Things I Can't Explain

For reasons I cannot say, I have stopped writing about the work I do for The Bristol Press and the events and people of Bristol, Connecticut.

I wish it were different, and when I am able to resume Extra B.S., I will. Readers can still reach me by clicking on the email link to the right.

Thanks to all of you who put eyeballs on Extra Big Scoop. I truly appreciate it.

Anyone who is interested in continuing to follow what I have to say is invited and encouraged to visit http://www.yjiblog.org/, which is the official blog of Youth Journalism International. I do a lot of posting there.

As you may know, YJI, founded by myself and my husband Steve Collins, is an educational, non-profit organization, a 501(c)(3) public charity, based here in Connecticut, with students around the world -- five continents and counting!

Youth Journalism International (http://www.youthjournalism.org/) got its start in Bristol in 1994. YJI connects teen writers, artists and photographers with peers around the globe, teaches journalism, fosters cross-cultural understanding, and promotes and defends a free youth press.

We do not charge students to participate, and it's a great way for them to learn about journalism and each other. A large body of our students' work can be seen in the award-winning, independent, online teen newspaper, http://www.readthetattoo.com/.

You can check out YJI's ratings, as described by students, alumni, parents, grandparents and professionals, at http://www.greatnonprofits.org/.

If you care about Bristol, please keep an eye on the Bristol Blog (http://www.bristoltoday.com/), which is Steve's work blog. Despite the often nasty anonymous comments that follow his posts, there is still a lot there for interested readers.

If you care about our world, the future of journalism or young people -- or if you just want to keep tabs on what the next generation has to say, please support Youth Journalism International in whatever way you can. Definitely check out http://www.yjiblog.org/. Become a follower! :)

Thank you all.

Extra B.S. By the Numbers

Time to take stock.
Six months of blogging.
More than 200 posts.
50 comments, if my tired eyes are counting correctly. At least 24 of them are my own comments, mostly responding to what readers wrote.
Is it all just Extra B.S.?
Blogger King Steve got eight comments on the Bristol Blog just tonight, after his City Hall meeting, that lucky devil. He approved all of them, in case you're curious. Extra B.S. readers are ... shy. Bristol Blog readers? Not so much.

Give Downtown Project a Chance

Yesterday I wrote a story for The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about the realistic timeframe people can expect for the downtown project.
The deal isn't even signed yet between the city, developer Don Monti of Renaissance Downtowns and the Bristol Downtown Development Corp., but both Monti and Frank Johnson, who chairs the BDDC, kindly spoke with me a little bit about the plans.
I'm sure many people in town are as eager to know what to expect there as I am, and hopefully just about everyone is also as eager to have something good there.
They were honest enough to say downtown won't be built in a day. In fact, expect it to be built in phases, a piece at a time, over a period of years. The whole thing could take the better part of a decade. At the moment, Monti plans what he called a "boutique" hotel as part of it all. That means a small one. That would be part of the big picture of mixed use, commercial, residential, retail, pedestrian-oriented development that Monti is pushing.
As I understand it, the investment could be really significant.
Of course, the anonymoust reaction to this in the stupid blogosphere is outrage -- it'll never be built, why should it take so long, the hotel will be terrible... yada, yada, yada.
My husband and favorite co-worker, Steve Collins, wrote in the Bristol Blog about how shameful this anonymous and moronic tirade is. See what he had to say in www.BristolToday.com.
Now it's time for my two cents.
Too bad the silent majority is so silent. How about a little confidence in the members of the community -- homeowners, business leaders and others like Frank Johnson, Jennifer Janelle, John Lodovico and the rest on the BDDC as well as Mayor Art Ward and the entire city council and a host of professional staff, some of whom live in town and others who are professionally invested-- who have given their own time (well, yes, the professionals were paid) and energy into figuring out what to do with the old mall property and done it all by using their real names, in public?
How about giving Monti, the chosen developer a chance to see what he can do? He's putting his own money on the line, after all.
From my interactions with him, I can tell you that Monti is very high energy. I know Bristol needs that. He's got successful businesses elsewhere and other towns have put their faith in him.
He's got a track record of bringing all sorts of people together and he sees great potential in Bristol.
It seems Monti believes more in Bristol than the anonymous posters who can't wait to go on the attack and trash him, the city and everyone else who is trying to do something for the good of the community.
I think the people of Bristol can return that faith, at least to give him a chance to give it a go. I hope they do, and I hope he ultimately gives them reason to cheer.
I may no longer be eligible to vote in Bristol, but I was for some time. My children were born there and I've invested the bulk of my professional life in the Mum City. I care about people who live there and I truly want good things for the city.

