i knew andy at cool justice would have a posting

and his is the one i want to link to

Jim Irwin, 1936-2009, Friend Of Young Writers

Irwin founded the Young Writers Trust in 1998. Douskey, an original board member of The Trust, has also served as President of IMPAC University in Punta Gorda, FL.

Today, the Connecticut Young Writers competition continues to affirm the work of young poets and writers while celebrating their accomplishments. The Young Writers Trust has given more than $182,000 to Connecticut’s best young writers since 1998.

IMPAC Chairman Jim Irwin and retired Connecticut State University System Chancellor William Cibes expanded the Young Writers Program from Litchfield County to cover the entire state in 2000.

IMPAC, a leading global productivity firm, sponsors the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which, at 100,000 euros, is the largest in the world for a single work of fiction.

Jim Irwin was a great friend to young writers all over the world. He was a fierce and relentless advocate for free expression.............
pic:
-- Photos Courtesy of Connecticut Young Writers Trust
Jim Irwin, right, at the Litchfield Inn several years ago with friend and colleague Franz Douskey, the poet and writer.

andy thibault at cool justice

has more on

the VERY falsely arrested PROFESSOR RAVI SHANKAR

link to ny post story from andy
and
info on the suit filed by atty bruce baron on behalf of professor shankar

another must read from andy thibault at

the cool justice report

it's scary and sad and embarrassing. even though my skin isn't brown, i'm STILL afraid if things like this CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IN MY COUNTRY

Blockhead Judge To Profiling Victim: `I'm Not Listening ...'

Culminating Indignity
For Indian-American Falsely Incarcerated

"She Had No Interest
In The False Arrest."
-- Poet & Professor Ravi Shankar,
Central Connecticut State University

Official Proceedings
Criminal Court Of The State Of New York
Docket No.: 2009NY05478
Arraignment
Presiding, Judge Ruth Pickholz

By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
Sept. 9, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

Poet Ravi Shankar was profiled, wrongly arrested and locked up for 36 hours in New York City. Even after cops called Shankar a "sand nigger" and hummed "Here Comes The Bride" as he walked in a manacled procession at 100 Centre St., the Central Connecticut State University professor had yet to endure his greatest indignity.
During his incarceration on a weekend in July, Shankar slept upright on a bench in perhaps several 20-and 30-minute interludes. There were fights among the many bodies on the floor in the holding tank. Shankar notice that virtually all of those held were minorities, some of them accused of petty crimes such as loitering, walking through a park at the wrong time [trespassing] or operating without a peddler's license.



Everyone shared the stench of the open-air toilet. Then, it got worse.

Shankar met Judge Ruth Pickholz.

Shankar's public defender, Victor Castelli, had reached an understanding with the prosecutor, Matthew Montana. There was a big mistake. Charges would be dropped.

"The warrant is not him, judge," Castelli said. "It says it's a 5' 10" white male [weighing 140 pounds] on the description that the police showed him …"...........

our friend andy thibault at the cool justice report

has an update on the douchebag case!
he has reported on this case extensively. man, a lot of work went into this. all links to all his stories are on his blog. do read him, it's well worth it. andy is my kind o' person. in a fight i sure as shite would want him on MY side! stop on over and say hola!

BULLETIN: Landmark Free Speech Case Back @ U.S. Second Circuit Court Of Appeals

Parental Rights,
Home Invasion By Douche Bag School Bosses
On The Docket Along With Seizure Of Free Speech T-Shirts

Judges Will Have To Review Punishment
For Seeking Redress Of Grievances

Travesty Kravitz's Efforts
To Contain Case, Avoid Accountability
Face Major Reversal

By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
July 30, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

DATELINE -
Douchebagville,
aka the intersection of
Burlington, CT
And New Haven U.S. District Courtroom Four
When Mark Kravitz Is On The Bench

Free Speech Freedom Fighter Avery Doninger will get a hearing to appeal her punishment for rallying citizens to support students in their quest to hold a concert that was cancelled by school officials in Regional District 10.

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York granted Doninger's request for a wide-ranging appeal on July 23. No schedule has been set for the appeal............

please do stop by

andy thibault's blog; the cool justice report for an update on the billy smolinski case. it really IS just getting weirder and weirder. i think of billy's family and my heart goes out to them. NO closure. well, not just that but bungling and ineptness everywhere. let's hope they get answers SOON

More Bizarre Twists & Leads In Smolinski Case

Why Do-Nothing Cops
Must Be Held Accountable
And Ordered To Do Their Jobs,
Especially When They Drop The Ball
On Missing Persons Reports

Some Details Related
To The Trail
Of Dead Bodies

A TIME FOR GOOD COPS TO STAND UP

This Is The Backdrop For CT Legislative Hearing Tuesday

Legislative Hearing Tuesday On Bill Resulting From Smolinski Case.......

Support Courageous State Rep. Vickie Nardello,
Who Is Standing Up For Missing Persons
And Their Loved Ones Everywhere

By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
March 2, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

Billy Smolinski -- the missing man forsaken by management of the Waterbury, CT Police Department and presumed murdered - could have a legacy that will help save the lives of other missing persons.

