In this episode, reporter Eugene Driscoll remembers a colleague who passed away suddenly, then switches gears for an update on the work of the Ansonia-Derby school regionalization committee.
Melvin Mason, editor of the Stratford Star newspaper, died Sept. 26. He was just 43 years old.
Melvin was previously a Valley reporter with The Connecticut Post, and he freelanced for The Valley Indy.
He lived in Derby until he married his wife, Allison, two years ago.
Driscoll recalls conversations he had with Melvin, and plays a clip from a Valley Indy video interview on which Melvin appeared.
The second half of the podcast begins around the 15 minute mark and features a 30-minute interview with Jim Gildea, the chairman of the Ansonia-Derby school regionalization committee.
Gildea says the group will probably choose a consultant at its Oct. 22 meeting. Gildea is also the chairman of the Derby school board, and updates listeners on new security measures in the district.
In this very special episode of 'Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast,' our pal Rich DiCarlo stops by the office to talk about this year's Ansonia Harvest Festival.
This year's festival is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Main Street.
There's a pie-baking contest, along with a pie-eating contest, vendors, food, a kids zone, and live music.
Note: The interview was recorded using an iPhone, which diminishes the audio a bit.
Also in this episode: This Week In History and a review of last week's most-popular stories on ValleyIndy.org.
Seymour's Rob and Christine Caprilozzi run the Horror News Network, the group behind the Fifth Annual CT Horror Fest, happening Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Danbury Arena.
In this episode of 'Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast,' Christine talks about his year's show, which features legendary actress Pam Grier, Connecticut native Bill ("The Devil's Rejects") Moseley, and three cast mates from the original "Halloween."
In this very special episode of 'Navel Gazing: The Valley Indy Podcast,' Eugene reads a letter written after Ethan reacted to an Ansonia news item with a "laughing" emoji.
Ethan explains why he chose to react that way, prompting Eugene to advise reporters to act like they're being watched at all times.
The reporters then have a discussion as to whether it's possible to live in 2018 America without having a public opinion on the Trump Administration, and whether those opinions influence local reporting efforts.
Finally, the reporters review the most-read stories of the week, and Ethan reviews the long-running Castle Hill development issue in Ansonia.
This podcast is made possible by ValleyGivesBack.org.