In this Sept. 11, 2021, file photo, the sun rises over Savin Rock in West Haven as hundreds of American flags blow in the wind near the boardwalk on Long Island Sound. The flags represent the 343 New York City firefighters who died in the line of duty on Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the 257 active and retired FDNY members who have died of 9/11-related illnesses, including cancer. (Contributed Photo/Andrew Sacco, File)

Borer recognizing FDNY 9/11 survivor Mickey Kross at city’s 9/11 ceremony

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 6, 2024 — West Haven will observe the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on 9/11 with a flag-raising ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Bradley Point Park flagpole, followed by a candlelight vigil at the city’s 9/11 memorial.

The solemn service will begin with a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard and the flag-raising by the West Haven Fire Department Honor Guard.

The flag-raising will honor the memory of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. It will include remarks by city leaders, including Mayor Dorinda Borer, Police Chief Joseph S. Perno and West Haven Fire Department Chief James P. O’Brien.

Rick Spreyer, Borer’s chief of staff, will serve as the master of ceremonies, and West Haven High School senior Zoe Powell will sing the national anthem and “God Bless America.” A pastor of Vertical Church will give the opening remembrance prayer, and retired West Shore Fire Department Lt. Kevin McKeon will play taps.

The New Haven County Firefighters Emerald Society Pipes & Drums will perform “America the Beautiful.”

At 7 p.m., the candlelight vigil will take place at the Richard S. Gabrielle Sept. 11 Memorial on the boardwalk next to the former Savin Rock Conference Center, 6 Rock St.

Members of the West Haven Rotary Club will distribute candles and programs at the granite monument, which was paid for by the service club in 2002. It was designed by Harold J. Schaller of H.K. Peacock Memorials Inc. in Valhalla, New York.

Gabrielle, 50, of West Haven, was killed during the attack on the twin towers in New York’s World Trade Center complex. An insurance broker at Aon Corp., he was last seen on the south tower’s 78th floor.

Declared Patriot Day by Congress in 2002, the city will fly flags at half-staff in recognition of the national day of remembrance.

At the vigil, Borer will acknowledge and read the story of Mickey Kross, a retired New York City Fire Department lieutenant who now lives in West Haven.

Kross responded to the attack on the twin towers and survived the collapse of the north tower. He later donated the black FDNY lieutenant helmet he wore on 9/11 to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at ground zero.

The vigil will feature a presentation of the colors by the West Haven Police Honor Guard, taps played by McKeon and Celtic folk performances by Irish singer-songwriter Liz McNicholl, including “The Bravest,” a tribute to the heroes of 9/11.

It will also include a wreath-laying by Deputy Police Chief Carl V. Flemmig Jr. and West Shore Deputy Fire Chief Raphael Zayas, along with a performance of “Amazing Grace” by the emerald society.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Kross’ firehouse, Engine Company 16 on Manhattan’s East 29th Street, was dispatched at 8:50 a.m. to the trade center complex. After reporting to a fire command post in the north tower’s lobby, Kross, then 55, and his firefighters headed for another command post on the 23rd floor.

Kross then received orders to evacuate. He was descending stairwell B on the north tower’s fourth floor when he heard a loud roar and the building collapsed.

A few hours later, sheltered by the stairway, Kross was among 12 FDNY members and two others who emerged relatively unscathed.

Board to hear appeals on vehicle assessments in City Hall, 1st floor

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 6, 2024 — The Board of Assessment Appeals will meet in open session from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 in the assessor’s office at City Hall, 355 Main St., to hear appeals of motor vehicle assessments on the 2023 grand list.

Any owner of a city-registered vehicle claiming an aggrieved assessment can issue an appeal at the hearing.

West Haven lighting windows and steps of City Hall in purple to mark International Overdose Awareness Day

Windows, steps of City Hall lit in purple to mark International Overdose Awareness Day

WEST HAVEN, Sept. 6, 2024 — The city marked International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday by lighting the windows and steps of City Hall in purple.

