newsandviewsjb

NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “NEWS” Category

Hoping for a January Rebound

Posted on January 11, 2014

Having been under the weather – no pun intended- for a few weeks, my energy level has been at an ebb. Typically, I would have been out and about snapping photos of the polar vortex’s impact on New England and sharing that information here. However, I channeled my energy into my work – which by the way included a very pleasant interview with Vladimir Petrenko. Now a skating coach in Connecticut, he is a former competitive figure skater himself and the brother of Olympic gold medalist Viktor Petrenko.   I did take some blog pics on January 2 just as a substantive snowstorm was getting underway following an already moderate snowfall – both coupled with sub-zero and single digit temperatures brought on by what…

Blast of Frigid Air & Snowstorm to Kick Off New Year in Northeast

Posted on January 1, 2014

Best wishes for the New Year from newsandviewsjb!  Button up your overcoat – a blast of frigid air and a snowstorm will kick off 2014 here in the Northeast. According to ACCUWEATHER a bubble of cold air moving down from Canada and making its way from the Midwest to parts of New England later in the week is expected to produce temperatures that could go below zero – the coldest temperatures since 2009. As well, a snowstorm is “brewing” that could drop between six to ten inches of snow in areas from Thursday into Friday. ACCUWEATHER reports the worst of it will be Thursday night when the snow will be heavy compounded by the cold and winds. On a separate note, for anyone who…

Christmas and G. Fox & Co.

Posted on December 24, 2013

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com    When I was growing up, G.Fox & Co. in downtown Hartford, Connecticut played a big part in Christmas for my family. In America’s golden era of thriving downtown department stores, G. Fox & Co, a.k.a. “Fox’s”, was known as “Connecticut’s Department Store.”   Christmas shopping at “Fox’s” would get underway for us the day after Thanksgiving. It continued each weekend until the arrival of the holiday. My father worked in the city so the family rode into Hartford with him. We spent the day shopping then met him after he got off work. Often we had dinner downtown.   “Fox’s” was a magical destination at this time of year. My mother made sure we were dressed-up for these excursions.…

Boy Bullied for Appearance, Speech Invited to New England Patriots Game

Posted on December 15, 2013

Here’s another reason to cheer for the New England Patriots today as they take on the Miami Dolphins. For anyone who missed the story on the Ellen Show last week, young Danny Keefe who was born with a brain hemorrage and has a speech impediment yet defied the odds to not only walk but run, was being teased at school because of his appearance and the way he speaks. Danny has a favorite jacket and likes to wear it with a tie and fedora hat to classes. Sadly, some children at his school bullied Danny teasing him about his speech and wearing a suit. and snatching away his hat. Danny is the water coach for the Bridgewater Badgers youth football team in Massachusetts and…

A Soldier’s Collection Jar – Remember the Troops During the Holiday Season

Posted on December 8, 2013

Write-up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb With so much discussion in the news about drawing down the United States military in Afghanistan, it might be easy to forget there are still American troops fighting there. Ann Walsh, the coordinator of Windsor, Connecticut’s “SEND” which stands for “Send Hometown Windsor to the Troops” is appealing to citizens to remember them, especially during the holiday season. At businesses throughout Connecticut’s oldest town “A Windsor Soldier’s Jar” can be found. The coins placed in those jars helps pay postage for the care packages mailed to American troops still in the Middle East war zones; SEND has gone from a high of 33 soldiers once stationed in war zones down to the current number of nine Windsor-related…

New Christmas Tree for Downtown Manchester Replaces ‘Charlie Brown’ Spruce

Posted on December 6, 2013

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb  The Christmas season was welcomed into downtown Manchester, Connecticut December 5 with the lighting of a new tree donated by Jeff and Dianne Hedrick. A twenty foot Balsam fir, it replaces a once 37 foot Norwegian spruce that had to be removed after Hurricane Sandy hacked several feet off of it last year. However, left without time to find a different tree for the 2012 holiday season the Downtown Manchester Special Services District decided to decorate the sparse tree and it was dubbed a ‘Charlie Brown Tree’ borrowing from the famed Peanuts series. The ‘Charlie Brown Tree’ drew more than the usual attention to the annual event. Arrival of the new tree just over a month ago…

Gingerbread House Festival Continues Through December 15 at Wood Memorial Library

Posted on December 5, 2013

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb A jewel of an event is underway, the 3rd Annual Gingerbread House Festival at the Wood Memorial Library and Museum in South Windsor, Connecticut. Seemingly tucked away in what is known as old South Windsor, inside the library is setup like a winter wonderland with gingerbread houses of all shapes and sorts displayed on multiple floors. From the whimsical “Candyland” to the “B Strong” gingerbread replica of Fenway Park field that will please fans of the 2013 World Series Champs Boston Red Sox, to a tobacco shed entry – a reminder of the rich tobacco farming history of the area, there is something for everyone to enjoy. History buffs will not want to miss an impressive replica…

Thanksgiving – a Special American Holiday

Posted on November 29, 2013

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “There is one day that is ours.Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.” – O Henry – American author. After the road races, football games and Macy’s Parade, most Americans sit down to a lovely Thanksgiving Day dinner. In its purest form, this is a day to come together with friends and family to give thanks for the bounty of the Lord, a plentiful harvest and what is truly most important in life – the health and well-being of loved ones. History tells us the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be observed each November. Centuries later,…

Sunny Skies Grace 77th Annual Manchester Road Race

Posted on November 29, 2013

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb It was a good day to bundle up as sunny skies but c-h-i-l-l-y temperatures graced the 77th running of the Thanksgiving Day, Manchester Road Race on November 28, 2013 in downtown Manchester, Connecticut. Some 15,000 runners and walkers filled Main Street for the 10:00 a.m. start of the race. As usual, spectators lined the 4.748 mile course in numbers that easily rival turnouts for events in much larger cities. Sam Chelanga of Kenya took first place with a time of 21:31 and coming in first for the women was another Kenyan, Alice Kamunya with a time of 25:07. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing last spring, beefed up security was apparent with uniformed Manchester police…

Turkey Man in the Kitchen – My Progressive Dad Gobbles Ahead of His Time

Posted on November 27, 2013

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Though old-fashioned when it came to boys dating his daughters and granddaughters, I’ve long realized in all other ways my father was progressive. There was never any question, I was college bound. In fact, one of my earliest memories is of a big, red piggy bank college fund. My father often said, “Education is the one thing no one can ever take away from you.” I remember too at around age five, on one of our annual summer sojourns from Connecticut to visit my grandmother ( my dad’s mother) in New Hampshire asking him  –   “Daddy – does Gram like having white hair ?” He laughed at length then said to me -“When we get to the farm –…