Winsted receives ECS boost from Malloy

WINSTED — Good news came to Winsted and many other Connecticut towns Wednesday morning, Feb. 8, when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced a $50 million increase in Education Cost Sharing (ECS) funding to a majority of the state’s 169 towns.Winsted’s percentage increase matched the state average of 2.65 percent, with the town receiving an extra $207,371 for the 2011-12 school year.The increase comes at a time when the town is struggling to find money to meet the minimum budget requirement for Winchester Public Schools. Townspeople voted last May to approve an $18.6 million budget put forth by the Winchester Board of Selectmen, but state officials have said the budget is out of compliance by $1.3 million.The windfall from the state should help town officials make necessary adjustments to their books to close out the school year.Winsted’s ECS increase represents $150 per student, compared with the statewide average of $92 per student. In all, the statewide increase brings total ECS funding for Connecticut to more than $1.93 billion, up from $1.88 billion.Other towns in the Winsted area receiving increased ECS funding include Barkhamsted, which received a 2.38 percent increase of $38,488; Colebrook, 2.26 percent, $11,212; New Hartford, 0.74 percent, $23,197; and Torrington, 1.96 percent, $468,825.Cities and distressed communities around the state received the lion’s share of the money, with the governor’s hometown of Stamford receiving the largest percentage increase of 11.53 percent.

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Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

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Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

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Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

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