Joanie Jackson and “Stanley” of Houston, TX, visited Alexis Ann, editor & publisher, the Resident, in Mystic, as part of the Flat Stanley Project.

by Alexis Ann

We are sooooooo lucky to live in this unique two-state region.  The word on the street from the mouths of business owners is that, “Business is picking up!”  Now, that’s music to my ears… yours too, I’m sure.

Just ask Neil Ryan and Scott Gladstone who recently expanded by relocating their Wireless Zone of Groton location to Route 12 (next to Kohl’s) about how busy they are.  With a snip of the ribbon, invited guests joined in the celebration by raising their cell phones and cheering-all raving about the outstanding customer service offered by the Wireless Zone’s Team for the past 12 years!  “Our goal is to help our customers in-and-out of the store quickly in a comfortable atmosphere while being serviced in a professional manner,” says Neil Ryan.  Congrats here.

A salute to the Subase for cutting the ribbon on its new Child Development Center.  This center will provide a safe, nurturing and caring environment to promote the healthy growth and development of more than 150 military community children.  “The Child Development Center is committed to positively impacting Subase’s fleet, fighters and families through the best child care we can deliver,” states Janet Anderson, director, CDC here.

Our Community Spirit column features Nity Oris for her life of giving here.  Nity is a nurse supervisor at Backus Hospital and her career there spans 40 years.  She is the Health Care Hero awarded by the Connecticut Hospital Association.  Congratulations Nity!

Thanks for reading the Resident, the Good News that Rocks! Please remember to patronize our advertisers as they’re helping to make the “good news” happen.

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by Diana Urban

Representative Diana Urban (D), 43rd Assembly District - North Stonington & Stonington, introduced HB5413 An Act Banning Cadmium in Children’s Jewelry to protect children from ingesting Cadmium, the seventh most toxic substance on the Center for Disease Control’s list.

In the midst of what is now being called “The Great Recession” with its concomitant  impact on our state budget and family well-being, a parent pointed out to me a recall of 55,000 pieces of children’s jewelry that contained over 55% Cadmium. The jewelry in question was based on the popular “Princess and the Frog” movie and was being sold at Walmart.

My first reaction was to be stunned that a highly toxic heavy metal was being used to produce children’s jewelry. In what universe is that acceptable?

Cadmium is a Grade One carcinogen (the most toxic classification) it causes kidney damage, bone loss, neurological developmental problems and is a hormone disrupter. It is listed #7 on the Center for Disease Control’s list of the 250 most toxic substances. That puts Cadmium ahead of Arsenic.

In 1990, the State of CT banned it along with Mercury, Lead, and Hexavalent Chromium from packaging material to prevent these toxic materials from ending up in our landfills. But it was okay to have it in children’s jewelry? Just what was going on here?

A little research revealed that after the Federal Government passed the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) which heavily regulated Lead, foreign suppliers started looking for a cheap substitute. Enter inexpensive and abundant Cadmium. Although the European Union bans Cadmium in all children’s products and extended that to electronic products as well, children’s metal jewelry is completely unregulated in the US.

There are very weak solubility standards for Cadmium in toys in the CPSA but jewelry is completely left out. Any parent knows how little kids like to suck on jewelry and often even taste or swallow it.

Bruce Fowler, Cadmium specialist and toxicologist from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “There is nothing positive you can say about this metal. It is a poison”

In 2006, a four-year-old boy died in Minnesota after ingesting a lead charm. In a particularly heart-breaking scenario, the child went on a play-date and when he got home began feeling ill. As his Mom had no knowledge of any small objects he might have swallowed, she thought it was a “tummy bug”

When he continued to get worse, she took him to the ER where they treated it as the flu. He became increasingly sick and then his body started shutting down. Desperate for answers, they did an X-ray and saw the object. It was too late. After four days of suffering, the child died.

His death was a major contributor to the Government regulating Lead. My point is that Cadmium is just as toxic, and in some cases more toxic than Lead. Unless we act this tragedy could be repeated!

Fortunately, some of our retailers are starting to demand that their suppliers get rid of Cadmium in kid’s jewelry. Walmart is beginning to label jewelry “Cadmium free.” In my mind, although it is a good start for industry to respond, it is not enough; so I introduced HB5413 An Act Banning Cadmium in Children’s Jewelry.

We have made the law effective in 2014 to give the industry time to adjust. That is where you come in. If consumers refuse to buy jewelry that contains Cadmium, manufacturers won’t make it. In the simplest sense, that is how a market works! My fervent hope is that during that time the federal government will step up and institute meaningful nation wide regulations for Cadmium. There is no excuse. There are acceptable substitutes that are not toxic.

