Command Performance In Waterbury

Submitted by johnmurray on Sat, 11/02/2019 - 16:01

Neil O’Leary On Cusp Of History

Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary

Column By John Murray

   This will be the 13th mayoral race I’ve covered as a journalist in Waterbury, and the most uneventful.

   While there is the possibility that one of the four challengers might pull a David versus Goliath shocker on election day, the stone-cold truth is that Neil O’Leary (Goliath) will stomp his opponents – Ray Work, Vernon Matthews, Keisha Gilliams and Ty McElrath - and march into a fourth and potentially historic term inside City Hall. If he wins on November 5th, and finishes his four-year term, Neil O’Leary will become the longest continually serving mayor in Waterbury history.

15 Arrested On Drug Charges

Submitted by johnmurray on Tue, 10/29/2019 - 19:29

A joint investigation headed by the DEA New Haven Task Force and the Waterbury Police Department have charged 15 individuals with distributing heroin and fentanyl in and around Waterbury.

“In recent years, the flow of opioids in Waterbury has had a devastating impact on our community as a whole,” said Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo. said. “We are grateful for the support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and for our partnership with the DEA. We will continue to work side by side with these agencies to combat the opioid trade in Waterbury.”

Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo

Senator Hartley Shares EEE Safety Tips

Submitted by johnmurray on Fri, 10/04/2019 - 12:13

As news of the virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis continues to spread, with three deaths in Connecticut blamed on infections, State Senator Joan Hartley (D-Waterbury) today shared safety tips. While the virus is rare in humans, the increase in activity seen this year reiterates the importance of taking precautions and staying safe.

Destroying The Chains Creates 2nd Chances

Submitted by johnmurray on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 12:49

Salena Dunbar, Shawn Gaston, and Calvin Dunbar of Destroying The Chains share their work to help people rebuild their lives after leaving prison. Photo courtesy of Silas Bronson Library

A grant from Connecticut Community Foundation is helping “Destroying The Chains” -- to lift the burdens of criminal records, and make employment reachable. 

Pisani Named Baldrige Award Winner

Submitted by johnmurray on Wed, 08/14/2019 - 11:17

   Giuseppe “Joe” Pisani of Middlebury, president of Pisani Steel Fabrication Inc. of Naugatuck, has been named the recipient of the Waterbury Regional Chamber’s 2019 Malcolm Baldrige Community Award, as the Chamber marks a quarter century of honoring the legacy the former Commerce Secretary and Scovill Inc. CEO. The award is the Chamber’s most respected, named in honor of Malcolm “Mac” Baldrige, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Ronald Reagan. Baldrige, who also was a former chairman of the Chamber, continually demonstrated his belief in community, leadership, and volunteerism as he worked to promote economic development in Greater Waterbury.

Rivera Leads Hall of Fame Class

Submitted by johnmurray on Wed, 07/24/2019 - 17:34

New York Yankee great Mariano Rivera was the first player in history to be elected unanimously to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

 

Story and photos by

Felix Manuel Rodriguez

 

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - While it is true...there are many beautiful stadiums across this great nation, there is only one true baseball heaven and it’s located in the small village in upstate New York called, Cooperstown. It is where the greatest players who ever played the game are enshrined forever. Their faces, stories and stats etched into beautiful plaques displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame Gallery.

 

   Only 232 former major leaguers have earned a space in the Hall of Fame Gallery, that’s less than one percent of those who have played in the major league. On this sweltering hot summer day, six new members were inducted into the best-known sports shrine in the world. The 2019 inductees include: Harold Baines, Roy Halladay, Edgar Martinez, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera and Lee Smith. Each will have their plaques displayed after the Hall of Fame Weekend ceremonies.

Operation “RAW DEAL” Narcotics Arrests

Submitted by johnmurray on Fri, 05/17/2019 - 21:00

In response to an increase in heroin overdoses and heroin related deaths in Waterbury, the Vice and Intelligence Division has been aggressively conducting investigations into all identified heroin traffickers within this city. VICE investigators began the preliminary phase of this operation in September of 2018. The objective of this extensive investigation was to suppress the trafficking of heroin in Waterbury and was dubbed “Operation: Raw Deal”.

Aldean's Riding All Night

Submitted by johnmurray on Sun, 05/12/2019 - 14:05

By Felix Manuel Rodriguez 

UNCASVILLE- Award-winning country singer Jason Aldean brought his RIDE ALL NIGHT tour to Mohegan Sun Area on May 3rd and 4th in Uncasville, CT. Aldean brought along some special guests as opening acts, Carly Pierce and Kane Brown. Both amazing performers respectively who could easily be headliners themselves someday. Aldean started off the concert with his 2012 hit Take a Little Ride followed by Tattoos on This Town.

WCSU Student Receives Fulbright Award

Submitted by johnmurray on Sat, 05/04/2019 - 08:16

Waterbury native Krysta Scriven had never traveled beyond the eastern United States before attending Western Connecticut State University as a freshman in 2015. Currently a senior preparing to graduate in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and a minor in Linguistics, Scriven has racked up plenty of frequent flier miles during her four years at WCSU with educational experiences that have included stops in Bulgaria, England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece and Ireland.

