The media was there to cover the hearing and the joint press conference members of our Union and District 1199 had already planned in order to report on our on-going efforts to protect the lifeline for High Meadows' boys. Commissioner Cristine Vogel's reprieve provided an opportunity to again call on Governor M. Jodi Rell to stop playing politics with these families who have already suffered enough in the eight months since she first announced her intention to shut off the medical, psychiatric, social, and educational services at the facility.

The first report appeared that afternoon at the political blog of record for State Capitol reporting, CTNewsJunkie.

NBC-TV Channel 30 aired several news reports Friday evening, including one that featured the on-camera comments of P-3B Council member Kathy Fenton, who had planned to testify at the hearing and spoke during the press conference. Unfortunately, only a portion of the transcript is available online.

News segments on both the hearing and our press conference were aired on CBS-TV Channel 3 during their Friday newscasts, as well (again, the video is not posted with the transcript).

The Associated Press wire story on the hearing was posted on dozens of websites and printed in numerous newspapers around the state the next day.

Saturday's New Haven Register featured an extensive article, and their reporter was able to get the Governor on the record explaining why she is still pushing DCF to shut down a facility the state legislature has funded in its most recent budget.

Watch video of the news briefing online at the CT-N website, and check the set at our photo gallery with pictures of both the hearing and press conference, as well.

The day before, the New Haven Register published a letter by P-3B Council member Bill Buhler connecting Rell's position during state budget negotiations and cutting vital services like those at High Meadows.

Bill offers an example of what our members can do between now and the resumption of OHCA's hearing, which is tentatively scheduled for the week of October 19. Take a moment to write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper and address the bigger picture revealed by Governor Rell's attempt to shut off services for disabled and medically fragile kids.

We need to demonstrate that her insistence on closing this critically-needed facility shines the light on her inability to lead; and that's a price we all will pay.