Headlines
Berriault Defends Critque of Stewart
By Bobby Berriault In response to a recent post on the President of the Board of Education Nick Mercier Facebook page, calling me a liar, saying I live by “alternative facts” and complaining that I blocked him on my exploratory committee Facebook page, I want to rebut his first allegation and explain why he and […]
Auditions Announced for ‘A Song of Life: In the Key of the Pain’
News Brief: Actors and singers from the greater New Britain region are being invited to audition for the upcoming musical stage play ‘A Song of Life: In the Key of the Pain’. ‘A Song of Life: In the Key of the Pain’ is an original stage play about the inner conflicts and personal triumphs of the praise […]
Berriault Holds First Democratic Political Event of the Year
Press Pool Story, The city elections are underway, with Bobby Berriault holding the first event of the potential Democratic candidates for city offices this year. Berriault held a fundraising event for his exploratory committee at Roma restaurant on January 20th. He was joined by numerous dignitaries on a day with an intense political charge, as Republican […]
New Britain Residents Join Inauguration Day Protest in Hartford
Press Pool Story, New Britain residents will be joining people throughout the region in a protest against the policies of President-Elect Donald Trump on the day of his inauguration. The Rally, Friday 4:00pm to 9:00pm, is to “demonstrate against the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.” Organizers of the Rally said on Facebook, that “Mr. Trump’s […]
New Britain Residents Rally Against Republican Health Care Repeal
Press Pool Story New Britain residents were among the hundreds of people who rallied at the State Capitol on January 15th to oppose Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move that would cost many New Britain residents their health care coverage and weaken health care for many more. The rally was called […]
Citywide Celebration in Honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Press Pool Story The Mary McLeod Bethune Club, in Partnership with the Black Ministers Alliance of New Britain sponsored the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. City-Wide Celebration Program. The keynote speaker was Mr. Lamar Bowsky, a Senior at Central Connecticut State University and 2nd Vice President of the N.A.A.C.P., New Britain Branch. The event was […]
Martin Luther King and the Economic and Social Bill of Rights
By Tim O’BrienColumnist Editor’s note: The following commentary was originally published on January 20, 2014 on Tim O’Brien’s blog. This weekend, our nation, state and communities celebrate and remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments. It is a time when I have always felt inspired by his work, as a leader, […]
New Britain High School Student Earns Highest Exam Score in the State
Sarah Farley, a senior at New Britain High School has earned the highest score on thhe CTE (Career and Technical Education) Assessments exam, scoring 92 percent. Farley is being hailed for the difficulty of her achievement. Sondra Sanford, Assistant Coordinator of NBHS Programs and Community Partnerships, said that 48 percent of the students who take […]
NBHS Senior Performs at Regional Music Festival
Jasper Khambaylarsirikul, is a member of the NBHS Madrigal Singers, the Golden Hurricanes Marching Band and Tri-M Music Honor Society, as well as the student leader of the NBHS Men’s Choir. He plays flute, piccolo and oboe, and is learning clarinet. And he was selected to represent the school at the Northern Regional High School Chorus in […]
Spottswood Men’s Ministry Invites All to a Big Country Breakfast
News Brief The Men’s Ministry at Spottswood AME Zion Church invites all to a Big Country Breakfast. The event will be on Saturday, January 28th from 8:00am to 11:00am. It will be held in the Fellowship Hall at Spottswood AME Zion Church at 25 Crestwood Lane. Admission is $10. As its Facebook page notes, “The Spottswood […]
Stewart’s Economic Record Criticized
By Bobby Berriault I take issue with Mayor Erin Stewart’s recent assertion that our city’s economy is better than ever. While it is true that a few businesses have moved into New Britain – namely the food truck that is downtown a few hours a week, for every business that has moved into our city, […]
New Britain NAACP Chooses 2017 Leadership
Press Pool Story While state and national elections took center stage, there was another election in New Britain in November, as the NAACP New Britain Branch elected its leadership for 2017. Nominees for officers and Executive Board members were made in the Fall and NAACP members voted on November 9th. The election returned Ronald P. […]
Opening Day 2017 at the State Capitol
January 4th was the opening day of the 2017 regular legislative session, the start of the term for state legislators newly elected and re-elected in last November’s voting. Opening day at the State Capitol is a day of ceremony that marks the moment when legislators must roll up their sleeves for the legislative session ahead. […]
Stewart-Proposed High-Level Bureaucrat and Department Head Residency Requirement At Issue
Republican Mayor Erin Stewart will ask the Republican-dominated City Council to approve her choice to lead the “Human Resources Department”. The new high-level bureaucratic position was created when the Council approved Stewart’s proposal to increase the number of city departments to fifteen, including the creation of the Human Resources Department. Who her choice is for the position […]
New Britain Youth Theater Stage Combat Workshop
In preparation for the spring production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, NBYT is offering a Stage Combat and Fight Choreography Workshop on Sunday, January 22. The workshop will cover some basic training of stage combat including safely fighting, falling, and using fake stage weapons. Connecticut actor and fight choreographer Rob Richnavsky will lead the workshop […]
New Britain School Officials Speak at School Absenteeism Summit
New Britain school Superintendent Nancy Sarra and Attendance Officer Joe Vaverchak were presenters at the national virtual summit sponsored by the United States Department of Education, building on the Obama Administration’s Every Student, Every Day Initiative to eliminate chronic absenteeism in the nation’s public schools. During the 90-minute summit on December 7, Sarra and Vaverchak […]
New Britain Youth Theater Auditions for ‘Peter Rabbit Is Lost!’
News Brief New Britain Youth Theater (NBYT) is looking for young aspiring actors for its production of the play ‘Peter Rabbit Is Lost!’ and will hold auditions in January. The play is an adaption of Beatrix Potter’s classic children’s books including The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, and others. […]
City Hall Watch: Stewart Wants More Money For Tilcon Watershed Study; Costs To Exceed $350K
By John McNamara The Stewart administration is seeking an additional $17,500 for an environmental study of Tilcon Inc.’s long-term plan to lease city watershed for trap rock mining. The extra cost is up for consideration at the December 14th Common Council meeting and follows the June 2016 Common Council approval of a $337,000 no-bid contract […]
Proposal on Affirmative Action Strikes Out Many Provisions
Press Pool Story The Republican-dominated City Council is considering a proposal by Mayor Erin Stewart on the city Affirmative Action Plan that proposes numerous deletions of text. On Wednesday, December 7th, the Council’s Administration, Finance and Law Public Committee will consider a resolution by Republican Council members Kristian Rosado and Louis Salvio to approve the […]
Jr. Hurricanes Win Game 1 in Championship Playoffs
Press Pool Story The 11U Jr. Canes football team won their first round game over Tyler Hurricanes of Texas 24-6. The game, on Monday, December 5th, was part of the playoffs of the American Youth Football (AYF) Championships. The Jr. Hurricanes team, with community support, traveled to the AYF Championships in Kissimmee, Florida to compete. On Wednesday, December […]