Greenwich Radio Station to be Purchased by Hartford Native

Once a radio fan, always a radio fan.  That is perhaps the best explanation for the planned purchase of Greenwich radio station WGCH by the Connecticut-based Forte Family Broadcasting, Inc., pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission.

The buyer is Rocco L. Forte of Sarasota, Fla. and Lyme, Connecticut. Forte is the former chief financial officer of the Abate Insurance Agency and AIA Risk Services in New Haven, according to published reports.

A native of Hartford, he is an alumnus of Hartford Public High School, the University of Connecticut and the UConn School of Insurance.

Beginning Nov. 4, Forte’s organization will operate the local station – which marks its 50th anniversary in 2014 - under a "local marketing agreement," until Forte can secure formal approval from the FCC, which could happen as soon as December, the Connecticut Post reported.

A format change is not anticipated.  The station currently broadcasts programs from the Business Talk Network and Lifestyle Talk Network, as well as local sports including the Bridgeport Bluefish and Greenwich High School football.  In addition to local news, other local programming includes a medical report from Greenwich Hospital, a local trivia program, and a weekly program featuring the town’s First Selectman.

“I am excited to be able to buy such a heritage station in Connecticut, and look forward to making the 50th anniversary year of WGCH a successful and even more profitable one,” Forte said in a statement. “My love for radio began in college, when I worked both on-air and in sales,” he added.

WGCH broadcasts 24 hours a day at 1490 AM, is licensed to Greenwich and bills itself as “the voice of Fairfield and Westchester Counties.”

Independent Colleges Produce Majority of Graduates for State's Key Industries

The 16 institutions of higher education in Connecticut that are members of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges are playing a pivotal role in producing graduates with expertise in precisely the industry clusters that Connecticut businesses view as the fields most likely to propel economic growth in  the state.

In one critical field, Computer & Information Sciences, three-quarters of the degrees granted in the state are awarded by the independent institutions.  And in seven key industry clusters – essential to building the state’s economic strength and job opportunities – the independent institutions award more than half of the degrees granted by colleges and universities in the state.

By offering strong academic programs – and attracting top students – the independent colleges and universities are advancing a focus on industry areas with the greatest economic growth potential in Connecticut.

The percent of statewide industry cluster degrees awarded by Connecticut independent colleges in 2012:

• Computer & Information Sciences & Support Services, 75%
• Health Professions & Related Programs, 62%
• Physical Sciences, 59%
• Engineering Technology & Related Fields, 55%
• Engineering, 53%
• Biological& Biomedical Sciences, 53%
• Business Management, Marketing & Related Fields, 52%

The 16 member institutions of CCIC are Albertus Magnus College, Connecticut College, Fairfield University, Goodwin College, Mitchell College, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer University, Sacred Heart University, St. Vincent’s College, Trinity College, University of Bridgeport, University of Hartford, University of New Haven, University of Saint Joseph, Wesleyan University, and Yale University.

Independent institutions award 46 percent of all degrees granted in Connecticut, and enroll 30 percent of all college students statewide, including 45 percent of all minority students enrolled at four-year institutions in the state, according to a study last year by the Institute for Research & Public Service.

The study also found that Connecticut’s private not-for-profit college and university sector, on the state economy in 2010, had a total impact of $6.19 billion in sales of goods and services.  In the aggregate, the independent sector of higher education is Connecticut's third largest employer, with only the State itself and United Technologies employing larger workforces.

Connecticut Innovation Summit to Highlight Emerging Entrepreneurial Businesses

Hundreds of people who from across the spectrum of Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem — from C-level executives to emerging entrepreneurs, investors to entrepreneurial support organizations, service providers to students, will gather to share ideas and promote and celebrate innovation at the Connecticut Innovation Summit, convening for the seventh year on November 7.

The expanded Summit agenda includes:

Mentor Meetings where 75 entrepreneurs will get the unprecedented opportunity to meet one-on-one with three tech experts of their choosing — executives, investors, and serial entrepreneurs who built and sold companies — to share their experiences, knowledge and expertise.

