The Stratford Library will offer a double dose of "green" events on beginning at 1 p.m. April 19 with two environmentally correct programs.
The Library is offering a variety of special events for the month of April with the "green theme". They are free and open to the public. The "Go-Green Double Feature!" includes speaker Evangelio Franco, shown, regional manager of Connecticut Programs with Metropool. Franco will discuss "Transportation Alternatives" and how to conserve fuel in daily living. Alternatives to driving alone include car and van pooling or riding the bus or train resulting in improved air quality, reduced traffic congestion and a better quality of life for all.
Then at 2 p.m . a "Grow Your Own," gardening workshop will be held with Stratford's Susan Pildner. Pildner will discuss the many advantages to home gardening and demonstrate joys of growing vegetables, herbs and flowers. A life-long gardener, she designs and installs perennial, herb and vegetable gardens and specializes in redesign of existing gardens, and consultations. Pildner will cover such topics as where to locate agarden, how to prepare soil and when to use transplants rather than sow seeds. She'll also discuss how to use herbs and flowers as companion plants to improve soil, keep plants healthy, discourage pests and increase yields.
Both “Go-Green!” programs will be held in the Library's Lovell Room. For more information, call the Public Relations & Programming Office at (203) 385.4162 or visit: http://www.stratfordlibrary.org/.

The FBI might be right for you

BRIDGEPORT – Career opportunities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation will be the subject of a talk beginning at noon April 2 at Housatonic Community College.
Slated to appear are an FBI agent and analyst who will discuss their respective jobs as well as career paths in the agency.
The agency is hiring, said HCC student Steve Figueroa, president of the college’s Criminal Justice Club, who arranged the event.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in Room 135 in Beacon Hall on the HCC campus.
HCC is located at 900 Lafayette Blvd. in downtown Bridgeport, 150 yards off Interstate 95's Exit 27 and Route 8's Exit 1 in downtown Bridgeport, a block from the Arena at Harbor Yard.

HARTFORD — An Orange man who served in Iraq and now is clerk of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will receive National Guard Association of Connecticut’s Meritorious Service Award Saturday. Paul Tarbox, a lifelong resident of Orange, served in Operation Iraqi Freedom II with the 118th Medical Batallion as a communications sergeant from February 2004 to February 2005. He served in the Connecticut National Guard for 10 years from January 1999 to January 2009, leaving with the rank of sergeant, and was awarded medals and decorations for campaigns, service and merit, a prepared statement says. Select Committee on Veterans’ Affairs co-chairmen Sen. Andrew Maynard, D-Stonington, and Rep. Ted Graziani, D-Ellington, commended Tarbox for receiving the award.
"Paul is dedicated to his work and is a committed and active member of our veterans’ community," Maynard said. "I’m so pleased that the National Guard Association has decided to recognize his tremendous efforts and all the work that does on behalf of our military personnel and families. I’m very proud of his accomplishments and I know that, in the future, Paul will continue to be a strong voice for Connecticut’s veterans." "I am humbled and honored by this award," Tarbox said in the statement. "It’s a privilege to serve the men and women of the Connecticut National Guard and all of Connecticut’s 300,000 veterans everyday, and I promise to remain committed to doing everything that I can to support legislation that benefits our veterans." Tarbox, who has served as an Orange town constable, is a member of several veterans’ groups, including the American Legion, the VFW and the Association of the United States Army.
"I can’t think of a more deserving person than Paul Tarbox," said Graziani. "Whatever his task, he always gives 110 percent. Paul as a strong sense of dedication for all veterans, and his service on the committee is like a partnership between the legislature and those currently serving and those who have served in our Armed Forces."

The Stratford Library will act as host for Milford author Steve Bellwood for a special “Meet-the-Author” program at 7 p.m. April 15.

Bellwood is the author of "If All the Prophets Are Men." The program is free and open to the public.
Bellwood’s book is set in the early 1980s when a young English poet and his girlfriend, while hitch-hiking across country, are picked up by a US Marine on leave and his teenage wife. The couple proceeds to take them on a wild, 24-hour ride through the looking-glass of the American Dream into a nightmarish world of sex, drugs and violence. It is a first-person narrative and meditation on the nature and consequences of non-negotiable emotional and ideological conflict.
Born and raised in Yorkshire, England, playwright, monologist, storyteller and poet Bellwood has produced and performed his work in London, New York City and throughout the state of Connecticut where he continues to write and perform regularly. He is the father of two sons and lives in Milford.
“Meet-the-Author: Steve Bellwood” will be held in the Stratford Library Lovell Room. Autographed copies of "If All the Prophets Are Men" will be available for purchase. For more information, call the library’s Public Relations & Programming Office at 203.385.4162 or visit its website: http://www.stratfordlibrary.org/.

MILFORD – Bob Macklin, top photo, president and CEO of The Milford Bank, and Robert “Bob” Scukas, bottom, owner and president of Heritage Electrical Contractors, will receive the Milford/Orange Good Scout Award at a luncheon in their honor on May 5 at Costa Azzurra Restaurant.

