By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, the week will have flown by. That said, Mary and I got out both Friday and Saturday nights.
On Friday, we attended the Hartford Stage production of “The Hot Wing King” by Katori Hall, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, and directed by Christopher D. Betts, the stage company’s Roberts’ Foundation Joyce C. Willis Fellow.
The action takes place against the background of an annual hot wings competition and involves family, same-sex relationships and basketball. The writing is electrifying. The acting is compelling. And of course, there is humor and, most important, humanity. What more can anyone ask? The show runs through March 24.
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On Saturday night, we attended the premiere of “No Way to Live,” by Productions for Change, a new local company with a mission to assist nonprofits, such as the ones fighting homelessness. The documentary’s strength is that it gets out into the world of homelessness and captures conversations and images with the homeless and the people who work tirelessly to aid them in Bristol, New Britain and Waterbury.
“No Way to Live” is as an excellent conversation starter for more discussion about ways to address the problem. Tom Mazzarella and company have provided a great service. The hope is this is one of many more to come. For more information, click here.
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New developments at TBE include working with two interns, one from UConn, Pushpita Hossain, and another from Central Connecticut, Haneen Alkabasi, and two Bristol Central students, Nathaniel Rivera and Samera Alyosfi. We hope to be working with more students as time goes by. Hossain is working on several special projects, Alkabasi will be working on general reporting assignments, Rivera on photography and Alyosfi on general reporting assignments.
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Reading and listening this week starts with something a little different. NPR MoneyWatch presented its “Democracy in the Desert” series on news and what is happening to local coverage across the country. It is a daunting task, but the people at Marketplace manage to handle it with grace, clarity and a bit of humor. This one is close to my heart, because the issue of local news, and believe it or not, Bristol being in a news desert of its own, which is something TBE is addressing. Click here.
For reading, I stopped in at the Bristol Public Library and picked up a few books, including a collection of short fiction by Paul Bowles, which simply caught my eye. At the same time, I am thinking that short stories might be manageable with everything else that is going on. Also, I requested a DVD, “Altered States.”
I continue making my way through several books, including “Poverty by America,” “How To Live or A Life of Montaigne” and “IDA: A Sword Among Lions.” I have yet to pick up “The Mists of Avalon,” which comes highly recommended. Anyone have a recommendation? Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.
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City meetings this week include the following:
On Monday, March 4
- Police Memorial Committee, 5 p.m., Bristol Police Dept. Training Room
- Parking Authority, 6:30 p.m. City Hall Meeting Room 1-1
- Library Board of Directors, 6:30 p.m., Bristol Public Library
- Inland Wetlands Agency/Conservation Commission, 6:30, City Hall Council Chamber.
On Tuesday, March 5
- Police Awards Committee, 9 a.m.
- Assessment Board of Appeals, 3 p.m.
- Economic and Community Development Industrial Committee Special Meeting, 4 p.m., City Council Chambers.
- Ordinance Committee, 5 p.m., City Hall Meeting Room 1-1
- Zoning Board of Appeals–canceled.
On Wednesday, March 6
- Code Enforcement Committee, 9 a.m., City Hall Council Chambers
- School Readiness Council, 12:15 p.m., Edgewood Pre-Kindergarten Academy
- Board of Finance Budget Hearing, 5:30 p.m., City Council Chambers’
- Arts and Culture Commission, 6:30 p.m., City Hall Meeting Room 1-2.
On Thursday, March 7
- Storm Water Trust, 9 a.m., City Hall Meeting Room 1-2
- Assessment Board of Appeals, 3 p.m.
- Economic and Community Development, 5 p.m., City Hall Council Chambers.
In addition, the Bristol Board of Education meets Wednesday, March 6 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Board of Education auditorium.
TBE will do our best to update meeting times and locations, but it’s a good idea to check the agendas ahead of time for cancellations. Click here for specific meetings and times.
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We encourage all people, young and old, from our community, who have an interest in telling Bristol stories and improving their skills to do this, to join us. If you are one of these people, or know of one, please contact dfortier@bristoledition.org.
TBE is the website of our nonprofit, The Central Connecticut Online Journalism Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. One-time donations and regular recurring monthly donations from our members are welcomed and encouraged.
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Next weekend, the clocks change!
All TBE readers, supporters and donors
The Bristol Edition will be limiting the number of stories non-members and free readers may access each week. This decision is based on our financial projections and, most certainly, to remind people that TBE is serious about providing accurate, timely and thorough reporting for Bristol. To do this we have devised a financial support structure that makes unlimited access extremely affordable, beginning with a $6 monthly donation.
- Non-members will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Free readers and people who have subscribed by email will be able to access four (4) articles per week.
- Donors and financial supporters will have unlimited access as long as they log in.
Note: Donors may have to contact TBE if they find they are being limited, since we will need to set up a membership account for you. Email editor@bristoledition.org for instructions. Sorry for any inconvenience. People with financial difficulties may write editor@bristoledition.org to be considered for free access.