The Funding Fair where funders and entrepreneurial resources including angels, VCs, corporate VCs, investment bankers, lenders, family offices, government programs, private investors, incubators and co-working spaces will be on-hand to offer individual guidance and advice.

The Pitch Fest where each of the 75 companies deliver a three-minute pitch to a panel of judges. The top ten pitchers will compete at the Pitch-Off where the audience, by way of electronic voting, determines the best of the best.

Poster Expo enabling deal makers and movers and shakers face-to-face time with each of the 75 Tech Companies to Watch.

Described as “Connecticut's Largest Networking Event for Innovative, Emerging and Start-up Companies,” the expanded agenda also recognizes Tech Companies to Watch - 75 tech start-ups representing cutting edge, early stage and emerging growth companies.  Companies that reflect innovation, and have the potential to grow quickly and do not exceed $3M in revenue, are urged to apply to be a Tech Company to Watch.

Five of the 75 companies will receive awards in categories including green tech, internet / new media, life sciences, software and technology product / service. The Connecticut Innovation Summit is presented by Angel Investor Forum, Connecticut Technology Council, Crossroads Venture Group, CTNext, and CURE. Registration is now available.

Hartford Skyline's Phoenix Boat Building Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Dubbed the "Boat Building," it is the world's first two-sided building and in 2013 celebrates its 50th anniversary. The headquarters of The Phoenix, located in downtown Hartford at One American Row, was an architectural original, and half a century later, continues to stand out amongst newcomers to the Hartford skyline.

Completed in 1963, the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is an exceptionally significant example of the Modernist architectural style.

Distinguished by its unique form and lenticular plan, the building was designed by Max Abramovitz, a recognized 20th century master. Abramovitz -- widely acclaimed for his role in designing two of New York City's landmarks, the United Nations and Lincoln Center -- envisioned the locally dubbed "boat building" as a reflection of a daring and progressive company.

The construction of One American Row cemented Phoenix's commitment to the renewal of Hartford, where the company was founded in 1851, and reflected its forward-thinking and innovative business approach. The company decided to remain in Hartford in the 1960’s – and since then – choosing neither to move to the suburbs or to the planned Constitution Plaza nearby, which was the first urban renewal project in Connecticut and one of the earliest in the nation.

The 13-story tower is properly called an elliptic lenticular cylinder and is 225 feet along its axis and 87 feet wide at maximum width. It is oriented so that its pointed ends face east and west and the sides face north and south. The building was designed by one of the nation's foremost architectural firms, Harrison & Abramovitz, of New York. Ground was broken in 1961 and the contractor, George A. Fuller Company, completed construction in November 1963.

In 2010, the building was awarded Silver Leed® certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, and is one of a small number of buildings that are both Leed® certified and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Phoenix was named one of the region’s top workplaces by The Hartford Courant in 2012.

In 2013, the plaza surrounding the building was renovated with environmentally friendly planted areas. The "green" plaza renovation was the first completed private property piece of Hartford's iQuilt Plan, which promotes creative urban design to strengthen pedestrian links between downtown destinations.

The Phoenix Companies, Inc. is a boutique life insurance and annuity company serving customers' retirement and protection needs. Insurance products are available through select independent distributors, supported by our wholesaling team at Saybrus Partners.  Founded in 1851, Phoenix is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PNX. Corporate offices are in Hartford, CT, and there is a customer service center in East Greenbush, NY. As of December 2012, they reportedly had approximately 600 employees.

Hartford Hosts First-Ever International Start-Up Weekend

Hartford’s Start-Up Weekend is going international.  The MetroHartford Alliance and its young professionals organization, HYPE, have announced that this year’s Startup Weekend Hartford, to be held October 18-20, will represent the first transnational collaboration, as Hartford organizers have partnered with Start-Up participants in Ottawa, Canada.

 Startup Weekend Hartford-Ottawa, a coordination of virtually connected sets of teams, mentors and organizers during the competition, will also feature Jeff Hoffman, co-founder and partner at ColorJar and a former founding team member of Priceline.com, who will virtually connect to speak to the event's participants.

