News
Council To Consider Reducing Restrictions Hitting the Homeless
The New Britain City Council’s Democratic majority members are proposing changes to city ordinances that have onerous impact on the homeless in the city. Homelessness, together with the high cost of housing, have been growing concerns, with rent and housing costs becoming unaffordable for many people. Ward 2 Council member, Ald. Lori McAdam (D-2), has […]
The Renaissance Of The Dual Language Program At Diloreto School
It was 2012 and the major item on the New Britain School Board meeting agenda was the closure of the dual language program at Diloreto school. Superintendent Kelt Cooper with the support of the president of the school board Sharon Saavedra were proposing to replace a popular program that allowed the children of Diloreto K-8 […]
New Britain Council Committee Recommends Approval of Zone Change for Mount Pleasant Redevelopment
The New Britain City Council’s Zoning Subcommittee has approved a proposed rezoning of the Mount Pleasant area, ahead of the widely expected plan for redevelopment of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. The redevelopment plan that the proposed zone change relates to calls for the demolition of the existing Mount Pleasant neighborhood and replacement with a new […]
Early Voting Beginning in New Britain
Following new Connecticut state law early voting in Connecticut will be provided beginning with the April 2nd, 2024 presidential primaries. In a memo to the New Britain Common Council for its February 14, 2024 meeting, Peter Gostlin and Lucian Pawlak the Republican and Democratic registrars of voters recommended that The New Britain Senior Center on […]
Slates Contest Over “Future of the Democratic Party” in New Britain Primary Election
Competing slates for the New Britain Democratic Party’s governing Town Committee are offering different visions on the future of the Party to Democratic voters ahead of the March 5th primary election. The election is to be held in two of the city’s five wards for who is to represent Democratic voters on the Democratic Town […]
New Sex Education Program Will Tackle High Teenage Pregnancy and Sexually Transmitted Infections in New Britain
New Britain has the second highest teenage pregnancy in Connecticut according to the Connecticut Department of Health, with 24.3 pregnant teens per 1000 women ages 15-19 and is also 8th in the state in Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI). In the October 16, 2023 New Britain school Board Curriculum Committee meeting, Lara Bohike, the District 6-12 […]
Democratic Voters to Decide Party Committee Members in Wards 1 and 3
Democratic voters will decide who will represent them on the Democratic Party’s governing Town Committee in a party primary election in Wards 1 and 3. Ward 1 includes the West End, Willow Brook and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods and Ward 3 is located in the center of the city. Candidates on two opposing slates in each […]
Council to Take Up Proposal to Create Housing and Homelessness Committee
The City Council’s Committee on Planning, Zoning and Housing is to take up a proposal to create a new Council Committee on Housing and Homelessness. “Unaffordable housing and homelessness has had a pervasive impact on our community,” a statement from the Council’s President Pro-Tempore, Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5), said, adding that the new committee would, […]
Democrats May Have Primaries for Party Governing Committee in Two Wards
In two of the five wards of the city, Democrats may have primaries for who will serve on the Democratic Party’s governing Town Committee. The potentially contested wards are Ward 1, which includes the West End, Willow Brook and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods, and Ward 3, located in the center of the city. Unlike the city’s […]
Engineering Report Confirms Residents’ Concerns About Effects of Neighborhood Flooding
A professional engineer has reported that the effects of repeated flooding, “can be structurally compromising,” of a home in the neighborhood to the southwest of CCSU that includes, Newbury, Hampton, Allen, Brighton and Stewart streets and Eton Place and Roxbury Road. Residents in the neighborhood have been seeking action by the city to address long-standing […]
Protesters Advocate for Palestinians, U.S. Money to Support Local Services Instead of War
Protesters gathered in downtown New Britain Thursday to call for a cease-fire in Gaza and an end United States funding for the ongoing war. Protesters chanted, “money for jobs and education, not for guns and occupation.” City Council member, Ald. Nate Simpson (D-1) thanked people for, “rallying today for nothing but peace.” He said that, […]
New Britain City Council Invites Public to Discussion on Homelessness
The New Britain City Council says that it, “is excited to invite residents, community leaders, business partners and collaborators to a vital discussion aimed at addressing the pressing issue of homelessness within our community.” The Council’s President Pro Tempore, Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5), and the Majority Leader, Ald. John McNamara (D-4), issued a public statement […]
City Council To Establish A Committee On Housing And Homelessness
In response to recent testimonies by people who are homeless or at-risk to becoming homeless and due to substantial increase in the rate of homelessness in New Britain, the city council, under the leadership of the democratic caucus, is voting in its January 10th meeting to add to its ordinance a Committee on Housing and […]
CCSU and YWCA to Collaborate on Community Health Worker Program
Central Connecticut State University has announced that at $100,000 Community Health Foundation grant will allow it to work with YWCA New Britain to, “ensure more young people have representation in community health policy.” CCSU says that the grant, “will fund the development of a Community Health Worker (CHW) course at Central and subsequent outreach and […]
New Britain Council President Says, “No Excuse For Domestic Abuse,” After Recent Death
The New Britain City Council’s President Pro Tempore, Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5) says that, “There is no excuse for domestic abuse in our community,” in a statement expressing, “condolences to the family and friends of Sabrina Finch, who tragically lost her life as a result of domestic abuse.” Ald. Santiago said that domestic abuse, “is […]
New Britain Ranks Low for Tree Canopy Cover: What are the Consequences and What Could be Done?
A 2013 report “New Britain Urban Forest” prepared for the City of New Britain by the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (CCRPA) found that New Britain has one of the lowest tree canopies comparing to other cities in Connecticut. While Connecticut cities had an average tree canopy of 49% and overall town coverage average of […]
New Britain Council Committee Approves Creation of Audit Committee
The New Britain City Council’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Law has voted to approve a proposal to create a new Council Audit Subcommittee. The Council’s Majority Leader, Ald. John McNamara (D-4), one of the co-sponsors of the proposal said that, “government works best when we have checks and balances between the executive and legislative […]
New Britain Council to Consider Audit Committee Amid Deficiencies And Greater Debt in Year-Late Audit Report
The city of New Britain’s long-overdue audit report was dated as filed one day before the City Council meeting at which Mayor Erin Stewart told the Council it would be “available” in January. The auditors’ report cites deficiencies and a jump in taxpayer debt. On Wednesday, the Council’s Committee on Administration, Finance and Law will […]
New Britain’s Late Audit Filed, Not Given To Council, Shows Deficiencies And Greater Debt
The city of New Britain’s long-overdue audit report was dated as filed one day before the Council meeting at which Mayor Erin Stewart told the Council it would be “available” in January. The auditors’ report cites deficiencies and a jump in taxpayer debt. While the form filed by the city with the state Office of […]
New Britain Racial Justice Coalition Demands Urgent Investigation of Water Safety at Osborn Correctional Institution
The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition (NBRJC) says it, “urgently calls upon unions and state leaders to demand an independent investigation into the alarming water safety crisis at Osborn Correctional Institution.” “On Thursday,” The Coalition says, “incarcerated individuals were abruptly deprived of access to clean drinking water, showers, and essential toilet facilities, triggering a dire […]