News
New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) joined with Sen Rick Lopes (D-6), Rep Manny Sanchez…
Community News
New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) has announced availability of the 2026 New Britain Arts…
Opinion
By Joe Wasserman Members of Back from the Brink CT carried a poster into the…
News Analysis
The Common Council will hold three meetings (May 5,6,7) to review the Mayor’s proposed budget…
Featured Journalism
by John McNamara Sponsors and attendees at the New Britain Public Library’s (NBPL) 10th Annual Fundraiser on…
New Britain Racial Justice Coalition
By the New Britain Racial Justice Coalition, The New Britain Racial Justice Coalition (NBRJC) is raising serious concerns about Mayor Bobby Sanchez’s proposed FY27 budget, stating clearly that it reduces overall education funding while failing to meaningfully invest in libraries and community services. Despite public claims of increased support for schools, the full budget shows […]
Community Announcements
By Bike New Britain On Monday, Bike New Britain will be providing the 5th grade class at Smalley School in New Britain with a bike safety education program. Beginning on Monday, May 4th and continuing through Thursday, May 7th, members of Bike New Britain will be conducting safety education classes from 8am to 9:45am Then […]
Community Announcement by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut (BBBSCT) honored two New Britain residents during its annual Big Night celebration this Saturday, recognizing Big Sister Alex Steel as the 2026 Big of the Year and Jessica Mercado as the 2026 Parent Partner of the Year. Both were celebrated […]
History
By John McNamara Saturday, March 7th was one of those days when New Britain lived…
Schools
As the summer days wind down and back-to-school shopping begins, familiar signs of a new school year appear. Store shelves are stocked with school supplies, shopping carts start to fill, and a growing sense of anticipation starts to creep in. Across the town of New Britain, students are preparing to return to the school halls […]
Flooding Series
Updated 1-30-26 Presentation #50: This revised record shares the current status of our neighborhood’s storm,…
Latest News and Opinion
New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) has announced availability of the 2026 New Britain Arts and Cultural Organizations (NBACO) State-Funded Grant Program. The City says that the program, made possible through the Connecticut Office of the Arts’ Directed Local Funds Grant, administered by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, “is designed to support […]
Mayor Bobby Sanchez and the City of New Britain have announced the 2026 Annual Memorial Day Parade, honoring New Britain’s, longstanding tradition honoring the brave men and women who have served our country.” “Memorial Day is a time for our community to come together in remembrance and gratitude for the brave men and women who […]
The Common Council will hold three meetings (May 5,6,7) to review the Mayor’s proposed budget for the July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027. City departments under the jurisdiction of the Planning, Zoning and Housing Committee (PZH) will be reviewed Tuesday, May 5. The Administration, Finance, Law and Public Services Committee (AFLPS) will continue the review on […]
Fri, May 8
10:00 am
New Britain Public Library
New Britain Public Library: Time for Tots
20 High Street
Fri, May 8
11:00 am
Hungerford Nature Center
Weekday Animal Tales Events at Hungerford Nature Center
191 Farmington Avenue, Kensington
Fri, May 8
2:30 pm
Hungerford Nature Center
Weekday Animal Tales Events at Hungerford Nature Center
191 Farmington Avenue, Kensington
Fri, May 8
4:00 pm
New Britain Museum of American Art
NBMAA New Britain Family Night
56 Lexington Street
Fri, May 8
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
NBHS
NBHS Music Department Presents “Back on Stage” Vol V
110 Mill Street
No event found!
Top 10 of 2022: #2: Attorney Bill Rivera Is First Hispanic Elected To Probate Court
New Britain appears to have made history in the state by electing the first Latino as Judge of Probate. It is a proud moment, not just for Attorney Bill Rivera, but for the New Britain community, as well as for Berlin. Judge-elect Rivera, who was, in the past, the Majority Leader of the New Britain […]
Top 10 of 2022: #3: Property Revaluation
Property tax revaluations in Connecticut communities are producing higher than ever appraisals for tax purposes. New Britain is no exception and the impact on city residents and the municipal budget will hit home in 2023 when they take effect. Connecticut’s main system for local taxation, property taxes, are regressive, meaning that people tend to pay […]
Top 10 of 2022: #4: CCSU Honors DeFronzo’s Public Service To City And State
In October, CCSU recognized former Mayor, State Senator and State Commissioner Donald DeFronzo for his public service career, a history of service that deserves to be recounted and honored. DeFronzo’s long career of leadership, spanning decades, includes union leadership in AFT, leading the city as Mayor, representing New Britain, Berlin and neighborhoods in Farmington as […]
Top 10 of 2022: #5: Hayes, Other Democrats Win Big in New Britain
What Republicans sought and Democrats feared never happened. The anticipated 2022 Republican wave victory fizzled out and Democrats rolled to big wins in New Britain. Republicans had high hopes nationwide. Buoyed by predictions of the “red wave”, they were blaming President Joe Biden and Congressional Democrats for the runaway inflation that was much more caused […]
Top 10 of 2022: #6: More City Debt To Pay For Stewart Annual Budgets
On topic, again, of a newspaper’s role as the first draft of history is what is probably the most historically enduring legacy of Republican Mayor Erin Stewart — annual budgets being floated by debt to be paid for by taxpayers long after she is no longer Mayor. It has been called formal-sounding terms, like, “debt […]
Happening in New Britain Dec 26th to Jan 1st
New Britain city meetings and community events coming up during the week of Monday, December 26, 2022 to Sunday, January 1, 2023, include… Editor’s note: If you would like to submit an event for inclusion in the New Britain Progressive weekly events articles, or would like to update something already listed, here, feel free to […]
Top 10 of 2022: #7: Charter Changes: New City Power Jobs, Transparency Concerns and Minority Party Council District System
Republican Mayor Erin Stewart and her newly elected Republican City Council supermajority set right away in 2022 to change the City Charter in a raft of different ways. Some of the changes were widely viewed as innocuous, while Council election changes raised concerns and new, powerful appointed positions and other changes, encased in an opaque […]
Top 10 of 2022: #8: Council Districting Raises Racial Gerrymandering Concerns
It is said the journalism is the first draft of history. And part of the mission of any real newspaper, including the New Britain Progressive, is to record contemporary events well for the future judgment of history. In 2022, the city hall of Republican Mayor Erin Stewart approved a plan for new City Council districts […]
Top 10 of 2022: #9: A New Schools Superintendent
In 2022, New Britain saw the retirement of Schools Superintendent Nancy Sarra and the selection and installation of Anthony Gasper as the new head of the city’s school system. In April, the Board of Education named Dr. Anthony J. Gasper, Ed.D as the new schools Superintendent, who came to lead the New Britain school district […]
Top 10 of 2022: #10: New Britain Support for Ukraine
The suffering of the Ukrainian people has been a major concern for many people in New Britain as Russia carried out a war of aggression against its neighbor. The invasion has drawn widespread condemnation from people across New Britain, as well as support for the people of Ukraine affected by the largest war in Europe […]