By DAVID O’BRIEN To the Editor: After my recent shopping visit to Stop & Shop Berlin I was surprised to learn the policy of Stop & Shop for masks wearing was voluntary and not mediatory. I saw three young…
Posted: 03 August 2020 [08:25 PM] Opinion
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Posted: 03 August 2020 [08:25 PM] Recent Headlines
Friday 07/31/2020
Posted: 31 July 2020 [08:17 PM] By DAVE RACKLIFFE To the Editor: The State House of Representatives and the State Senate passed a bill - HB6004 - that includes a series of reforms aimed at police accountability, including the removal of qualified immunity. In the days…
Wednesday 07/29/2020
Posted: 29 July 2020 [04:55 PM] By STEFAN ZWOLINSKI To the Editor: This is, without a doubt, a troubling time for the state of Connecticut. Covid-19 has affected everyone’s lives. As a result, Gov. Ned Lamont has issued many executive orders to help the state deal…
Sunday 07/26/2020
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Summer is not over in New Britain Posted: 26 July 2020 [08:10 PM] By ERIN STEWART Say it loud and say it proud! Summer 2020 is NOT canceled in New Britain! I am happy to…
Friday 07/17/2020
Posted: 17 July 2020 [02:58 PM] By MARY KATHRYN LAROSE To the Editor: On Aug. 11, Republican voters in the 30th House District, representing Berlin and Southington, have the opportunity to vote for Donna Veach, the endorsed Republican candidate. Donna is the candidate who can…
Monday 07/13/2020
Posted: 13 July 2020 [04:52 PM] By MARGARET BAYLOCK RENZELLA To the Editor: James Taylor sings a song titled “My Town” which brings to mind the town of New Britain. Taylor sings these lyrics “...you watched it grow, it was your town. Time goes by,…
Sunday 07/12/2020
Posted: 12 July 2020 [08:47 PM] By MARY ROGERS To the Editor: This is in response to the letter from Frank Murphy on July 9, titled, “What exactly are my taxes going to?” I disagree with his assessment that the closed schools have saved money during…
Posted: 12 July 2020 [08:46 PM] By JOE ARNONE To the Editor: New Britain has always had great parks and recreation programs. The recent renovations to the facilities at A. W. Stanley have enhanced that reputation. I believe at the top of the list of…
Friday 07/10/2020
Posted: 10 July 2020 [05:04 PM] To The Editor: What do you do with the extra zucchini (and chard, tomatoes, beans, etc.)? It’s tougher this year with our soup kitchens not serving meals but some are accepting produce. Please do check with each beforehand to see…
Thursday 07/09/2020
Posted: 09 July 2020 [08:10 PM] ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Forget about up-close “meet-and-greet” sessions with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck when Walt Disney World parks reopen. There will be no firework shows or parades - those would draw too many people together - and both…
Wednesday 07/08/2020
Posted: 08 July 2020 [08:45 PM] By FRANK MURPHY To the Editor: Despite the challenges faced by families and businesses these past months due to mandated shutdowns and the resultant loss of income/business revenue, the City of New Britain successfully sent my approximately $6,000 in property…
Monday 07/06/2020
Posted: 06 July 2020 [07:55 PM] By ANDRA LOU MILLERD To the Editor: On Aug. 11, 2020 Connecticut Republicans are being asked to vote in a primary in order to finalize the candidates for November’s election. Voters in Berlin and Southington who live in Legislative District…
Posted: 06 July 2020 [07:54 PM] By HOWARD SCHNEIDER About a week ago, a friend sent us a post from Stanford University about how to self-diagnose the coronavirus and kill it once it enters the body. The diagnosis included holding your breath for at least 10…
Friday 07/03/2020
Posted: 03 July 2020 [03:07 PM] The woman’s suffrage movement was in full swing when the Great Flu of 1918 hit. They decided to have their annual convention anyway. They allowed only delegates, and spaced the chairs four feet apart, but they caught a lot…
Sunday 06/28/2020
Posted: 28 June 2020 [09:06 PM] By ALEX GIANNONE To The Editor: I support Donna Veach for state representative. The upcoming election is a pivotal time for our state. For many years Democrats have run our state and we continue to see the negative effects of…
Posted: 28 June 2020 [09:04 PM] By RACHAEL DAVIS To the Editor: Columbus did NOT discover America!!! Historical facts confirm this. We should not honor Columbus with any kind of statues and a Federal holiday anymore. The time has come that we should…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: New Britain staying busy with number of improvement projects Posted: 28 June 2020 [09:02 PM] By ERIN STEWART As we head into the busy summer construction season, I thought it would be an ideal time to get…