Startup Weekend convenes active and empowered entrepreneurs to navigate the basics of founding startups and launching successful ventures - all in 54 hours.  The event, held in cities all over the world, convenes local developers, graphic designers, marketing professionals, product/business managers and startup enthusiasts to build viable business plans around entrepreneurial ventures.  In Connecticut, previous events have been held in New Haven, Storrs and Hartford.

The Hartford base will hold its event at the uniquely equipped Connecticut Institute for Primary Care Innovation at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford.  Counterparts in Ottawa have partnered with longtime sponsor and Ottawa-based startup Shopify, where the local event will be held.

Startup Weekend begins with participants pitching their startup ideas and receiving feedback from peers. Participants are not required to pitch an idea to participate, but all are welcome to do so. Teams are then formed by participants based on the top ideas as voted on by the group.  Over the course of the subsequent 54 hours, each team focuses its energies on creating a business model and on coding, designing, and obtaining market validation for their product or service.

The weekend culminates with presentations in front of entrepreneurs and business community leaders who offer constructive feedback in the competition’s judging process.  This year, three winners will be named.

“Both cities have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and base, and the mechanics of this transnational effort will allow all participants, especially those who opt for the joint opportunity, to harness the most innovative and advanced technologies to connect, create and compete,” said John Shemo, vice president and director of economic development for the MetroHartford Alliance.

“We’ve found a great fit with the Startup Weekend Hartford team, both in terms of passion and in the common values that make up the secret sauce of technology entrepreneurship,” said Paul Austin-Menear, Marketing Director for Startup Weekend Ottawa.  The pace of change in business and technology continues to make waves in both Canada and the United States, and it’s important to us that the next generation of entrepreneurs be prepared for, and take part in the next leap forward.”

The MetroHartford Alliance and HYPE successfully facilitating two previous events in Hartford.  The 2012 event was the second vertical, or industry-focused, event of its kind with an emphasis on health and wellness. Registration to participate in the Hartford base for Startup Weekend Hartford-Ottawa is $99 per person.  A discount rate of $25 is available to college students.

For more information, visit http://hartford.startupweekend.org.

WNBA Leads Major Sports in Gender, Racial Diversity; Baseball Mirrors Society Best

The WNBA received a combined grade of A+ for race and gender diversity, after earning and A+ for race and an A+ for gender in the 2013 WNBA Racial and Gender Report Card, produced by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES) based at the University of Central Florida.

The study provides an analysis of the racial breakdown of the players and management in the league office and at the team level. It also looks at team general managers, coaching staffs and other support personnel.

Meanwhile, the Institute’s comparison of the racial breakdown of players in major league baseball, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, also released this month, shows that baseball has a demographic breakdown that more closely reflects the nation’s demographics. But the most diverse league – in terms of players as well as the front office – is the WNBA.

Richard Lapchick, the director of TIDES and primary author of the report, said, “The WNBA continues to set the standard for racial and gender diversity amongst all professional leagues.”

Among the key statistics compiled by TIDES highlighting the WNBA:

• At 67 percent, women held the highest percentage of assistance coaching positions in the history of the WNBA, setting a new mark for the second consecutive year.
• The percentage of people of color holding professional level staff positions in the WNBA League Office increased from 29 to 33 percent while the percentage of women increased by 8 percentage points.
• WNBA players of color increased by five percentage points in 2013.
• Nine women and seven people of color had ownership positions on a WNBA franchise in 2013.  Most were limited partners.
• The number of women in the top management role increased from two to five women CEO/Presidents from 2012 to 2013.

Locally, of the 24 individuals highlighted on the Connecticut Sun website as members of the team staff, 12 are women and two are individuals of color.  The CEO and VP/General Manager are men, and the head coach, Anne Donovan, is a woman.

Laurel J. Richie, the first woman of color to become president of a professional sports league, continued the WNBA’s tradition as professional sports’ most diverse organization.  Richie, a veteran marketing executive, brought more than three decades of experience in consumer marketing, corporate branding, public relations and corporate management, when she was appointed President of the WNBA, in 2011.

Many would argue that baseball is no longer "America's Pastime", but strikingly the racial composition of the average major league team corresponds almost perfectly to their proportions in American society, the Institute noted.“It truly is the game that looks like America the most, the other major sports leagues do not even come close,” the organization pointed out, as reflected in an Infographic on the website visually.

