Construction Maison

MERIDEN — A downtown restaurant recently reopened its kitchen following an electrical fire last year. AJ’s Oasis Cafe, 142 Hanover St., hosted a grand reopening Wednesday evening . City officials and firefighters who responded to the fire last year were invited to attend. Last September, an short circuit caused a fire that damaged the bar’s kitchen and electrical system. Apartments on the second floor of the building were also damaged. There were no reported injuries. The bar reopened in November, but the kitchen remained closed until earlier this summer. Sandy Arnold, wife of AJ’s owner John Arnold , said the bar was forced to replace wires throughout the kitchen area. The kitchen remained closed until work was completed. “Insurance held us up a lot,” she said. John Arnold said he handled most of the construction himself. “It’s been a quite a journey,” he said. “It’s a big relief to finally get it open. It was probably, without a doubt, the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” When the...

Aug 16, 2017 The first time Captain Noorullah Aminyar traveled to the United States, in 2012, he felt calm and peaceful in a way he never had before. Back home in Afghanistan, he had slept fully clothed , boots on, hand on his rifle. The Taliban attacked every night, and he had to be ready. "But when I come to America," he told me, "I have no stress in America. I sleep good. I tell you, I have no stress. It was really easy. It was a good thing. You feel safe. I was born in the war. I grew up in the war. Always, your life is in danger. You find a little safe time, for sure you'll be happy." Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Advertisement - Continue Reading Below For Aminyar, then twenty-eight, coming to America was an honor and an achievement. He attended the prestigious Defense Language Institute in San Antonio, the culmination of more than a decade of studying English, followed by a basic infantry officer 's course at Fort Benning, Georgia, with Ame...