Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Seeing Oneself Through the Lens of the World

After the tragic and fatal blast at the Kleen Energy plant, the media horde descended like the predictable locusts (oh, that's right, I'm part of that horde). Unfortunately, Middletown has been the subject of this kind of attention three times too often in the past eighteen months.

Like many in town, I felt the concussion from the blast, but unaware of the tragic events that were unfolding, I left town for a Sunday lunch date, only to be inundated with calls inquiring about my well-being.

The dailies have performed admirably during the events of the past two days. The Courant has a team of reporters on the case, who are willing to dig in for details that others aren't getting, and it's good to see Josh Kovner back in town with his address book and institutional memory moving him past the obvious facts to the background and the history of Kleen Energy.

The New York Times has done the expected great job. One of the best radio reports I heard was from the BBC on Sunday afternoon. The Danbury NewsTimes took a keen interest in the troubled past of the Kleen Energy operation. And the name of our town, our mayor, and our deputy fire marshall have been heard in broadcasts and read in headlines across the globe.

In fact, watching the Superbowl with friends last night I was told that one friend first heard the news from family in Virginia, and one from family in Chile.

I was asked to appear on Colin McEnroe's local WNPR, public radio show.

All we can hope is that our three recent brushes with infamy is enough for the next decade or two.

7 comments:

joseph getter said...

Thanks for your reporting here and the radio as well about this awful tragedy. Can you please correct the link to Josh Kovner? It just goes back to the Eye now, but I'm guessing it should point to a specific article elsewhere. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Through all the coverage, I caught the Colin McEnroe show yesterday and was grateful to hear Ed McKeon express how the community has been touched by this tragedy.

Stephen H. Devoto said...

Kovner article link fixed, thanks.

Cybermom said...

Friends in Belgium called at 11:30 AM
Sunday, to ask if we were OK.
We had just heard about the explosion.

Anonymous said...

i agree with this comment from a madamnirvana
: Not to say the police and fire workers, military do not put their lives on the line everyday; but I think this tragedy reminds us to include construction & trade workers in this idea as well.
Construction is a very,very dangerous profession and that is often over looked until a tragedy like this happens.
Accidents and deaths on worksites often times never make headlines. We should all remember that workers who put their lives on the line building & making safe for occupancy our hospitals, schools, and facilities we depend on, are heroes in their own right too.
Someone had to test that elevator you might ride in to get to your office everyday. Someone had to abate that building your children attend school in so it could stay in operation. And unfortunately for the families who lost people, someone had to test the lines at this plant to make sure it was safe for everyone in Middletown.

February 8, 2010 12:34 PM


let us not forget those who keep us safe and pray for those lost

Anonymous said...

I, too, welcome Josh Kovner back to Middletown. He is the best and Dave Altimari, too. These are two public servants if I have ever met one.

Topher Polack said...

Personally, I'd like to see some national coverage of the great people and events that happen in out city, but that's just me.