State should show solidarity with private and public sectors

So state union workers have approved their contracts, and most layoffs have been avoided, after much negotiation and wringing of hands. It’s probably safe to assume nobody really wanted their fellow Connecticut workers to lose their jobs. However, it has been difficult for those working in the private sector in this state, which has been struggling mightily over the past few years, to watch the circus that was the too-long discussion on the contracts for state workers. Few private sector employees have the same calibre of benefits, pay structure and job security that had been part of the state’s offer to its employees from the very beginning of this long process. And it’s those private sector workers whose taxes pay for the dearly held benefits of state workers ­— and yes, state workers pay taxes, too. It’s a bitter pill, though, for those private sector workers whose hours may have been cut or who have lost their jobs during the recession (which we must admit is not over yet in the Northeast) to see the kind of deal that state unions first declined, then finally accepted under the greatest duress. Only after the threat and clear guarantee of layoffs did the unions come back to approve the deal.If the economic initiatives undertaken by the Malloy administration (such as the “First Five” program, whereby incentives have been offered to employers to add 200 new jobs to their payrolls in the state) succeed long-term, it could be that the state will keep the number of jobs it currently maintains. The problem is that there are still layoffs happening in the private sector which will not be avoided by new contracts or raised taxes. It would be even better if jobs could be increased, not just maintained, making a more viable expanding economy in the state, with well-rounded positions including manufacturing jobs available to a range of workers. Connecticut needs to figure out the right long-term formula for not only keeping the old, but attracting more new jobs to the state by being supportive of both new businesses coming into the state and those businesses that have been trying their level best to stay here.

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Cornwall board approves purchase of two new fire trucks following CVFD recommendation

Cornwall board approves purchase of two new fire trucks following CVFD recommendation
CVFD reaches fundraising goal for new fire trucks
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CORNWALL — At the recommendation of the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department, on Jan. 20 the Board of Selectmen voted to move forward with the purchase of two new trucks.

Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, was chosen as the manufacturer. Of the three bids received, Greenwood was the lowest bidder on the desired mini pumper and a rescue pumper.

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FALLS VILLAGE — Robin Lee Roy, 62, of Zephyrhills, Florida, passed away Jan. 14, 2026.

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Marjorie A. Vreeland

Marjorie A. Vreeland

SALISBURY — Marjorie A. Vreeland, 98, passed away peacefully at Noble Horizons, on Jan. 10, 2026.She was surrounded by her two loving children, Richard and Nancy.She was born in Bronxville, New York,on Aug. 9, 1927, to Alice (Meyer) and Joseph Casey, both of whom were deceased by the time she was 14. She attended public schools in the area and graduated from Eastchester High School in Tuckahoe and, in 1946 she graduated from The Wood School of Business in New York City.

At 19 years old, she married Everett W. Vreeland of White Plains, New York and for a few years they lived in Ithaca, New York, where Everett was studying to become a veterinarian at Cornell. After a short stint in Coos Bay, Oregon (Mike couldn’t stand the cloudy, rainy weather!) they moved back east to Middletown, Connecticut for three years where Dr. Vreeland worked for Dr. Pieper’s veterinary practice.In Aug. of 1955, Dr. and Mrs. Vreeland moved to North Kent, Connecticut with their children and started Dr. Vreeland’s Veterinary practice. In Sept. of 1968 Marjorie, or “Mike” as she wished to be called, took a “part-time job” at the South Kent School.She retired from South Kent 23 years later on Sept. 1, 1991.Aside from office help and bookkeeping she was secretary to the Headmaster and also taught Public Speaking and Typing.In other times she worked as an assistant to the Town Clerk in Kent, an office worker and receptionist at Ewald Instruments Corp. and as a volunteer at the Kent Library.

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Rafael A. Porro

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SALISBURY -— Rafael A. Porro, 88, of 4 Undermountain Road, passed away Jan. 6, 2026, at Sharon Hospital. Rafael was born on April 19, 1937 in Camaguey, Cuba the son of Jose Rafael Porro and Clemencia Molina de Porro. He graduated from the Englewood School for Boys in Englewood, New Jersey and attended Columbia University School of General Studies. Rafael retired as a law library clerk from the law firm of Curtis, Mallet Prevost in 2002 and came to live in Salisbury to be nearer to his sister, Chany Wells.

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