Likely largely unnoticed amidst the torrent of death and turmoil that accompanied the relentless pandemic and racial reckoning throughout 2021 were just a handful of news articles that appeared memorializing an individual with no known connection to Connecticut but whose impact was surely felt here as it was across the nation.

Anyone involved in the civic life of Hartford has likely come across the name Knox, whether in the form of KNOX Inc., an organization that uses “greening” programs to spur community development, or the Betty Knox Foundation, which provides small grants to organizations that help under-served Hartford residents. There’s more to the story.

A recent study indicates that utilization of Connecticut’s Mobile Crisis is associated with reduced rates of subsequent ED visits among youth.

The Gothic Revival-style house on Forest Street in Hartford that Harriet Beecher Stowe lived in and enjoyed from 1873 to her death in 1896 has meant many different things in its time as a historic artifact. Distinct, though not mutually exclusive, these assorted meanings point to the usefulness of history. Particularly now.

Policymakers should seek objective data on just how important more-secure IDs are in terms of reducing fraud and other serious crimes. They should ask just how much of a difference mDLs will make if they remain optional, and what the consequences will be if they’re made mandatory. They should ask broad, far-sighted questions about the likely future evolution of such a system.

Critical issues and perspectives that challenge societal subjugation can continue to be brought to the forefront of conversation, says a fledgling journalist from Danbury, this year’s recipient of the Eileen Kraus Scholarship from the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.

If you search the internet for “first woman millionaire” or “historical female entrepreneurs”, you are likely to come across the story of Madam C.J. Walker. While it’s debatable if her net worth ever reached a million dollars, her legacy as a successful entrepreneur can’t be denied.

For a small city, Hartford boasts extraordinary ethnic diversity and fluidity. This appealed to me as an interesting phenomenon to explore photographically. This cultural diversity resonates in the built environment, which is continually adapted and repurposed to suit the needs and tastes of the newer populations. Hardly dull, I thought. Visually, breathtaking.

As part of the religious majority, I was oblivious to others’ religious observances and practices. In an increasingly diverse world, learning about other religions and their rich traditions is a wonderful way to build community and enables us to view the world through other lenses.

Somewhere inside Alden Global Capital, the new owners of the Hartford Courant, someone in the cost cutting department may have had a smug feeling of accomplishment when they received word that Jon Lender had accepted the latest buyout offer. That’s bad news for the rest of us.