Bridgeport councilman gets COVID vaccine, urges skeptical Black residents to get theirs
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City councilman Ernest Newton speaks at a news conference at the Morton Government Center, in Bridgeport, Conn. Oct. 20, 2020.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
BRIDGEPORT Normally draped in his trademark richly colored suits when out and about, Councilman Ernie Newton is publicly baring an arm for a cause.
“I’m here today to get my shot because I believe that this will help us not spread the disease,” Newton says in a video posted online on Facebook over the weekend.
With some minorities hesitant to receive the two-dose coronavirus vaccinations, Newton, a longtime Black community leader and politician, recently pledged to promote his inoculation in order to convince constituents it is safe to do so.
Bridgeport vaccination efforts hampered by low dose distribution
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Nurse Elin Loh assists Lt. Ken Benedict of the Bridgeport Fire Department as he administers a COVID-19 vaccination to a man at the weekly vaccination clinic held in the gymnasium of Central High School, in Bridgeport, Conn. Feb. 10, 2021.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
BRIDGEPORT Emergency management officials said they have strengthened vaccination distribution with a more user-friendly registration system and more sites for shots, but are still falling far short of the doses they need.
“We had a meeting with the state last night. We were getting a minimal of 500 vaccines a week,” Scott Appleby, director of emergency management, told City Council members Wednesday during a teleconference.
Smoke shop owners fear Bridgeport ban will hurt business
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Store manager William Carter blows a plume of vapor from a vaporizer during an interview at Puff City, in Bridgeport, Conn. Feb. 3, 2021.Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
BRIDGEPORT William Carter said he works hard to ensure the smoke shop he manages, Puff City on East Main Street, keeps its products out of the hands of minors.
So he was a bit stunned when told about the proposed local ban on the sale of flavored tobacco items that advocates argue will protect the health of all residents, but especially younger ones.
‘Err on the side of doing it right’: Police reform group trying to make work transparent
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1of2Jazmarie Melendez, sister of Jayson Nagron, talks with other protesters camped out in front of Police Headquarters, in Bridgeport, Conn. June 15, 2020. This Justice for Jayson protest is being staged to demand action drom city police and government officials following the death of Nagron, who was shot and killed by Bridgeport police following an automobile chase in 2017.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
2of2A group of protesters remained camped out in front of Police Headquarters, in Bridgeport, Conn. June 15, 2020. This Justice for Jayson protest is being staged to demand action city from police and government officials following the death of Jayson Nagron, who was shot and killed by Bridgeport police following an automobile chase in 2017.Photo: Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media
Police: Former state Sen. Ed Gomes seriously hurt in Bridgeport crash
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One of the vehicles involved in a crash in Bridgeport, Conn., on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020.Bridgeport Police / Contributed Photo
BRIDGEPORT Former Democratic state Sen. Ed Gomes, 84, is in critical condition after a collision on Boston Avenue on Sunday night, according to relatives and city officials.
“He had head injuries. . He pulled through his operation. He’s not really out of the woods, yet,” one of Gomes’ brothers, William Aranjo, said Monday afternoon.
“We’re just praying for the best,” said the former state legislator’s niece, Latoya Johnson-Aranjo, Monday. While she described him as a very tough man, “he’s not 20 years old.”