You may have seen the bronze sculpture of Roberto Clemente’s life in Puerto Rico or the “Monument to the Puerto Rican Family” in Hartford. Their artist is perhaps the island’s most-famous sculptor, who is now working with @uconn.bsky.social to archive his eight decades of work.

Some personal news 😻

Bittersweet does not even begin to cover what my current feeling is: Friday was my last day at @ctpublic.bsky.social, after I was given the opportunity to start the Puerto Rican Communities beat in the state with the largest proportion of Boricuas — 8% on paper, though UCONN estimates it’s higher.

Kica Matos is known nationally for her immigration and racial justice work, but at her home in New Haven, Connecticut, she begins each day in a relatable way for many Latinos — with a cafecito and what she calls “light bochinche.”

“Given the deep cultural, economic, and familial ties between Connecticut and Puerto Rico,” Boricua Nutmeggers are calling on Gov. Ned Lamont to help, as 120,000 on the island remain without water in the crisis.

We’re talking Bad Bunny (again) on @ctpublic.bsky.social’s The Wheelhouse. Last year, the professor of the first course on Benito, Petra Rivera-Rideau, was on the show ahead of the Super Bowl announcement and her co-authoring “P FKN R.” Escucha a esta hora with host @frankiegraziano.bsky.social:

Thanks to Bluesky, I saw the Make Way for Ducklings get traffic coned by the Tartan Army but was not expecting the full flag ‘fits ahead of today’s game! Watching all the kilted Scots wave at and give thumbs up to the jerseyed Morocco fans in the city today has been my favorite part of Boston btw

A year ago, we at @ctpublic.bsky.social decided to break format, opening my radio story directly with 13-year-old Monse’s plea: “We just need our mom back.” Today, it won the @pmja.bsky.social award for spot news in the largest market category (against heavy hitters WNYC, WBEZ, LAist, etc.).

Connecticut may not be hosting any of the World Cup games this summer, but that hasn’t stopped Nutmeggers from gathering at watch parties across the state. I was at 2nd Bridge Soccer Pub in Manchester when the U.S. scored a surprise fourth goal in the final seconds of Game 1.

Connecticut is not hosting any of the 104 tournament matches, played across North America, but you can still gather with other fans for the first U.S. match against Paraguay tomorrow at these locations: www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-06...

I am so lucky to have interviewed the authors of 3/8 books listed here. You should read (and follow!) “The Island of Forgotten Gods” by @victorpineiro.bsky.social, “This Is the Only Kingdom” by Jaquira Díaz (@jaquiradiaz on Instagram) and “An Arcane Inheritance” by @wordsiren.bsky.social 📚

There was a longstanding myth in the Latine art world: An apartment fire had destroyed much of Sophie Rivera’s legacy. So, imagine @elmuseo.bsky.social’s surprise when the late photographer’s husband provided them with original negatives and prints. (He has since passed, too.)

Connecticut and Puerto Rico are making things official! Today was the first meeting of the trade commission between the two. www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-06...

Chicana civil rights leader Dolores Huerta visited Connecticut to accept the Living Legend Award at the 23rd annual Latinas in Leadership Symposium. I had the honor of moderating the conversation with the 96-year-old about her more than seven decades in activism.

I constantly get asked by my Boricua elders how I — a Diasporican — know so much Puerto Rican history, both on and off the island. My answer is taking advantage of the resources out there like this: @centropr.bsky.social’s free, self-guided course online.

THE SUPER BOWL FCC COMPLAINTS FINALLY PUBLISHED www.fcc.gov/sites/defaul...

Black community leaders and family members of Steven “Stevie” Jones are reacting to news that the Hartford police officer who fatally shot the 55-year-old now faces manslaughter charges. @attorneycrump.bsky.social walked into the NAACP press conference today hand in hand with Jones’ sister, Audrey.

A local immigrant advocacy group is kicking off its canvassing effort this weekend in one Connecticut’s most diverse communities. Here’s who might be knocking at your door this summer:

Connecticut’s U.S. Reps. @johnlarsonct.bsky.social and @delauro.house.gov want answers, after the Trump administration rescinded $715 million from a fund to make Puerto Rico’s energy grid more resilient. The two spoke with me for @ctpublic.bsky.social: www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-05...

My latest Poderosas feature for @ctpublic.bsky.social is on Malby Rojas, as her popular New Haven bakery celebrates its first anniversary this month!

Here in the U.S., Labor Day is a late summer holiday usually observed by a long weekend at, say, the beach. But social justice advocacy coalition @ctforall.bsky.social is highlighting International Workers' Day, or May Day, with demonstrations across the state on Friday.

In a state with the largest proportion of Puerto Ricans, Connecticut’s annual parades and festivals serve as a connection point, not just for the Boricuas in the diaspora but the Nutmeggers who live amongst us. A common theme this year is Taíno heritage.

Sí se puede! I grew up hearing Chicana labor rights activist Dolores Huerta’s work leading @ufw.bsky.social’s grape strike referenced constantly by @immokaleeworkers.bsky.social. Now, I’ll get to hear 96-year-old Huerta in her own words at the Latinas In Leadership Symposium in Connecticut.

A sobering exhibition on the portrayal of Puerto Ricans from past to present is now on display in Connecticut, the state home to the largest proportion of Boricuas. Take a look inside Pablo Delano’s “The Museum of the Old Colony”: www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-04...

Boricuas of all ages gathered at the Borinqueneers Monument in New Britain on the fifth anniversary of the relatively new holiday: National Borinqueneers Day. U.S. Congress passed legislation making April 13 the date to honor the only segregated Latino unit, the 65th infantry regiment, in 2021.

