Lisa Lazarus for West Hartford

06/13/2026

The collaborative effort to create the mural, being painted on the public library in Blue Back Square, will help spread an educational message on a supersized scale.

06/12/2026

West Hartford received a competitive rate for the May 28 bond offering, with Standard & Poor’s reaffirming the town’s ‘AAA’ rating with a stable outlook. By Ronni Newton The Town of West Hartford sold $25 million of general obligation bonds on May 28, obtaining a rate of 3.423% True Interest...

06/12/2026

“Life is too easily taken for granted. We do not have forever to become ourselves,” she said. Dawson also shared a lesson from her best friend’s older brother who told her: “In high school, the most important thing you can be is nice.”

West Hartford’s Conard High School held its 69th commencement ceremony on June 11, 2026, bidding goodbye to the Class of 2026 as they head into their next chapter.

06/05/2026

🐻🚨 BEAR PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨🐻

Hello, loyal fans! 👋🐻❤️ It's me, your favorite injured-paw celebrity bear. Apparently, I'm trending again today. ⭐🐻📸😂🐾

First, I'd like to thank everyone who called about me today. 📞❤️ I appreciate all the concern and the fact that I've apparently become more famous than some local politicians and the infamous Albany Ave Turkey, who by the way is doing great - we became besties. 📸😂🎬

The good news is that I'm doing just fine! 👍🐻 My paw injury is old news at this point, and I've adapted pretty well. In fact, I've put on quite a few pounds since last year. 🍕🍩🍔🌭 Some might call it "survival weight." Others might call it "bear-shaped." Either way, I'm thriving. 😎💪🐻

Now, if you see me laying down somewhere, please don't assume I'm sick. 💤😴 I'm probably just taking a nap. Have you ever worn a giant fur coat in 85-degree weather? 🌞🥵🔥 I don't have the luxury of taking this thing off. Trust me, if I could unzip this fur and switch to shorts and a t-shirt, I would. 👕🩳😂

Speaking of staying cool, I tend to take more breaks on hot days. 🌳🍃 So if you spot me sprawled out under a tree looking like I've given up on life, I'm not dying... I'm relaxing. 😴🌳💤🍃

I'd also like everyone to know that despite what some may think, I have absolutely no interest in hanging around children. 🚫🐻👧👦

Every afternoon, a giant yellow machine shows up out of nowhere. 🚌😳🚸 It makes a bunch of noise, stops in random places, and releases what appears to be hundreds of loud, energetic tiny humans. 📢😂🙉

As soon as I hear that bus, I'm already headed in the opposite direction. 🐻💨🏃‍♂️💨 You can keep the chaos—I'll be over here looking for berries, bird feeders, and a nice quiet spot for a nap. 🍎🌽🫐😴🌳

The Animal Controllers escorted me out of a few places today. 👮‍♂️🐻🚓 They were very polite about it, and I was a perfect gentleman. 🎩🐻 To be fair, all I was doing was searching for snacks and trying to find a quiet place to nap. 🍎🌳😴🍩

Apparently, wandering through neighborhoods looking for lunch and a comfortable sleeping spot is now considered "suspicious behavior." 🙄😂🤷‍♂️

So thank you again for checking on me and looking out for my well-being. ❤️🐻 Just remember to admire me from a distance. 👀📸 I'm not looking for friends, selfies, hugs, handshakes, or invitations to your backyard barbecue. 📸🚫🙅‍♂️🍔

I'm just a bear trying to live my best life:

🍎 Eat food.
😴 Take naps.
🌳 Find shade.
🚫 Avoid people.
🚌 Avoid school buses.
👮‍♂️ Cooperate with Animal Controllers.
🍩 Repeat.

Stay cool out there, everyone! 🌞🍃💧

🐻❤️
Your local injured-paw celebrity bear

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

05/29/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 - 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞.

We should all be concerned when the federal government seeks to centralize power over voting, dictate rules to states, or condition funding on political compliance.

History teaches that rights are rarely lost all at once. They are chipped away piece by piece, often in the name of efficiency, security, or necessity.

The Founders gave us a republic built on checks and balances, federalism, and individual liberty. Preserving those principles shouldn’t be a partisan issue.

“𝑾𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆” 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝. 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐮𝐩. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭.