New Haven’s street outreach workers had a new challenge: dealing with kids as young as 11 caught up in community trouble.
They also took on the new challenge of focusing on teenaged girls whose group spats could lead to bigger trouble.
Those two challenges reflect the growing mission of the CT Violence Intervention & Prevention (VIP) project as it passes its fifth anniversary hitting the streets to defuse beefs and mentor young people in New Haven and Hamden.
Kica Matos and Rabbi Herb Brockman (at left) with Nury Chavarria in 2017 at Fair Haven's Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal, where she was being housed to prevent federal agents from arresting and deporting her.
Donald Trump is back at raiding immigrant communities and deporting people. So Herb Brockman is back at working with other religious leaders to step in to help targeted immigrants and their families.
Operatic and concert soloist and recording artist Adriana Zabala at WNHH FM.
Anton Chekhov and Olga Knipper-Chekhov never made it to a villa they dreamed of on Italy’s Lake Como. Adriana Zabala shed a tear about that the other day.
Zabala, a mezzo-soprano, also lifted her voice. You can argue that she helped make the Chekhovs’ dream come true.
Jennifer Klein, Rhoda Zahler Samuel, and Nicole Zador at WNHH FM; Ruth Grannick.
As men rushed off to war in Europe, Ruth Grannick took on a new mission back home — top-secret message decoding for the U.S. Navy. Laura Levine took a job as a lathe operator.
Human brains at work: AI deployers Colleen Bielitz and Tom Goldenberg at WNHH FM.
Colleen Bielitz noticed something missing from the Otter AI summary of a discussion she had with colleagues: the “juiciest” comment one of them had made.
Thankfully Bielitz is a human being. She was able to think for herself about what she heard — and what seemed to matter most.
Author Josaphat: The Panther story needed a novelist's eye.
Kingdom of No Tomorrow By Fabienne Josaphat Algonquin Books/Hatchette
Nettie Boileau had choices to make.
Should she sign up with the revolution taking shape in Oakland, the way her father fought back against Papa Doc in Haiti? Or should she pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor?
Which lover should she make a life with? Clia, who brought her into the Black Panther Party? Or Melvin, the magnetic rising party leader?
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy joins protesters outside the USAID office blasting Elon Musk's and DOGE's efforts to decimate the agency.
If President Donald Trump follows through on promised tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China, the average American household will lose $1,250 a year in disposable income.
Former U.S. translator Serweri at WNHH: Brother's family stranded.
They risked their lives to help the U.S. They followed all the rules to win permission to come to the U.S. to escape death threats. They had their airplane tickets ready. Mohammad Daad Serweri was ready to welcome them to New Haven and help them start new lives.
Then the Trump administration slammed shut the door. What happens next to the Afghan families — and to the U.S.‘s ability to convince people in other countries to risk their lives to help us in the future — is suddenly in question.
For a few weeks, New Haveners will be able to go downtown and travel to New York City’s 1927 San Juan Hill, where a pair of star-crossed lovers suffer the consequences of heightened tensions between Black Americans and Caribbean immigrants.
Yale students protest on the Green on Oct. 28 against COMPASS, the non-police crisis outreach team that helps people on the street find homes and life-saving care. The city formed COMPASS in the wake of police-accountability protests seeking non-punitive ways to help people in crisis.
Note: Answers appear at the bottom of this story along with links to relevant news stories from the past year.
1. Where did the city clear homeless encampments this year? (Choose all that apply.) A. New Haven Green B. The woods off I‑91 Exit 6 C. Ella Grasso Boulevard D. Edgewood Park E. Rosette Street F. Outside Union Station G. Below the Lamberton Street Bridge
Chris “Big Dog” Davis is returning to Dixwell’s Stetson Branch Library to bring a rainbow of holiday-season hope — with the help of a Hollywood Walk of Fame singer and actress.
