Week in Review: April 5-12

by Lauren Milka
DT Hartford Staff

     As known from last week's "Week in Review" post, and from news coverage around the country, the University of Hartford was busy last week and weekend preparing for President Obama, who spoke on Monday, April 8 urging for a vote on gun control related issues by Congress. Just four days before this speech, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed the state's new bill that addresses such gun control issues like universal background checks.
      As reported by CT News Junkie writers Hugh McQuaid and Christine Stuart, President Obama made a point of emphasizing in his speech, "Connecticut, this is not about me. This is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing for all the families that are here that have been torn apart by gun violence."
     As this was an exciting day for the University of Hartford and state of Connecticut, it is the hope of many that this is just the beginning of a debate that will result in a vote on a country-wide level. For full coverage of the speech by CT News Junkie, go here. A link to President Obama's speech can be found here from the White House's official website.
      The very next day on Tuesday night in Atlanta, the UCONN Women's Basketball Team won the National Championship, beating Louisville 93-60. This is the eighth win for the school's women's basketball team, and John Altavilla of the Courant's Women's Basketball blog posted "10 Things about UConn's Skate to Eight" the day after the team's big win. One point to note is that this eighth national title win was also the eighth for coach Geno Auriemma, who is now tied for most national title wins with retired Syracuse Women's Basketball Coach Pat Summit.
     Such an historic win for the team will be celebrated in Hartford on Sunday, April 14, ending with a rally at the State Capitol building. The parade is set to begin at 4:00 PM, also beginning at the State Capitol. The route of the parade can be found here at the official website for the UCONN Women's Basketball team.
     Wednesday, April 10 was the National Day of Action for immigration reform, which was recognized here in Hartford with rallies and a march organized by the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance. State Representatives Juan Candelaria and Gary Holder-Winfield were handed a petition for immigration reform with over 900 signatures from students in the Hartford area, according to Real Hartford's Kerri Provost.
     Says Provost, "Yanil Teron, the Executive Director for the Center for Latino Progress, [a speaker for the event], said 'this is not about Latinos,' and proceeded to list all the countries and nationalities she knew were represented in the crowd." Provost's story about the event contains many photos and a video, which can be found here.
     Wrapping up a week of exciting events for the city of Hartford was Taste of the Nation Hartford on Thursday night, an annual event designed to raise money to end childhood hunger. The event drew about 500 patrons, who were able to choose dishes from area restaurants that participated, such as Bridgewater Chocolates, Wood 'n Tap, Dish, Carbone's, Infinity Hall, and more. Co-Chair and celebrity chef, Billy Grant, was quoted by MaryEllen Fillo in a story in her Courant blog JAVA: "We're making inroads to fight hunger in children in Hartford and all the money we raise tonight will be put toward that end." Photos from the successful event can be found here.