Joe Geary, pictured above, shared the latest update with WATR radio 90 minutes ago.

                            Story and Photographs By John Murray

   The director of operations in Waterbury, Joe Geary, told WATR radio that the most up-t0-date information he had about the massive power outage was that the city still had 15,722 homes without power, or 32% of the city. Geary said he had spoken to CL&P at 10 am on Wednesday and the projection was that 99% of Waterbury would have its power restored by midnight on Monday, November 7th. Projections for the Overlook neighborhood were to get power restored by 5 pm on Monday, November 7th.

For up to date information about Snow Storm Alfred please check out the: www.211ct.org or call 211.

A dial painter suffered from radium-induced sarcoma of the chin. The workers, mostly young women, used their mouthes to form sharp points on the brush that they would dip in and out of radium paint. Image from the book "Deadly Glow - The Radium Dial Worker Tragedy."

Story by Ann Quigley

(This article was first published The Waterbury Observer in September 2002)

   It was 1921 when 17-year –old Frances Splettstocher landed a job at the Waterbury Clock Company on Cherry Street. It was a glamorous job, for she and her young colleagues worked with radium – the wonder substance of the new century.  The girls used their keen eyes and nimble fingers to paint tiny numbers on glow-in-the-dark watches that were all the rage at the moment. World War I soldiers had worn the futuristic devices in the trenches, and now in peacetime everyone wanted one, so Splettstocher and dozens like her were hired to help produce millions of the watches during the early 1920s.

The three mayoral candidates in Waterbury were invited to City Hall to help The Brass"Bury" Chess Club reawaken after a decade long slumber. When Democrat Neil O'Leary couldn't make it, the other two candidates sat down for a head-to-head game of chess. Republican five-term incumbent Mike Jarjura, left, had never played the game before, and Independent Party candidate Larry De Pillo, right, said his game was beyond rusty. With the help of club members the two candidates engaged in a spirited game that lasted 25 minutes. Photographs by John Murray

   Waterbury native Ryan Gomes, middle, played high school basketball in the city and now stars in the NBA, joined Mayor Michael Jarjura, left, and representatives from the city’s health and emergency services organizations in celebrating Waterbury’s recent designation as a HeartSafe Community by the state Department of Public Health. The event took place Thursday, October 27, at Waterbury City Hall. Along with Gomes and the mayor, representatives from the state Department of Public Health, Waterbury Hospital, the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury, Saint Mary’s Hospital, AMR Ambulance, Campion Ambulance and the Waterbury Fire and Police Departments were on hand to mark the occasion. The HeartSafe designation is awarded to communities across the state that have demonstrated that they are properly equipped and trained to both prevent and respond to cardiac emergencies. 

Waterbury's police chief, Mike Gugliotti

   Waterbury Police Chief Michael Gugliotti announced today that his officers have begun issuing new Municipal Citations to violator’s of the City’s Blight Ordinance. Gugliotti stated that this new process has many benefits. “First of all, we anticipate that the resolution of these complaints will be much faster than before, as the accused must pay his/her fine, or request a hearing with a City Hearing Officer within 10 days of ticket issuance. Additionally, since the Municipal Citations are issued to enforce the City’s Blight Ordinance, Waterbury keeps 100% of all fines collected.”  The Police Department’s Community Relations Division currently responds to and enforces blight related complaints. They notify property owners when a violation has occurred and allow a reasonable amount of time to address the violation. If no action is taken, citations will be issued, with fines beginning at $100/day.

                              Photographs By John Murray

   Waterbury mayor Mike Jarjura laughed at a point being made by Democrat challenger Neil O'Leary during a spirited debate sponsored by the Greater Waterbury Chapter of the National Congress of Black Women last night in the NOW auditorium, on North Main Street, in Waterbury. In an evening filled with political theater, the three candidates vying for mayor verbally jousted for nearly two hours. At one point during the debate Mayor Jarjura blamed O'Leary, who is a school board commissioner, for the fact that 21 schools in Waterbury have failed to meet state and federal standards. O'Leary, in the photograph above, reminded Jarjura that he is also a member of the board of education, and as the mayor, Jarjura should accept ultimate responsibility for the conditions in the schools.

    Column By Don Coppock

   (Foreign Correspondent for The Waterbury Observer)

   Nahmtuam is a word you hear a lot these days in Thailand. It means 'flood'.

   As we drove from Udon Thani toward Roy Et in Isaan ( Northeastern Thailand ) it appeared much of the country was underwater. The main two lane roadway was clear, but as we passed over bridges we observed partially submerged houses, wires hung limply a few feet above swollen waterways, and the bridges themselves seemed but a rainstorm away from being submerged from the muddy roiling water beneath.

Story and Photographs By John Murray

   Two days after the only Hispanic on the Democrat slate, Rubin Rodriguez, quit the ticket, a group of boisterous Latinos rallied in support of Democrat mayoral candidate Neil O'Leary, on South Main Street in Waterbury. Rodriguez stated he quit the ticket because O'Leary wasn't receptive to his ideas and was disrespecting the Hispanic population in Waterbury. O'Leary countered strongly by stating that Rodriguez had quit the ticket because the campaign was unwilling to budget $50,000 to State Rep. David Aldarondo to get the Hispanic vote to the polls on election day. O'Leary called it a "shakedown" by Aldarondo. Mayor Mike Jarjura pounced on the issue and sent out a statement that said O'Leary "is unfit to lead a city with Waterbury's ethnic, religious and national diversity."