Divided Council Confirms Stewart Pick For Chief Of Police
By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Common Council confirmed Mayor Erin Stewart’s nomination of Captain Matthew Marino to become the city’s 16th Chief of Police at its April 26th meeting. The decision appeared to split council members, with a majority in favor of the Mayor’s choice but members from both Democratic and Republican caucuses […]
Council To Vote On New Police Chief
Petitions Filed For Major Changes To City Zoning Map At April 26th Meeting By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Common Council is scheduled to select a new Chief of Police at the Wednesday, May 26th regular meeting. Three members of the Police Department’s(NBPD) command staff have been selected as finalists. The vote may come […]
GoNetSpeed Wires New Britain For Fiber Optic With $5 Million In City’s Federal Covid Funds
Company Rolls Out New Internet Service At Introductory Rates To Homes, Businesses; Citywide Access Expected By Early Summer By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – A new internet service provider (ISP) is offering residential and business customers high-speed connectivity in all parts of the city thanks to a $5 million public subsidy. In June 2022 the […]
MLK Remembered At Memorial Wreath Laying To Mark Anniversary Of Assassination
Next Step For MLK Corridor Initiative Announced By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Mary McLeod Bethune Club, the Black Ministerial Alliance and the City of New Britain joined together on Saturday, April 8th, for the annual memorial wreath laying marking the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968. Evelyn […]
Alderman Ayalon Counters Mayor’s State of The City Address
Ward 3 Democrat Cites Administration’s “Extreme Partisanship”, Increasing Debt Service And Gentrification Moves By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Alderman Aram Ayalon (D-3) , the Common Council Minority Leader, responded to Mayor Erin Stewart’s widely publicized State of The City address delivered on March 8th at the only scheduled regular council meeting last month. City […]
Fair Rent Comm. Special Meeting Cancelled
Election of Chair, Revisions To Rules and Regulations Postponed To April 11 By John McNamara [Editor’s Note: This updates a story on the Fair Rent Commission posted on Monday, April 3] NEW BRITAIN – A hastily called special meeting of the city’s Fair Rent Commission was cancelled on Tuesday, April 4th, almost as quickly as […]
Election of Chair, Revised Rules On Agenda At Special Fair Rent Commission Meeting, April 4
By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The city’s Fair Rent Commission, a largely dormant city board, will hold a hastily-called special meeting Tuesday, April 4th to elect a Chairperson and revise its rules and regulations. The Commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 P.M. in Room 201 at New Britain City Hall, 27 West […]
Matt Ritter’s Batterson Park Redux
State Park Status Can Bring Abandoned Recreation Area On Farmington-New Britain Line Back To Life By John McNamara Will Batterson Park, the abandoned recreation area and pond shared by New Britain and Farmington and owned by the City of Hartford, become Connecticut’s 91st state park? Last week State House Speaker Matt Ritter of Hartford picked up the […]
NB Progressive Seeks Nominees For Community Advisory Committee
Local news project seeks volunteers for feedback on news coverage and content The New Britain Progressive, a publication of New Britain Independent Newspaper, Inc. published online by volunteers since 2016, invites nominations for a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) that is forming this spring.. CAC members will serve as an advisory group to: Advisory committee members […]
Senate Bill For Clear Language On Municipal Charter Referendums Advances
By John McNamara HARTFORD – Legislation sponsored by New Britain lawmakers to require clear language on city charter and other municipal ballot questions received a joint favorable (JF) report from the General Assembly’s Government Administration and Elections Committee March 22nd. The Committee approved advancing the bill for possible floor action 14 to 5 on a […]
Day Of Action To Protest Big Banks’ Funding Of Fossil Fuel Industry Is Tuesday In West Hartford
Citizen Action Group Joins March 21st Event To Avert “Climate Disaster” Staff Reports A National Day of Protest, including ones in West Hartford Center, New Haven and Norwalk in Connecticut, will be held Tuesday, March 21, to “pressure major banks to stop financing the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.” Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG) […]
‘Taste of Ramadan’ Event At High School Calls Attention To Yemen’s Civil War
Ethnic food and culture shared before the month-long religious observance begins for Muslims By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Students and teachers filled the New Britain High cafeteria on March 15th for an after-school “Taste of Ramadan” event with ethnic food and observances of Muslim traditions and customs before the start of Ramadan on March […]
Lawmakers Praise $1.7 Million For Expanded Child Care At YMCA
Community Investment Fund 2030 OKs Support For Six Classrooms Staff Reports HARTFORD – The State Community Investment Fund 2030 (CIF) board approved $1.7 million in state funding to enable the New Britain area YMCA to renovate unused racquetball courts into space for six additional classrooms at the Y’s New Britain facility that will enroll 72 […]
Legislation On Clarity Of Local Ballot Questions Gets Hearing
GAE Committee Will Consider Changes Endorsed By NB League of Women Voters Staff Reports HARTFORD – Legislation to bring “clarity and simplicity” to municipal referendum questions will be the subject of a public hearing on Friday March 10th at the State Capitol. The Legislature’s Government Administration and Elections Committee will hear testimony in Room 2A […]
Hearing On Demolition Of Mount Pleasant Public Housing Set For Tuesday, March 7
Staff Reports NEW BRITAIN -A public hearing on the planned demolition of the Mount Pleasant family housing complex on Myrtle Street will be held Tuesday, March 7, at 3 pm at the Jane Johnson Conference Room, 18 Armistice Street that is located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. There is a zoom link for the meeting […]
Far Right Student Group’s Anti-BLM Film Disrupted At CCSU Campus
Protestors Call ‘The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and The Rise of The BLM’ “Hate Speech” By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Dozens of Central CT State University (CCSU) students disrupted the showing of the controversial film The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and The Rise Of The BLM Thursday (March 2) at […]
Senator Murphy Invites New Requests For Federal Funding Via Congress
Proposals for Special Appropriations Formerly Known as Earmarks Are Due March 19th By John McNamara Opportunities for “Congressionally Directed” federal funds for a wide range of community, institutional and local government projects in Connecticut are available through the office of U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Congressionally […]
Ed Vargas Is New Public Policy Chair At CCSU
Former Hartford State Rep, Union Leader Succeeds New Britain’s DeFronzo By John McNamara Former State Representative Ed Vargas, Jr. is the new holder of the Governor William A. O’Neill Endowed Chair in Public Policy and Practical Politics at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) succeeding Don DeFronzo, a former New Britain Mayor, State Senator and state […]
Leaders Show Solidarity With Ukraine On First Anniversary of Invasion
Lamont, Congressional Delegation Support Continuing Military, Humanitarian Aid At CCSU Event By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – Governor Lamont and members of Connecticut’s Congressional delegation led a “commemoration” of the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine Thursday, February 23rd, at Central Connecticut State University’s (CCSU) Alumni Hall. Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz emceed a 90-minute […]
Remote Public Participation Resumes At Common Council Meetings 2/22
Staff Reports NEW BRITAIN – The opportunity for residents to raise issues at the start of Common Council meetings remotely resumes at the regular bi-monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 22nd. City Hall Watch Remote participation was available at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but was ended by city officials for both Council members and […]