by | Sep 16, 2021 9:06 pm | Comments (18)
Thomas Breen photos
Demolition underway at former Bigelow Boiler factory complex.
The site of former Building 1.
A block’s worth of New Haven industrial history started disappearing as a city-hired demolition crew began tearing down four derelict former Bigelow Boiler factory buildings on River Street.
by | Sep 15, 2021 3:15 pm | Comments (6)
Paul Bass Photo
The postman always rings nice: Maiorano in Front Street Park, which he remembers as the Schiavone scrap yard in his youth.
Carol Manago was thrilled to see Chris Maiorano back in the neighborhood. Even if he didn’t have his mail satchel with him.
Her pooch Chico was less thrilled.
by | Sep 15, 2021 8:23 am | Comments (12)
Thomas Breen photos
Kica Matos and Moviemiento Cultural lead a bomba drum circle …
… as neighbors “reclaim” the parking lot in front of Grand Cafe.
Cafe owner Jose Rivera watches protest with patron Julian Welch.
With wooden drums, lawn chairs, free pizza and board games, 30 Fair Haven neighbors “reclaimed” the parking lot outside of Grand Cafe — in a grassroots effort to calm a violent hotspot.
by | Sep 11, 2021 7:46 pm | Comments (30)
Isaac Yu Photo
Shirley Lawrence: “Right now we’re in the darkness”
Top police brass, city officials, and residents gathered in Fair Haven on Friday night to seek community solutions to the city’s increased gun violence, challenging police while resolving to work together.
by | Sep 8, 2021 4:20 pm | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen photo
Salsa’s Luis Palomino (center) with Mayor Elicker, State Rep. Candelaria, and Fair Haven Alder Crespo on Wednesday.
Kevan Bonilla’s homicide memorial at Poplar and Lombard.
Salsa’s owner Luis Palomino has seen the recent rise in Fair Haven gun violence instill fear in neighbors and workers alike — as well as drive away customers who would otherwise be eager to stay, sit down and eat at his popular Grand Avenue Mexican restaurant.
by | Sep 3, 2021 12:59 pm | Comments (3)
Maya McFadden Photo
Criscuolo Park splash pad getting use this summer.
Back in 2017 Fair Haven neighbors, parents, and activists advocated to upgrade scenic Criscuolo Park in Fair Haven with a boat launch and maybe even a climbing wall.
They didn’t get those, but they did receive reconfigured and relocated play areas for little and big kids and a spiffy new splash pad.
Now more improvements — new swings and perhaps permanent tables for dominoes and chess — are on the way.
Continue reading ‘Criscuolo Park Swings Into Next Phase Of Upgrades’
by | Sep 3, 2021 7:55 am | Comments (2)
Karen Ponzio Photos
Durden gets ready to record Jefferson and Thabisa’s conversation.
District on James Street was the scene Thursday night of the official launch of Space Studios, the brainchild of videographer and entrepreneur Donnell Durden. Durden is hoping to provide the physical space and equipment — as well as the spark and support — for creatives to make their mark in the world of music, photography, videos, and more.
by | Aug 30, 2021 7:12 pm | Comments (1)
Maya McFadden Photo
Amor, Jorge, Ana, and mom Luz Almontes at the end of the first day of Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME).
The former Columbus Family Academy kicked off the school year with a new name, a new principal — and a new fifth-grade scientist, who on his first day absorbed a lesson about ecosystems.
by | Aug 30, 2021 3:08 pm | Comments (7)
The Chapel Street Bridge is reopening, the city reported Monday afternoon.
by | Aug 30, 2021 10:26 am | Comments (2)
Lisa Reisman Photo
New fence at Saturday’s celebration.
Invasive species were taking over a chain link fence at the Ferry Street Farm and creating a barrier with the neighborhood, so a group of teen “growing entrepreneurs” got to work on a new mesh wire wooden replacement.
A crowd celebrated the completion of the job Saturday at the communal farm which is run by the nonprofit Gather New Haven.
by | Aug 30, 2021 10:19 am | Comments (2)
Maya McFadden Photo
Lucia Nunez Del Prado, Brayan Sanchez, and Milton Guzman.
CT Dept of Education
NHPS Student Enrollment Count by Race/Ethnicity.
Lucia Nunez Del Prado, Brayan Sanchez, and Milton Guzman are ready for the new school year to begin Monday: They have their vaccine shots, they’re even OK with wearing masks. And, after experiencing remote learning, they much prefer the idea of being back in class in person.
by | Aug 20, 2021 11:13 am | Comments (6)
Thomas Breen photo
The Quinnipiac River Marina, behind Streets Smokehouse Boathouse.
Thomas Breen file photo
New owner Mendy Paris (left): Nothing dramatic planned, just some touch-ups.