Other Towns Restrict Vendors

For today's edition of The Bristol Press, (www.bristolpress.com), I wrote about how other towns, specifically Plainville, Southington, West Hartford and Farmington, handle food vendors who want to sell out of a cart or truck.
All of them make the vendor go through planning and zoning applications before they can set up shop.
None of them allow vending on a city street.
Southington came right out and said their policy is for the good of their downtown businesses and that it has helped their development quite a bit.
Today, the city council's ordinance committee is going to take up the issue, after downtown restaurant owners complained about the unfair competition. It could be quite a scene as the vendors have a lot of support.
Steve Collins will be there to soak it all in and report back on the Bristol Blog and in The Bristol Press. I'll be at the capitol watching Gov. Jodi Rell hand an award to ESPN.

A Peek Behind the Curtain

Exclusively for Extra B.S. readers... here's a bit of insight into the vendor stories.
First of all, it's interesting how many people are commenting on them on the Bristol Press website. My eyeballs are sore just trying to read them.
Though I always wish I had a few more comments on this blog so I'd know people were in fact reading it, I'm even more grateful that I don't get that kind of volume -- or venom.
I'm kind of staggered by it sometimes. The other day I posted why I love readers, because so many people had stepped forward to help Carolyn Norton find the Lake Compounce drawing she wanted to help her design the etching for a gravestone for her husband, Stretch Norton.
By the way, waaay back in 1993 when I first started at the Press and first met Stretch, I asked him how he wanted me to identify him in the newspaper. That, to me, seems the fairest and kindest thing to do for anyone I am quoting. There's not much in life that is so central to someone's identity as their name and I really try hard to respect that.
When I asked all those years ago, he said he wanted to be known as Stretch. Not J. Harwood "Stretch" Norton, like the Courant does with his name. And so I called him Stretch in my stories, out of respect for his wishes. It's the way he was identified for all those years in many stories that I wrote and my husband Steve Collins wrote for almost two decades in the pages of The Bristol Press.
Then, starting about a year ago when we wrote about Stretch after he died, someone editing the stories changed his name to the style used in the Courant without any explanation, comment, or notice to either of us. I say this to let you know that not all the words under our names is decided by us anymore, so if you're wondering about something that was written, ask.
On Extra B.S. and in The Bristol Blog, which is written by Steve, he's Strech Norton.
But I digress. That ramble all started when I was writing about why I love readers. On the other hand... the vendor comments are enlightening (some of them) but also disturbing in their meanness. I won't respond to the meanness, since I haven't got all day and my fingers would fall off, but I will respond to some of the rest.
Some posters griped that I was only writing about the inspection reports on the vendors and not the restaurants, too. Some thought that the health district just recently did the inspections on the vendors. Some demanded to know the inspection reports on all the restaurants in town.
The health inspections were the most recent available for the vendors. Some were done this spring and others last fall. I asked the health district for the reports and they provided them to me.
I only asked for reports on the vendors because people were questioning their cleanliness and sanitation. Until today, no one was questioning any of the restaurants in that way, only insulting the food quality, which is another issue.
Given that this has become such a hot button issue, it seemed important and fair to present the basic facts -- that the vendors have to play by the same rules as the restaurants and that they do pretty well on health inspections.
Compared to the number of restaurants in town, there are not very many vendors. I could manage to sift through those reports in time to write that story, but going through all the restaurant inspections would take much longer.
As a reporter, I have to work under the constraints of time and space. I can't put everything in the story and I can't look at inspection reports for the whole town and write about them all in a couple days, assuming the health district would provide them that fast.
In case you didn't realize it, the number of reporters covering Bristol at the Press anymore is 2.5. One person works half time in Bristol covering the police and the schools and the other half of her time covering Plymouth.
Steve and I write about everything else in Bristol -- government, politics, business (that includes ESPN and Lake Compounce), non-profits, social and human services, land use, public works, sewers, roads, bridges, health, the hospital, museums, veterans, parks, downtown development, blight, housing and the occasional quirky thing that doesn't fit a category. And plenty more that are not coming to mind right now.
The choices that are made as to what to cover and how to spend our limited time are crucial. Sometimes, we make those decisions. Other times, it is an editor who decides. They get the final say, after all.
If you ever want to know why something was covered, please ask me! If it was my idea, I will certainly tell you why I thought that story was worth not only my time, but yours.

