Photographs By John Murray
Developer Parag Mehta, middle, gave a tour of Apothecary Hall today to Waterbury mayor, Neil O'Leary, right, and former governor, John Rowland. Mehta owns the building and has spent the past two years transforming old office space into 12 luxury apartments. The Apothecary Buildng is the focal point of Exchange Place in the center of Waterbury at the intersection of South Main and Bank Streets and was built in 1893, and housed the Apothecaries Hall Pharmacy for over 70 years.
Left to right, Donna Palomba, Dr. William Petit and Dr. Henry C. Lee
The Petit Family Foundation and Sikorsky Finance Women’s Forum will be honored during Jane Doe No More’s 3rd annual Dr. Henry C. Lee Awards and Recognition Dinner. The event takes place Friday, March 16 at The Waterview, Monroe, CT. Program sponsorships and reserved tables are now available.
Photographs by John Murray
Zeqir Berisha, better known in Waterbury as "Ziggy the Flagman", was euphoric during a celebration inside Waterbury City Hall Friday morning to honor the 4th anniversary of independence for Kosovo, and to honor Mhill Velaj being honorary mayor for the day. Berisha was touted by Joe Geary, operations director for the city of Waterbury, as an international icon for patriotism. "Ziggy is known all over the world," Geary said, "I would like to thank him for standing on the street corners in Waterbury celebrating his love of America."
Several times a year a truck wedges itself beneath the train overpass on West Main Street in Waterbury. Today, this truck rammed into the overpass and came to an abrupt halt, snarling traffic for over an hour. The sign on the right warns drivers of a 12 foot 10 inch clearance, but the frequency of truck/overpass accidents indicates something is wrong with the way the sign is displayed. Maybe the sign should be bigger, and mounted on the middle of the overpass. Something has to change before someone is killed. Photo by John Murray
Ron Pugliese grew up in the Bucks Hill neighborhood of Waterbury and was a talented athlete at Wilby High School. Four decades later, Pugliese has returned to Waterbury to become the executive director of Economic Development under Mayor Neil O’Leary.
Story and Photographs By John Murray
Ron Pugliese was born and raised in Waterbury and is a firm believer in public service. His father was the assistant city clerk in the 1950s, and all three of his sons have forged a life in the public sector arena.
“My wife is a teacher and our entire family believes in volunteering and giving back,” Pugliese said. “If an organization asks me for help, I never say no. That’s who I am.”
Back in November, in addition to being the President of the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce, Pugliese was a board member of the Connecticut State University System, a board member of the Palace Theater, and a recently elected selectman in the town of Southbury.
And it’s that generous spirit of public service - and a love of Waterbury - that Ron Pugliese an easy mark when Neil O’Leary recruited him to be the city’s new economic development director.
If you ever wondered what would happen to buildings and monuments after a neutron bomb vaporized humanity, stop and take a peek at Municipal Stadium in Waterbury, CT. If you thought man-made structures would endure for thousands of years, you'd be wrong. In just a few decades of neglect, Municipal Stadium - made of steel, concrete and granite - has begun to crumble. Water, with the power to carve the Grand Canyon, has seeped through every oriface of the stadium destroying materials in its path.
