New Britain’s Union Organizing History Is Worth Retelling On Labor Day 2023
1991 Saturday Night Club Paper Recounts City’s Labor Movement Past By John McNamara Labor Day is not a time to be nostalgic about the struggles of the last century to organize factory floors that turned New Britain into a “union town” with its many thousands of factory jobs, most of which have been long lost […]
NBPD Publishes Arrest Log Online After FOI Controversy
A July controversy over the City’s and New Britain Police’s denying access to arrest logs to the New Britain Herald without formal Freedom of Information requests has led to the New Britain Police Department (NBPD) posting a weekly arrest log online at https://pd.newbritainct.gov/safety-prevention/police-blotter. The link shows arrests made in the city for one week — […]
Monsignor Plocharczyk Is Honored At 40th Dozynki Festival
Staff Reports NEW BRITAIN – Monsignor Daniel Plocharczyk, the longtime pastor of Sacred Heart Church on Broad Street, received a special recognition award August 19th at the 40th holding of the Dozynki Festival, the city’s celebration of Polish culture and traditions that began in 1980. The Festival Committee also recognized the Polonia Paderewski Choir and […]
Lowell Weicker’s Victories Dashed The Hopes of Liberal Democrats Throughout His Career
Reflecting on the Politics of Connecticut’s Three-Term Senator and One-Term Governor By John McNamara The first time I and many viewers (outside CT) saw and heard Lowell P. Weicker was watching the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee hearings in 1973. I was paying attention every day from my perch in the newsroom of the Lynn Sunday Post where […]
“Bleibol!” Exhibit Features New Britain’s Springer Family At Museum for Culture and History
¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues Opens Aug. 12 and Runs Though November 5 By John McNamara The Connecticut Museum for History and Culture’s exhibition “¡Pleibol! In the Barrios and the Big Leagues / En los barrios y las grandes ligas“ that opens on Saturday, August 12 celebrates baseball through the experiences of […]
State School Aid to New Britain Up 56% Since 2012; Grant Will Reach $115.5 Million By 2025
“Flat Funding” Claim By Mayor Stewart Is Contradicted By The Actual Numbers By John McNamara The new state budget adopted last month brought increases in Educational Cost Sharing (ECS) funds to the New Britain School District over the next two years. The $11.9 million increase approved by the legislature and Governor will bring the total […]
Attorney For Stalled East Street Project Seeks Dialogue With City
Developer Jim Sanders Says City Hall “Gag Order” Violates Property Rights By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The Attorney for Chamberlain Square LLC and its owner, James Sanders, is requesting further discussion with city officials on the “land use and economic development merits” of a proposed mixed use development at 600 East Street and an […]
Byron Jones Will Sponsor The 31st Annual Osgood Shootout This Summer
NFL Pro Bowler, UCONN Standout To Give Back To His Native City Staff Reports New Britain’s Byron Jones, a National Football League ( NFL) Pro Bowl cornerback and University of Connecticut standout, will sponsor the Annual Osgood Shootout in its 31st year, Coach and Tournament Director Darwin “Bubby” Shaw announced. “Byron Jones, informed me earlier […]
Sportswear Retailer With New Britain Roots Is Closing All Stores
EBLENS: “Born in the streets of New Britain in 1949……” By John McNamara Eblen’s Streetwear and Sneakers, the Torrington-based sportswear retailer, is closing all of its stores in the coming weeks including its Main Street location in downtown New Britain where it began 74 years ago. Through the years Eblen’s grew into a modest-sized, multi-state […]
Commission Holds First Hearing On Rent Hike Complaints
By John McNamara NEW BRITAIN – The first of seven scheduled hearings in June by the Fair Rent Commission was held Tuesday, June 13th over rent increase complaints involving a West Main Street apartment complex. Anibal Garcia and Reina Torres, 34-year residents of an apartment at 923 West Main Street, are seeking relief from a […]