Blog Boredom

Hey readers,
Bristol Blogging King Steve Collins says the chamber's new blog is boring.
I didn't even mention the chamber's blog to all of you because I'm bored with blogging.
I don't like the kind of comments Steve gets on his blog (some are intelligent, but... well, if you read them, you'll know what I mean), so I'm not exactly jealous, but then, without hardly any comments at all on Extra B.S., it's hard to believe that anyone is reading. At least Steve knows he has readers, sort of.
I run out of steam because this blogging stuff feels like a lot of Extra B.S. to me when there's no response from the blogosphere.
Steve said the chamber's blog is boring because it hadn't been updated in a week. Extra B.S. is worse -- no posts since March 23 -- but maybe Steve has more compassion for me, given that he knows how hard concentration has been in recent weeks with my stuffy head, or maybe he wrote off Extra B.S. a long time ago.
I'll give it another go, though. I'm not quitting.

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.

Lt. Gov. Takes a Pro-Rail Stand

Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele jumped on the pro-rail train, along with Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont. Wonder who will be next to see that taking a good look at the wisdom of spending almost half a billion dollars on a nine mile road between New Britain and Hartford is a good use of all those clams.
I wrote about what Fedele had to say about the rail and other things at this morning's chamber of commerce coffee chat. You can read all about it in The Bristol Press on Friday (www.bristolpress.com).
Steve Collins, who gets more comments than I do, not that I'm jealous of The Bristol Blog, wrote about Malloy. I wrote about Lamont's stand last week.
Momentum for rail is growing, which can only be good for Bristol and, dare I say, it the future of our state.

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Here's a public Happy Birthday to my husband Steve Collins, who is also my co-worker at The Bristol Press and best friend in the whole world. Not to get mushy or anything.

This is not the best picture of him, but it's what I've got today.

So if you see us at the Bristol Home and Business Show listening to the Bristol Reunion Jazz Band this afternoon or just wandering around, say Happy Birthday to Steve. But give the guy a break. It's his day off. No stories. No notebook. And no Bristol Blog.

High Noon for Train / Busway Collision

The Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency is gearing up for a doozy of a meeting Thursday. Steve drew the short stick, so he'll be there until the cows come home. It could be a long night. I don't know if he'll be live blogging, but if I get any updates from him, I'll post them. I'm sure he'll put something on the Bristol Blog at the end of it all. You can see that at http://www.bristoltoday.com/. Cheeze, with all the free publicity he's getting from me and Extra B.S., you'd think I'd at least get a mention in the Bristol Blog!

In unrelated but still important news, I'll be at the Bristol Cares meeting early Thursday, so I'll be reporting on that later in the day.

Don't Miss the Train... Stories Today

Don't miss all of Steve Collins' stories in today's Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about the train and busway battle. He's doing his best to outline the issue before the hot potato lands with the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency Thursday night. You can find some, if not all of it, on the Bristol Blog (www.bristoltoday.com)

Think this year is bad? Wait for 2012, 2013, 2014

At the risk of sounding like the uber-negative Bristol Blog, I have to say the message this morning at the chamber's legislative breakfast was pretty much doom and gloom. Here's what I wrote about it for The Bristol Press (http://www.bristolpress.com/):

