By Victor Lopez Jr.

                    President of the Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury

    Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

                                              By John Murray

   An old school detective who served in the Waterbury Police Department for 48 years will be buried Friday with full police honors. Jake Griffin lived his entire life in Waterbury, and passed away September 9th at the Village at East Farms.

   Griffin had a reputation as a tough cop, and Waterbury Neil O'Leary, who worked beneath him for 20 years in the detective bureau, said, "Jake Griffin was tough, but fair, and he was by far one of the best investigators the city has ever seen."

   Dust-off the scrapbooks and help the Palace Theater take a stroll down memory lane as the organization begins gathering memorabilia for an historical exhibit scheduled to debut in the Fall of 2014, in honor of the performing art center’s tenth anniversary.

Xhevat Limani is an Albanian actor born in Struga, Macedonia, who now lives in Waterbury, Connecticut. During a Labor Day Albanian Festival in Waterbury, Limani opened his heart about his love of Struga. The following is a translation of his speech, which was delivered in Albanian. Photograph by John Murray

   Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, fellow countrymen..

   Good evening and welcome to the Annual Albanian Labor Day Festival, this year celebrating 30 years since the formation of the “Hasan Prishtina” cultural center here in Waterbury, Connecticut. A special thank you is in order for the founding members of the cultural center, and all community members present and past, who worked so hard to maintain and manage the cultural center with such great success.

   During my whole career in theatre, film, television, radio, newspapers, and festivals all around the world I have presented myself as an Albanian artist. Tonight, allow me to step aside and present myself at a local level. Given that I was born in Struga, allow me to present myself as a Strugan artist.

   The Observer just received this message from one its readers, Reza Farzan...

   "I was one of the hundreds of passengers on the 8:30 p.m. train to Waterbury [from Bridgeport] last night. The 3-car train arrived a little late, but it left the station rather promptly. I was sitting the car # 6127 where I noticed that the red light showing the “Toilet Out of Order” sign. Soon after our departure, passengers, both young and old, came to use the toilet and after seeing the sign, they all left disappointed. When one of the passengers inquired about the situation, the ticket agent told her that “there is no toilet on this train, and she had to hold it!”

The Hispanic Coalition of Greater Waterbury is staging its 12th Annual Coqui Scholarships & Awards Banquet on Friday, September 27, at La Bella Vista, 380 Farmwood Road in Waterbury.

Cocktails and registration begin at 7 pm, and dinner and the program begin at 8 pm. Tickets $50 per person and can only be purchased in advance of the event.

For more information, tickets, or sponsorship opportunities please call Angie Medina or Nancy Gonzalez at 203-754-6172

Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary inspects the rear entrance to Walsh School yesterday with Prinicpal Gina Calabrese, and they both agreed the fence should be locked, and students should arrive at the front entrance where the area was supervised.

                          Story and Photographs By John Murray

   It was the first day of school in Waterbury, and Mayor Neil O'Leary climbed in his black SUV and drove up to Walsh School to see how Principal Gina Calabrese was faring at her her new assignment on Dikeman Street, in the city's North End.

   Walsh School has done very poorly on standardized testing, and it's previous principal, Eric Brown, was removed from his position last year after an investigation into his management style inside the building. Brown - who is black, had strong support in segments in the black community, but was replaced.

                               Story and Photographs By John Murray

   If he is re-elected in November, Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary has decided he will contact the city’s pension and benefits department on December 1st, and reactivate the $90,000 a year pension he earned during his thirty-year career in the Waterbury Police Department.

   “I made a campaign promise in 2011 that I would not collect my pension in my first term,” O’Leary said. “I left $180,000 on the table, and I will not do that again. It was not a wise decision for my family. I could have used that money.”

   Waterbury's Ryan Gomes, right, played tenacious defense against former UConn star Jerome Dyson last night during the championship game of the Greater Hartford Pro-Am. Gomes was playing for Harte Nissan which won the title with a thrilling 141-140 overtime victory. Gomes, is 6'7" and weighs 250 pounds, and throughout the game he defended the opponents point guard, shooting guard, wing player and center. His defensive prowess and quick hands created several turnovers, and illustrated to the 1200 fans in the Crosby High School gym why Gomes, 30, was recently signed to a contract by the Oklahoma Thunder of the NBA. Photograph by John Murray