Sunday 06/21/2020
Posted: 21 June 2020 [07:54 PM] By ROSEANN BUCHIERE To the Editor: My ancestors, who were decent, hardworking and served this country honorably, paid to have this statue put up in our city. For some hoodlums to vandalize it just shows the lack of moral…
Friday 06/12/2020
Posted: 12 June 2020 [09:25 PM] By Gary Turco Dear Newington High School Graduate, Congratulations on your graduation from Newington High School as a member of the class of 2020! You have made Newington very proud and I am proud to represent some of…
Posted: 12 June 2020 [09:20 PM] By Shannon Martin To the Editor: I’m an intake investigator for Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families. Before this pandemic, it was normal to get three cases of reported child abuse a week. Now, it’s half that. After 20 years…
Posted: 12 June 2020 [09:18 PM] By Paul Zagorsky To the Editor: Our country is fractured and suffering, with an inflammatory President incapable of consoling those who are suffering, while national Republican elected leaders are silent in the face of such abhorrent behavior. The Constitution…
Monday 06/08/2020
Posted: 08 June 2020 [08:43 PM] By Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. To the Editor: On behalf of the Board of Directors of Human Resource Agency of New Britain, Inc., (HRA) we condemn the racial injustice that continues to tear at the fiber of…
Sunday 06/07/2020
Posted: 07 June 2020 [08:49 PM] No words are sufficient to express the sadness and outrage we feel about George Floyd’s death, or to address the history that has led to that horrific event. As to all persons who are charged with a crime, in our…
Monday 06/01/2020
A call to action for the church to take to lead Posted: 01 June 2020 [08:35 PM] By MICHELE STEWART-COPES It was traumatizing to see the modern-day lynching of George Floyd on television! Historically, people have been lynched by…
Friday 05/29/2020
JUDD: We need to do whatever we can to help nonprofits Posted: 29 May 2020 [09:02 PM] “To give away money is an easy matter and in any man's power. But to decide to whom to give it and…
Monday 05/25/2020
Posted: 25 May 2020 [08:36 PM] By RACHAEL DAVIS To the Editor: It seems pretty clear to me that Mayor Stewart can’t make plans for summer events, e.g., fireworks until she receives guidance from our governor as to how the Phase 2, June 20 reopening plan…
Sunday 05/24/2020
Posted: 24 May 2020 [08:17 PM] By David Sherman To the Editor: In Rachael Davis’ letter (May 12), Davis referred to firearms owners as “gun toting nuts.” This view of gun owners is based on an inaccurate stereotype. Most gun owners are decent, respectable people…
Friday 05/22/2020
Posted: 22 May 2020 [07:57 PM] By MARYANNE MURPHY Dear Management, I am very disappointed in the consolidation of the two newspapers. At first I applauded the economic strategy. Unfortunately, I am saddened by the lack of reporting for the Berlin-New Britain news. The reporting of the Bristol news…
Tuesday 05/19/2020
Posted: 19 May 2020 [07:31 PM] By PAUL ZAGORSKY To the Editor: On the same day I read the Berlin Fair scheduled for Sept. 18, 2020 was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns, New Britain’s mayor said the city couldn’t make plans for summer events such as…
Monday 05/18/2020
JUDD: Months ahead will show our sustenance Posted: 18 May 2020 [04:26 PM] “For each new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends,…
Posted: 18 May 2020 [04:23 PM] By DON WOODS To the Editor: I am grateful to hear that state Rep. Gary Turco has chosen to run for reelection. The success of Newington’s businesses, especially small businesses, is especially important to him and he is always there…
Sunday 05/17/2020
JUDD: Will our colleges and universities ever be the same? Posted: 17 May 2020 [08:33 PM] Will our colleges and universities (C&U) ever be the same after COVID-19? Their doors - classrooms, athletic fields, auditoria and other…
Friday 05/15/2020
Posted: 15 May 2020 [07:15 PM] To the Editor, I’m a little peeved at The Herald for not printing an article and writing about “Zero,” the poor, suffering dog who was beaten and then strangled by another scumbag. I would have let it go if I…
Tuesday 05/12/2020
Posted: 12 May 2020 [08:08 PM] By SHARON DUNNING To the Editor: If the environment is as important to you as it is to me, you should be happy to hear that state Rep. Gary Turco is running for reelection this year. He’s been a true…
