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Biagio “Billy’' Ciotto, a former deputy motor vehicles commissioner who became one of the most colorful state senators in a career that spanned seven decades in the state and federal governments, died Saturday at his home in Wethersfield after an extended illness. He was 91. An old-school Italian Democrat who lived a full life, Ciotto was known for...

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The celebration of Columbus Day next month could be Hartford’s last, as a community task force is taking shape to address growing concerns about memorializing the Italian explorer. Two city councilors had sought to rename Oct. 12 as Indigenous Peoples' Day, as Bridgeport, West Hartford and other U.S. cities have done in recent years in recognitio...

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A month and a half after the city of Hartford removed a statue of Christopher Columbus near the Capitol, city councilors are looking to rename Columbus Boulevard downtown and take stock of other local monuments dedicated to the disgraced explorer. Residents had a chance to speak at public hearing Monday night on a resolution to rename Columbu...

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This very timely book chronicles the plight of Italian immigrants who braved long journeys, prejudice, and enormous sacrifice for the hope of a better future for their families. All of us can relate to its universal message of heroism in facing seemingly insurmountable odds. The families referenced, and the Hartford location are but a microcosm of...

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A state lawmaker and other members of a historically Black fraternity are calling on city officials to rename Hartford’s Columbus Boulevard after Frank T. Simpson, a local civil rights leader. “As nationwide calls for the removal of statues glorifying colonialism and white supremacy have now reached our city, which is evidenced in the recent...

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Hartford, Connecticut has removed a statue of Christopher Columbus that sat in the shadow of the state Capitol since 1926 amid a national outcry over statues honoring historical figures who participated in slavery and discrimination. After Mayor Luke Bronin vowed on June 15 to take the Columbus statue down, city workers quietly removed the monument...

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New Haven and Hartford became the latest Connecticut cities Monday to say they would remove statues honoring Christopher Columbus from public property. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said in a statement released by his office Monday evening that a Columbus statue near the state Capitol would be “removed from city property.” “When the statue of Co...

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When the city of Hartford demolished a 12-acre Front Street neighborhood in the late 1950s to pave the way for urban renewal and the building of Constitution Plaza, it tore the heart out of the Italian community that had lived and worked and worshiped there. Italians had been immigrating to Hartford, a booming economic center, since the mid-19th...

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More than 150 rare and exotic cars from across the world were on display in West Hartford on Sunday, as a part of the annual Concorso Ferrari and Friends event. The car show celebrates exotic Italian automobiles and raises awareness for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC). Lamborginis, Maseratis, Ferraris and Paganis made their way dow...

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Friends, family, former colleagues, and local leaders celebrated what would have been former Gov. Ella Grasso’s 100th birthday Friday, paying tribute to the first woman in the country elected to the position without having been the wife of a former governor. Before being elected governor in 1974, Grasso served as a state representative from Windsor...

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