by | Apr 16, 2025 3:59 pm | Comments (2)
Rick Allen photo
That's me, honoring the aphorism: "If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."
Last Thursday night, I took a seat in a makeshift theater — the community room of the Unitarian Society of New Haven — awaiting the introduction of Act 6 of an annual talent show, “Mud Follies.”
Not that I wasn’t paying attention to Acts 1 through 5. Indeed, I was impressed by the performances.
by | Apr 7, 2025 5:57 pm | Comments (3)
Rabbi Schaefer.
“Faith Matters” is a column that features pieces written by local religious figures.
by | Apr 7, 2025 10:32 am | Comments (1)
(Opinion) Brick buildings don’t generally catch fire. But burning community passion can sometimes douse free-thought-burning and Dumpster-fire federal cutbacks.
by | Mar 31, 2025 9:29 am | Comments (6)
(Opinion) Suitcases are packed, and tax math is wack.
by | Mar 28, 2025 2:34 pm | Comments (15)
Snyder, Shore, and Stanley: Heading north.
In late February, I took a seat at the extended table of a Hamden scholar who hosted a group of locals: donors to the annual LEAP fundraiser. And, along with about 20 others present, I got an earful — as well as several mouthfuls of savory poached salmon.
The featured guest that night was Jason Stanley, a philosophy professor at Yale and author of prominent books that illustrate the way fascism and authoritarianism have proliferated in recent times.
Continue reading ‘Oy Canada: Three Yale Profs Pack Their Bags’
by | Mar 26, 2025 10:01 am | Comments (13)
contributed photo
Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
“Faith Matters” is a column that features pieces written by local religious figures.
(Opinion) The Qur’an, which was revealed during Ramadan in the sixth century to Prophet Muhammad, is read daily to remind Muslims not only of their commitment to God and His commands but also their commitment to the lives of all living beings.
Since he is mentioned more than any other prophet throughout the Qur’an, Prophet Moses’ life is described in detail throughout the holy text.
by | Mar 24, 2025 11:35 am | Comments (0)
(Opinion) Yogi Berra may or may not have famously said, “It’s deja vu all over again.”
by | Mar 24, 2025 9:36 am | Comments (7)
Allan Appel file photo
At a recent Veterans Day ceremony on Long Wharf.
(Opinion) I am a U.S. Army veteran, and I am anxious.
Like many others, I signed up to serve a country that promised to care for its veterans. Now, we are watching the Trump administration systematically dismantle the VA, stripping away the very services that keep us alive.
by | Mar 18, 2025 1:38 pm | Comments (0)
Karen Almond / Met Opera
Lise Davidsen as Fidelio, the courageous wife in disguise and role model for standing up to autocrats.
On our drive on toward Milford and the Connecticut Post Mall, I fiddled with the car radio, turning off the drumbeat of distressing news out of the nation’s capital.
by | Mar 17, 2025 1:56 pm | Comments (1)
Paul Bass Photo
Trophies assembled for the Compost Heap Indie awards.
(Opinion) Envelope, please.
by | Mar 13, 2025 10:23 am | Comments (1)
Maya McFadden File Photo
Then-sophomores Charlotte Herzog, Alma Barjamovic, and Maya Harpaz-Levi at the start of the 2023 school year.
Every single person who ever attended Wilbur Cross will be there.
Well, that’s the idea anyhow.
For the first time ever, alumni from every generation of Wilbur Cross will be gathering for the ultimate reunion.
On Saturday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the school is opening the doors for the “Reunion in the Halls.” It’s free and it’s open to everyone — graduates of all years, all ages, and all generations. In truth, this is more than just a reunion or a chance to relive some old memories; it’s a moment to reaffirm our commitment to the city’s largest high school, even as the very idea of public education teeters on the brink.
Continue reading ‘Calling All Governors To Wilbur Cross Reunion’
by | Mar 11, 2025 2:00 pm | Comments (3)
Note: This is the first installment in a “Faith Matters” column that will include pieces written by local clergy.
