Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What changes will Morley School families see under new principal Laura Meka?

Also, don't miss Calling all Altos, Tenors and Basses to join Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords on the Hartford Patch calendar

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Hello Hartford! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What changes will Morley School families see under new principal Laura Meka?
  • What the Stilts Building's new owners plan for downtown Hartford
  • How you can help boost Hartford kids' reading this school year

Also on today's calendar: Calling all Altos, Tenors and Basses to join Middlesex Hospital Vocal Chords and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What is full of holes but still holds water? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Friday: Showers around; not as warm, with a high of 77 and low of 63 degrees.
  • Saturday: Humid with showers around, temps: high: 75, low: 66.
  • Sunday: A shower and t-storm; humid, with a high of 80 and low of 61 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. West Hartford Superintendent Announces New Principal for Morley School - We-Ha (we-ha.com subscription) — West Hartford's Morley School will start the year under new leadership, with Superintendent Paul Vicinus appointing veteran educator Laura Meka as principal after a competitive search. Meka, an experienced elementary leader from Watertown, is already meeting Morley families as she prepares for the Aug. 26 first day of school and works to honor the school's strong community culture.
   

2. Consortium Buys Hartford 'Stilts Building,' Foreclosure Averted (commercialrecord.com) — Downtown Hartford's iconic Stilts Building at 20 Church St. has been sold for $8.25 million, avoiding foreclosure after Wells Fargo released its action. New owners LAZ Investments and Olymbec plan targeted upgrades to attract tenants in a still-struggling downtown office market with more than 21% availability.
   

3. United Way seeks volunteer readers as Connecticut students face literacy gaps (fox61.com) — Hartford's third-grade literacy rate is just 17.4%, and United Way is urgently recruiting volunteer readers to support struggling students in city schools. The United Way Readers program pairs volunteers with K–3 students in Hartford, East Hartford, Bloomfield, New Britain, and West Hartford for weekly sessions from October through May, with training and flexible school-day or after-school times.
   

4. How a 19th century murder introduced Americans to a Jewish funeral (jewishjournal.org) — A 19th-century murder in Massachusetts unexpectedly drew national attention to Jewish funeral customs centered in Hartford. Isaac Jackson's body was brought to Hartford for burial at Congregation Beth Israel and later interred at Zion Hill Cemetery, with detailed newspaper accounts—especially from the Hartford Times—preserving the rituals his family observed.
   

5. Wesley Taylor, Pooya Mohseni, and More Join the Oh, Mary! National Tour Cast (theatermania.com) — A major national tour is set to kick off in Hartford on Sept. 19, when the dark comedy Oh, Mary! opens its 2026–27 run here before heading to cities like San Diego and Las Vegas. The production, created by award-winner Cole Escola and fresh from a successful Broadway run, features a star-studded cast and multiple understudies for key roles.
   

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Genesis Ramirez Earns Viking Construction Scholarship —Kirstin Ahearn Read on Patch
  • Residents Can Learn About Minimizing Taxes, Maximizing Retirement at Portland Library Seminar —Express Strategies Read on Patch
  • National Immigrant Heritage Center Scholarship Program in Support of Immigrant Students, Children —Express Strategies Read on Patch
  • Is there anyone reliable in Hartford that can maintain lawn and trim trees?
    I've contacted several people who promise to come and assess or maintain and then they disappear. (Nextdoor South West)
  • RMS Companies posted a job opening for Porter in Hartford. Apply here.
  • Big Y Foods, Inc. posted a job opening for (Overnight) Night Crew Clerk in Hartford. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Hartford here.

Ok Hartford! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A sponge (Thank you Netty W. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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