The WNBA Racial and Gender Report Card is the third report issued thus far in 2013 after the releases of the reports on Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association earlier this year.

CT is Top 10 State in Percentage of Seniors in Workforce;Both Men and Women Highly Ranked

Connecticut is among the nation’s leading states in the percentage of senior citizens – men and women age 65 or older – still in the workforce.  The Land of Steady Habits placed in the top ten for both men and women, and showed increases in the percentage of seniors in the workforce compared with 2000, reflecting a national trend.

Connecticut is ranked 9th in the nation in the percentage of female senior citizens in the workforce, with 14.7 percent.  The state is 7th nationwide in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce, with 23.8 percent.

Looking at the percentage of senior female workers, the top ten are Alaska (with 20.7%), Nebraska, District of Columbia, South Dakota, Wyoming, New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, Connecticut and North Dakota.  The lowest percentage was in Michigan at 9.2 percent.

In Connecticut, 9.2% of women age 65-69 are working, 3.3% of women age 70-74, and 2.2% of women 75 years old or older.  The overall percentage of women seniors in the workforce in Connecticut increased from 9.9% in 2000 to 14.7% in 2011.

Using U.S. Census data, Bloomberg.com ranked the U.S. states and the District of Columbia based on the percentage of female seniors employed.  Figures are calculated by dividing the number of females aged 65+ and employed by total population of females aged 65+.   The male population was calculated in a similar fashion.

Connecticut ranked 7^th in the nation in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce.  Data for male senior citizens indicate that in Connecticut, the overall percentage in the workforce is 23.8 percent, with 13.3% of those age 65-69, 5.6% of those 70-74 and 4.4% of male seniors age 75 or older still working.

The top ten states in the percentage of male senior citizens in the workforce are District of Columbia, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, North Dakota, Maryland, Connecticut, Vermont, Alaska and Massachusetts.  The lowest percentage was in West Virginia, with 13.5 percent.

Concussions in NFL, Youth Sports Earn Attention from Media, Government, Coalition

A number of the nation’s most prominent youth sports organizations announced this week that they will be partnering with concussion specialists, sports medicine professionals and leaders at other levels of sports to create an unprecedented coalition to focused on concussions among young athletes.

The announcement comes the same week as a major report on the NFL’s two decades of denial of a connection between football and brain injury, aired on Public Broadcasting System (PBS) stations across the country, including in Connecticut, as part of the investigative “Frontline” series.

The National Sports Concussion Coalition expects to be "the most comprehensive alliance of its kind", with science and medical leaders in the fields of concussions, brain injury and sports medicine working directly with a cross-section of organizations and governing bodies that represent millions of athletes across major organized sports in the United States. The partnership aims to share data and identify best safety practices that can assist in coaching, playing and officiating across sports.

To help ensure the health and safety of young athletes, this past spring the federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports initiative to offer information about concussions to coaches, parents, and athletes involved in youth sports. The  initiative provides important information on preventing, recognizing, and responding to a concussion.  A series of fact sheets and an informational video for players, coaches and families are available on the CDC website, www.cdc.gov/concussion.

The founding youth sports and medical members of the newly formed coalition include the National Council of Youth Sports (NCYS), Pop Warner Little Scholars, Sports Concussion Institute (SCI), US Lacrosse, US Youth Soccer, USA Hockey, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Amateur Softball Association/USA Softball, USA Basketball, USA Football and the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention. Coalition partners at the professional, college and foundation levels include the NCAA, NFL, NFLPA and National Football Foundation.

Connecticut Law

Just two weeks ago, Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Attorney General George Jepsen issued a news release reminding student athletes, parents and coaches that head injuries and concussions are serious and that Connecticut law requires students who suffer a blow to the head or receive a concussion diagnosis to sit out games and practices until cleared by a licensed medical professional.

“A concussion is a very serious injury, and an athlete who has suffered a concussion needs time to heal,” said Attorney General Jepsen. “While proper use of helmets and protective equipment is important, it’s critical to remember that no helmet can fully prevent a concussion. Preventing head injuries by limiting contact is key. Parents, athletes and coaches should educate themselves in order to recognize the signs of injury and prevent concussions in youth sports.”

