Fresh food for low-income seniors axed from Malloy spending plan

–By Kaitlyn Krasselt and Rob Ryser, August 10, 2017 — The Hour —

Photo: Alex Von Kleydorff / Hearst Connecticut Media – Market master for the city of Norwalk’s farm stands, Lyn Detroy, helps Lisette Cimcke grab some fresh picked string beans from the Country Farms farm stand at Norwalk Community Health Center on Wednesday, … more

NORWALK — State-issued vouchers that help low-income seniors afford peaches and peppers at the farmers market are not worth the paper they are printed on.

That is Hartford’s message to seniors in the Norwalk area and across Connecticut while lawmakers continue to operate without a state budget for the 2018 fiscal year.

And while the farmers market vouchers for seniors are expected to be worth money at some point this year when the state government passes a budget, that doesn’t help nearly 500 Norwalk seniors who are trying to eat healthy today.

State funding for the $350,000 Senior Farmers’ Market Nutritional Program was not included in the executive order signed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to keep the state running when the new fiscal year began on July 1 without a budget.

Op-ed: Why We Have To Close 3 Library Branches

— GREGORY C. DAVIS — Hartford Courant, August 11, 2017 —

For more than 235 years, the Hartford Public Library has provided free resources that inspire reading, guide learning and encourage individual exploration. This is our mission. We are committed to making sure that the library can continue to serve all of its diverse and changing neighborhoods and…