First Connecticut City Gets All-Electric School Bus
Connecticut s only all-electric school bus will enable the district to not only reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower fuel costs, but ensure children a more healthful ride to and from school. by Cassandra Day, The Middletown Press / February 9, 2021 Electric vehicles plugged into charging stations. (Shutterstock) Shutterstock
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Connecticut s only all-electric school bus will enable the district to not only reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency and lower fuel costs, but ensure children a more healthful ride to and from school.
State and local officials unveiled DATTCO s small Collins Type A All-Electric School Bus Monday at the high school. The $350,000 vehicle runs on five sodium chloride batteries, according to President
Middletown first in CT to have all-electric school bus
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Local officials heralded DATTCO’s purchase of a Collins Type A All-Electric School Bus Monday at Middletown High School.Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
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Middletown Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner speaks Monday about the all-electric school bus paid for with Volkswagen settlement funds and DATTCO.Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
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DATTCO President Don DeVivo speaks Monday at Middletown High School during the unveiling of a new all-electric school bus for the district.Hearst Connecticut Media file photoShow MoreShow Less
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Middletown Mayor Ben Florsheim at the unveiling of an electric bus purchased through Volkswagen settlement funds at Middletown High School Monday.Cassandra Day / Hearst Connecticut MediaShow MoreShow Less
That old saying about crisis and opportunity is a way of life for entrepreneur Don Vaccaro of South Windsor.
He saw the COVID-19 pandemic crush one of his businesses then add new life and purpose to a second one.
“It has actually been very exciting for every milestone and hurdle,” Vaccaro said. “Being at this time in this business to solve a problem that makes folks happy is a great thing.”
Vaccaro’s new business is supplying low-cost N95 face masks to doctors, dentists and businesspeople, in part utilizing the staff and resources of TicketNetwork, his sidelined ticket-brokering company.
TicketNetwork, located 75 Gerber Road East in South Windsor, employed 470 people at its height, Vaccaro said. The company was doing so well buying and selling tickets to live shows that it joined other major state employers in 2019 to announce it would increase its minimum hourly wage to $15. (The company also drew some negative attention from New York Attorney General Letitia Jam
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Jan. 10, 2021
Connecticut Bio Tech, a South Windsor based company, donated 1000 masks to the Bickford House in Windsor Locks. This donation is one of the many that the company has made throughout the pandemic. Their goal is to bolster PPE supplies in local communities.
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The 48-bed Bickford Health Care Center has been providing quality care for its residents for over sixty years. Bickford offers Long Term Care and Short-Term Rehabilitation services in a warm, intimate setting. CT Bio Tech s generosity will ensure that anyone who needs a mask will be able to acquire one, said state Representative Jane Garibay (D- Windsor, Windsor Locks). This proves that private businesses and government can work together to create a better world. I look forward to future collaborations.
The donation from Connecticut Biotech comes at a time when staff at Fair Haven Community Health Care said it’s not just a shortage of N95s, but it’s the price of the ones available that make the masks hard to stock.
“The challenge we’re now seeing is that the cost has really escalated,” said CEO Dr. Suzanne Lagarde. “We have to be very careful about allocating scarce dollars.”
The masks will be helpful because the organization offers COVID testing and vaccinations, and they’ve been doing dental work as part of their regular offerings.
“With aerosolized procedures, they use N95 masks every day. This is critical to continue to allow them to continue their work,” said Lagarde.