Under Connecticut law, anyone who has a state-issued coaching permit and who coaches intramural or interscholastic athletics must be periodically trained in how to recognize and respond to head injuries and concussions. State law also requires coaches to take a student athlete out of any game or practice if the athlete shows signs of having suffered a concussion after an observed or suspected blow to the head or if the athlete is diagnosed with a concussion. Coaches must keep athletes out of games and practices until receiving written clearance from a licensed medical professional.  Connecticut's youth sports concussion safety law was signed on May 18, 2010 by Governor M. Jodi Rell, and the state was among the first in the nation to enact a comprehensive policy.

 “Sports have the power to change the lives of millions of young people in this country by encouraging a physically active lifestyle and by teaching lifelong lessons. We want to make sure no child loses that opportunity due to fear of injury,” said Jon Butler, executive director of Pop Warner Little Scholars. “By coming together in this very important fight against concussions we believe our collective efforts will transcend our individual sports and benefit everyone.”

"The NCAA is committed to broad concussion education outreach, and to research that will identify objective biomarkers and sound management guidelines. We are excited about our partnership in this important alliance," said Brian Hainline, M.D., chief medical officer of the NCAA.

Documentary Production

The PBS program “League in Denial” began as a joint effort between PBS and the ESPN program “Outside the Lines,” announced in 2012.  Earlier this year, ESPN removed itself from the collaborative endeavor.

In a statement at the time, the network said “Because ESPN is neither producing nor exercising editorial control over the Frontline documentaries, there will be no co-branding involving ESPN on the documentaries or their marketing materials. The use of ESPN's marks could incorrectly imply that we have editorial control. As we have in the past, we will continue to cover the concussion story through our own reporting.”

The Bristol-based sports network has initiated major stories on the concussion issue in recent years, and ESPN reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru have written a book – published this week - about football and brain injuries -- "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth," and are prominently featured in the PBS program.

Veteran Astronaut from Connecticut Prepares for Next Launch, Followers Turn to Twitter

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will be among the agencies contributing crew members on upcoming missions to the International Space Station this fall, including a veteran astronaut who grew up in Waterbury.

Expedition 38, scheduled for launch in November, will bring three new crew members to the space station aboard the Soyuz TMA-11M to be launched by Russia.  They include flight engineers Richard Mastracchio of the United States, Koichi Wakata of Japan, and Mikhail Tyurin of Russia.  They are scheduled to remain on the space station until May 2014.

Graduated from Crosby High School in Waterbury in 1978, Mastracchio received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering/computer science from the University of Connecticut in 1982, a master of science of degree in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1987, and a master of science degree in physical science from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1991.  He worked for Hamilton Standard in Connecticut as an engineer in the system design group from 1982 until 1987.  During that time, he participated in the development of high performance, strapped-down inertial measurement units and flight control computers.  He was selected to serve as an astronaut in 1996.

Now a veteran of three space flights, Flight Engineer Mastracchio and his crew members will participate in a number of training activities to prepare them for their jobs on the upcoming mission, include a wide spectrum of disciplines, from science research and on-orbit medical operations to spacewalk procedures and robotics. His training will also include extensive travel to other station partner countries, such as Japan and Russia, to practice and learn the specialized hardware and equipment provided by these nations.

The Connecticut native will share with the public ‘behind the scenes’ of what it’s like to train like an astronaut for a mission aboard the International Space Station via Twitter. Follow @AstroRM to share his training experience during his finals months of mission preparations. Followers will learn about human space exploration, astronaut training and the research and technology aboard the International Space Station, according to NASA.

Mastracchio is one of two Connecticut natives currently among the active astronaut corp.  Daniel Burbank, who grew up in Tolland, concluded a 163-day mission on the International Space Station last year, returning to Earth in April 2012.  He is a graduate of Tolland High School and was selected to be an astronaut in 1996.  He served as Mission Specialist on two space shuttle missions and as Flight Engineer on Expedition 29 and Commander of Expedition 30 at the International Space Station.  He has logged 7 hours and 11 minutes of spacewalk time.

