News Briefs

Adult Education Classes Transferred
Hartford Adult School GED, ESL and ABE classes scheduled to be held at 110 Washington Street will now be held at Bulkeley High School, 300 Wethersfield Avenue, and Hartford Public High School, 55 Forest Street. Enrollment for the classes begins next Monday, September 14. For more information, call 722-6815 or visit 40 Clifford Street.

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Gubernatorial Forum in North Hartford
On Tuesday, September 22, the North Hartford Initiative (NHI) will host a forum of gubernatorial candidates at 7 pm at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, 25 Ridgefield Street.

Both U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly and Governor John Rowland are expected to attend and address issues of concern in north Hartford's neighborhoods. "We are looking forward to hearing from the candidates about their vision and plans for north Hartford," said Karen Lewis, NHI Chairperson.

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Arts Council to Award $50,000
For the fourth consecutive year, the Greater Hartford Arts Council will award a total of $50,000 in Special Project Grants to cultural organizations to support new creative projects in the Arts. Individual awards for qualified projects range from $500 to $5,000.

To qualify for a Special Project Grant, an applicant must be a non-profit, tax-exempt organization from the Capital Region that is not currently receiving Arts Council operating support. Request for applications are due to the Arts Council's office at 225 Trumbull Street by 4:30 pm, Thursday, September 10, 1998. Qualified projects will be sent an application for submission.

"Allocating Special Project Grants allows the Arts Council to assist in the development of smaller, grass roots arts organizations who add richness and diversity to all segments and all ages within the community," said Robb Hankins, Executive Director of the Greater Hartford Arts Council.

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City Health Department Gets $10,000 Grant
The Connecticut Chapter of the March of Dimes recently awarded the Hartford Health Department a $10,000 grant to fund a first time ever population-based perinatal information system. The project will link the Health Department and the Community Health Partnership to the CityMatCH Data Institute for 1998-99.

The perinatal system will track the birth experience of all residents, regardless of site of care, insurer or other factors and will be responsive to the needs of clinicians, family advocates, policy makers, researchers and government officials while at the same time respecting patient confidentiality. The ultimate goal of the system is to gather information that will help provide an organized response to poor birth outcomes, a major interest of the March of Dimes. In 1996, Hartford had an infant mortality rate twice the national and state average. Infant mortality rates are based on the number of babies who die before reaching their first birthday.