The Connecticut Mirror went local in 2025!

We hired two community engagement reporters — one in Bridgeport and one in Hartford — who joined the staff mid-year and immediately went to work getting to know their communities.

Reginald David, who covers Bridgeport, and Mariana Navarrete Villegas, our reporter in Hartford, joined CT Mirror as part of the Raising Voices Lab, an initiative focused on local reporting and service journalism that aims to understand and meet the information needs of historically underserved communities.

Right away, they began engaging with people across their cities, meetings with neighborhood groups known as NRZs, advocates with the NAACP and Make the Road, university officials and many more local leaders and organizations. They also hosted their own listening sessions, bringing the conversation directly to the people in their communities and learning what people care about and what policies affect them.

As part of the initiative, CT Mirror also launched text lines (sign up for Bridgeport’s here and Hartford’s here!) to provide people with a direct channel for news updates about each city and to open a new line of two-way communication with residents.

The reporters used social media and in-person activities to reach people who may not access traditional media sources for their news or information.

In October, Navarrete Villegas talked to people at a Day of the Dead event in Hartford, interviewing them live about what the day meant to them and working with photojournalist Shahrzad Rasekh to create instant portraits they could take home.

Earlier this month, David interviewed Bridgeport Police Chief Roderick Porter in a Facebook Live event that informed viewers about the police official’s views on public safety and community trust.

They both wrote stories and explained issues important to their communities that we published on our website as well. From education and voting in Bridgeport to housing and cultural history in Hartford, David and Navarrete Villegas were there to capture it. 

Here’s a recap of their efforts to engage with two of the state’s largest cities in 2025.

Social impact

Mary Fields Horse and Heritage Museum

Among the CT Mirror social media posts with the most engagement this year was Navarrete Villegas’ story about a new museum dedicated to Black equestrian history in Hartford. Our Instagram audience clicked the ‘like’ button more than 16,000 times on a slideshow of images and quotes from the story, which was well-read and widely shared.

The Mary Fields Horse and Heritage Museum, the brainchild of Ebony Horsewomen, Inc., commemorates the first African American woman to work for the U.S. Postal Service, as well as the history of the Black equestrian horsewomen and men across the country. It serves as a cultural landmark and archival center in the city’s North End.

Harding High School

Our reporters’ social videos also engaged readers. A video created out of a Harding High School pep rally in Bridgeport and posted to David’s own social media account drew more than 300 ‘likes’ on Instagram. The video was related to a story David wrote about the high school’s improvement in state rankings, which officially removed it from the state’s list of ‘turnaround’ schools. The move meant the school had met specific improvement goals and is no longer considered one of the state’s lowest-performing.

Now considered a focus school, Harding still receives targeted state support to help students with higher needs continue improving, placing it a step above turnaround status and on a path toward sustained achievement.

Explainers

The reporters also wrote explanatory pieces, based on questions they were hearing residents asking in the communities they cover. Here are some of their more recent so-called explainers.

What to know about Bridgeport’s cold weather response

When temperatures drop, Bridgeport activates its cold weather response system. Here’s what to know about how to stay warm and help others. (Published Dec. 18)

Why did Hartford public school renovations get paused?

Hartford’s mayor paused state-funded renovations for six public schools in September, surprising key school officials. Here’s what to know. (Published Nov. 26)

News

And, of course, David and Navarrete Villegas wrote news stories about some of the issues impacting their communities as they were happening. Here are two of their strongest news stories of 2025.

The fire Hartford tenants saw coming: ‘This is just not fair’

A basement fire that forced the evacuation of 24 people followed three years of tenants’ organizing to fight for better housing conditions. (Published Nov. 12)

Bridgeport advocates cheer ICE protection resolution

Bridgeport’s City Council OK’d a resolution encouraging protections for immigrant residents — an overdue victory, advocates say. (Published Nov. 5)