By CHRIS POWELL Amid the growing panic fanned by news organizations about the rebound in the virus epidemic, last week's telling details were largely overlooked. First, most of the recent "virus-associated" deaths in Connecticut again have been those of frail…
Posted: 25 November 2020 [08:01 PM] Posted: 23 November 2020 [07:59 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Not so long ago censoriousness was a phenomenon of the political right. Mere liberals were called communists and spies and drummed out of their jobs. The political right sought to ban books and writers as subversive or…
Posted: 22 November 2020 [09:14 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Maybe it will turn out to be only a fluke, but amid the renewed panic about the virus epidemic there is some interesting detail in the monthly death statistics of the state Department of Public Health. In…
Posted: 18 November 2020 [04:39 PM] By CHRIS POWELL His handling of the virus epidemic has doubled Governor Lamont's public approval rating, giving him more fans than detractors. But judging from recent developments that are being overshadowed by the epidemic, the governor could be forgiven if…
Posted: 16 November 2020 [08:36 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Many teachers around the country are cheering the forthcoming change in national administration because Betsy DeVos will be replaced as secretary of the U.S. Education Department. DeVos, an heiress and philanthropist, has been a fan of charter…
Posted: 12 November 2020 [08:13 PM] By CHRIS POWELL After the supposedly slow response by Eversource Energy and United Illuminating to the widespread electricity outages in Connecticut caused by the tropical storm in August, there were calls for state government to take over the electricity distribution…
Posted: 10 November 2020 [04:28 PM] By CHRIS POWELL After warning that the U.S. Postal Service might sabotage the vast increase in voting by mail for last week's national election, leading Democrats in Connecticut are renewing their calls for allowing everyone to vote by mail just…
Posted: 08 November 2020 [07:35 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Everybody in Connecticut is tired of the virus epidemic, and no one is more entitled to be tired of it than Governor Lamont. It has devastated the finances of state government, commandeered its management, crippled education at…
Posted: 03 November 2020 [09:01 PM] By CHRIS POWELL When he was inaugurated as president of the University of Connecticut a year ago, Thomas C. Katsouleas made a grand gesture. He said that henceforth the university would waive tuition for new students from families with annual…
Posted: 02 November 2020 [07:51 PM] By CHRIS POWELL For four years any disparaging story about President Trump has been touted by national news organizations even if its source was anonymous. Of course given his business record and character it is easy to believe almost any…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Telling Bristol's story as covid-19 continues Posted: 01 November 2020 [08:05 PM] By ELLEN ZOPPO-SASSU Bristol’s recent “Covid Orange Alert” has city officials facing a series of intertwined economic, public health and public relations…
Posted: 01 November 2020 [07:51 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Sailing against a heavy political wind, Republican candidates for the General Assembly have been heartened by the vigorous endorsements they are getting from police unions, which this year have broken away from the government employee union apparatus…
Posted: 29 October 2020 [09:10 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Every day Governor Lamont conscientiously reports the "positivity rate" of coronavirus tests administered in Connecticut, and news organizations report it as if the state's fate hangs on the data. Lately the "positivity rate," the percentage of tests…
Posted: 29 October 2020 [09:07 PM] By ROBERT A. SCALISE, JR. In Connecticut, the Probate Courts handle a variety of matters including guardianships, emancipation and adoption of children, conservatorships, mental health commitments and guardianships of persons with intellectual disabilities. However, when most people think of “Probate”…
Posted: 29 October 2020 [09:04 PM] By SEEMA VERMA Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment season is underway, and I want to encourage all people with Medicare to review their current health and prescription drug coverage. Under President Trump’s leadership, Medicare Advantage Plan premiums have fallen to historic…
Posted: 26 October 2020 [08:53 PM] By CHRIS POWELL Should every Republican on the party's ticket with President Trump this year be defeated if he won't denounce or at least criticize the president for his demeanor, policies or both? That's the suggestion of New London Day…
Posted: 25 October 2020 [08:35 PM] Jimmy Buffett once sang, "We all got 'em, we all want 'em. What do we do with 'em?" Although he was talking about relationships, the same could be said about goals. Many people have goals, and many people want…
BRISTOL BITS: Last remaining 'schoolmaster' in Bristol, plus some dancing, pickleball and street name talk Posted: 20 October 2020 [02:35 PM] Tom Doyle, shown here with his wife, Nancy, when they celebrated their 50th anniversary earlier this year, is unofficially the last…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: It's October so let's play the numbers game Posted: 04 October 2020 [08:38 PM] By ELLEN ZOPPO-SASSU On behalf of the City Council, I would like to state that we are working diligently to ensure a…
Re-returning to school: How to best support our children, families,teachers Posted: 30 September 2020 [08:44 PM] By CHRISTOPHER MARINO Never have our children, families or teachers prepared themselves for such a school year - only to then face…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Taking a look at panhandling, homelessness and mental health Posted: 06 September 2020 [08:44 PM] By ELLEN ZOPPO-SASSU The long Labor Day weekend signals the end of summer. For some in our community, however, it is just…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Summer isn't canceled, it's different Posted: 05 July 2020 [08:29 PM] By ELLEN ZOPPO-SASSU As we come off what is usually a celebratory and carefree summer weekend, Bristol is trying to get back…
