Headlines
Concerned Voices Confront New Britain City Council About Homelessness
Following a Monday rally organized by the Racial Justice coalition for housing justice, dozens of people experiencing homelessness and their advocates converged in significant and historical testimonial, at the City Council on Wednesday December 13th. They urged the city to take strong actions to help the homeless and renters who are experiencing substandard living conditions. […]
South Church Hosting Community Christmas Dinner
South Church is hosting a Community Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. “Come to dinner on Christmas Day,” event organizers say. “Monday, December 25th at 12:00 noon,at South Church, 90 Main Street, New Britain. Enter at the Arch Street door.” The Christmas meal is to be ham dinner. Event organizers say that, “Dinner is free of […]
Mayor Stewart Says Late New Britain Audit Report Available In January
New Britain Mayor Erin Stewart (R) says that the city’s long-overdue audit report from the budget year that ended a year and a half ago will be “available” in January. “The audit is due December 15th,” said Stewart. “We should have that document in January.” The city had previously told state officials that its “projected” […]
Roxbury Road Resident Speaks Out on Flooding
By Frank Chase, Roxbury Road We purchased 24 Roxbury in 1973 with a healthy, dry basement and a flood free property. Our property is not the same today. Our neighborhood is not the same today. Remember, we are not in a flood zone. As we all know, our weather is more severe and climate conditions […]
What’s in New Britain City Council Meeting Wednesday, December 13, 2023
The New Britain City Council will meet on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. The agenda for the meeting includes: Public participation: available in person at 7:00 pm or by phone calling begins 6:55 pm at 339-209-6176 Watch common council meeting live streaming at: https://www.newbritainct.gov/meetings or https://www.youtube.com/@CONBCT/streams Minutes: Every city council agenda usually includes minutes from the […]
Listro, Marino and Reyes Elected to Lead Board of Education
With its new term of office beginning, the New Britain Board of Education has elected Joseph Listro (D) as its President, Barbara Marino (R) as its Vice President and Diana Reyes (D) as its Secretary. The three are to lead the ten member Board of Education, after being elected at a special Board meeting held […]
Happy Hanukkah from the New Britain Progressive
Happy Hanukkah from the New Britain Progressive. May the celebration of the Festival of Lights bring with it hope for the future. Best wishes for loving celebration with family and friends.
Racial Justice Coalition Leads Call for Housing Action
The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition led an event, with City Council members and activists to call for action to address housing costs, unavailability and poor living conditions. Coalition Director Alicia Strong was joined by housing activists in calling for more action to make housing available and direct the community’s resources help city residents. Joining […]
Police Blotter Data Appears to Show Many Latinos as White
Police blotter lists published by the city appear show list most Latinos arrested as white, listing ‘race’ but not ethnicity. The police blotter lists published by the city that have this demographic information appear to show that 73% of the people arrested in the periods covered by these reports were white and 27% were Black. […]
Hearing On Batterson Park Study Set For Thursday (12/7) At NBPD Community Room
A public hearing on the feasibility of Batterson Park’s revitalization as a state park will be held Thursday, December 7th at 6:30 p.m. at the New Britain Police Department’s Community Room, 10 Chestnut Street. The CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is taking public comments on the study at three separate meetings in Farmington (December 4), Hartford […]
Flooding in New Britain – The Role of the Shrinking Permeable Spaces
This year flooding hit New Britain hard. Flooding has been experienced in Roxbury Rd, Newberry Street, Allen Street, Overlook Ave, and McKinley Drive causing residents to speak in front of the common council demanding solutions. But flooding is by no means new in New Britain. The most susceptible area for flooding in New Britain is […]
Housing Insecurity in New Britain a Growing Problem That Needs to be Addressed
In September 2021 the US department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $2.2 million to the city of New Britain for a new grant called HOME-ARP. This grant was part of the $1.9 trillion that congress allocated for the American Rescue Plan to stimulate the economy, especially in poor communities who suffered most from the […]
Would Election Changes Turn Around Record Low Voter Turnout in New Britain?
Voting turnout is key to a healthy democracy. High turnout often means voters are motivated and believe their vote makes a difference. Politicians will tend to be more attuned to their constituents when turnout is high. However, in the US including Connecticut, municipal elections tend to have low voter turnout and as a result local […]
Racial Justice Coalition Calls Suspension of Public Defender Part of Attacks on Pro-Palestine Voices
Calling the suspension of New Britain assistant public defender Joshua Perldeiner, “part of a concerning series of attacks on pro-Palestine voices across Connecticut and the United States,” the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition said it supports Perldeiner. The organization called for, “respectful and constructive conversations to address the concerns raised by this incident and stands […]
Two Poems By Ray Marafino
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA for Heather Hyer Tell us that the Confederate flag | does merely stand for heritage | when waved alongside the Nazi. And tell us that this is free speech | while being exercised as the swing | of a fist striking. Do tell us how the President lies | by dog-whistling […]
Community Events and Meetings in New Britain, Nov 27th to Dec 3rd
in New Britain, Connecticut, from Monday, November 27, 2023 to Sunday, December 3rd, community events and meetings include, [MEC id=”35828″] The New Britain Progressive, a publication of the New Britain Independent Newspaper, Inc. is free to read and community supported. http://newbritainprogressive.com. Please feel free to help the New Britain Progressive with a donation, and you […]
Happy Thanksgiving from the New Britain Progressive
The New Britain Progressive wishes you and your family a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving Day. We hope that your day is filled with the joy of celebration and time with family and friends. Many of us have many things to be thankful for, all of which, of course, are reminders of what so many others, […]
Connecticut Gets a Grade of “Incomplete” on Protecting Health Coverage of Medicaid Eligible Residents
By Dr. Peggy Lampkin, An open letter: Dear Gov. Ned Lamont; l am a resident of this state. I am sending you this message to urge you to act now to end a major health emergency regarding Medicaid Disenrollment. A coalition of Partners from the human rights community have developed state-focused scorecards that grade each […]
Are the Finances of the City of New Britain in Order?
In October 2023 both the New Britain Progressive and the New Britain Herald reported that the City of New Britain has failed to submit its 2022 financial audit report on time and was 10 months late. The city indicated it would submit its report by Halloween, but it has missed that deadline as well and […]
11-22-63: That Day Frozen In Time
by John McNamara It is a November 22nd when many Baby Boomers are going to tell you where they were 60 years ago. At age 13, I was in Mrs. Sonigan’s 7th grade speech class when the class abruptly ended at Pickering Junior High near Wyoma Square in Lynn, Massachusetts. This was just one year […]