26 April, 2026
4 mins read

May 18th is Last Day for Most Stanley Workers

New Britain Residents Hold More than Half of 300 Jobs Being Eliminated By John McNamara (NBPoliticus.com) The last day of work for most employees at Stanley Black & Decker’s (SBD) 600 Myrtle Street manufacturing facility in New Britain will occur by May 18th, according to the company’s official notification to the state Department of Labor […]

2 mins read

Council Sends Municipal ID Card Proposal to Committee

The Common Council’s Committee on Administration, Finance, Law and Public Services (AFLPS) will consider a feasibility study for a municipal identification card program at its meeting on April 1st.A resolution proposed by Ward 2 Alderwoman Yadira Maldanado (D-2) calls for exploring municipal IDs “for the purpose of evaluating” their “potential to improve access to municipal services, support […]

10 mins read

Mayor Bobby Sanchez Delivers First State-of-the-City Address

The following is the annual State-of-the-City address delivered by Mayor Bobby Sanchez (D) at the March 11, 2026 City Council meeting: Good evening. I want to begin by thanking the members of the Common Council, our state legislative delegation, city employees, community leaders, and the residents of New Britain who make this city such a […]

4 mins read

New Britain City Council Censures Ald Robert Smedley for Online Comments

The New Britain City Council has censured Ald Robert Smedley (R-4) because of a series of online comments that the censure resolution calls, “divisive, harmful, and offensive to members of the community.” The resolution was approved by vote of 8 to 3. Members of both parties had sponsored the censure resolution. The act to “censure” […]

3 mins read

Irish Parade, Taste of Ramadan Affirm New Britain as City of Immigrants, Diversity

By John McNamara Saturday, March 7th was one of those days when New Britain lived up to being known as a “city for all people” with two annual faith and cultural celebrations In the morning the city’s contingent to the 54th Greater Hartford Saint Patrick’s Day Parade organized by the Central Connecticut Irish Cultural Committee […]

2 mins read

Nine Bullets Too Many

By Rhona Cohen and Olive O’Brien-Cohen Steven “Stevie” Jones, 55 years old, died on March 4th from gunshot injuries sustained at the hands of a Hartford police officer during a mental health crisis. Famed civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, the state and local NAACP, Jones’ surviving family members, and a broad swath of Hartford’s community […]

5 mins read

Stanley’s 183-Year Legacy Ends: Cost-Cutting and Closures

By John McNamara News of the end of the line for making Stanley tools in New Britain came early on February 26. By the afternoon Stanley Black & Decker (SBD) officially announced the closing of its Myrtle Street facility where up to 300 workers will lose their jobs later this year. The dominance of the […]

2 mins read

City Seeks $5 Million Grant For Allen Street Stormwater Project

By John McNamara City officials confirmed last week they are seeking a major grant to close the gap in the funding of the Allen Street Utility-Road Phase II project where flooding and sewage overflows have caused problems in the neighborhood for decades. The regional Local Transportation Capital Improvement Program (LOTCIP) received the New Britain application for $5 million to […]

4 mins read

Council Approves Resolution to Consider Actions Against Ald Robert Smedley for Online Comments; Smedley Apologizes

The New Britain City Council has approved a resolution that starts a process that could lead to the removal from Council or some other again against Council member, Ald Robert Smedley (R-4), due to comments Smedley made online that the resolution said appeared defamatory, dangerous, profane and “disgraceful”. Ald Smedley spoke at the meeting, saying […]