By David Fortier
Come Sunday morning, Mary will have celebrated a birthday and will have received birthday greetings in-person, via Facebook, and, of course, from the family, texts with confetti splashed across her phone and music playing from the speakers. That said, she likes a low-key celebration, one where she can work in the yard, weather permitting, or attend to one of her latest projects indoors.
Needless to say, she is also busy because she will be running for the state representative in the 79th district since Chris Ziogas, the Democratic incumbent, decided not to run for another term. Mary will be running against Republican newcomer Jen Van Gorder, who has been making a name for herself with regular appearances at Bristol Board of Education meetings.
With that in mind, TBE promises to provide campaign coverage in a fair and balanced way: we do not endorse candidates, we do not run hit pieces, we pride ourselves on good solid reporting that lets readers make up their minds for themselves about their candidates.
This situation is an interesting one for me, since I am aware of how this appears, so we will do our best overcome any conflicts of interest, with constant reminders of our relationship through repeated disclosure and frequent conversations about coverage. With such a small “staff,” we will do our best to spread out the assignments so that I will not cover the race in the 79th district.
Summer, by definition beginning June 21, is right around the corner and there will be plenty of activity in Bristol. A few to think about follow. The Bristol Farmers Market opens Saturday, June 18. The Bristol Public Library began its Adult Reading Program on June 1. Programs for children begin June 20. Participants are asked to sign up online. Bristol Parks and Recreation, as always, has a bunch of activities listed in its newsletter. Click here for the most recent one.
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About our following, we receive regular notes, via the U.S. Postal Service from Kay Burke. She brightens our days with her upbeat postcards and cards. Often, we get people requesting coverage. Once in a while, someone catches something in an article and is looking for more information or a clarification. Such was an email from John Laviero about a record he holds from his playing days. Feel free to write us, make suggestions, correct us. We look forward to hearing from you.
I did not attend the recent 100th anniversary of the West Central Connecticut United Way dinner earlier this week, but I did get a look at the program. What caught my eye was the menu, which listed the courses, of course, but just below the course is what caught my attention. There listed were offerings which were either locally sourced or provided by local concerns.
Among those listed were Family Roots Produce Market, Indian Rock Nature Center, Wakefern Company (ShopRite) and Bakery on Maple.
For this week’s listening, I direct you to another On the Media podcast, this time two segments having to do with the Jan. 6 insurrection: the first, entitled “What to Expect from the January 6 Hearings,” and a second, “The War on Pineapple,” again providing background on events leading to the insurrection. Click here for the first. Click here for the second.
One another note, one of my favorite series features the rogue FBI agent Aloyisius Pendergast, from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Going into the Memorial Day weekend, the first stop I made on my way home was the Bristol Public Library, where I picked up a copy of the latest, Bloodless.
While the book stands alone, and is a good read—yes, I finished it Saturday afternoon—I wouldn’t recommend it for a first-time reader. But I do recommend the series. Mostly what I recommend is getting over to the library and seeing the wonderful selection of books, especially those that have been acquired recently.
Have a great week!
“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org
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