Since joining NASA, Mastracchio has worked technical issues for the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch, Space Station Operations, the EVA Branch and as a CAPCOM.  He served as the display design lead for the Space Shuttle cockpit avionics upgrades in 2003.  From 2004 until 2009, he has worked various Constellation and Orion tasks including Cockpit design lead, and Constellation deputy branch chief.  Mastracchio flew as a mission specialist on STS-106, STS-118, and STS-131, and has logged nearly 40 days in space, including 6 EVAs totaling 38 hours and 30 minutes.

Since Expedition 1, which launched Oct. 31, 2000, and docked Nov. 2, the International Space Station has been visited by 204 individuals.  It is not only an orbiting laboratory, but also a space port for a variety of international spacecraft. As of June 2013, there have been 89 Russian launches, 37 Space Shuttle launches among the flights.

A total of 168 spacewalks have been conducted in support of space station assembly totaling more than 1,061 hours, or more than 44 days.  The space station, including its large solar arrays, spans the area of a U.S. football field, including the end zones, and weighs 924,739 pounds. The complex now has more livable room than a conventional five-bedroom house, and has two bathrooms, a gymnasium and a 360-degree bay window.

Tyurin, a Russian living just outside of Moscow, most recently was the Commander of Soyuz-13 (TMA-9) / Expedition 14, launching on September 18, 2006 from Baikonour, and docking with the International Space Station on September 20, 2006. He served as Flight Engineer during a six-month tour of duty aboard the space station, his second tour on the International Space Station. Tyurin performed five spacewalks accumulating 25 hours and 32 minutes of EVA time and a total of 215 days in space. The mission concluded on April 21, 2007 with a landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan.  In completing his second space mission, Tyurin has accumulated a total of 340 days in space including 25 hours and 32 minutes of EVA time in 5 spacewalks.

From March to July, 2009, Dr. Wakata flew as the first resident ISS crew member from Japan and served as a Flight Engineer and the JAXA Science Officer on the crews of Expeditions 18, 19 and 20 as well as a Mission Specialist on STS-119 and STS-127 (2J/A). His duties during the four-and-half month flight included the installation of the S6 Truss, the final assembly of Kibo, a variety of experiment operation in science, engineering, art, and education, as well as ISS systems operations and maintenance. He became the first Japanese astronaut to fly aboard Soyuz TMA spacecraft on orbit. A veteran of three space flights, Dr. Wakata has logged a total of 159 days, 10 hours, 46 minutes and 5 seconds in space.  Early next year, he is slated to be the first Japanese astronaut to command the ISS as part of Expedition 39.

UConn Strengthens Focus on Asian Studies, Hartford Library Offers Seminar Series

With the addition of six new faculty, there is newfound scholarly expertise in the area  of Asian and Asian American Studies  at the University of Connecticut.  The growth of the academic program is transforming UConn into a distinctive center that focuses on Asian populations - not just in Asia, but across the world.  The greater emphasis provides an increasingly global perspective to studies of Asian peoples, going beyond language.

The new group of professors brings a greater emphasis to cultures formed from diasporas, or the scattering of people from their traditional homeland; and alternate histories, such as local or regional histories that haven’t traditionally been recorded.

Daniel Weiner, UConn’s vice provost for global affairs, told UConn Today, “It’s a very exciting time to invest in faculty with expertise pertaining to Asia. It’s also exciting that UConn has an opportunity to construct the study of Asia in a unique way through inclusion of transnational and diasporic studies.”

“This focus allowed us to hire people who significantly build upon the established field of Asian studies by engaging contemporary and modern questions,” says Cathy Schlund-Vials, associate professor of English and director of the Asian American Studies Institute.

While UConn is strengthening its study of Asian peoples, there are also efforts underway in Connecticut to provide support for the Asian population currently in the state, particularly immigrants and those with limited English skills, lack adequate access to culturally and linguistically competent legal services.

The second in a series of free community educational seminars will be held on Saturday, November 2, 2 – 4 PM at the Mark Twain Branch Library in Hartford.  The series is supported by the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Associations.   Topics to be discussed include immigration, business licensing, discrimination, and voter registration.