Story of the Week 12/23

via washingtonpost.com

I drove by the Sandy Hook exit on I-84 yesterday. I knew it was coming, but I really didn’t think it was going to get to me. It did. There was only one sign that read “Pray for Newtown.” I knew Newtown was close and it really sunk in yesterday when I drove by.

This is our home.

#WeareCT

On Monday morning, before deadline, Mike had the idea of doing of a couple different follow-ups (for Tuesday’s paper) to our Monday recap of what happened last Friday. He wanted Louisa to do another school roundup, to see how things were going in area districts, and he wanted me to get as many local/national legislators as I could to get a reaction from them.

I loved the idea and started calling legislators as soon as I got off deadline Monday morning. I really like talking to the local legislators. I’ve done a few local legislator roundups in the past year and it’s always fun to get the different reactions.

It actually turned out to be easier than I thought. A lot of them wanted to make statements and answer my questions. I was able to get a hold of more than half of them by Monday afternoon. Most called back Tuesday morning on deadline, so it all worked out. The trick with that kind of roundup is to make sure you have both sides of the aisle represented. No one wants to read a one-party story.

I think it came out pretty well and I invite you to read it and react to what they said and suggested. Some of it is a bit more direct than the others, but it’s as an immediate reaction as I got.

Local legislators: Action is needed

Jonathan

Another Service for Newtown

via washingtonpost.com

What more is there left for me to say?

On Tuesday night, I covered another vigil. Planned quickly in Coventry, the service had a decent turnout at the high school.

I knew what to expect, but I was completely unaware of just how sad this one was going to be.

In my head, I was anticipating something a bit more cheerful and full of hope. I envisioned local legislators and town officials calling for time to heal and to slowly start the process of moving forward.

I was wrong. I almost lost it a few times that night.

Walking into the auditorium, you saw 26 electric candles with 26 names in front of them. I had to stop and catch myself before I started talking to people. That alone set the tone for the rest of the night. It ended up being a great story.

And again, I didn’t talk to any person who was crying. I just can’t bring myself to do it.

Almost everyone who spoke was overcome with emotions. I really can’t blame them. It’s been gut-wrenching to cover these and I have another tonight in Lebanon. It’s getting both easier and harder to write these. Easier because I know what my editors are looking for and harder because it’s like I’m reliving last Friday all over again.

I’m not dreading tonight’s service, but I have my guard up.

I think I’m going to do a post next week as a roundup on the three vigils. It won’t be a summary, but rather a reflection of what I’ve learned about myself and the communities that we cover. It’ll be another tough one to write, but it’s important to get that on here. It’s one thing for me to give some insight, but its another to really get into what I’m learning and doing, while on the job.

At least this week is almost over.

Jonathan

Nothing Prepares You

via Newseum.org

Where were you?

I was in the newsroom and saw it on Twitter. I didn’t think twice about it.

I had no idea. My coworkers had no idea.

I will never forget that office, my desk, what I was thinking, and what followed this past Friday. It will always be with me, just like 9/11,  just like Aurora and just like everything before and in-between that I’ve heard and seen.

What more can I say?

I covered a murder about two months into my pro career. It was an isolated incident and the investigation remains open. I covered an attempted murder about four months after that. That’s now in court in the pre-trail phase.

There is no manual for what happened Friday. There is no easy way of doing things. It’s not something any of us will ever forget. It will stick with us. It will weigh on us.

What do we do?

Tell your family and friends you love them. And then go out of your way to tell them again. Remind them why you love them.

This has taken a huge toll on me. I know it’s changed me. I can tell already, but I don’t know how yet.

Via Facebook

This week my fellow reporters and I will be covering what happened locally. We’ll be putting a local spin on it and we’ll do the best we can. We will do our jobs and we’ll learn a lot about each other and ourselves.

Jonathan

Tragedy in Newtown, Conn.

I’m not going to say anything about what happened. We all already know. I just wanted to share a few things that I have found this morning.

Thank you for visiting today. Tell the people you care about most that you love them.

Jonathan

Piers Morgan Explodes At Gun Advocate: ‘How Many Kids Have To Die’ Before You Change Your Mind?

Via newseum.org

via Newseum.org