October 31, 2010

FOX CT Morning News Meteorologist Joe Furey posed with a group of Hartford Courant readers and FOX CT viewers after they finished breakfast with Courant Columnist MaryEllen Fillo on Oct 27.



Breakfast with JAVA contest winners and their guests dined with Courant Columnist MaryEllen Fillo, who talked about how she gathers material for her column. Later, I had the pleasure of taking the group on a tour of the newsroom and presses.



Little Theatre of Manchester’s 50th Anniversary Gala was held Oct. 2 at historic Cheney Hall. From left to right are FOX CT Anchor Logan Byrnes; Little Theatre of Manchester Founder, Fred T. Blish, who sadly died Oct. 25 after a brief illness; Little Theatre of Manchester Alum James Nicola; Artistic Director of the New York Theater Workshop and Little Theatre of Manchester Executive Director Joyce Hodgson. (Photo by Leslloyd Alleyne/Journal Inquirer)



On Oct. 25, FOX CT Morning News Anchor Sarah French, right, chatted with Darlene Roberts, fund development director for Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters, about the youth mentoring organization’s gala called “Big Hearts, Big Dreams, Real Hope”. To learn more, go to: www.nutmeggala.kintera.org



“The economic downturn puts twin burdens on charities: When people tighten their budgets, charities feel the pinch. Meanwhile, people in serious financial stress rely more on charities operating with reduced coffers.” - From Courant Columnist Susan Campbell’s Oct. 27 column titled, “Charities Are Hurting in The State; They Are Reorganizing To Survive.”

October 24, 2010

On Oct. 2, FOX CT Reporters Laurie Perez and Jim Altman filled in for the vacationing Mary Jones on WDRC AM. The pair hosted the show in-studio and had a great time gabbing for two hours.



FOX CT Morning News Traffic Reporter and News at 4 p.m. Host Rachel Lutzker and Sports Director Rich Coppola emceed the 2010 Cherish the Children Starbright Night
event at the Connecticut Convention Center. The organization provides help to children with medical and emotional needs.



FOX CT Sports Director Rich Coppola also read at the Hartford Public Library’s Banned
Books Night on Sept. 30.



On Oct. 26, Courant Columnist Colin McEnroe will host WNPR’s Bone Bash at The Pond House in West Hartford. We’re told it’s a BONE-a-fide good time for all who attend.



“The first time I was at Lake Compounce, I stared up at it in amazement as I sat on an inner tube floating along Anchor Bay’s lazy river and wondered what it would be like to explore it. The next time I saw it — with a hawk perched on top of a tall, dead tree — I knew I had to explore it.”

June 21, 2009

EIGHT EMMY’s For FOX61
Members of the Fox 61 news team at the Emmy Awards in Boston, Mass. on Saturday, May 30. The National Television Academy awarded Fox 61 eight Emmys including the prestigious Team Coverage Award. The station took home more awards than all of the other news organizations in Connecticut combined.



Attorney General Richard Blumenthal with Publisher, President & CEO/GM WTIC-WTXX-TV Richard Graziano and his wife Jessica at the May 30 Connecticut Science Center Pre- Opening Celebration in downtown Hartford. (Photo/Danny Kash)



Susan Campbell...
delivered the graduation address at Hartford Seminary on May 29. (Photo courtesy Hartford Seminary)



“It’s time, Denise – and the rest of you delinquents: Clean up and pay up.” -- From Helen Ubinas’ column “Time To Put Bite Into Law On Blight”– the ongoing story about Denise Viera, a federal offi cial with a job at a Washington agency in charge of strengthening neighborhoods, who has left her Hartford home in shambles with the grass unmowed, a sagging porch, dangling gutter etc.

June 28, 2009

Fox 61 News Reporter Jim Altman is about to take his seat in the dunk tank at Celebrate! West Hartford on June 13. Jim and other local celebs agreed to be dunked to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The tank was sponsored by ERA Broder Group Real Estate in West Hartford.



