Lake Compounce opens with new treats, a Supreme Court hearing that deserves a listen and several Atlantic articles

Come Sunday morning, Lake Compounce will have opened for its 178th consecutive year and the Wildcat roller coast will be running, newly retracked and better than ever. And as it has been with the Lake over these many years, there will be new attractions, events and places to eat.

On a different note, the Supreme Court heard arguments about whether a president might be immune from prosecutive after having served as president. The case is Trump v. United States (23-939). Any Supreme Court deliberation is worth listening to, as are the cases worth reading. Knowing how these cases work, how they are adjudicated, are part of the American experience. I hope people are paying attention. If you have thoughts, we welcome letters to the editor and longer opinion pieces. Send them to editor@bristoledition.org.

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Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day, and the hope is today will, too. Across the city, people were out and about. Over at Bristol Eastern High School, members of the Science National Honor Society held an electronics collection and car wash. Up the hill, at Page Park Pond, the annual Perry J. Spinelli Jr. Fishing Derby was underway. It was fun to see families huddled around the pond, with rods flashing and hooks and lines splashing at the surface.

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Listening this week has got to begin with Trump v. United States. The Supreme Court website provides both audio and a transcript. They are available here. Scroll down the page to the box where the case is featured and choose your delivery method.

Of course, Gaza is everywhere, especially with the student protests that are occurring across the country on college campuses. For a sober look at and somber analysis of the situation, there is the Ones and Tooze podcast, “Famine in Gaze.” Click here.

As for reading, I finished “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by historian and public intellectual Yuval Noah Harari, and have to recommend the last chapters. They should be required reading because of how the author approaches the future and the possibilities that lay before us as sapiens.

Also, there are a few articles in The Atlantic that caught my eye. I am hoping they are available to the broader readership–The Atlantic, as with TBE limits the number of free articles before asking people for their financial support. Unlike The Atlantic, however, a membership with TBE is only $6 a month. Okay, commercial over.

The first piece is “Would LImitlessness Make Us Better?’ by Rachel Khong. This topic takes on A.I. and how it offers limitless possibilities to human beings and whether or not human beings are made better by our imperfections. Click here.

The second article, by George Packer is titled “The Campus-Left Occupation That Broke Higher Education.” There is more to that title than simply right-left bickering. There is a history and analysis that transcends the political stridency, despite what the headline says. Click here.

Anyone have a recommendation? Email dfortier@bristoledition.org.

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City meetings this week include the following:

On Monday, April 29

  • American Rescue Plan Task Force – Non Profit Subcommittee, 4 p.m., Meeting Room 1-3, city hall.

On Tuesday, April 30

  • no meetings.

On Wednesday, May 1

  • Code Enforcement Committee, 9 a.m., council chambers, city hall.
  • School Readiness Council, 12:15 p.m., Edgewood Pre-Kindergarten Academy.
  • Arts & Culture Commission, 6:30 p.m., Meeting Room 1-2, city hall.
  • Board of Education, 7 p.m., Board of Education Auditorium, Board of Education.

On Thursday, May 2

  • Economic and Community Development, 5 p.m., council chambers, city hall.
  • Inlands Wetlands and Watercourses Agency — On-Site Inspections, 6 p.m., Vine Road & Brace Avenue and 6:15 p.m., 42 Paul Street.

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 join us. If you are one of these people, or know of one, please contact dfortier@bristoledition.org.

TBE is also looking for sports correspondents to cover our high school events, especially, Bristol Central High School. We encourage coaches to send in game summaries with highlights, so that we can post them.

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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Enjoy!


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