Posted: 12 May 2020 [08:04 PM] By RACHAEL DAVIS To the Editor: Thank you Gov. Lamont and Attorney General William Tong for suspending the state law that prohibits state police and local police officials from refusing to collect fingerprints, as part of efforts to prevent the…
Monday 05/11/2020
Posted: 11 May 2020 [07:59 PM] By Eileen Francolino To the Editor: I’m proud to support state Rep. Gary Turco for reelection because he has delivered on his promise to make smart investments in education. By bringing back more than $1 million in new aid…
Posted: 11 May 2020 [07:56 PM] By Michael Duffek To the Editor: One of the many reasons I am very glad to hear that state Rep. Gary Turco is running for reelection is because he has worked so hard to keep us informed. He has continued…
Sunday 05/10/2020
Posted: 10 May 2020 [07:56 PM] By RACHAEL DAVIS To the Editor: Dennis Rodriguez taken into custody!! Well done NBPD for taking this criminal off the streets of our city. He should get the maximum amount of time in prison, albeit I’d rather our tax dollars…
Monday 05/04/2020
Grief, compassion fatigue and hope for workers Posted: 04 May 2020 [04:40 PM] For so many right now, feelings of anxiety, stress and uncertainty have become a daily reality. Whether we’re trying to find a…
Wednesday 04/15/2020
Posted: 15 April 2020 [08:22 PM] Most of us have never experienced anything like the current COVID-19 pandemic in our lifetimes. The closest analogy many people think of in connection with the pandemic is that of a war. Indeed, a number of individuals have likened it…
Friday 03/13/2020
Posted: 13 March 2020 [07:53 PM] We could use some Irish wit and wisdom right now. Here’s a good start: “You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind.” That’s a lesson well-taught by the many Irish immigrants, including my great-grandfather, who boldly…
Wednesday 03/11/2020
Posted: 11 March 2020 [08:11 PM] To The Editor: In light of dishonorable and disappointing political and personal choices and actions that have created our current political and social crisis, this is written for those currently holding elected office and for those seeking one, at any…
Posted: 11 March 2020 [08:10 PM] To The Editor: Working Together for Preservation Save Pigeon Hill Team would like to thank, Mayor Ellen Zoppo Sassu, mayor of Bristol and Scott Heth executive director of the Barnes Nature Center and Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut, The city…
Posted: 11 March 2020 [08:09 PM] To The Editor: March is Irish-American Heritage Month! It is estimated that almost 20 percent of the residents of Connecticut trace their ancestry to Ireland. The Ancient Order of Hibernians is the oldest and largest, Irish, Catholic organization in…
Monday 03/09/2020
Posted: 09 March 2020 [08:40 PM] Now that highway tolls seem to have been dismissed for this year’s session of the General Assembly, the Yankee Institute for Public Policy has provided good suggestions for finding transportation infrastructure money elsewhere. Yankee’s suggestions show that Governor Lamont and…
Sunday 03/08/2020
Posted: 08 March 2020 [07:57 PM] By To The Editor: On February 19th, I testified in front of the Public Health Committee in favor of repealing non-medical exemptions to vaccinating our public-school children. This is an issue of great concern…
Friday 03/06/2020
Posted: 06 March 2020 [08:02 PM] For months, establishment and center-left Democrats faced a seemingly intractable problem. Moderate and establishment-friendly candidates were staying in the race, each hoping for the opportunity to try to beat Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in a one-on-one primary fight. But by…
Posted: 06 March 2020 [08:01 PM] For almost a year, politicians in Washington have talked about the need to fix the problem of surprise medical billing. But, per usual, they haven’t done anything about it. It shouldn’t be this hard. To review: the bidding -…
Wednesday 03/04/2020
Posted: 04 March 2020 [07:49 PM] From California to Connecticut the political left is purporting to believe that the failure of former offenders to reintegrate fully into society is caused by the stigma of their criminal records. This is mistaken. Instead the problem is mainly the…
Sunday 03/01/2020
Posted: 01 March 2020 [08:26 PM] Since early January, our Board of Finance and Taxation has been meeting to hear from department heads about their budget requests for the 2020-21 fiscal year. I, too, have met several times with my Finance Department budget team to forecast…