News
Northend Elementary Students Collect Food Pantry Donations
Students at Northend Elementary School collected food donations during the month of November, 2017 to benefit people in need in the community. The nearly 1,000 items of non-perishable food were collected for the work of the Osgood Avenue Food Pantry. The food drive was organized by teachers Jennifer Welch and Dawn Mitchell. The Consolidated School District of […]
Chair of Chamber Board Employing Timothy Stewart Works for Erin Stewart
Just how much distance is there between City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce? This question has begun to come under scrutiny, as accusations of racism and calls to remove Timothy Stewart from the Chamber Presidency rise in the wake of public outrage created by the former Republican Mayor. The intense public outrage followed a comment by Timothy […]
Timothy Stewart Faces Charges of Racism and Calls for His Ouster from Chamber of Commerce Presidency
Former Republican Mayor Timothy Stewart is facing charges of racism from city residents and calls from members of the public for his resignation or removal from his position leading the Greater New Britain Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, State Representative Bobby Sanchez (D-New Britain) held a press conference critical of Stewart’s comments that, “the inmates continue […]
JFK Remembered By City’s AOH Members
“Immigration policy should be generous; it should be fair; it should be flexible. With such a policy we can turn to the world, and to our own past, with clean hands and a clear conscience.” – A Nation of Immigrants by John F. Kennedy Members and friends of the city’s Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) […]
Gov. Malloy Announces $1.7 Million in Brownfields Remediation Funding for New Britain
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D-CT) has announced $1.7 million in funding for brownfields remediation projects in New Britain as part of a state program to, “assess, remediate and revitalize blighted properties,” and, “and put them back into productive use.” “These kinds of properties that have been vacant for decades are causing blight in neighborhoods, draining […]
CTfastrak Commuters Forced to Walk Long, Dark Detour During Rail Construction
Anger and frustration could be heard in the air during working weekdays as transit commuters and others using the CTfastrak bus rapid transit system in downtown New Britain found themselves being directed, during railway construction, down a long detour with poor conditions for walking. Construction was being conducted by Pan-Am Railway on the Main Street […]
Rallying to Support a New Britain Resident Targeted by Anti-Immigrant Agenda
A candlelight vigil was held at the home of longtime New Britain resident Mariano Cardoso, Sr., who is facing deportation in a time when the national government is in the grip of Republican President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant politics. The vigil, on the evening of November 17th, followed a rally held in Hartford in the morning […]
Magnuszewski Elected as City Council’s Top Leader
In its first meeting of its new term, the City Council has elected Democratic At-Large Alderwoman Eva Magnuszewski (D-AL) to its top position, the President Pro-Tempore. The President Pro Tempore of the City Council is the official leader of the Council. The President Pro Tempore is also effectively the deputy mayor of the city, being second […]
Newly Elected City Council to Select Its Leadership
The newly elected New Britain City Council will hold its first meeting on November 15, 2017, and its first task is the selection of its leaders from among its fifteen members. The many changes in the membership of the Council, after voters, in the November 7th elections, changed the Council from a 12 to 3 […]
Services Announced for Students and Others Coming From Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands After Hurricane Disasters
New Britain has close family and community ties with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and other places hit by hurricanes and other recent natural disasters. In the aftermath of the hurricanes and then the failure of the Trump Administration to provide needed aid, New Britain residents have been sending aid to Puerto Rico and Virgin […]
A Split Decision in New Britain’s City Elections
Democratic Mayoral candidate Merrill Gay’s campaign, in which he had said he wanted to revitalize and build-up city Democrats, brought a split decision in the 2017 city elections. The Democratic team led by Gay won victories over Republican incumbents across the city and won a 9 to 6 majority on the City Council, but Gay, […]
City Taps Patton Brook Well For Water After Calling Off Bargain Basement Sale, Hiking Rates To Pay For MDC Water.
By John McNamara More than a year after the Stewart administration and Common Council sought to sell off the Patton Brook Well at an undervalued price of $1 million the unused well is replenishing the Shuttle Meadow reservoir. Mayor Stewart and her Council majority authorized the sale in August 2016, seeking to give up the […]
Information Available on Where to Vote, and How to Register to Vote on Election Day, Nov 7, 2017
Editor’s note (11/1/2020): This article is from 2017. The New Britain Progressive has published a similar article for 2020, Registering and Voting This Tuesday Nov 3rd. City elections are coming up on Tuesday, November 7th for the offices of Mayor, City Council, Board of Education, Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Treasurer, Board of Assessment Appeals and […]
April 2016 Protest in New Britain Against Manafort Prescient of Recent Indictments
Criminal charges are being made, now, against former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort, by Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, but, on April 23rd, 2016, charges against Manafort were being made by members of the Ukrainian community in New Britain, warning of things now front and center in the national consciousness. As Contributing Columnist John McNamara wrote […]
Board of Education Candidates Discuss Education Funding, Diversity and Special Education.
Democrat Violet Sims and Democrat Annie Parker join incumbent Democratic Board of Education member Daisy Sanchez in running for Board of Education opposite Republican Nancy Rodriguez, current Republican Board of Education President Nick Mercier and Republican Board of Education member Mallory Deprey. The Board of Education is responsible for managing and setting policy for the New Britain school district […]
League of Women Voters Candidate Debates to Appear on Public Access TV Oct 25th to Nov 6th
The League of Women Voters has announced that its candidate debates will be aired from October 25, 2017 to November 6th on the area public access television system, Nutmeg TV. The debates, which occurred on October 14th, featured mayoral and city council candidates in this year’s November 7th city elections. The debate will be shown […]
State to Provide $1 Million to NBHS Under Commissioner’s Network Program
The Consolidated School District of New Britain has announced that the State Board of Education has approved New Britain High School as the state’s newest “Commissioner’s Network School”, bringing with it $1 million in additional funding for NBHS during the next three years. NBHS was initially selected as a possible Commissioner’s Network school on October […]
At Large City Council Candidates Discuss Education, Economy and Water
Current Democratic Ald. Manny Sanchez (D-3) is joined by fellow Democrats, Eva Magnuszewski, Yvonne Muniz, Katie Breslin and Richard Reyes as the Democratic candidates for At-Large City Council members, facing Republican Desiree Costa and incumbent Republicans Tremell Collins (R-AL), Jim Sanders, Jr. (R-AL) and Daniel Davis (R-AL) and the Republican Council Leader Daniel Salerno (R-AL). […]
Ward 5 City Council Candidates Discuss Making City Hall Work for the Community
Democrat Francisco Santiago joins the Democratic City Council Leader Carlo Carlozzi Jr. as the Democratic candidates in the Ward 5 City Council election, with Republican Carmelo Rodriguez and Republican Miriam Geraci as their party’s candidates. New Britain’s Ward 5 includes the northwest and northernmost parts of the city. Ward 5 includes the neighborhoods around Slater Road and Corbin Avenue, […]
Ward 4 City Council Candidates Campaign on Education, Economy and Watershed Land
Democratic challengers Ann Speyer and Bobby Berriault are taking on incumbent Republicans Don Naples (R-4) and Robert Smedley (R-4) in the election for the two City Council seats representing New Britain’s Ward 4. New Britain’s Ward 4 elects two members of the City Council. The ward includes Little Poland, the Belvedere neighborhood, the Little Warsaw neighborhood, the Stanley […]