Ten years ago today, I wrote about the then-Tenth Anniversary of one of the horrible events that made a lasting impact on Connecticut employers.

I recounted the Connecticut Lottery shootings that happened a decade earlier.

Today, marks 20 years. (The CT Mirror has another perspective here.)

The New York Times report of that event is

I’ll never forget the day I drove into Newtown, Connecticut.  As NBC 30’s Gerry Brooks tweeted this morning: How could you?

It was probably the first time I had made my way to that town outside of Danbury.

But that wasn’t the reason I remember that day.

It was the empty hearse outside a church.

Half Mast

Driving into Newtown yesterday, I was struck by one overpowering thing: Reminders of the tragedy were everywhere.  It was unrelenting.

  • Makeshift signs, near the I-84 exit, and on the roadside, say things like “Pray for Newtown”.
  • The Newtown flagpole, which dates back to 1876, is one of the

1:00 p.m. update: I’m hearing of slight delays in processing the e-gift cards at Target.  Just please make your contribution as soon as you can today and we’ll watch for them this evening if need be. You can also use Walmart, Staples or Amazon if you prefer.  I am extending the cutoff to donations

Normally, this blog writes itself. This morning, however, the words have not come easy.  Does writing about FMLA leave relating to the Newtown tragedy really matter?

Indeed, I’ve rewritten this post about 5 different times.  What can we say that will comfort those? What can we do to help those? Are we helpless to respond?