BRISTOL – The state will get through this year’s economy and the next one alright, lawmakers said, but the real trouble is coming in the years to follow.
“We’ve got a heck of a task in front of us,” said Rep. Frank Nicastro, a Bristol Democrat who predicted a “multi-billion-dollar deficit” in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Nicastro and several of his fellow lawmakers spoke at the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce legislative breakfast before a crowd of about 115 early Tuesday, with the tough economy taking center stage.
“It’s a lousy hand to be dealt, but it’s the hand we have and we have to play it,” said Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat.
Rep. John Piscopo, a Republican who represents Burlington, Harwinton, Litchfield and Thomaston, said the $500 million deficit puts Connecticut “in a world of trouble.”
Wright, a freshman lawmaker, said it’s been frustrating that people are playing “gotcha” instead of working together to solve problems.
“Pointing fingers doesn’t make any sense,” said Nicastro, who said lawmakers have an obligation to set politics aside. “Everybody has to step up. It’s about time all sides became one team, united to solve the problem.”
Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose district includes Bristol, said the role of lawmakers is not to agree. Debate is healthy, he said, but lawmakers must listen to everyone, draw conclusions and act in the best long term interest of the state, “being the adults in the room.”
When his late father came to Connecticut about 50 years ago, Hamzy said, he found a job in a factory and economic opportunities for himself and his family.
That’s what Connecticut should be, but isn’t anymore, said Hamzy, who said throwing money at the problem won’t solve it. Instead of maintaining the status quo and hoping the storm will pass, Hamzy said, lawmakers should acknowledge problems realistically and keep in mind “the people who are paying the tab.”
Connecticut lawmakers have to look out for all facets of the state, Nicastro said, and need the help and understanding of constituents.
“Give us a chance to do it,” said Nicastro. “The cuts will be made.”
Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat, said negotiations are the toughest thing to do. “No matter whose budget passes, somebody’s going to say, that’s not a good budget.”
Colapietro said there are “too many people in high places,” but he wasn’t talking about the General Assembly. He said state senators bring home $28,000 salaries while members of the state House make about $17,000 a year.
“We’re doing the best we can,” said Colapietro. But he said state departments are filled with far too many deputy commissioners who lost an election somewhere along the way and were “slipped in” to a cushy government job.
The padded layers of government start at the municipal level, move on to the state level and really get out of control at the federal level, said Nicastro, when committees that are formed grow into permanent commissions.
Nicastro, who is heading up a state committee that will look at eliminating mandates, said if some can be removed or even temporarily suspended to give municipalities a break during the recession, lawmakers will do it.
“We’re going to listen,” Nicastro promised the crowd, adding that he’s supposed to produce a list of potential changes by March 1. “I will do everything humanly possible to get you the relief that I can.”
Chamber officials are pushing lawmakers to get more efficiency in government through regionalization, something the lawmakers in general seem to support.
“I always believed in strength in numbers,” said Colapietro.
Piscopo said the government’s role should be to remove the impediments to regionalization, not mandate it.
Wright said gains from regionalization won’t be immediate, but will probably be realized in five to 10 years.
Some state offices are aimed at promoting the rights of women, of African American citizens, or the elderly, said Wright, who said they might be able to be merged for efficiency’s sake into a human rights office.
“A lot of the work they do is overlapping,” said Wright.
When Connecticut’s 169 towns were drawn up, Wright said, it was based on whether residents could walk to the government center in a day. He said what may have been practical generations ago might not be the best system for today.
But Nicastro said there are drawbacks to regionalization, too, such as when the state was poised to build a massive new hospital in Farmington for the University of Connecticut and Hartford Hospital – a project that could have wiped out Bristol Hospital and other community hospitals in the area.
“Sometimes regionalization can hurt,” said Nicastro.

The Scene at City Hall

Apparently I have a few more readers than it seems. I was at City Hall tonight and a few people told me they'd checked out Extra B.S., which was rather jolly, and then another person stopped me to trash it. I happen to know that trasher guy is a regular reader of the Bristol Blog, which seems to draw a lot of critical people without much to do except bash other people. I can live without that, thanks.

Bristol woman, 57, gives birth to three babies, John Edwards denies paternity

Now that I have your attention, perhaps you'll check out Extra B.S. more often, even if you have to tear your eyeballs off the Bristol Blog to do it.
Your eyes will thank you.
Anyway, this was for my favorite reader, Sgt. Schultz, who is trying to drum up support for my new adventure. Thanks, Sarge!
P.S. Just to clarify... of course the part about John Edwards fathering triplets with a 57-year-old Bristol woman isn't true. I blame the headline writer.

Abandoning the Bristol Blog for greater things

Steve Collins is out of town tonight, so don't bother looking at the Bristol Blog for awhile, not that you would, unless you like that kind of thing, I guess.
Anyway, Steve has been invited to speak to a Rotary Club about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s history of picking tobacco in Connecticut as a teenager. I heard his speech yesterday -- he gave me a sneak preview. I'd say those Rotarians picked the right man. It's interesting, as Steve so often is, when he's not blogging.
I hope he gets something good to eat.

Bristol Blog sinks even lower

American Idol?
Really, is that the best that Steve Collins can come up with?
Readers, abandon the Bristol Blog, or at least spend less time on it.
Convert, readers!
The Extra Big Scoop awaits you.

What makes the Bristol Blog so darned special?

Dear readers,
Do I even have any readers? The Bristol Blog has readers and it's all doom and negativity! Where are you, readers? What's the Bristol Blog got that I ain't got? Come on, is it really that great?
Stay tuned and maybe I'll spill some beans about the Bristol Blog.
-- Jackie

What's with the name?

I guess I'm late to the blogging party, because all the really cool names, like "Bristol Blog" were already taken.
I settled on Extra Big Scoop. I wanted something newsy and newspapery, and also fun. It's extra work, after all, so it ought to involve a little bit of fun.
Who knows what we'll be scooping here? Some days, it might be like an extra big scoop of chocolate sauce. Other days...