much needed educational restructuring, and worked to remove restrictions on land ownership by immigrants. He also sought, but did not achieve, the passage of laws ending slavery and allowing free blacks to vote.

From 1847 to 1851, Baldwin served in the United States Senate, where, true to his principles, he actively opposed the expansion of slavery into new states. He also vigorously opposed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required all citizens to aid slave-catchers’ efforts to capture escaped slaves. After his work in the Senate, Baldwin returned to New Haven, retiring from public office, but not political life. He helped form the state’s Republican Party and worked to secure the presidential nomination of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. In his final act of public service, Baldwin served, at Virginia’s request, as a delegate to the National Peace Conference in Washington in 1861, called by the Virginia General Assembly in a last ditch effort to avoid Civil war.

Baldwin died today in 1863, 50 days after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. Though the outcome of the war between the North and South was still uncertain, he had witnessed the moment when that conflict had been transformed from a war to save the Union to a war to end the slavery he had been fighting his entire adult life.

Roger Sherman Baldwin was buried in New Haven’s Grove Street Cemetery.

Further Reading

“Roger Sherman Baldwin,” Museum of Connecticut History

“Roger Sherman Baldwin,” Connecticut State Library

AELarsen, “Amistad: All the Legal Bits,” An Historian Goes to the Movies

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

The Budget Adoption is scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7pm in the Lincoln Center Hearing Room.

📣 Manchester residents - if you would like to learn more about your town's budget, consider attending a budget workshop to see how your tax dollars are spent. Join us and be part of the conversation.

You can view the Full Schedule of FY27 Budget Workshops & Meetings by clicking here.(, 0B)

Please note that workshops will be held in the Lincoln Center Hearing Room at 5:30 p.m.

The meeting is a public meeting and as such members of the public can also attend the meeting in-person or remotely by means of video conferencing.

Meetings will be conducted in person with remote access optional via Zoom.

Contact the Board of Directors

directors@manchesterct.gov

860-647-3130

We live in a time when it is easy to be impressed by the polished lives we see online—beautiful people, perfect posts, endless followers. But real confidence and joy don’t come from likes or views; they come from feeling strong, connected, and grounded. As we move into the winter months, I encourage you to focus on building a healthy mind and body. Take a look through the Manchester Now catalog to discover activities that fit your interests and inspire you to stay active and engaged. Whether it’s joining a fitness class, exploring a new hobby, or connecting with others through community programs, these small choices can make a bid difference. Stay the course this winter, and by spring, you’ll be ready to step into the new season feeling refreshed, energized, and ready for all that’s ahead.
 

Manchester Now Winter/Spring 2026 Publication

The African American and Black Affairs Council is an organization that empowers, supports and advocates for the Black community in Manchester, CT. For more info Dana Hebert aabacom04@gmail.com

• Monday, March 02, 2026 | 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM
• Wednesday, March 18, 2026 | 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM

* We hold multiple classes on the same day utilizing different classrooms.

The dates for the following 5 classes are  February 21st,  March 21st,  and April 25th 

1.) Pediatric First Aid & CPR this class is hybrid with the first half being taught live through Zoom starting at 8:30am. Followed by a 45 min break to give students enough time to drive to the Fire Station for the in-person porting of the class. Class will end around 2:30/3:00pm 

This class is geared toward Childcare Providers, Parents & Foster Parents approved by the Office of Early Childhood. This class is also perfect for school staff, couches and babysitters. This class also includes choking relief for all ages. 

2.) AHA Heartsaver Pediatric CPR AED only noon to 3:00pm.  This class also includes choking relief for all ages. 

3.) AHA Heartsaver CPR 8:30 to 11:00am  This class also includes choking relief. 

4.) AHA BLS CPR for Healthcare Providers , First Responders, their Support Staff & College students going into the health field. 8:30 am to 11:30 am. Our classes are approved by all CT Colleges and complies with all health & health allied major's clinical requirements.

Class includes Adult and Infant CPR AED with the use of a Bag Valve Mask (BVM) device for respirations and emphasis on team dynamics, adult and infant choking relief for all ages. 

click on this link below to sign up for a class

5.) AHA Heartsaver Adult First Aid CPR 9am to 2pm with a 45 min break. This class includes adult & child choking relief.

Subjects usually covered but not limited to in our First Aid Pediatric classes are 

• Recognition & management of both physical & medical emergencies pertaining to but not limited to children, staff, environment & fire

•  Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Attack, Fainting & Seizure. 

• Accident prevention & safety for both indoor & outdoor play area, toy safety, car safety including child restraint systems
• Poisoning including lead, plants & chemical poisoning
• Child Abuse including types, signs & regulations pertaining to mandated reporters 

• Communicable disease prevention, recognition, management & ways of transmission, Signs & symptoms of common illnesses
• Infection control including hand washing, diapering & vaccinations

• Respiratory distress including Asthma & upper respiratory infections 

• Choking relief for all ages

• First Aid Kits

• Heat and cold temperature related illness & injuries

• Bleeding control 

• Burns

• Muscle & Bone injuries including splinting 

Subjects usually covered but not limited to in our Adult First Aid classes are 

• Recognition & Management of both physical & medical Emergencies, 

• Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Attack, Fainting & Seizure. 

• Poisoning including lead, plants & chemical poisoning

• Respiratory distress including Asthma & upper respiratory infections 

• Choking relief for all ages
• First Aid Kits

• Heat and cold temperature related illness & injuries

• Bleeding control 

• Burns

• Muscle & Bone injuries including splinting  

📣 East Hartford residents - if you would like to learn more about your town's budget, consider attending a budget workshop to see how your tax dollars are spent. Join us and be part of the conversation.

Town Council Clerk

(860)291-7207

TownCouncil@easthartfordct.gov

 Budget Workshop Schedule

• Maintain at least 3 feet (1 meter) of clearance between heaters and anything that can burn—furniture, bedding, curtains, clothing, or paper.

• Never use extension cords or power strips, as they can overheat and ignite.
• Inspect the cord and plug for damage before every use.

• Look for units that turn off if tipped over or overheating occurs.

• Avoid carpeting or unstable furniture where the heater might tip.

• Portable heaters should never be used unattended.

• Maintain a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet.

• Smoke Alarms: Install working smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside each bedroom, and outside sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and replace batteries at least once a year.
• Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms: Required in homes with fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages. Install CO alarms outside sleeping areas and on every level.
• Clear Exits: Keep all exits, hallways, and stairways clear of portable heaters or other obstructions.
• Electrical Safety: Avoid overloading outlets. If breakers trip or cords become warm, stop using the appliance immediately.
• Approved Appliances: Use only UL-listed or third-party tested heating devices. Never use ovens, stovetops, or grills to heat your home.