Crisco, Doyle co-host bone marrow drive at Capitol

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, and state Sen. Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield, joined advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday to help kick off a Marrow Donor Registry Drive sponsored by Be The Match^®.

“There is a lot of misinformation tossed around regarding marrow donation, and today is an opportunity to get the facts out there,” Crisco said. “The importance of marrow donation cannot be understated. Every four minutes a baby, child, or adult is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. For the many that do not have a matching marrow donor in their family, the Be The Match Registry^® is a lifesaving resource.”

“Seventy percent of patients receive bone marrow from a complete stranger,” said Doyle. “With advancements in technology the process has become less time consuming and painless. Today is about connecting those in need with potential donors. There are a lot of misconceptions about donating bone marrow and events like this are able to provide clarity.”

Be The Match^® connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. Those wishing to help the cause can be someone’s cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry^®, or be a financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match^® provides patients and their families with one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and for 25 years has managed the largest marrow registry in the world.

The senators were joined at the event by Jon DeCasanova, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University who shared his story of finding a donor match and receiving a bone marrow transplant.

Marrow donation can be done in one of two ways. The first option, a peripheral blood stem cell donation, consists of cells gathered using a non-surgical, outpatient procedure. 
The second option, marrow donation, is a surgical, usually outpatient, procedure using anesthesia.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.

Ansonia's Revolutionary War hero to 'appear' at event in Wethersfield

David Loda and Huckleberry photographed in May 2012 at the grand opening of the Oxford Historical Society's Twitchell-Rowland Homestead. / Photo by Ralph Villers

WETHERSFIELD - Thundering across a field at a full canter toward his “adversary,” an 18^th century soldier raises his sword and slashes through… a melon? 

Mock battle scene/Contributed photo

Horseman David Loda, a Seymour native, will re-enact this and other mock battle scenes as he portrays Lt. Col. David Humphreys, aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington, during the sixth annual Revolutionary War Encampment at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum. 

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  May 24, 2014 at 211 Main St., Old Wethersfield, following the Wethersfield Memorial Day parade.

Admission to the encampment is free; regular admission rates will be charged for optional tours of the museum.

Loda - a retired Navy pilot from the 21^st century - will demonstrate “horsemanship with arms,” skills from the 18^thcentury, including both sword and pistol.  
He creates a dashing figure in full Continental uniform and tricorn hat and astride his gleaming Morgan horse, Huckleberry. 

When Loda portrays Humphreys—barreling across a battlefield toward a “soldier” portrayed by a melon perched atop a post— visitors easily grasp the level of discomfort their forbears felt when faced with a charging, sword-wielding horseman.

'Surprise' attack planned

The WDS Revolutionary War Encampment also includes members of the 54^th Regiment of Foot, a dashing band of British redcoats whose safety is uncertain once they commence a “surprise” attack on the Continental soldiers at 1 p.m. 
Also featured will be the wildly popular fare created by Liberty Tea, bakers who create delicious homemade treats from historic recipes, using all-natural ingredients. The baked goods sold out at the 2013 encampment.

The WDS Revolutionary War Encampment offers visitors the chance to interact closely with members of the Fifth Connecticut Regiment in full Colonial costume, with entertaining demonstrations of marching and musket firing, 18th century open-fire cookery, and enchanting harp and dulcimer music. Shortly after the regiment partakes of its midday meal, children in attendance will be invited to learn to march and perform drills with wooden “muskets.”
The British are expected to attack at 1 p.m. A fascinating display and discussion of the medical and surgical techniques used in the late 1700s, and an exhibit of period clothing and fashions, are also featured. The encampment is underwritten, in part, by a grant from the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Connecticut.

David Humphreys served as principal of the Wethersfield public school following his graduation from Yale University in 1771. 

During the American Revolution, he served as aide-de-camp to generals Putnam, Greene, and finally from 1780 to the end of the war, George Washington.
Loda’s portrayal of Humphreys at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum encampment is particularly significant as the Joseph Webb House is where Gen. Washington and French Lt. General Rochambeau planned the joint military campaign that led to the victory at Yorktown, Va., and the end of the American Revolutionary War. 
Humphreys had the honor of delivering the surrendered British flags from the Battle of Yorktown to the Continental Congress.

About the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum

Located in the heart of Connecticut’s largest historic district, the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum consists of three authentically restored 18th-century homes and provides the quintessential New England experience - from the American Revolution to the early 20th century. 

Tours include the 1752 Joseph Webb House, where General George Washington met with French General Rochambeau, and planned the military campaign leading to the end of the Revolutionary War, the 1770 Silas Deane House, built for America’s first diplomat to France, and the 1788 Isaac Stevens House - depicting life in the 18th and 19th centuries through original family objects and a fascinating children’s exhibit. 

For rates and hours visit www.webb-deane-stevens.org or call 860-529-0612, ext. 12.


This post is taken from a press release.

Shelton cop gets arbitration hearing

By Phyllis Swebilius
Register Staff
WETHERSFIELD — An arbitration hearing was held Monday on the firing of a Shelton police officer after an internal affairs investigation.
The case concerning Loren Casertano, 51, was held before the state Board of Mediation and Arbitration, Department of Labor.
Shelton Police Union attorney Chip Walsh of Licari, Walsh & Sklaver, New Haven, is representing Casertano.

Read the full story here.