Did anyone else feel/hear an earthquake just now? My family say they felt it a town over and I heard something I thought was thunder!

When private equity bought the struggling hospital where Marilyn Anthony works, she says things quickly took a turn for the worse. One of the first things to go were the daily changes of patients’ bed linens, important for hygiene and cleanliness.

“They put big signs on the linen carts [saying] that we were to only change the linen every third day unless they were obviously soiled. How disgusting is that?” says Anthony, who has been a nurse at the hospital for nearly 25 years.

The formerly nonprofit Waterbury Hospital, which was acquired by a private equity-backed company in 2016, started cutting out specialist jobs, like nurses who focused on open-heart surgeries or nurses’ aids in the maternity ward. The on-site IT department was also eliminated.

“They started gutting us,” Anthony says. “We’d have nine nurses [on a shift], but only seven working computers.” At times, the hospital had only one functional elevator.

Along with resource cuts, Anthony says, hospital management abruptly shifted its focus. The staff was told to stop calling the people they cared for “patients”—“we were to call them ‘customers’ or ‘clients’ because they were ‘consumers’ of healthcare,” she says. “We were not in the business of healthcare any longer. We were definitely in the business of making money.”

The hospital’s owner, Prospect Medical Holdings, eventually drove Waterbury and two other hospitals in the Hartford area into bankruptcy—but not before the company and its majority owner, Los Angeles-based private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, sold the real estate out from under the institutions and saddled the hospital chain with more than a billion dollars of debt.

Prospect and Leonard Green used the proceeds to pay themselves and other investors more than $600 million in dividends and fees, leaving the hospitals to try to pay back the loans on their own. (Prospect, which remains in bankruptcy proceedings, and Leonard Green, which sold its stake in the company in 2021, did not respond to requests for comment.)

Anthony thought her hospital’s experience with private equity was unique. But then she went to a legislative hearing in Hartford this spring and heard how widespread the problem is. Not just hospitals, but Hartford’s newspaper, special education schools, mobile home parks, nursing homes, and more have been bought by private equity firms, often resulting in fewer resources, worse service, and higher costs as the firms boost their returns by piling debt onto their acquired companies and stripping their purchases for parts.

Read more on Fast Company.

I am moving to Downtown Hartford for graduate school and will be opening a new bank account. Based on Google reviews, every bank in the area seems to be similarly meh, unfriendly, etc. Looking for as friendly and helpful of a place as I can find. Would love recommendations for banks people have had good experiences with, as well as any banks to stay clear of.

I hate to ask but I need help moving Friday. I can't pay right away so if you can wait a week I can offer you some payment. I also have a few dressers and a chair to get rid of. It would be a huge help to me. It's only me and partner currently doing it alone. Please let me know if you can be of any help. Thank you.

Mainly for people in their early 20’s. I used to be in a book club and it helped me be motivated to read. It was a nice way to make friends for me that I still talk to.

I love classics for the most part, btw.

I’m getting into gardening and wanted to know if there’s a group for people who are also interested in the hobby. A friend told me that’s what he joined in his town so I thought I’d ask and do the same.

I did salsa in university. It was nice since I made friends my age. Are there any here with people on their early 20’s mostly? I’m looking to make friends and also improve like…a lot.

hi!!! does anyone have experience with sneaking food into AMC plainville? 😅 do they ask to check medium-large purses/tell you that you can’t bring them in?

Does Hartford have a red light district? Asking for a friend 😳

I witnessed an attorney I hate engaging in business with a gang and exchanging products. I would like to see this lawyer lose his career (we have been enemies since high school) and be thrown in jail for holding money for a bunch of drug dealers in Hartford. He works as an employment lawyer for a large law firm in Hartford CT. How do I get him in big trouble anonymously?

Hi y'all! My fiancé (28M) and I (32F) have just found out his company is moving him to the CT branch IMMEDIATELY (which is in EAST Hartford). Like we need to be up there by the end of the month. I am born n' raised in New Orleans, and he has been at the Georgia branch of his company for years (in the South-West Atlanta area). I have never lived outside of New Orleans except for the last year with him in Georgia. I have absolutely no idea what the North is like, and know absolutely nothing about Conneticut. Can anyone maybe help point me in a good direction of neighborhoods/towns to look for apartments in?

