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.

Lt. Governor Coming to Bristol

Lt. Gov. Mike Fedele, who is hoping to be the Republican candidate for governor, is coming to Bristol tomorrow for the chamber coffee chat.

It's at 8 a.m. at the chamber and open to all.

This Volunteer Tops Them All

Today I met Barbara Eckstrom at Bristol Hospital. From what I could tell, I'm the last one in town to know her. She's been volunteering at the hospital for 14 years, six days a week, every week of the year. Read that again. Who does this?

"A people person," said her son, Dave.

She is clearly loved and appreciated at the hospital. It was nice to see the long line of fellow volunteers and hospital employees waiting to wish her well.

If I wore hats, I would tip mine today to Barbara Eckstrom. But I don't wear hats, at least not often, so instead, I wrote a story about her that will probably appear in Thursday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com)

Bristol Schools Closed, Block Grant Meeting Postponed

Because city schools are closed today, the community meeting at Edgewood School for the Bristol Development Authority's community development block grant allocations (sorry for the redundancy... I didn't name these things!) is postponed until Wednesday, March 3rd at 7 p.m.
Just to be clear, there is also a community meeting for the same reason slated for Tuesday, March 2 at Greene-Hills School at 7 p.m. That meeting also had to be rescheduled because of weather.

Greene-Hills Block Grant Meeting Postponed

I just heard from Debbie Shapiro, the coordinator of the community development block grant program in Bristol. She wanted to let people know that the community meeting at Greene-Hills School scheduled for tonight is postponed due to weather. There are no after-school activities. The new date is Tuesday March 2, at 7 p.m.

Heartbreaker Joins ESPN as Baseball Analyst

This just in from ESPN: Aaron Boone will be their new baseball analyst. Boone broke the hearts of Red Sox fans in 2003 when, as a New York Yankee, he hit hit a home run in the 11th inning of the seventh game of the ALCS, ending the game, the series and the chance for Boston to play in that year's World Series. I'm not sure that Red Sox fans are going to want to watch or listen to this guy, but who am I to second guess ESPN? They seem to know what they're doing. Anyway, here's what they sent over:

Aaron Boone today formally announced his retirement from Major League Baseball after a 12-year career and his new role as an ESPN baseball analyst.
Boone will mainly be seen on Baseball Tonight (debuting in March), in addition to select appearances as a game analyst. He worked for ESPN Radio as a guest analyst during the 2009 National League Division Series.
“It is with a sense of pride, sadness, and enthusiasm that I formally announce my retirement after 16 years of professional baseball,” Boone said. “It has been a privilege and honor to have played in the Major Leagues for 12 seasons for six different clubs.
“While it's tough to leave the game as a player, I am eager to start my next career with my new team at ESPN. I am very grateful that I'll be able to stay in the game as an ESPN analyst and work with people who share the same passion for baseball that I do. I really appreciate ESPN giving me the opportunity to evolve in the sport that I love.
“Finally, I'd like to express my thanks to everyone that treated me so well throughout my Major League career.”
Jay Levy, ESPN senior coordinating producer, said, “As a player, Aaron was a tremendous competitor known for one of baseball's most dramatic postseason walk-off home runs. He offers an important perspective, being recently removed from the game and having deep baseball roots, which will make him a great addition to our team.”
Boone played 12 Major League seasons (Cincinnati Reds, 1997-2003; New York Yankees, 2003; Cleveland Indians, 2005-’06; Florida Marlins, 2007; Washington Nationals, 2008; and the Houston Astros, 2009). Boone had his best season in 2003, when he was an All-Star splitting time between the Reds and Yankees and amassing a combined 24 home runs, 96 RBI and a .267 batting average. That year, he famously hit a game- and series-clinching home run in the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 7 of the ALCS, giving the Yankees a 6-5 victory over their rival, Boston Red Sox.
Boone, as a member of the Houston Astros in 2009, is believed to be the first player to return to the Major Leagues after open-heart surgery. He underwent the procedure in March ’09, and returned to the field in September, only six months later when he made his Astros debut against the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in 10 games over the remainder of the season.
The Boone family has produced three generations of Major League talent – former All-Star third baseman Ray Boone (Aaron’s grandfather), former All-Star catcher and manager Bob Boone (Aaron’s father) and retired All-Star second baseman Bret Boone (Aaron’s brother).

Nicastro Offers Alternative Plan

Mike Nicastro, the president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce, had a big op-ed piece in the Hartford Courant this morning. He's fighting, with a lot of residents and chamber members behind him and with growing support from political leaders in the state, to stop the $600 million busway that would connect New Britain and Hartford. Instead, Nicastro wrote, the limited transportation funds that Connecticut has should be used for the benefit of all the towns in the region, at a far lower price by restoring commuter rail between Waterbury and Hartford. The track would include stops in Bristol and New Britain, among other places. It would also offer a way to move freight. As Nicastro points out, the busway may take a few cars off I-84, but it won't do a thing about the trucks, while rail could.

Nicastro's piece on the opinion page is worth reading.