Make Way for Ducklings!

This morning I came outside to my neighbor feeding crumbs to mother Mallard duck and 5 ducklings. We are not sure where they came from, either they hatched near by or had taken a long walk. The ducks seemed out of place on High Street far from any source of water. Mama duck headed south on High but had trouble crossing Warwick Street. When she quacked cars just didn't want to stop, and the mama duck appeared frustrated. A group of us helped stop traffic as she crossed followed by her offspring. More neighbors popped their heads outside to watch the parade. When several of the ducklings had issues climbing the granite curbs, a neighbored offered a gentle hand as step for the ducks to climb over as to avoid any ducklings slipping into the storm drain. The determined mother duck signaled with a loud quack; then she turned to cross High Street while the humans stopped traffic again, and went on to lead all 5 ducklings safely to the pond at the end of the street where other Mallards had already gathered.

Middletown Cops Zap Crime

Fast action and professional precision shown by Middletown police this evening on the south end of High Street. Since the recent mail box chemical bomb, reported first by the Eye, patrols have appeared to have increased in the neighborhood. This evening at approximately 7pm a screaming white male suspect armed with a knife was seen running down the center of High Street dodging cars heading towards the south end of town. Shortly after a police officer, armed with a taser came only a couple of strides behind the suspect and tried repeatedly to verbally get the armed individual to stop; when this failed, the suspect was tased. The individual instantaneously fell to the ground, and appeared to suffer injury.
Immediately, rescue units appeared, statements were taken, and the bloody street disinfected,all in tandem like a well synchronized dance. Everything went back to normal in about 20 minutes.

More Graffiti and a Mugging: New Gang Activity in Middletown?

The following "Public Safety alert" came in on the email today, from Wesleyan's Public Safety office:

Middletown Police have advised Public Safety that on Sunday 3/29/09 at approximately 12:30pm a non-university person was robbed in the area of High St and Huber Ave. According to Middletown Police the victim was approached by an individual who displayed a weapon and demanded money. After being given the victim's wallet the subject fled from the area.

The subject is described as an African-American or Hispanic male, between the ages of 18-21, 5' 7'' tall, weighing approximately 175 lbs. with light facial hair and a lip ring. The subject was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and grey sweat pants with a red oval logo on the side.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to call the Middletown Police at 860-344-3200.

Public Safety reminds all community members to report suspicious people or activity to our office at 860-685-2345 or Middletown Police at 860-344-3200.

Yes, you read that correctly: 12:30 p.m. In other words, in the middle of the day. I called Public Safety this afternoon to confirm this, and a friend emailed Public Safety right around the same time. Both inquiries revealed that the information was, in fact, correct. The robbery took place a half hour after noon yesterday, Sunday.

This disquieting event occurs on the heels of a spate of new graffiti in the neighborhood south of campus along High Street, Beach Street, Home Avenue, and McCarthy Park, much of which is being created by individuals referring to themselves as "3D". Several younger acquaintances tell me that "3D" stands for "three desperadoes". A google search for "3D" and "three desperadoes" [and "desperados"] turns up nothing in the way of gangs, so perhaps it is just a local group of miscreants looking for creative new ways to deplete the Public Works and Police Department budgets. One of the targets of the spray paint was the sign for McCarthy Park along High Street (almost directly across from Huber Ave.). Happily Public Works has already cleaned it off, as well as the "tags" at several of the other locations.

When I spoke with the officer at Public Safety, I asked whether they were aware of the new graffiti. He said they were.

This isn't the first time the question of graffiti and possible gang activity has been reported in the Eye. And sadly it probably won't be the last. In addition, we may be hearing more about all this soon from another source: a "Channel 3 Eyewitness News" truck was seen wrapping up a shoot this evening at the Huber-High intersection. I'm waiting on a call back from the Police Department detective bureau for any additional information. If anyone calls, I'll post an update.

Meanwhile, Helen Ubiñas had a story in yesterday's Courant about graffiti. [Correction: Actually the story was dated 11 January 2009]. She found that while graffiti is up, complaints are down. Apparently people are getting used to it. She reports that a favorite target in Hartford is the new "cable boxes". Actually, I think she's referring to the AT&T "U-Verse" boxes, which have been invading Connecticut towns in the past year.

Thanksgiving dinner delivered

Middletown still has enough open space that it's not totally surprising when a deer strolls through your center city yard, or, as happened a few years ago, a bear climbs a tree on Main Street.

But out for a stroll, I've bumped into a trio of turkeys who obviously claim High Street, near Loveland, as territory.

Here they are strolling and hunting for food on Mansfield Terrace.

Where the bluestone ends

Among my many other quirky passions, I'm a fan of old-fashioned sidewalks, those uneven, imperfect, root-lifted bluestone, limestone and granite stones which have served for a century or more as pathways for human traffic.

Think of all the historic personalities who may have passed over the beautiful old stones on High Street, and maybe you'll grieve with me when you see them pull up yet another old slate walkway and replace it with more reliable, but less aesthetically-pleasing concrete. The concrete is more easily maintained, and less likely to cause a lawsuit, but it has far less soul.

And that's what happened today on High Street. In the same location where a large, ancient beech was felled, Wesleyan crews were busy this morning tearing up the bluestone.

The pile of vintage slate was carted away, likely to have a second life in a patio for some McMansion, (though one hopes it'll reappear somewhere on campus) and we'll be left treading on the undeniably safer, more consistent, more easily plowed with fast moving snowblowers, 21st century sidewalk.

Until today, the walkway on High was history. Now, it's just another sidewalk.

New plans for Polish National Club

Bob Spencer, chairman of the board of directors of St. Vincent de Paul Place said the board has expressed interest in purchasing the former Polish National Club on High Street as the new headquarters of the Amazing Grace Food Pantry. The building would not be the site of housing or meal preparation. Spencer explained that the current economy has driven many families to seek food at the pantry, including many families who have been considered "working class and middle class." The pantry currently services more than 600 households each month.

St. Vincent de Paul Place runs the current Amazing Grace Food Pantry on Main Street Extension, as well as a soup kitchen on Main Street, and the management of supportive housing at Liberty Commons, on Main Street.

Spencer welcomes public comment on his organization's plans.