A busy local real estate investor has purchased the Quinnipiac River Marina — with promises to liven up the Fair Haven waterfront properties with lighting, landscaping, concerts, and more kayaking.
by | Aug 20, 2021 10:55 am | Comments (3)
Maya McFadden Photo
Wednesday’s pop-up event at Criscuolo Park.
On a normal day Criscuolo Park is filled with chess players, basketball games, and fishers. On Wednesday, dozens of neighborhood kids joined in on the park fun, for a family pop-up event.
Continue reading ‘City “Fun Bus” Brings “Community Back After Covid”’
by | Aug 17, 2021 2:44 pm | Comments (4)
Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo
Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday with Junta staff and, at left, State Rep. Al Paolillo.
Guess who’s getting a bigger tax break in Connecticut?
by | Aug 17, 2021 12:08 pm | Comments (7)
Natalie Kainz Photo
Willie Bell, one of Negaro’s original employees from Atticus Bookstore, measures out fresh poolish.
At 6 a.m., Willie Bell was already at work at Chabaso Bakery, measuring and mixing flour, water, and yeast to make a preferment known as a poolish.
by | Aug 15, 2021 12:17 pm | Comments (2)
Natalie Kainz Photo
Natasha and Naomy Velez at Saturday’s fest.
Natasha and Naomy Velez flew across the stage, shaking their white skirts to the rhythmic beat of a barriles drum. The twin sisters were performing the Bomba — a traditional dance from Puerto Rico — in front of more than 100 people Saturday in Criscuolo Park.
Continue reading ‘Covid-Safe Annual Puerto Rican Fest Features Salsa, Tostones, & Vaccines’
by | Aug 12, 2021 8:39 am | Comments (9)
Interboro Partners
A former Strong School hallway in disrepair.
A long-vacant Grand Avenue school building could become a cafe where Fair Haven kids learn about agriculture, cooking, and entrepreneurship. Or a housing complex specifically for teachers, with a child-oriented gathering space in the former elementary school gym — or a “makerspace” collective, buzzing with artists at work.
Continue reading ‘Neighbors Brainstorm Strong School Future’
by | Aug 11, 2021 4:24 pm | Comments (17)
Thomas Breen photo
Tenant Iris Hagadone: Hoping rent won’t rise after flip.
Without raising a hammer and only two months after buying the property, an Orange-based investor flipped a two-family home on Wolcott Street to a fellow suburban LLC — at a nearly $80,000 markup.
by | Aug 10, 2021 9:57 am | Comments (2)
Sophie Sonnenfeld photo
“Hope Grows” tree dedication event to end domestic violence Monday.
Drizzly raindrops trickled down the leaves and were soaked up by the roots of an American chestnut tree that now stands in Fair Haven’s Quinnipiac River Park for victims of domestic violence.
by | Aug 6, 2021 12:05 pm | Comments (18)
Actor/ producer Michael Jai White pitches plan recently in New Haven (at right); East Haven label (left) eyeing Fair Haven move.
Two visions to revive long-abandoned industrial stretches of Fair Haven clashed, as a potential new brewer and a potential new movie production company sought support of neighbors.
Continue reading ‘Beer & Movies Duke It Out On River Street’
by | Aug 5, 2021 6:04 pm | Comments (27)
Maya McFadden Photo
Paw Haven outdoor play yard pre-soundproofing.
Peck Street residents are no longer just complaining about noise from a nearby doggy daycare — they are bringing the animal boarding facility Paw Haven to court.
by | Aug 4, 2021 4:30 pm | Comments (3)
Kevin Zawoy/ DEEP
Abandoned barge tied to Mill River’s English Station power plant.
Two old “derelict” barges are no longer fouling the waters in New Haven and potentially causing an oil spill in New Haven Harbor.
by | Aug 4, 2021 9:45 am | Comments (20)
Thomas Breen photos
Bonnie Zapata: The rent is too damn high.
State Street self-storage unit.
The line is backed up for spots at local self-storage centers — thanks primarily to college students leaving town for the summer, but also to rising rents and monopolization of the low-income real estate market.
Continue reading ‘Self-Storage Crunch Reflects Renters In Flux’
by | Aug 1, 2021 10:29 pm | Comments (6)
A Facebook Live video of two men brandishing guns while small children played nearby led to those men’s arrests — and to the seizure of six semi-automatic handguns and a rifle by city police.
by | Jul 29, 2021 9:39 am | Comments (2)
Sophie Sonnenfeld photo
Synai Hill at “Summer DAEz” workshop on Wednesday.
Synai Hill had no idea how to make a movie or build a website at the start of summer. Four weeks later, she’s a digital pro.
Continue reading ‘“Summer DAEz” Showcases Student Tech Skills’