Crash Course

Members of the Bristol 225th birthday committee who have fond memories of soap box derby races on Main Street want to relive those glory days with an event this summer.

Trouble is, their timing (they want June 13, the date Bristol was founded) collides with the city's plans for the Main Street streetscape upgrade of new sidewalks, new decorative lamps, benches, the whole nine yards. It would be just about exactly the same time in exactly the same spot.

I wrote a story about it today that you might find interesting. Hopefully it will run in Wednesday's edition of The Bristol Press. (www.bristolpress.com)

Glorious Day for a Road Race

I wasn't working today and so I didn't cover the Shamrock Run at Chippens Hill Middle School.

I was thinking all week that this was going to be the biggest one ever because of this glorious weather. I wonder how it turned out and hope they had a wonderful day.

Organizers, especially Pat Collins, work really hard every year to make the event a success.

Over the years, they've raised tens of thousands of dollars for St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Bristol, which operates the Bristol Emergency Shelter, the Elms and the women's transitional living center, where 10 women and their children live while transitioning to a new life.

I will check with Pat on Monday about how it all went, but I'd love to hear from anyone who attended.

Artist Show is Self-Funded

My story about artist Joe Keo ran in today's Bristol Press. Sorry if you looked Thursday and could not find it. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ylsk6kb.
If I could, I would be at Joe's show tonight, but I cannot. I hope he gets a nice turnout, though, with a friendly hometown crowd. If you can stop by, do.
Whatever you think of his art, give him credit for having the guts to put on a show -- and funding it HIMSELF. I should have put in my story that Joe's show is self-funded, but I didn't. This morning, there are mean and ignorant comments at the end of my story on the Press site griping about how their tax money was used to fund this.

Not true. A few of Joe's supporters made donations, but most of the money for the show came from Joe himself. He lives in Bristol and works full time in New Britain as a shipping clerk.

Donations collected at the show will benefit the Bristol Historical Society, not Joe. (If you want to support Joe, give him your donation directly. And throw a few bucks in the donation box if you can to show the historical society that you're glad they're having a young artist series there.)

P.S. Hats off to the BHS for hosting this series!!!

Low Bridge! Everybody Down!

I wrote a story for The Bristol Press yesterday about a state bill to allow a replacement railroad bridge (a bridge over a railroad track) on Broad Street in Hartford to be more than two feet lower than regulations require.
Who cares? The railroads do, and perhaps we all should, as a letter on the issue to lawmakers, from the regional planning agency, makes clear.
The bridge is needed for the New Britain-Hartford busway, but if it is lowered, it could be an impediment to freight and passenger rail cars.
Much of my story focuses on a letter from the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency to lawmakers, warning them of the trouble with the bill.
I don't think my story has run yet (hopefully soon!), but here's the letter from CCRPA Regional Planner Francis Pickering, emailed a week ago to some members of the Transportation Committee:

Dear Transportation Committee Members,
The Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency (CCRPA) would like to share its concern about Senate Bill 411, An Act Concerning the Replacement of the Broad Street Bridge over the Amtrak Railroad Tracks in Hartford.
This bill would lower the statutory minimum clearance for this bridge from 22’ 6” to 19’ 4”. Discussions with stakeholders, including the owners of the railroad whose tracks and trains pass under the bridge, suggest that such a reduction could have profoundly negative consequences for passenger and freight operations through the region. It has been indicated to us that 19’ 4” will not only preclude enhanced intermodal service between points north and New Haven/Waterbury; it will also render electrification—a prerequisite for a true high-speed rail connection between New York City and Boston via Hartford—impossible.
CCRPA understands that, in an environment of constrained funding, tough choices have to be made. However, these choices must not endanger the state’s economic, social, or environmental wellbeing. The potential for rail, both passenger and freight, along the New Haven/Waterbury-Hartford-Springfield corridor is enormous. CCRPA cannot support any transportation project that undermines this potential.
CCRPA therefore strongly urges you to take a closer look at this legislation. In particular, we ask that you invite the parties the proposed height reduction would affect—including Amtrak, Pan Am Railways, and Metro-North—to testify as to the impacts this change would have on present and future rail operations.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Carl Stephani or me.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
FRANCIS R. PICKERING
Regional Planner
Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency
225 North Main Street, Suite 304, Bristol, CT 06010-4993
t (860) 589-7820 x18 f (860) 589-6950 http://ccrpa.org/

Joe Keo Brings His Art Home

The man pictured above with the coffee/tea pot is Joe Bun Keo of Bristol, who is kicking off the Young Artists series at the Bristol Historical Society this year. The photo on the right, I believe, is from his show at the University of Hartford, where he graduated last spring and won the school's top prize in sculpture.