The Rev. Kenneth Fellenbaum of Boys & Girls Village, is chairman of the event.
The Good Scout Award is presented annually to those who exemplify in their daily lives the ideals of the Boy Scouts of America as expressed in the Scout Oath and Law.

Recipients are chosen for their outstanding community service as evidenced by their interest and leadership given to many worthwhile organizations as well as the respect and esteem in which they are held by their colleagues. Proceeds from the luncheon support the programs and services of the Connecticut Yankee Council, BSA. A detailed registration flyer is available on the Connecticut Yankee Council website at www.ctyankee.org.
Anyone interested in learning more about Scouting or financially supporting this event should contact Event Chairman Ken Fellenbaum at 203.877.0300 or fellenbaumk@boysvill.org, or Staff Adviser Jonathan Pleva at 203.876.6868, Ext. 286 or jopleva@bsamail.org. Seats are $100 and all donors will be recognized at the luncheon.
Bob Macklin has served as the president and CEO of The Milford bank since 1999, giving leadership to 95 employees in five offices inthe Milford area. Macklin also has served in a number of positions at Village Bancorp in Ridgefield, from 1974 through 1999.
An active supporter in the community, Macklin has served for a number of years on the Good Scout Luncheon Committee, chairing the event twice, and he is a member of the Administrative Committee of the Mutual Institutions and Council American Bankers Association, the immediate past chairman of the Connecticut Bankers Association, the immediate past president of Milford Rotary, the vice-moderator of the First United Church of Christ, and a corporator of Milford Hospital.
Robert “Bob” Scukas is the owner and CEO of Heritage Electrical Contracting, Inc. in Milford. Scukas is a member of the Milford Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, International Association of Electrical Inspectors, and is a member of the Fairfield County Electrical Association.
Scukas is an active parishioner at St. Mary’s in Milford. He’s a member of the Milford Volunteer Fire Department and is especially active in Milford Scouting. From 1995 through 1999, he served as a Cub Scout leader for Pack 721. Since 1999, Scukas has been the scoutmaster of Troop 721 at St. Mary’s Church. He has built the troop membership from just a handful of Scouts to more than 50 now.
The Connecticut Yankee Council, Boy Scouts of America, serves more than 25,000 youth in Fairfield, New Haven and parts of Hartford counties. Scouting’s programs encourage youth to pursue their special interests, make new friends, develop leadership skills and give back to their community. The council is pleased to receive 1 percent of its $4.1 million operating budget from three participating United Ways, including United Way of Milford. For more information, visit http://www.ctyankee.org/.

WEST HAVEN — The West Shore Order of the Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will sponsor a lecture and book signing from 6 to 9 p.m. March 18 at their headquarters at 37 Orlando St.

Milford author and veteran Elliott Storm, who is kicking off his spring tour will visit as will several guests who will speak on the topic of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Storm wrote the novel "These Scars Are Sacred" to help the public understand the causes and effects of PTSD and to help in the healing process.
Radio talk show host Jim Buchanan of WICC radio has called the novel "The right book for the right time." Storm, who has lectured nationwide on the topic of PTSD, has served as the judge advocate for the American Legion District 2.
Radio talk show personality John Labarca, shown at left in photo with Storm, will act as host for the event.
For more information about the book and lectures, visit www.thesescarsaresacred.com or Amazon.com.

BETHANY — The Democratic Town Committee has more than meatballs in store for participants in its Annual Spaghetti Supper at 6 p.m. March 28 at Town Hall.
The event, which begins with wine and cheese, features an auction that includes organic farm manure, time in homes on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, tickets to Yankees, Giants and Patriots games, unique work by local artists, and gift certificates and items from area restaurants and merchants. First Selectwoman Derry Gorski and state and local elected officials will be on hand to meet and greet.
For more information or for tickets, call 393-0350.

MILFORD - Saint Ann Parish will welcome the Rev. John Bartunek, to speak on “Deeper Prayer for the Busy Christian: Choosing the Better Part,” as the concluding presentation in the parish’s Winter Wellness series at 7 p.m. March 30 in the church, 501 Naugatuck Ave.

Bartunek will discuss the nature and method of authentic Christian meditation and how it differs from self-help and New Age spiritualities, organizers said. His presentation is based on his 2007 book "The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer." A book signing will follow the talk.

Bartunek is the author of the 2005 bestseller "Inside the Passion," the only authorized behind-the-scenes look at Mel Gibson’s movie "The Passion of the Christ." He has contributed news commentary regarding religious issues on CNN, Fox, and the BBC. He has appeared on Larry King Live, Hannity and Colmes, and the Laura Ingraham radio show.

Bartunek received his Bachelor's of arts in history from Stanford University in 1990, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. After college, he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and baseball coach. He then spent a year as a professional actor in Chicago. He has since received ecclesiastical degrees in philosophy and theology and worked in youth and college ministries. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 2003. Bartunek served as the English-language press liaison for the 2005 Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist. He lives in New York, where he is engaged in doctoral research, teaching Ecclesiastical History, and continuing his writing apostolate.

The public is invited to attend this special presentation. For further information call 203-874-0634.



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