Reflecting on 9/11 in Danbury Helped Me Put Things in Perspective

Back on September 11, 2001 I was 22 years old, and at the beginning of a new career in radio. I'd been with I-95 and B-105 (no longer in existence) for two years and was wearing several hats at both radio stations.

One of my roles was as Assistant to the News Director. I would write afternoon news reports and present them on the Afternoon Drive show on B-105.5 hosted by Charlie Wilson AKA Matt Carey.

The morning of 9/11 I was getting dressed for work and watching the television news and it all started to happen. When the first plane hit I was home, and I jumped in the car and sped off to what I knew would be a busy day in the news room. The day was a blur of previously unimaginable terrors that none of us will ever be able to forget.

Reflecting on 9/11 on the Streets of Danbury Helped Me Put Things in Perspective

20 years later, I can see the events of the day unfolding before my eyes like it was yesterday. On any normal day, I try and put the tragedy out of my mind but whenever the anniversary of 9/11 comes around I try and reflect on it, remember the fear, anger and sadness we all experienced that day. I also use it as a teaching moment for my young children, it's important they know what this did to us as a country and who we became in the aftermath of the tragedy. Thinking about 9/11 this past weekend had a profound effect on how I see my life and interact with my loved ones.

On Sunday, I saw someone I believed was in need of help. I'd seen this woman before asking for money on Main Street and never had the chance to stop and help before. Either I had no money on me, or no time. She always seems to be in distress and I'm always shaken up when I see her.

She looks to be about my moms age, she seems lost and scared. I had to do something so I went to Walgreens and got some cash. I came out, found her and asked her if she needed anything and she said money. I gave her the cash in my pocket and she thanked me and said "God Bless You."

I'm not looking for a pat on the back, I just needed to recognize what this anniversary had done to my attitude. We should never forget the events of 9/11 for a variety of reasons, but the one that struck me this weekend was how much those events can put things in perspective.

We are given one life, and it's short for all of us, why not act in a way we can be proud of? I had such a great weekend, I don't want to lose this feeling, I intend to bring this energy into this week and keep it up as long as possible.

P.S. I couldn't believe how the weather was on Saturday, this day seemed identical to September 11, 2001.

The Danbury Flood of 1869 is a Local Disaster Lost to Time

Most everyone in Danbury knows about, or has heard of the catastrophic Hat City flood of 1955 where 87 people died. On the other hand, most people we've talked to don't know about the history of the flood of 1869. In "The Place You Live" segment that aired on August 31, 2021, I-95's former News Director Mike Allen shared his research on the failure of the Upper Kohanza dam in Danbury and what it meant for the people in Downtown Danbury that day.

In 1970, Two Men Robbed a Danbury Bank + Blew Up the Police Station

The story of the Pardue brothers, their connection to Danbury and what happened in the Hat City in February of 1970 came to us from Mike Allen. Every Tuesday Mike joins the Ethan and Lou Show on I-95 for a feature called "The Place You Live" and this week it was a local story unlike any I'd ever heard.

John Pardue was a 27-year-old man in 1970 who lived in Danbury, his brother James was 23, and living in Lusby, MD. Before the story finds its way to the Hat City, and the brothers rob the Union Savings Bank on Main Street, they had already racked up quite the list of astonishing crimes.

Prior to Danbury, they robbed banks in Lewisboro, NY, Georgetown, CT and Union, MO. They also killed their father, their grandmother, two other men who helped them pull off the robbery in Georgetown, CT and had, at minimum, a role in the death of an innocent Bridgeport man that they stole a car from. John and James Pardue were hardened criminals before their Danbury bank robbery.

Some of Danbury's Coolest Christmas Light Displays 2020: Part 2

Some of Danbury's Coolest Christmas Light Displays 2020: Part 3

Virtual Tour of New Fairfield Summer Camp for Sale on Candlewood Lake

Camp Candlewood was a Girl Scout camp for many years in New Fairfield, CT. The camp sits on the shores of Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in the Nutmeg State. The Girl Scouts of Connecticut decided to sell the property along with Camp Katoya in Milford and use money from the sale to improve other Girl Scout facilities.

50 Famous Brands That No Longer Exist

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