Headlines
News
Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) and the New Britain state legislative delegation, State Sen Rick Lopes…
Community News
April 26, 1929 – June 21, 2026 With heavy hearts and deep gratitude for a…
News Analysis
NEW BRITAIN COMMON COUNCIL UPDATES Municipal bidding procedures for the purchase of supplies and contractual…
Featured Journalism
by John McNamara Sponsors and attendees at the New Britain Public Library’s (NBPL) 10th Annual Fundraiser on…
Opinion
By Joseph Wasserman Our nation must oppose the trillion dollar military budget proposed by the…
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
April 26, 1929 – June 21, 2026 With heavy hearts and deep gratitude for a life beautifully lived, Peggy and Christine, together with our family, announce the passing of our cherished mother, grandmother, and beloved matriarch, Reverend Nannie Lou Lampkin. Nannie passed away peacefully of natural causes at her home on Sunday, June 21, 2026, […]
NEW BRITAIN COMMON COUNCIL UPDATES Municipal bidding procedures for the purchase of supplies and contractual services have been revised “for greater consistency and efficiency” for the first time in more than 11 years. The Common Council amended Chapter VIII of the ordinances at its June 10th meeting, increasing the threshold for competitive bidding from $7,500 to $25,000, The […]
Sat, Jun 27
10:00 am - 11:00 am
St Francis of Assisi Church
Mayor Bobby Sanchez Ward 4 Listening Tour
1755 Stanley Street
Sat, Jun 27
11:00 am - 4:00 pm
New Britain Public Library
Chess Club at New Britain Public Library
20 High Street
Sat, Jun 27
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
114 West Main Street
Sat, Jun 27
2:00 pm
New Britain Public Library
Banned Book Club at New Britain Public Library
20 High Street
Sat, Jun 27
8:00 pm
Hole in the Wall Theater
“Lady Jigsaw” at the Hole in the Wall Theater
116 Main Street
No event found!
Council Considering Tax Reduction for Apartment Development
A City Council committee is holding a hearing and meeting on a proposal to provide a tax reduction for a planned conversion into apartments of a former Stanley Black and Decker office building. The proposed Council resolution, submitted by Ald. Robert Smedley (R-4), concerns plans by Amit Lakhotia, managing partner of Avon Towers, LLC, to […]
Happening in New Britain Jan 2nd to 8th
New Britain city meetings and community events coming up during the week of Monday, January 2, 2023 to Sunday, January 8th 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 visit […]
Top 10 of 2022: #1: Federal COVID Aid to City Boosts High Profile Capital Projects
The quantity of federal aid given to the city as part of the federal pandemic relief, and how it was spent, may have seemed mundane news in the moment, but its impact in terms of local projects — and politics — has been profound. In 2022, Republican politicians attributed federal spending in the form of […]
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 […]