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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts tagged “Jacqueline Bennett”

NFL Player Chris Baker Promotes Literacy Foundation at the Legendary Bart’s Drive-In

Posted on July 15, 2014

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   When he was a youngster NFL player Chris Baker and his friends rode their bicycles to “that  hot dog place” just down the street from where he lived in Windsor, Connecticut. “That hot dog place” being the iconic Bart’s Drive-In Restaurant. On July 11, Baker was at Bart’s to promote the Chris Baker Foundation, a literacy foundation. He became the most recent among notable professional athletes and Hollywood celebrities whose presence at this Nutmeg state institution have added to its mystique since it opened more than sixty years ago. Much to the delight of customers and the staff of Bart’s, that shares a connected space with The Beanery and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ,  Baker tried his hand…

Categories: Hometown Heroes, National Football League, NEWS, NFL, Sports, Washington Redskins

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Mom’s Recipe Box: “Thank You Mom” Stuffed Peppers from Jillian

Posted on July 11, 2014

            (“Thank You Mom”) Stuffed Peppers Personally, I hate to cook – I’d rather not eat than to cook. I love to go out to eat. But my mom, Jane, is a great cook! There are four things I will never eat unless they are made from my mom’s recipes: 1- Southern Fried Chicken (she’s from Texas, so look out!); 2- Beef Stew; 3- Apple Pie; and 4- Stuffed Peppers. She taught me how to cook these fabulous meals but cooking in general never interested me. More importantly, she taught me how to be a loving wife, a nurturing mother and to always treat people with kindness. We live 3,000 miles apart now but when I cook one of her…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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Hero Trees To Be Planted for CTHM – Help Still Needed for Project

Posted on July 8, 2014

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   “Hero trees” are scheduled to be planted this month for the Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial making July, 2014 an extraordinary month for a project that took shape with a few women sitting around a table talking. Currently under construction in Middletown, CT, the memorial will honor the state’s fallen military from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as, all veterans. “What is truly amazing is that this project is underway with incredible volunteers and all our equipment is being donated to us,” Sue Martucci, CTHM President, wrote in a recent newsletter. Nonetheless, help is still needed to make this dream a reality and honor Connecticut’s fallen. Martucci is looking for a company that…

Categories: 9/11, Afghanistan War Memorials, Connecticut Park Memorials, Iraq War Memorials, NEWS

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Mom’s Recipe Box: “My Marine” Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya from Donna

Posted on July 4, 2014

      (My Marine) Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya  This chicken and sausage Jambalaya recipe is spicy, but we love it. I’ll often use leftover meat in the recipe. If I use beef, I get low sodium beef broth. If I use chicken, I’ll get the low sodium chicken broth. My son is in the Marines and when he gets to come home he always requests this recipe. I don’t get to see him all that often, but when I do, I like to spoil my Marine!   – Donna Bennett Martin    INGREDIENTS: 1 (16 ounce) package Cajun-Style smoked sausage, cut into one fourth inch slices; 2 celery ribs, chopped; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped; 4 cups chopped…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Patriotism, Recipes, US Marines

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Gallant Effort from Team USA in 2014 FIFA World Cup Soccer

Posted on July 2, 2014

Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com The last time I had sat captivated by a soccer match, I was wrapped in a heavy corduroy jacket sipping hot chocolate in 20 degree weather on campus in Storrs, Connecticut. It was late autumn, circa 1987-1991. At the time, I was a reporter for the Manchester Herald and I remember seeing one of the paper’s photographers, Patrick, on the sidelines shooting the game along with a host of other photogs. UCONN soccer was still riding its heyday of fan support after former men’s Head Coach Joe Morrone turned the sport into a Sunday afternoon religion throughout the state. The matches drew overflow crowds and – for a brief moment – UCONN soccer nearly usurped the popularity of collegiate…

Categories: NEWS, soccer, Sports, World Cup Soccer

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Fourth of July Kickoff for Mom’s Recipe Box Series on newsandviewsjb

Posted on July 1, 2014

Look for a new series to kick off on newsandviewsjb – Mom’s Recipe Box. My mother collected recipes and I want to continue adding to her collection. I invited family members to send me their favorite recipes. These are recipes with special meaning or ones the cook is known for making – some may be original but that is not a requirement. American Independence Day was a holiday that my mother especially enjoyed. She loved America – two of her brothers served during WWII.  She loved parades, fireworks and those traditional pot luck family picnics where everyone brought a dish. With that in mind, Mom’s Recipe Box Series will launch on a patriotic note this Friday – the Fourth of July. Then watch for a recipe to be…

Categories: American culture, American Way of Life, Baking, Cooking, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry Reflects Unique Educational Opportunity – Kicks Off 2014 Summer Performances

Posted on June 28, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Fascinating, fun and festive – the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry in Storrs, Connecticut reflects a unique educational opportunity. The University of Connecticut is one of a very few universities in the country to offer a degree in puppet arts. In addition to a bachelor’s of fine arts in the field, UConn offers master’s degrees, MA or MFA. According to the university website, it all began in 1964 with the arrival of Professor Frank Ballard to the theatre department and the ensuing immense popularity of puppetry classes he taught there. Soon a “full length puppet performance” was staged on campus at the Harriet S. Jorgenson Theatre. Today graduates of the program are said to “perform and…

Categories: Art, Entertainment, Exhibits, NEWS, Puppetry, Unique college majors

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Emmy Winner in the Family – Producer David Doyle Honored

Posted on June 24, 2014

Article by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Producer David Doyle and a team of talented collaborators were honored on June 20 with two Emmys for Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin. The awards for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/ Travel Program were presented at the 41st Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles, California. Doyle, my niece Jillian’s husband, served as an executive producer for the program. “We are so deeply into what we do, like most people who care about their work we don’t take time to pat ourselves on the back,” Doyle said by phone June 23 from California, “This is an important thing. In our industry, this is a milestone.…

Categories: acheivements, Conservation, Endangered Species, Entertainment, NEWS

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Hartford Times Building to Become Extended UCONN Urban Campus in Downtown Hartford, CT

Posted on June 19, 2014

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb    The Hartford Times was an afternoon daily that served the city of Hartford, Connecticut and beyond for some 150 years, earliest publication dates vary from 1817 to 1826, through to 1976. Although the once grand newspaper ceased publication thirty-eight years ago, the marvelous building with its tall pillars that housed it has remained standing.   Soon it will become UConn Hartford, an urban extension of the University of Connecticut that has its main campus in Storrs.   An agreement has been reached among the university, the Capital Region Development Authority and the state Office of Policy & Management that will keep the “iconic facade” and add a new attached five-story building, according to UConn Today (today.uconn.edu).…

Categories: architecture, NEWS, Urban campus, Urban development

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You Can Be Liked, Or You Can Speak Up

Posted on June 18, 2014

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb After several years of navigating the healthcare system on behalf of loved ones, I am weary.   Along the way I have encountered quality and dedicated individuals. Yet, more often than not it has been an uphill struggle to have things done as they should be, in the best interest of the patient and in accordance with the wishes of the patient and family. Overall, it has been stressful and draining.   Just a few weeks ago, my sisters and I arrived at a Connecticut hospital where our brother had been transferred for surgery to be told they had no record of him. Imagine that moment and the mounting stress level as we stood waiting. After numerous calls and what…

Categories: Choices, NEWS, U.S. Healthcare System

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