Breakfast for a good cause! Richard Graziano (left), publisher of the Hartford Courant and general manager of WTIC/WTXX-TV attended Camp Courant’s Buddy Breakfast on June 5 at The Hartford Club. Graziano is pictured with Camp Courant’s interim chairman Gene Sheehan Sullivan & LeShane) and Hartford Fire Chief Charles Teale, who was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.



Courant Op-Ed Columnist Gina Barreca delivered the commencement address at Manchester Community College’s 45th Annual Commencement Ceremony on May 28. She also received an honorary degree from the college. (Photo/Ann Montgomery)



Dan’s the Man...
Would-be burglars didn’t realize whose house they were messing with when they broke into Courant Business Editor Dan Haar’s home in West Hartford on Tuesday. Haar foiled the burglary as he entered the rear door of his house and sent the three individuals fleeing through a front window screen. Best part – West Hartford PD arrested them after they returned to Haar’s house within minutes to retrieve the get-away bicycle left on the front stoop.



Logan & Nicole are ready to run...
Fox 61’s Nicole Jacobs and Logan Byrnes (pictured after a recent run) are training for the Hartford Marathon on October 10. Nicole will be running the half marathon while Logan will run the full marathon. Good luck to both runners!

July 5, 2009

The Fox 61 Morning News team spent three days at the Travelers’ Championship on a remote broadcast. Pictured from left to right are: Sarah French, Logan Byrnes and Rachel Lutzker.



Hartford Magazine Co-Publisher, Mike Guinan; Hartford Courant Publisher and General Manager of WTIC/WTXX-TV, Rich Graziano; Deputy State Comptroller, Mark Ojakian; and Life Publications Publisher and Hartford Magazine Co-Publisher, Chris White gathered for a quick photo after the press conference announcing The Great Taste – an event by The Jaycees – scheduled for Sept. 25 - 27 at the CT Convention Center.



WTIC/Hartford Courant sales executives attended The Great Taste launch party held at The Travelers Championship in the Pro-Am Tent.



First Smart Growth Champ
On July 21, Editorial Page’s Place Editor, Tom Condon will be honored by 1000 Friends of Connecticut as the First Smart Growth Champ. Tom is the heart, the brain and the pen behind the Hartford Courant’s nationally renowned Place section.

“Additionally, I have been injured sneezing, grocery shopping, lawn mowing and getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.” -- From Jim Shea’s June 24 column titled, “I’d Love To Play Rugby, But I Hurt Myself Sneezing”



Rennie Recognized...
“The Wall Street Journal” credits our Kevin Rennie in their Dodd editorial after Rennie dug into the “mismatch between what Mr. Dodd paid to Mr. Downe’s business partner to become a full owner and what the property in Ireland was likely worth in 2002 amid the Irish land boom.”

July 12, 2009

Richard Graziano, Hartford Courant publisher and general manager of WTIC/WTXX-TV is pictured with Middletown Nissan Owner Dave Calabrese as they celebrate the dealership’s recent grand opening.



Hartford Public Library held its annual author event, One Big Summer Night on June 26. Pictured from left to right are: Mary Ellen Powell, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Carolyn Lumsden, Hartford Courant editorial page editor; Robert K. Schrepf, former HC editorial page editor; Catherine Blinder, Hartford Public Library; and Joseph Gianni, Bank of America



Celebrity Sighting...
Hollywood funny guy Luke Wilson and Fox 61 Reporter Jim Altman shared a laugh at the recent Travelers Championship Celebrity Pro-Am, which helped raise money for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.



Camp Courant Buddy Day...
On July 9, Camp Courant held “Buddy Day” giving donors and volunteers the opportunity to see all the ways their support of the nation’s largest free day camp enriches the lives of thousands of Hartford children each summer. They toured the campsite, learned more about current programs, met campers and staff , and shared in the traditional camp lunch – a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.