Posted: 03 July 2020 [03:05 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…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: It's time to have a talk about racism Posted: 31 May 2020 [08:44 PM] Recently, we have been bombarded with disturbing images from Georgia, Central Park and most recently Minneapolis, where George Floyd died…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Bristol continues to show resilience and ability to adapt during pandemic Posted: 04 May 2020 [09:46 AM] Over the past eight weeks, we have been inundated with data and numbers and graphs. The information can be overwhelming.…
Posted: 15 April 2020 [08:23 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…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: COVID-19 and Bristol's response Posted: 29 March 2020 [03:49 PM] By Ellen Zoppo-Sassu It’s not what you say in a crisis. It’s what you do. In the last two weeks…
Posted: 13 March 2020 [07:52 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…
Posted: 06 March 2020 [08:03 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 [08:00 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 -…
Posted: 01 March 2020 [08:26 PM] March marks the kick-off of the city encouraging all of its residents to answer the census to ensure we have a complete count. Obtaining a full, fair, and accurate count of everyone is essential for representation and federal funding. Invitations…
Posted: 28 February 2020 [07:31 PM] By The Washington Times If Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred hated baseball and wanted to destroy it, he wouldn’t be acting any differently. America’s pastime needs new leadership, stat. Begin with Mr. Manfred’s pathetic reaction to the…
Posted: 28 February 2020 [07:27 PM] This is a scary moment for centrist and pro-Israel Democrats. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s overwhelming victory in the Nevada caucuses, coupled with the disastrous debut of Michael Bloomberg in last week’s Las Vegas debate, has forced the party’s establishment to confront…
Posted: 27 February 2020 [07:34 PM] The U.S. equity market finally is taking notice of the coronavirus, which now is spreading from China to other countries and increasing the risk of a shock that could cause a U.S. recession. So what are the implications for the…
Posted: 26 February 2020 [08:00 PM] Columnist Connecticut’s members of Congress, all Democrats, are upset - some almost apoplectic - about President Trump’s using his emergency power to divert military appropriations away from nuclear submarine and jet-fighter procurement to help finance the wall he is having…
Posted: 26 February 2020 [07:56 PM] On Friday, February 21, 2020 CCARC hosted its annual Legislative Breakfast in partnership with a dozen community non-profits, including Community Mental Health Affiliates (CMHA). The New Britain Herald’s coverage of this important event aptly portrays the abysmal reality Connecticut…
Posted: 24 February 2020 [08:49 PM] Pete Buttigieg, one of the surviving Democratic presidential candidates, goes from up to down to sideways in his pursuit of the elusive 2020 nomination. The former South Bend mayor was up in Iowa and New Hampshire but is struggling in…
Posted: 21 February 2020 [07:10 PM] Columnist Amy Klobuchar’s results in Nevada, Feb. 22, and South Carolina, Feb. 29, will likely be more modest than her surprisingly strong finishes in New Hampshire and Iowa. Yet, the senior senator from Minnesota might have the best chance of…
Posted: 21 February 2020 [07:08 PM] The significance of two events that have been upstaged this week by the Hebrew media’s incessant coronavirus coverage cannot be overemphasized-particularly with the fast approach of the March 2 Knesset elections. One was the rejection of an appeal by an…
Posted: 20 February 2020 [08:02 PM] “I’ve got this thing, and it’s f---ing golden,” said then-Governor Rod Blagojevich of Illinois in 2008, referring to his ability to fill the Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama. “And I’m just not giving it up for f---ing nothing.” We…
Posted: 17 February 2020 [07:40 PM] Columnist How could Connecticut’s Democratic state legislators, the majority in the General Assembly, most humiliate themselves? Hold their caucuses in public with journalists invited? Publish transcripts of their conversations with special interests? Maybe a pie-throwing contest? Those might be good…
Posted: 10 February 2020 [07:55 PM] For more than 200 years, our republic has endured, not only because of the wisdom of our Founders and the brilliance of our Constitution, but because of the generations of patriotic Americans who have had the courage to risk their…
Posted: 10 February 2020 [07:54 PM] Columnist It started Sunday night with an exciting and hard-fought Super Bowl game, which I was happy to see end with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers. Then the next day came the Iowa caucus, aka the…
Posted: 07 February 2020 [07:38 PM] The headline about a terror attack read “London stabbing suspect was recently released from prison.” That “suspect” had been released about a week ago after serving half of his sentence of three years and four months for terror offenses. And…
Posted: 03 February 2020 [07:55 PM] Columnist It doesn’t matter whether the impeachment trial of President Trump is already over or it drags on for months. Two-thirds of the U.S. Senate is never going to find the president guilty of the House Democrats’ vague and bogus…
MAYOR'S COLUMN: Bristol is going to enjoy the 'Roaring 20's' Posted: 02 February 2020 [02:23 PM] While we don’t have a crystal ball at City Hall, we do have a sense of some of the good news that…
Posted: 31 January 2020 [07:47 PM] Columnist Few people care if men want to dress up as women or women as men. For most such people it’s not a lark but a deep psychological issue likely to cause them some trouble throughout their lives. They are…
Posted: 31 January 2020 [07:46 PM] At some point, the national Democratic Party’s leadership will discover a backbone and summon up the courage to sever its connection to Hillary Clinton. Continued eye-rolling and hand-wringing each time Clinton delivers another critique of the party’s current field seeking…
Posted: 19 January 2020 [07:49 PM] Columnist With Democratic state senators scrambling to assemble 18 votes to support imposing highway tolls on big trucks, their majority leader, Norwalk Sen. Bob Duff, declared at a forum last weekend that it’s “a big myth” that state government has…
Posted: 19 January 2020 [07:48 PM] After its 2000 decision in Bush v. Gore, Justice David Souter reportedly “wept” when the role of the Supreme Court was raised in determining the outcome of the presidential election. The court continues to grapple with the legacy - and…
