Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary

Aerial view of the wooded property in the South End of Waterbury.

Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary and Naugatuck Mayor Pete Hess announced on January 25th that Bluewater Property Group has been selected to develop a plan for the Waterbury/Naugatuck Industrial Park into a state-of-the-art distribution facility with the potential to create up to 1,000 new jobs.

“I am proud of the collaborative work done here by the State, the City, the Borough, and the Naugatuck Valley Regional Development Corporation,” said Mayor O’Leary. “Much work is left to be done but this could be an amazing win for our region and the entire state.”

Matt O'Toole on Easter morning with all his possessions.

Story and Photographs by John Murray

   Matt O’Toole sat outside the largest homeless shelter in Connecticut wondering how he was going to spend the next 10 hours. It was Easter Sunday and it was cold and raw outside. The St. Vincent DePaul Shelter in the South End of Waterbury boots all single men out of the facility every morning at 7 am, and O’Toole couldn’t get back in until 5 pm.

   O’Toole has been homeless off and on for much of the past year. “I made bad decisions,” O’Toole said. “Most of us in here have made a lot of bad decisions. I had an addiction problem.”

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 4^th 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.”

Sworn In As 89th Governor of Connecticut

Governor Ned Lamont shared a moment with his wife, Annie Lamont, as they marched past the State Capitol following his inauguration inside the State Armory. Photograph by John Murray

(Editor's Note - the following comments were made by Waterbury Police Chief Fred Spagnolo (pictured above) after he was sworn into office by Waterbury Mayor Neil O'Leary on December 13th in a ceremony on the stage of the Palace Theater in downtown Waterbury. The photographs of Chief Spagnolo were taken by Jennifer Rose)

   Thank you. These are my three beautiful children. Kids what is dad’s favorite number? 15. Dad is changing that and  my new favorite number is 22, because I am now the 22nd police chief of the great city of Waterbury.

I started my career in 1992 at the Waterbury Police Department.  It was all new to me as I did not come from a family of law enforcement or public service.  My family is of Irish and Italian decent and immigrated to this country during my generation.  I grew up learning to be acceptant and respectful of others and their traditions.

First Black Woman Elected To Congress From CT

Photographs By John Murray

Jahana Hayes made an emotional entrance into a crowded ballroom filled with soul music and anticipation. With last night's victory Hayes has made an extraordinary leap from the Berkeley Heights Project in the North End of Waterbury, to the 2016 National Teacher of the Year, to the halls of the United States Congress. Jahana's improbable and fantastic journey captured national attention as very few members of Congress have ever experienced poverty the way Hayes has. Last night she carved her name into history as the first African-American woman to represent Connecticut in Congress, "I'm a history teacher making history," she said.

Story and Photographs By John Murray

   After a decade of plucking garbage and debris from the Naugatuck River, environmental activist Kevin Zak has begun legal proceedings against F&G for being a serial polluter of the Naugatuck River watershed. “I’m suing because I’m angry,” Zak said. “I’ve been picking up their garbage for years. This has to stop.”