We got the bill out of the House 144 to 0 but the lobbyists proceeded to work the Senate hard and succeeded in amending the bill on the last night of Session. The amendment killed the bill if I couldn’t get it re-passed in the House. At two minutes to midnight we re-passed the bill in the House and became the second state in the country to enact this ban.

It really comes down to this: Cadmium causes cancer – how much Cadmium do you want your children eating?

Dr. Michael Harbut, who treated adult victims of Cadmium poisoning and is director of the Environmental Cancer Program at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, said “In my view, the answer should be none.”

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story & photo
by Alexis Ann

Wireless Zone of Groton Celebrates Expansion with a Ribbon Cutting (l-r) George McCullen, ambassador, Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce, Peter Asnes, Heidi Rothstein, Mike Mugovero, Brian Beach, with co-owners Scott Gladstone and Neil Ryan, Wireless Zone of Groton, Tony Sheridan, president, Chamber of Commerce of ECT, and Tricia Cunningham, president, Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce celebrate the grand reopening of the Wireless Zone of Groton on Thursday, September 2nd at the new location in the Groton Square Plaza.

On Thursday, September 2, Wireless Zone of Groton celebrated the grand opening of its new location in the Groton Square Plaza with a ribbon cutting ceremony led by Tony Sheridan, president, Chamber of Commerce of Eastern CT and Tricia Cunningham, president, Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

Co-owned by Neil Ryan and Scott Gladstone, the Groton store is consistently in the top 10 national Wireless Zone stores for volume. The larger location, next to Kohl’s and Super Stop & Shop at 220 Route 12, features a new layout and a larger staff.

Featuring Verizon Wireless products and services, the new interactive Wireless Zone of Groton store includes “Flat screen TVs at each display. It’s a new modern point of sale system with several fully-functional kiosks designed for the wireless business,” says Neil. “Our goal is to help our customers in-and-out of the store quickly in a comfortable atmosphere while being serviced in a professional manner.”

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The Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce’s first annual Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Restaurant Week will launch on Sunday, October 3rd and will run through Monday, October 11, 2010.  For nine days, participating restaurants will offer a three-course price fixed menu of $15 for lunch and $25 for dinner.  Each restaurant offers it own unique menu.  The program is designed to make dining out locally even more attractive and affordable.  Restaurants give new and existing patrons the chance to experience their cuisine, décor and service at discounted prices, with a goal of inspiring them to return dining year round.

There are no tickets, coupons or passes required.  Simply go on line, beginning September 12,  to www.westerlychamber.org to have your own personal guide to all things gastronomic during Restaurant Week.   Visitors to the website will e able to preview the participating restaurants and their menus, along with chef photos and bios, recipes and event listings. Special cooking demonstrations and other culinary experiences are being incorporated into the promotion and will be included on the website.

Confirmed restaurants are:

84 High Street Café, Westerly
Andrea Hotel, Westerly
Casa Della Luce, Westerly
Casa Della Luce, Westerly
Dylan’s Seafood & Steakhouse, Westerly
The Fisherman Restaurant, Noank
FRA’s Italian Gourmet, Westerly
Guytanno’s Café, Westerly
Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville, Uncasville
Prime Time Café, Pawcatuck
Senor Flaco’s, Westerly
The Shelter Harbor Inn, Westerly
Steven Patrick Tavern, Westerly
Vetrano’s, Westerly
W.B. Cody’s, Westerly
Wilcox Tavern, Charlestown

Restaurant Week is a concept that takes place around the country in big cities as well as small towns that have unique and eclectic culinary offerings.  Lisa Konicki, Chamber Executive Director, attended Restaurant Week in Providence last year and felt the concept would translate well in our community.

“Lisa proposed it to the Chamber Board who agreed and voted at the annual Board of Directors Retreat to undertake this initiative.  It’s a perfect fit for our mission and we are happy to produce this culinary celebration”, said Chamber President Rudi Hauser, Hauser Chocolates.  Local restaurant owners Chris Champagne of 84 High Street Café and Chris Blackmer of Dylan’s Steak and Seafood helped establish the format and pricing for the event.

Lisa remarked, “This program is designed to encourage people to broaden their food horizons by trying out some of the region’s finest eateries at tantalizing prices” she said. “It will be a culinary cornucopia.”

Westerly Pawcatuck Area Restaurant Week is produced by the Greater Westerly-Pawcatuck Area Chamber of Commerce and generously supported by Golden Fork Sponsors: Westerly Sun, The Resident and Silver Spoon Sponsors: So Rhode Island Magazine.

For information, contact Lisa Konicki at 401.596.7761.

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