Connecticut just marked a national holiday commemorating the service of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Army since 1899. New Britain’s celebration was held in front of the — at least at the time of installation — largest Borinqueneers monument off the island.

Por fin tenemos un libro que plantea la pregunta: “¿Y si Percy Jackson fuera puertorriqueño?”. Conversé con el autor de “The Island of Forgotten Gods”, @victorpineiro.bsky.social, sobre la representación, TEPT después de huracán María y mitología taína, para @ctpublic.bsky.social.

These Puerto Rican leaders are making bilingual content for one of the fastest-growing audiences in the U.S. sports economy: Latinos. Learn more about the Boricuas behind the scenes at ESPN’s Connecticut headquarters here:

Finally, a book that dares ask “What if Percy Jackson was Puerto Rican?” I spoke with “The Island of Forgotten Gods” author @victorpineiro.bsky.social about representation, Hurricane Maria PTSD and why Boricuas don’t know our own Taíno mythology for @ctpublic.bsky.social:

As one of the fastest-growing populations of U.S. sports fans, Latinos are expected to contribute one-third of the industry’s economic growth in the next decade. @ctpublic.bsky.social and @elnuevodia.bsky.social spoke with some of the Puerto Ricans helping shape coverage at @espn.com headquarters.

The 100-year-old Jones Act makes life more expensive in Puerto Rico because imports have to come by U.S.-flagged ships. Connecticut lawmakers with ties to the island, like @bambambpt.bsky.social, say the recent 60-day waiver is not enough for the island or our state.

Hundreds of Puerto Ricans and their allies gathered at the Connecticut State Capitol on Friday and Saturday for the University of Connecticut’s annual policy summit on the state’s largest group of Latinos.

Never thought I’d say a policy summit made me feel so at home, but between the economics lessons bringing me back to my FGCU lectures to the bilingualism (and la comida boricua que era tan sabrosa!) bringing me back to my diaspora childhood in Florida…

Registration is now open for @uconn.bsky.social’s annual policy summit on Puerto Ricans in Connecticut. Day 1 is focused on a collective economic agenda, which could help the new Connecticut-Puerto Trade Commission. Day 2 will center on policy, like affordable housing and energy.

This Latina-led wellness retreat in Hartford promised physical and mental care for International Women’s Day, but the siblings behind it shared more — with insight on growing up in the Puerto Rican diaspora and the pressures eldest daughters face in our culture.

I went into this interview with Hasta Luego Friend owner Evy Ruiz thinking that business (and its addictive coquito lattes) would be the focus for @ctpublic.bsky.social’s Poderosas series on Latina leaders. Instead, I heard just as much about Tia’s Roommate, by and for queer women of color.

Dark academia’s seminal titles like “Ninth House,” based at Yale, typically focus on an outsider thrown into elite academic circles and the secrets that come with them. @wordsiren.bsky.social takes that a step further in “An Arcane Inheritance,” also based in Connecticut.

The Afroboricua dance style of Bomba was once at risk of being lost to history. But Movimiento Cultural in Connecticut is one of the groups keeping the Puerto Rican tradition alive stateside. Text from @elnuevodia.bsky.social and audio from @ctpublic.bsky.social at the class I took:

There was a 5.1 magnitude earthquake about 100 miles north of Puerto Rico this morning. There’s always a lot of seismic activity near the archipelago, but this is the first to reach above 5 in 2026. There’s no reported damage or tsunami threat, thankfully. redsismica.uprm.edu/spanish/info...

"We have heard God's call, and so we are here now to shout out with one unified voice: stop the cruelty and the inhumanity,” said Rev. Allie Perry. “Love is the only way." In Hartford, CT clergy tell ICE: ‘Lay down your arms’ www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-02...

Did you know @ctpublic.bsky.social’s Somos Connecticut team has a bilingual newsletter? Subscribe (for free!) here: www.ctpublic.org/newsletters

Today, @ctpublic.bsky.social’s Where We Live dives into dark academia with author Kamilah Cole (@wordsiren.bsky.social), whose adult debut, “An Arcane Inheritance,” is based right here in Hartford, Connecticut. It’s romantasy, academic rivals, enemies to lovers, AND unapologetically BIPOC and queer.

Connecticut has the most vibrant arts communities in New England, according to the latest index from Southern Methodist University. The state is now No. 3 in the nation, and six Connecticut cities made the list of the top 100 communities in the U.S. as well.

Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is headlining Super Bowl LX's halftime show, and these Connecticut establishments are offering a place to watch, dance and sing along. www.ctpublic.org/news/2026-01...

I just made my @ctpublic.bsky.social’s Where We Live hosting debut for today’s episode about raising the next generation of Puerto Ricans in the diaspora. You can give it a listen here: www.ctpublic.org/show/where-w...

An impressive half-dozen chefs and establishments across Connecticut are up for the prestigious James Beard Awards this year. Hear from Community Table’s Bolivar Hilario, who’s in the running for Best Chef: Northeast, in his own words:

“Those same Gestapo-type tactics in Germany”: One of Connecticut’s U.S. senators is comparing recent actions by ICE with his family’s personal experience in Nazi-era Europe. Earlier this week, a different CT-based leader compared ICE to the KKK.

“ICE reminds us of the Ku Klux Klan,” said Rev. Boise Kimber, the Connecticut-based president of the National Baptist Convention USA, about agents covering their face. NBCUSA is calling for a national ban on coverings for law enforcement, like California’s.

Per my Connecticut Public Radio colleague Cassandra Basler, ICE made multiple arrests in New Haven today ahead of a demonstration there denouncing the ICE killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis.

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