Railroad Museum Features Historian & Author Kent Patterson

Submitted by johnmurray on Sat, 04/27/2019 - 18:59

354 NYC Tower Operator Jack Springer 

The Railroad Museum of New England’s Speaker Series continues in May with a presentation by historian Kent Patterson, author of the book “Rails Around Westchester County.” He will give a historical and photographic overview of Westchester County’s past and current railroads, including Metro-North, New Haven Railroad, New York Central (including the Putnam Division), and J.P. Morgan’s New York Westchester & Boston Railway.

Book of Mormon Provokes & Entertains

Submitted by johnmurray on Sun, 04/14/2019 - 08:05

Review By Chelsea Murray Kaneb

 The Book of Mormon, the 9-time Tony award winning, controversial musical graced the stage of the gorgeous Palace Theatre this past week. The Book of Mormon bursts with energy, is often offensive, and yet it really has the ability to tug at the heart strings. The show sprang to life from the minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creative team behind the satirical, crass, and hysterically funny animated show, South Park. As to be expected from these creators who push the envelope like no other, the musical both highlights and mocks many aspects of Mormon beliefs, and characterizes the African villages and their people in a deprecating way. The show takes you on a journey filled with outrageous jokes and musical numbers peppered with profanity, but ultimately lands on showing the audience the beauty of service and the power of love.

Bad Bunny Lights Up Mohegan Sun

Submitted by johnmurray on Sat, 04/13/2019 - 09:52

Story and Photographs by Felix Manuel Rodriguez

Uncasville, CT - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, that’s how Bad Bunny started off as he walked on stage to a sold out Mohegan Sun Arena crowd performing one of his latest hits NI BIEN NI MAL (Neither Good Nor Bad). Already a hit song from his highly anticipated debut album X100PRE (a stylization of por siempre which means forever). Wearing fashionable retro cat eye triangle sunglasses and finger nails painted in pink polish. Bad Bunny is no stranger to making a fashion statement.

NVCC Holds 2nd Annual 5K Food Pantry Fundraiser

Submitted by johnmurray on Thu, 03/28/2019 - 21:07

Almost 100 community members, students, faculty, and staff laced up their sneakers on March 24 to run and walk raising more than $3,000.00 for NVCC’s student food pantry.

Beginning at Founders Hall on NVCC’s Waterbury campus, the race began at 10 Sunday morning with a course that allowed participants to do 1.55 miles (2.5 K) or the loop twice for a 5k. Ninety-seven people participated in total and trophies for top female and male winners were given out in addition to medals for first, second, and third place by age division.

 

Palace Theater Announces Webster Broadway Series

Submitted by johnmurray on Tue, 03/26/2019 - 16:39

Photo Credit:  Patty Wolfe

A SEASON TO DREAM THE DREAM ~ The Palace Theater announced their ‘19-20 Webster Broadway Subscription series. The well-rounded “dream season” offers theater goers the first play at a Connecticut venue of Chazz Palminteri’s  semi-autobiographical story, A Bronx Tale; a week-long engagement of the new production of Cameron Mackintosh’s Les Misérables; the clever and hilarious farce, The Play That Goes Wrong; the moving backstory of Peter Pan in Finding Neverland  and the iconic George and Ira Gershwin music and glorious dancing of  An American in Paris and.  A season that guarantees patrons the thrill and enjoyment that only a live theatrical experience offers.

Pledge No Allegiance

Submitted by johnmurray on Tue, 03/05/2019 - 19:16

Waterbury Board of Education Commissioner Tom Van Stone Sr.

Column by John Murray

   A unique intersection of opportunity and need has presented itself in Waterbury as the city roils with racial tension triggered by four students of color choosing to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance at Waterbury Arts Magnet School. The students sat in silence last Autumn as a protest against racial discrimination in America. The response to the protest triggered federal litigation, inflammatory comments by a Board of Education commissioner, a rebuke from the NAACP and black clergy, and a head-spinning response across social media.

Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary Seeks 4th Term

Submitted by johnmurray on Wed, 02/27/2019 - 08:00

 

Column By John Murray

   The worst kept secret in Waterbury burst into the open this afternoon after Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary declared he will seek an historic 4th term in office this November.

   “I've had a couple of job offers, some recently,” O’Leary told 300 business people and community leaders attending the annual “Mayoral Luncheon” event hosted by the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce. “But I just have to tell you that I love it here. I love this job, and with your support I intend to run for mayor again in 2019.”

The Unapologetic Patriot

Submitted by johnmurray on Sun, 12/30/2018 - 21:40

Ziggy "The Flagman" Berisha  (4/24/1942 - 12/25/2018)

Ziggy became an American citizen on July 4th he said it was the "greatest day of my life."

Story and Photographs By John Murray

   Ziggy the Flagman was impossible to ignore. In 1999 Zeqir Berisha began waving the American flag through downtown Waterbury shouting “USA, USA, USA” and overnight he became the most recognizable (and loudest) man in the city. Dressed from head to toe in stars and stripes he burst onto the scene as an evangelist for America, a champion of freedom.

   Who was he? Where did he come from?