City News Briefs

SINA Honors Six Community Leaders
The Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA) honored six individuals at the Eighth Annual Neighborhood Service Awards banquet this Tuesday, September 22, at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

The six honored at this year's eighth annual banquet were April Goff Brown, former Director of Youth Services for the City of Hartford and Founder of the Hartford Youth Network, Edith Lacey, Chair of the Frog Hollow (South) Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, Garry Lapidus, Director and Co-founder of the Connecticut Childhood Injury Prevention Center at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Jose Martinez, Co-chair of the Capitol District Neighborhood Coalition and President of Organized Parents Make a Difference at Burns School, John Tornatore, Owner of Gordon Bonetti Florist, Vice-President of FAMA and a volunteer with the Bulkeley High School Living/Grow Program and South Park Inn, and Hyacinth Yennie, who chairs the South End Knight Riders Youth Center's Advisory Board, HART's Education Committee, co-chairs the Barry Square Revitalization Committee and is President of the Sport Science Academy PTA.

The six honorees were selected from among dozens nominated by local agencies, churches, community organizations and individuals.

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Urban League to Honor Coleman
The Urban League of Greater Hartford and its development subsidiary, ULGH Development Corporation, held a ceremony Tuesday afternoon to thank State Senator Eric Coleman (D-1st) and others for their help in renovating and rehabilitating nine buildings on Vine Street. The Mews at Vine Street, formerly known as the Horace Bushnell Apartments, are designed to accommodate larger working families and reduce population density. The buildings formerly had a total of 120 units, mostly one bedroom. The new development will have 87 units, mainly two, three and four bedroom units. Funding for the project is being provided by the Federal Home Loan Bank, CHFA, Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of Hartford.

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CT Transit Adds New Routes
CT Transit has announced a number of changes in its bus schedules in the greater Hartford area. The changes went into effect last week. A CT Transit spokesman said many of the changes have been made in conjunction with the Connecticut Jobs Access program to make bus service more available to those working late.

Almost all major bus lines will be effected. For instance, the F-Bus will now make an 11:40 pm run from downtown to Bowles Park on weekdays and will also have four more runs on Saturday, leaving downtown at 7:15, 8:15, 9:15 and 10:40 pm. The U-Bus will have a new 9:40 pm trip from the Old State House to Bishops Corner and begin its return trip at 10:07 pm. A new trip will also be run on Saturdays, leaving the Old State House at 9:15 pm and beginning its return trip 10:07 pm. The B, E, K, M, N, Q, T, U, and W bus routes will also be effected.

For a full list of the changes, call 525-9181.

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Noted Author to Speak on Twain's Huckleberry Finn
Dr. Jocelyn Chadwick-Joshua, author of "The Jim Dilemma: Reading Race in Huckleberry Finn," will give a free lecture at the Hartford Public Library, 500 Main Street, on Thursday, October 1, at 5:30 pm. The talk, entitled "Stayin' in Trouble: Twain, Huck and Racism," is part of "National Banned Books Week," September 27-October 3, and is being sponsored by the Hartford Public Library, the Mark Twain House and the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union.

"Huckleberry Finn" has been a center of controversy since it was first published in 1884 (Twain was living in Hartford at the time). Much of criticism directed at the book has centered around Twain's portrayal of the runaway slave Jim. But in her book, Chadwick-Joshua writes that Twain "dares to present a class of America's most invisible and least regarded members as not only human and visible, but voiced and strong as well."

For more information on the lecture, call 247-0998.

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Sister of St. Joseph Launch Fund Raising Campaign
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambry and their Development Council have launched "Jubilee 2000," a three-year fundraising campaign. Organizors of the campaign hope to raise $1 million, which will be used primarily to fund the renovation of Jubilee House in Hartford, to improve the order's retirment home just over the town line on Park Road in West Hartford and to support nine other ministries that help the poor. Over $127,000 has been raised since the kick-off of "Jubilee 2000" earlier this summer. For more information, call 956-0081.