(Opinion) – I’ve been contributing to the New Haven Register’s Faith Matters column for over a decade. I have to admit that it came as a great disappointment to me that a decision had been made to discontinue the column.
I have always viewed Faith Matters as a pleasant light in a world filled with far too much bad, sad, and mad news. I was honored to be among its contributors. The decision to snuff that light happened to occur just as it was my turn to submit another column. Twice in the dozen or so years I’ve been contributing, the due date snuck up on me and I found myself having to produce a column in a matter of hours. The first time I got a friendly “where’s your column?” phone call, I was driving. I pulled over, said a prayer and began to write. It was a very decent piece if I do say so myself. No one can tell me that faith doesn’t matter. God helped me get it done!
by | Mar 10, 2025 4:30 pm | Comments (26)
Contributed Photo
Lady Liberty sheds a tear: Former director Chris George (second from right) with the crew at Nicoll Street HQ before the dawn of a new era.
(Opinion) IRIS’s former director reflects on the “small-scale Ellis Island” that was 235 Nicoll St., as the storied refugee resettlement agency plans to leave its longtime East Rock office amid federal funding cuts.
by | Mar 10, 2025 11:56 am | Comments (4)
(Opinion) Some real estate maneuvers spark mystery. Others just reek of rip-offs.
by | Mar 3, 2025 1:14 pm | Comments (1)
(Opinion) Psst … wanna buy some cannabis … eggs?
by | Feb 24, 2025 11:10 am | Comments (0)
(Opinion) From movie madness to slumlord fails to dictators issuing bonkers decrees … sometimes it can feel like the world’s going bananas.
by | Feb 17, 2025 9:14 am | Comments (1)
(Opinion) Bathrooms on Orange Street. Bongs on East. Butterflies on Grand …
Is nowhere in New Haven safe?
by | Feb 12, 2025 1:57 pm | Comments (1)
The two of us as college showbiz big shots.
1:20 p.m. From one of the 149 seats in room 101 of Linsly Chittenden Hall on Yale’s old campus, I watch as students arrive a few minutes early for class. Two of them, standing near the lectern, begin an animated conversation. This sparks a memory, and a curiosity. Will these two know each other 60 years from now? Will they, in their dotage, recall taking Daily Themes, a course in the English Department dating back to 1907? More importantly, will they rely on each other through the years for kindness and mutual support?
by | Feb 10, 2025 9:39 am | Comments (5)
(Opinion) Who really wants to de-fund the police?
by | Feb 3, 2025 9:14 am | Comments (2)
(Opinion) The Trump administration has “flooded the zone.” From protecting immigrants and trans people to health care and municipal budgets, New Haven is on zone defense.
by | Jan 27, 2025 10:44 am | Comments (2)
(Opinion) New Haven got a cold, cold feeling this past week, followed by a determination to maintain warm hearts.
by | Jan 23, 2025 3:14 pm | Comments (8)
Laura Glesby file photo
Inauguration Day protest outside City Hall.
(Opinion) Local government is at the center of a contentious national conversation about immigration.
Many cities across the United States, including New Haven, have adopted sanctuary policies, limiting the role of local law enforcement in federal immigration policy. These orders are not just acts of political defiance; they are deeply rooted in constitutional principles, practical governance and the need to build trust between local authorities and the communities they serve.
by | Jan 20, 2025 2:34 pm | Comments (1)
That's me (hah) in my 1970s "style" in Akron, when life seemed full of possibilities for my generation.
A revealing clash of the generations began in an unexpected way, as almost all such clashes do, and in the quietude of a Volvo showroom.
Continue reading ‘Of Gen Z, “The Rusty Years,” & The Mess We’re In’
by | Jan 20, 2025 9:09 am | Comments (17)
(Opinion) — Despite what Yale students and other protesters insisted at City Hall, our mayor is not the same as our new president. Not even close.
by | Jan 10, 2025 11:12 am | Comments (2)
(Opinion) How about this New Haven T‑shirt slogan?: “We’re round and flat.” Decorated with New Haven-crafted frisbees, pizzas, burgers, clocks, and lollipops?