“Overdose awareness is an important public health observance, not just today but every day,” Mayor Dorinda Borer said. “We are observing International Overdose Awareness Day because we want to bring attention to the challenges of this growing epidemic.

“We also want to let our residents know that we are aware of the problem, we are here to provide available resources, and we are committed to working with partners across the city to address this crisis.”

International Overdose Awareness Day, Aug. 31, is the world's largest annual campaign to end overdose, to remember without stigma those who have died, and to acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.

To raise awareness in West Haven, purple battery-operated candles illuminated the windows and steps of City Hall.

Purple is the color of overdose awareness, an international effort to call attention to the epidemic.

To increase overdose awareness, Health Director Maureen B. Lillis said the West Haven Health Department will launch a promotional campaign in September. The monthlong campaign will feature a new webpage dedicated to opioids and overdose awareness that includes education and resources for treatment, mental health and Narcan, along with a calendar of related activities throughout the year, she said.

Lillis said the department’s public health team will spend the month providing education and awareness, including pop-up events that distribute fentanyl test strips and pill deactivation packets. The test strips can detect fentanyl in liquids, powders and pills, she said.

Lillis said the department will use its portion of opioid settlement money to fund the awareness campaign and to help stem opioid addiction in West Haven. The money is part of a nationwide settlement reached with drugmakers and pharmaceutical companies for their roles in the national opioid crisis.

Fentanyl is an opioid painkiller many times more powerful than heroin and is typically prescribed to treat severe pain. It now frequently appears as an illegal street drug mixed with other substances, such as heroin, metonitazene or para-fluorofentanyl, the latter of which is sometimes known as China white.

Experts say the growing prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit drug supply is a top driver of the increasing number of overdose deaths in the U.S.

The city’s Health Department and Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security are working with churches and agencies to schedule training for Narcan, a brand name for a device that delivers the opioid-overdose antidote naloxone.

Lillis said anyone who completes the training will receive a Narcan emergency overdose kit, which contains two 4-milligram nasal sprays.

Emergency Management Director Rick Fontana has been installing the grant-funded kits in many municipal buildings and public places around West Haven.

Lillis said the Yale Community Health Care Van, a mobile medical clinic that offers harm reduction services, will also support the city’s awareness campaign by parking at the West Haven Emergency Assistance Task Force food pantry at least once a month to service people in need.

WHEAT, based at 674 Washington Ave., provides food for residents in need.

Tony Inzero Farmers Market every Thursday on West Haven Green, every Saturday at Oak Street Beach

WEST HAVEN, Aug. 27, 2024 — The Tony Inzero Farmers Market is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday on the Green, at Campbell Avenue and Main Street, and every Saturday next to the Oak Street Beach parking lot, off Captain Thomas Boulevard.

The market will include state farmers selling homegrown fruits and vegetables and crafters selling homemade wares through Oct. 12.

Parking is available on Campbell Avenue and in the City Hall municipal lot, 355 Main St., as well as in the Oak Street municipal lot and on Palace Street. Oak Street is on the senior shuttle route and the CTtransit route.

The farmers market was dedicated in 2010 in memory of Anthony F. “Tony” Inzero, a leader in the downtown business community who co-owned Flower Affair on Campbell Avenue with Betty DelVecchio for many years. Inzero was a founding member and longtime president of the West Haven Business Association who spearheaded a variety of events and programs to drum up business for fellow merchants, including the first farmers market in 2000.

Inzero, who lived in Hamden, died in 2009 at age 59.

Mayor Dorinda Borer launches new marketing video showcase, ‘Summers in West Haven — Feel the Vibe!’

WEST HAVEN, Aug. 21, 2024 — Mayor Dorinda Borer has launched “Summers in West Haven — Feel the Vibe!”, the latest video showcase in the city’s new promotional series, “Discover West Haven.”

Check out the video.