“After the story became public, she said she’d asked her husband to leave their home because she thought it was ‘important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect and my basic sense of right and wrong.’ ” -- From Susan Campbell’s June 30 column titled, “Is Jenny Sanford A New Breed Of Political Wife?”

July 19, 2009

From the top: Rich Graziano and John Patrick, president & CEO of Farmington Savings Bank, get ready to hit the links. Volunteers and staff of Camp Courant gather for photos at the golf course. (That’s me in the dark shirt in the bottom photo.)

Camp Courant Buddy Day




Volunteers and donors enjoy lunch at Camp Courant, top, while Richard Graziano, above, publisher of the Hartford Courant and general manager of WTIC/WTXX, thanks Judith White McBride of the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for supporting the camp’s efforts.



Make a kid’s summer brighter
Send contributions to:
Camp Courant, Dept B
285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115
Or call 860-241-6320
Or donate online at campcourant.org

July 26, 2009

Richard Graziano, publisher of the Hartford Courant and general manager of WTIC/WTXX, took a quick photo with Archbishop Henry J. Mansell after sharing breakfast and conversation on July 15.



Editorial Page Editor Carolyn Lumsden, left, paused for a photo with Janet Benedict, co-director of Hartford Public Library, center, and Hartford Courant Op-Ed Columnist and Poet Bessy Reyna at the “Age in America” exhibit on July 2 at the Hartford History Center.
photo/John Groo



Morning News anchors Logan Byrnes and Sarah French took time out from their Zip Trip broadcast on July 10 at New London Sailfest to snap a pic with Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)



Morrin Education Fund Benefit Dinner
A fundraiser dinner is being held in honor of our late friend and colleague, Alice Morrin, on Wednesday, July 29 from 4 – 9 p.m. at Rockville High School, 70 Loveland Hill Rd., Vernon. Hosted by the Vernon School District in conjunction with the Vernon Cub Scouts, all proceeds will benefit the Morrin Education Fund. Tickets can be purchased at the door. Donations are appreciated.



“So let us celebrate those nutty Douglas-David-Davids and keep them around. Are you sure you dealt with those $1.5 million 19th century diamond drop earrings? Who gets those? Wait, come back!” -- From Colin McEnroe’s column on July 19 titled,“Douglas-David-David Divorce Captured Hartford’s Glamorous Essence”

August 2, 2009

On July 18, Joe Furey, chief meteorologist for the Fox 61 Morning News, emceed the American Cancer Society’s “Sailing for Hope” Gala on the grounds of the Foreman School in Litchfield.



Fox 61 Reporter Laurie Perez and her friend Russ Rader get ready for the Sting concert at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on July 19.



Fox 61 Morning News anchors Logan Byrnes and Sarah French show off the caricatures they had done on their Zip Trip to Six Flags on July 17.



Did you miss this?
Editorial Place Editor Tom Condon appeared on WNPR’s “Where We Live” on July 21 to talk about public transportation and cities that do it right.



“The three-gun salute at funerals for veterans is back. It’s the rest of this state’s budget priorities that remain in disarray.” -- From Rick Green’s July 17 column titled, “Stalled Budget Leaves Connecticut Government In The Dark”

August 9, 2009

Hartford Courant Op-Ed Columnist, Gina Barreca used her wisdom and humor during the opening ceremony remarks to help kick-off the summer session for the Women’s Campaign School at Yale on July 14.



Fox 61 reporters Laurie Perez and Jim Altman, and anchor Erika Arias enjoyed some summer fun at the Shrine Party at MGM Grand at Foxwoods on July 18.



“And it’s not going to end well for the guy who doesn’t have a badge and a gun. So, add ego and testosterone – from both sides – to this racially tinged cocktail.” -- From Stan Simpson’s July 20 column titled, “In Cambridge, Both Cop And Prof Were Wrong”



Fox 61 Morning News anchor Sarah French poses with Morning News floor director and Hartford Children’s Theatre summer instructor Jason Bush and his students after the premier of “Lucid”, a film created and produced by the group.