The Storyline

Features Editor Kristina “Kristy” Dorsey takes us behind the scenes of Hallmark and Lifetime movies filmed in southeastern Connecticut by Synthetic Cinema International. Synthetic was founded in 2004 by Andrew Gernhard, a Norwich native who now lives in Gales Ferry.  Some of the recent films have included scenes from Norwich City Hall, The Garde Arts Center in New London and Noank Village, with locals serving as extras.

As legal sports betting gets underway in Connecticut, Johnny Avello, director of sportsbook operations for DraftKings, walks us through the process of placing bets on everything from the NFL to the World Series, ping pong and maybe even the Oscars.

The Day’s Publisher and President, Timothy Dwyer, explains our independent newspaper’s unique ownership model and its obligation to donate a portion of its profits to charitable organizations.

Dwyer said he keeps a copy of the last will and testament of Theodore Bodenwein in the top drawer of his desk and refers to it often. Bodenwein, publisher of The Day from 1891 to 1939, established the paper’s structure and it’s charitable arm, the Bodenwein Public Benevolent Foundation.

Editorial Page Editor Paul Choiniere, who is retiring, sat down to talk with us. He shared some of his most memorable stories and editorials, from exposing safety issues at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in the 1990s to writing about a cult in the Norwich-Jewett City area and, as an editorial page editor, representing the paper’s point of view even when he didn’t agree.

Tammy de la Cruz, whose son Joey Gingerella was shot and killed while trying to stop a man from beating his girlfriend, talks about Joey’s life and her enduring grief.

The Day has published a series of stories to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. In this episode of The Storyline, we hear from the staff writers who reported these stories.

New London attorney Kevin Barrs, who represents indigent people accused of major crimes, speaks with us about the role of court-appointed attorneys.

As Haiti continues to struggle with political turmoil and natural disasters, we spoke with people in southeastern Connecticut who are working to help.

Enoch Petit-Homme, who is of Haitian descent, is the English language intervention specialist and diversity officer at Norwich Free Academy.

Susan Wallace is the executive director of the Norwich Catholic Diocese’s Outreach to Haiti program. Outreach to Haiti employs nearly two dozen staff in the Christ Roi neighborhood of Port-Au-Prince and operates a medical clinic and school.

Seven Afghan refugees – a woman, her husband, their four children, and a single man – flew on one of the last commercial flights from Kabul to Qatar to Virginia to New York before being driven to New Haven, where they'll begin to rebuild their lives as refugees. Reporter Taylor Hartz was there to report their story.

Features editor Kristy Dorsey, who considers lobster rolls the perfect summer treat, whether they’re hot or cold, talks about The Day newsroom’s coverage of our reader Lobster Madness bracket contest.