There's a reception on Friday at 7, with food, wine, music and best of all, ... Joe and his artwork. I wrote about him and why he never thought he'd have an exhibit in Bristol for Thursday's edition of The Bristol Press, so check it out there, please (http://www.bristolpress.com/) and if you find it at all interesting, support this talented local artist by attending his show. That's Joe down below, too. He's a fine young man, filled with brains and optimism, not to mention a humorous and lively art spirit.

P.S. on Friday morning: The story ran today. Sorry if you looked Thursday and could not find it. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ylsk6kb.

If I could, I would be at Joe's show tonight, but I cannot. I hope he gets a nice turnout, though, with a friendly hometown crowd.

Whatever you think of his art, give him credit for having the guts to put on a show -- and funding it HIMSELF. I should have put in my story that Joe's show is self-funded, but I didn't. Now there are mean and ignorant comments at the end of my story on the Press site griping about how their tax money was used to fund this. Not true. A few of Joe's supporters made donations, but most of the money for the show came from Joe himself. He works full time as a shipping clerk. And donations collected at the show will benefit the Bristol Historical Society, not Joe. (If you want to support Joe, give him your donation directly. And throw a few bucks in the donation box if you can to show the historical society that you're glad they're having a young artist series there.)

Shamrock Shoes

Shoes of the Week Award goes to...
Tom Cosgrove of the Bristol Downtown Development Corp., who was sporting a pair of green, 2007 sneakers with little shamrocks on them.
"They were only sold in New York," said Cosgrove, who said the company made only 2,000 pairs of them. "They're worth 200 bucks."
If you know Tom, you know he has quite a shoe collection. Maybe someday I'll write about it. For now, you know he was observing St. Patrick's WEEK with his feet completely in the spirit.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

These pretty plum-colored leaves are real shamrocks and the white things are their flowers. They look better in person, but they're my wish for any reader of Extra B.S. to have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!
The picture isn't great, but hey, that's not my racket...

Obama: UConn Women's Team 'Best in All of Sports'

President Barack Obama spoke with ESPN yesterday about that basketball bracket thing people do in March. Apparently if you go to ESPN.com you can see a video of the president filling out the paperwork. Here's part of what ESPN sent me about it:

Quotes from Interviews with Andy Katz & Doris Burke President Barack Obama is picking Kansas to defeat Kentucky in the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game April 5 and Connecticut to beat Stanford in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship April 6 on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET. He revealed the picks in an exclusive interview with ESPN.com senior basketball writer Andy Katz and ESPN basketball analyst Doris Burke on Tuesday, March 16.

On the Connecticut Huskies:

President Obama: Well I’ve watched UConn. I saw them, they came here last year after they had won the Championship. Wonderful young women, obviously a great coach and a great program, and so I’ve been watching them throughout the season, and I think it’s fair to say that they’re the best team in all of sports right now.

Bristol Girl Captures Science Award

Hearty congratulations to Briana Sanchez, an eighth grade student at St. Matthew School in Forestville, who won a special award at the Connecticut Science Fair over the weekend for her project, Pump up the Pulse.

Briana, who is one sharp cookie, took the honor in the Life Science Cateogry, one of only two chosen fro the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Division, reports her proud mother, Jackie Sanchez.

Way to go, Briana!

All About Bob... Mischief and Fun

Okay, I admit this photo is pretty lame, but maybe you'll get a kick out of it like I did.

It's the senior yearbook photo of my pal Bob Montgomery, Bristol's city historian and a Press columnist.

I don't know why Bob, a library retiree, was trotting down memory lane today, but when I heard he had his yearbook, I had to grab it and look him up.

Here's what it says about our man Bob:

"Always in the vicinity of mischief and fun."

A cheerful, good-natured fellow... easy going ... mischievous.

Apparently he was a busy boy, too, which is no surprise given his activities in town. According to the yearbook, Bob was part of the Biology Club, French Club, Varsity Club and played basketball and ran cross country and track.

To me, Bob is endearing. And he has great tee shirts that Celebrate Bob.

BRISTOLTODAY.COM: A look back on the effort to save the Press

BRISTOLTODAY.COM: A look back on the effort to save the Press

Documentary on the Press Airing Tonight

Anyone who cares about the near-death experience of your favorite hometown newspaper, The Bristol Press and how it was saved should watch a new documentary airing tonight at 8 and tomorrow night at 10 on CPTV.

Titled, "On Deadline: Is Time Running Out for the Press?" the film is only an hour long and packed with a lot of footage of people connected to the Press and to Bristol. I am sure you will see some familiar faces. You might learn more about what happened and you might have a few laughs along the way.

I don't want to give away all the good parts, but I will say that some of the finest moments include footage of the magnificent Steve Collins (cue cheering!) at work inside City Hall and giving a tour of the new Press office. It's riveting television, truly.

I'm in it, too, but I didn't say it was all good!

