25 November, 2024
2 mins read

Community Activists Organizing for City Budget Hearing

Community activists are organizing city residents to turn out and make their views known at today’s hearing on Republican Mayor Erin Stewart’s proposed budget. Stewart’s proposal has been criticized for increasing property taxes despite her claim of “no tax increase”, as well as for freezing the city’s annual education allocation and continuing to rely on increased city […]

3 mins read

Monument Dedicated to Honor 65th Infantry Borinqueneers

New Britain is now home to the largest monument on the U.S. mainland to the highly decorated 65th Infantry Regiment, known as the Borinqueneers. The new monument, at the corner of Washington and Beaver Streets, prominently graces the main route from the north into the city’s center. Governor Ricardo Rosselló. Frank Gerratana photo. The dedication ceremony was held on April […]

4 mins read

Council Approves Hiring Freeze, With Republicans Opposing

The City Council has approved a hiring freeze on all city positions except for public safety and temporary seasonal parks and recreation positions. All five Council Republicans in attendance voted against the hiring freeze. The resolution was approved, with nine votes in favor and five in opposition. With the exception of police, fire, emergency dispatch […]

2 mins read

Council Democrats Propose Freeze on Hiring and Promotion

The nine Democrats on the City Council are proposing, “an immediate hiring freeze and promotion freeze on all positions in the City,” citing, “fiscal challenges facing the City.” The proposed Council resolution says that, because of budgetary challenges, “it is necessary and desirable to achieve cost savings by appropriate measures to ensure the funds of the […]

1 min read

Community Comes Together for North Oak Neighborhood Clean Up

An estimated two hundred neighborhood residents, other community members and elected and other officials volunteered in the North Oak neighborhood clean up on April 21st. The event began with a breakfast for volunteers, provided by Central Connecticut State University. Volunteers then divided into teams who cleaned up trash in different parts of the North Oak […]

2 mins read

Republican Accusations Thrown Out: Merrill Gay Vindicated

The State Elections Enforcement Commission has dismissed a complaint filed by New Britain Republicans against 2017 Democratic Mayoral candidate Merrill Gay, saying, “the facts do not support the allegations.” As the 2017 mayoral election was heating up, Republican Party Chair Anthony Cane filed a complaint with a series accusations that sought to tie Gay with […]

1 min read

City Council Budget Hearing to Be May 1st

The New Britain City Council has announced that it will hold its annual budget hearing on May 1, 2018. The hearing is to allow the Council to hear people’s opinions on the city budget before the Council makes its decisions. “During the public hearing,” the Council’s press release says, “residents are encouraged to voice their concerns regarding […]

2 mins read

Stewart Proposes “Huge Tax Increase” Despite Claiming “No Tax Increase”

Republican Mayor Erin Stewart’s budget includes what is being called a “huge tax increase,” despite her own claims that her budget is a “no tax increase” budget. Stewart’s press release on her budget proposal says that she, “presented to the Common Council a $237.72 million budget for 2018-19 that calls for no tax increase and […]

2 mins read

Proposal Would Bring Back Department Head Local Residency Requirement

The Council Majority Leader, Ald. Carlo Carlozzi, Jr. (D-5) and Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) have introduced a proposal that would bring back the requirement that city department heads be residents of New Britain. The proposed ordinance (local law) would reinstate the requirement that city department heads be or become residents of New Britain within one year […]

3 mins read

School System Publishes 2018-2019 School Calendar and Looks Ahead to Next School Year

Students and parents may be thinking about the end of school this June, and the beginning of summer vacation, but the school district is already preparing the next school year. As it released its calendar for the 2018-2019 school year, the Consolidated School District of New Britain wants to let people know about upcoming educational strategies that […]

1 min read

Honoring Martin Luther King’s Work for a Better Future

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored in New Britain in a memorial commemoration to the great leader who was assassinated as he fought for civil rights, equality, economic equity and peace fifty years ago. The commemoration was held by the Mary McLeod Bethune Club, led by President Cheryl Niccolls. Rev. Brian Riley, […]

4 mins read

Ald. Ayalon Presses Commission to Halt to Ramanauskas Monument

Ald. Aram Ayalon (D-3) has officially requested that the New Britain Parks and Recreation Commission take up his City Council petition requesting, “a temporary halt of the building of a monument to commemorate Lithuanian militant, Adolfas Ramanauskas, until further research has been conducted to help confirm the history behind the man being memorialized.” On December 15, 2017, […]

5 mins read

Council Petition Would to Halt Ramanauskas Monument, Pending Investigation

Ald. Aram Ayalon has introduced City Council petition requesting, “a temporary halt of the building of a monument to commemorate Lithuanian militant, Adolfas Ramanauskas, until further research has been conducted to help confirm the history behind the man being memorialized.” Ayalon cites concerns regarding accusations about Ramanauskas and the parts of the Holocaust that occurred in […]

1 min read

Sen. Blumenthal, City Council Members Support Business of Family in Sanctuary from Deportation

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ald. Eva Magnuszewski (D-AL), the New Britain City Council’s President Pro-Tempore, and other members of the Council gathered with other community members to encourage people to buy from the business of a New Britain family facing deportation who have been given sanctuary at an Old Lyme church. On March 30, 2018, Blumenthal […]

6 mins read

Council Approves Scaled-Down Version of Stewart Borrowing Plan

The City Council has approved a $99 million, scaled down version of Republican Mayor Erin Stewart’s original plan to borrow $115 million to push city debt into the future. While tension had risen last week, after reports, called, “misleading,” and, “inaccurate,” that a debt deal had already been concluded, discussions reportedly continued right up to […]

9 mins read

Sen. Blumenthal Visits New Britain Family Facing Deportation Taking Sanctuary in Old Lyme Church

Sen. Richard Blumenthal visited Malik Naveed bin Rehman and Zahida Altaf, to show support for the New Britain family and community business owners facing deportation who have been given sanctuary at an Old Lyme church. When Sen. Blumenthal visited the couple, on March 25, 2018, he said that, “I am here, today, to renew my […]

Skip to content