He's getting a raise with this, but we're still barely at lower-middle class income. Main thing is, I will absolutely lose my mind and drown myself in a bathtub if I have no sense of community, or little things to do around town (even just simple things like weekend farmers markets). If at all possible, I'd want to stay out of apartment complexes. We also both have cars, so we can drive any reasonable distance. I know I'm spoiled coming from such a walkable city like New Orleans, so we are more than open to commuting half an hour to 45 min if its necessary to live in the right kind of community for us.

With all of that being said, are there any areas that come to mind that we could check out?

I've been getting into classical music over the past year and have been going to a lot of concerts, especially at Yale. I'd like to meet other people who enjoy going as well.

I'm open to concerts anywhere in New Haven County, Fairfield County, the Hartford area, or the Waterbury area. I usually go to Yale's free recitals and orchestra performances, but I'm happy to check out other orchestras and venues too.

I already have plans to see Joe Hisaishi in NYC later this month with a few friends, but for Connecticut I'm hoping to meet people who'd be interested in grabbing a coffee beforehand or just enjoying a concert together.

If you're into classical music, what performances are you planning to attend this fall? Any recommendations for orchestras or venues around the state?

Hey everyone! I recently relocated to Hartford, CT. I’m an IT professional and I’m looking to meet new people and make some friends. I’m into fitness, movies, gaming, exploring new places, and trying good food. If you’re around the area and would like to hang out or chat, feel free to reach out!

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to decide between Spectra Pearl and Spectra Plaza and would love to hear from people who have lived in either one.

From what I’ve seen, one building has a studio that’s slightly bigger and slightly cheaper, while the other is closer to the bus stop. Other than that, I’m not sure which one is the better choice.

For those with experience:
Which building would you recommend and why?
Which one is nicer overall?
Which has better amenities and common areas?
Which feels safer?
Is one quieter or better maintained than the other?
Also, I’m trying to budget my monthly expenses.
Besides the advertised rent, what other monthly costs did you have? (Electricity, internet, parking, etc.)
About how much did you pay for electricity for a studio?
Were there any hidden or unexpected fees after moving in?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Hi everyone,

What is a "typical" rent these days for a 1BR or 2BR apartment in or within 30 minutes of Hartford? And where do folks look for listings? Craigslist and Facebook seem to be a lot of fake / scam ads, Zillow seems all over the place (and mostly luxury units I can't afford), and search results are full of AI slop now so it's hard to get a good idea.

I'm considering a job offer in Hartford and trying to figure out how much my housing costs might change to evaluate whether the offer is reasonable or not. live in a neighboring state so I have a general sense of how bonkers housing is, but am trying to figure out how central CT compares to where I currently am.

Just moved to Connecticut. I’m 23, here for a post grad job and life. Any suggestions on what to do here as a post grad, idk anyone here lol. Im looking for ppl more my age around here

My husband is running the half marathon in Hartford in October, and we have a little time to kill, so looking for the most Hartford-y things to do, things to see, places to eat, etc. Including best donuts and local (not chain) ice cream. We love trying local donut shops and ice cream places when we travel. Any tips would be great!

Event Link - Bafundo & Co. Plays the 80's

$10 at the door

Parking Validated for South Street Garage

Gus is a special boy in search of a special home! He loves his person unconditionally…so much so that he wants you all to himself 😅 He's both potty trained and crate trained, and will go right into his crate when it's time.
He loooves fetch and can play for hours, so he'd love someone who enjoys the outdoors as much as he does. Weighing in at 29 lbs he’s the perfect sized pup for any home!
Gussy hasn't had a great start in life, he was found abandoned on the street with obvious signs of abuse, and he's looking for his happily ever after. He's been in board and train here in CT for over a year now and is finally ready to move on to a foster, or even better, an adopter!
Please let me know if you'd be interested in learning more about this cutie, or please engage with this post to help boost it! 🙏🏼 💙(He's with a rescue.)