Filmmakers John and Rosemary Keogh O'Neil did a great job making everyone look and sound a lot better than they usually do. I know I speak for both Steve and myself when I say that we sincerely appreciate their interest in newspapers but especially in the Press.

We also are grateful to the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, which hosted the first screening of the documentary on Tuesday at a gala event. Gala? well, for journalists, anyway. It was the closest I'll ever come to the red carpet, for sure.

There was a panel discussion afterward with a number of journalists, including Steve, who made the excellent point that The Bristol Press was a good paper worth saving, which is why we tried so hard to get noticed and stir up enough attention that a buyer might hear about us. Ultimately, that's what happened. Steve has written extensively about it in The Bristol Blog, and this week posted a memo he wrote a little more than a year ago to state officials laying out the case for using what resources they had -- emphatically NOT asking for a bailout -- in hopes of saving 100 jobs and 13 community newspapers. It's worth looking at: www.bristoltoday.com.

Mike Schroeder, our publisher, was also on the panel. He said when he bought the papers last year he was investing in journalism, not in a printing press. He said it is something that will never decrease in value.

"It's like buying gold," he said.

Headed for Haiti

Several Bristol people affiliated with Bristol Hospital are headed to Haiti this weekend to help with medical relief efforts there. I wrote about it in a story published in today's Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) and hope to tell you all more when they return.

Back A Kid

The Bristol Boys and Girls Club is trying something new with their fundraising called Back A Kid. I wrote a story about it for The Bristol Press, (www.bristolpress.com). It may be holding but should run soon. Under Michael Suchopar's determined leadership, that club is going places. Stay tuned, and if you can, lend a hand and back a kid.

A Big Loss for Bristol, A Huge Loss for His Family

The man in the picture is Jeff Dziob. I never met him, but I've spent the past week talking to people who loved him and now I wish I had known him, too.

Jeff is the Bristol man who was killed when a truck smashed through his garage last December, the innocent victim of a terrible crash. Given what the driver supposedly told police afterward, I have a hard time calling it an accident in the truest sense of the word.

Frances Ableski, the unlicensed driver of the unregistered pickup truck, is charged with a lot of offenses, including manslaughter and driving drunk. She apparently wanted to kill herself and aimed at a tree but missed and hit Jeff's garage instead. I doubt she thought she would harm anyone else when she gunned the accelerator, but that makes it reckless at best, not accidental.

I wasn't covering the crash, though, or her criminal case. I was writing about Jeff.

I had the bittersweet experience of learning about a great family man, a hardworking homeowner and a wonderful friend and co-worker who died too young, leaving a couple of sweet children who will grow up without the benefit of his guidance and a wife who lost her lifelong companion.

Jeff was a smart man by all accounts, and he clearly was using his head and his heart when he married his wife Melissa, who took the time to talk with me about her beloved husband.

It isn't easy to be a reporter who makes the call to the grieving family or friend to ask about the one they lost. Lots of times, people are understandably too pained to be able to talk and sometimes they're angry. It can be uncomfortable at best, but sometimes it is part of my job, and I understand when people don't want to talk with me.

This wasn't one of those times.

Jeff's wife and friends couldn't have been more generous with their memories and they couldn't have been kinder to me. They really wanted to share stories and tell about the funny, romantic and all-around good guy they knew and loved.

When I write stories like this, I feel honored to be able to tell that story. I believe it is important for the community to recognize what it lost when Jeff Dziob was killed. To be sure, the greatest loss was to his family, and then to his friends, but the community as a whole loses when a family is ripped apart, when children are left fatherless, when a decent, hardworking and productive citizen is taken before his time.

These stories always take an emotional toll. I hate the senseless loss of life, and as a wife and mother, I can only imagine the pain Melissa and their two young children are enduring.

My story about Jeff is very long, but I hope it will be meaningful to some readers, and to the many who knew and loved him.

It is slated to run in Tuesday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com.)

If you didn't see the story, it might be hard to find now. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/ygjj3jg

Twain House to Host Forum, Film, on the Press

The Press, that's with a capital "p," is the star of the show tomorrow night at the Mark Twain House and Museum.

The new CPTV documentary about the near-demise of your beloved hometown newspaper, The Bristol Press, will be shown for the first time. In addition, there will be a panel discussion that includes some wonderful people, not the least of whom is my own dear husband, Steve Collins.

That alone ought to be worth the price of admission.

If that's not enough, Press Publisher Mike Schroeder is also on the panel, along with Hartford-area media types.

So come one, come all! The auditorium is filling up, I'm told, but there are still seats available. Come to support The Bristol Press, or newspapers, or journalism, or documentaries, to catcall, hoot or applaud the film, to say hello to me, or just to support the museum.

The museum, which is an absolutely awesome place to see all by itself, so if you haven't seen it, you absolutely must go, is celebrating newspapers this month.

The author Sam Clemens, of course, was once a newspaperman. But don't hold that against him. It happens to the best of us.