The level of police ineptitude and callousness in the Smolinski case was so startling that politicians are actually doing something about it........
justice 4 billy
(please click the more bizarre link above for the full story at andy's blog)

i guess my head was in the sand once again

i had not heard one PEEP about this until i stopped by the cool justice report. andy had a great posting on it and a ton of links (and how cool is it andy was mentioned in the ny times

here's the start of andy's posting. click the link to read the WHOLE thing. i do think everyone is missing the greatest point here. NO ONE and i mean NO ONE says ANYTHING bad about uconn SACRED basketball (p.s. i don't think it's sacred. ALMOST EVERYONE else in this state sure does. it's not like they're the SOX or anything)

CALHOUN NUMBERS SHOCKER

Fuzzy Math 101
By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
Feb. 23, 2009

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

First, thanks to Cool Justice readers for all the great tips.

Maybe UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun wasn't thinking straight when he tried to shout down reporter Ken Krayeske and talk about facts at the same time.

Practice what you scream, coach.

It certainly looks like men's basketball brought in only $7.33 million instead of the $12 million Calhoun claimed........

andy thibault

at the cool justice report has done numerous postings on avery doninger. more than anyone else (probably more than EVERYONE else put together).

the rulings in that case were insane. they were unjust. they were WRONG

this too is VERY wrong (and i'll tell you this much, if one of those boys was MY son, i'd be out for someone's heart on a stick - and i'm NOT a violent woman. NO ONE, NO ONE in a school, makes a child STRIP for ANY reason, unless it's life and death. oh and one more thing. i don't even like kids that much. i just think kids have rights and protections. oh, if they're assholes and troublemakers sure, punish them BUT DON'T STRIP SEARCH THEM UNLESS YOU ARE ALMOST 100% CERTAIN THEY HAVE A WEAPON ON THEM)

Police: school strip searches not criminal
Compiled from news service reports

Shelton police and state prosecutors say no crime was committed when teachers at the Pine Academy school strip-searched four students. A lawyer for the teens, Robert Berke, says he won’t challenge the findings, but plans to sue, alleging an unreasonable search. Berke says Principal Patricia Nicolari ordered the searches Dec. 2 after a teacher reported $70 missing. He says two male teachers searched the students, making them strip down to their underwear, but the cash wasn’t found. The principal and two teachers were put on administrative leave afterward. It’s unclear if they’re back on the job.

the cool justice report

hooks us up with some avery doninger video from fox & friends (yeah, i know, of ALL the networks, but it's a start)

andy also has a bunch of other avery links too. check it out, he's done some exhaustive reporting on this

some cops in avon

racist or not? i know what i personally know (having worked in avon for more than 1/2 of my life). i also know if ANYONE feels guilty about bringing these emails to light, THEY SHOULD NOT

andy thibault at the cool justice report links us up to some articles

and here's colin mcenroe's story (he is the one that filed the initial complaint i believe)

#1 ) i am shocked

that i didn't hear about this until NOW (the avon cop's emails and barack obama)

like i commented on andy's blog; the cool justice report i worked in avon for more than 1/2 of my life. i saw what i saw when i worked there (meaning i saw who got stopped and who didn't).

how can ANYONE with half a brain pass misinformation on (of the sort that was happening with barack obama). i saw people (on videos, i never saw one in person) foaming at the mouth to get a noose out (and i'm NOT exaggerating either). i saw certain other people (one of whom was sareveil) egg these neo-facist neo-nazis on.

do people REALLY think barack obama is the devil? i don't know. i KNOW SOME PEOPLE THINK I AM (really they do. i'm not just saying that to make a point for this story. i've written that about me before)

Court Documents: Schwapp v. Town of Avon

Avon Cops Forwarded An Obama Smear Before The Election

School To Jail Tracking System For People Of Color In Connecticut

Failing to obey the posted limit (colin's original posting)

andy thibault

at the cool justice report reminds us

ELIZABETH THOMAS at Hill-Stead

In honor of the publication of her new collection of poems, From the Front of the Classroom, Hill-Stead is pleased to host a reading and book signing with author, performer and educator Elizabeth Thomas.

Taking the reader through her childhood, young adulthood and marriage to her passionate involvement with teaching and poetry, this collection reveals the rich inner life that has made Elizabeth Thomas such an inspiration.

"In a culture that expects results from its educators, Elizabeth Thomas has found a way to make a unique connection in her book, as in her classroom," comments former student Alex Lopez. Jeff Ostroff, Principal at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School, says the poems "resonate with life so that the poet in all of us may sing.".......

Poetry Reading and Book Signing
Sunday, September 7, 3–5 pm
Hill-Stead Museum, Farmington, CT

even though we've never actually met

i like to think of andy thibault as a friend of mine.
i read his blog the cool justic report daily (well i was 'off' a few weeks when my old laptop was dying)


here's a GREAT article on him in the waterbury republican
(i've told andy this and i will tell YOU this as well. i'd NEVER want to cross him. he's a pitbull. and unlike the story's author, i don't think that is an insult). i've seen him get (figuratively) in the face of some folk that i too would want to biotch-slap and i've seen him (figuratively) take in people under his wing - that needed taking in.

here's to you andy!

and hey, i happen to LIKE pit bulls!

He'll get in your face Litchfield blogger always eager for a cause

BY GEORGE KRIMSKY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Andy Thibault spends a lot of time in shorts and sandals watching rabbits nibble in his Litchfield backyard. When he feels up to it, he climbs the steep stairs of his Victorian home on a quiet, tree shaded street, turns on the computer and takes on the world.Muckraking may seem misplaced in such a bucolic setting, but it works just fine for a 55-year-old man trying to recover from stage 3 colon cancer while waging a feisty campaign that could have national significance in the free-speech arena.Through his news blog, "The Cool Justice Report," Thibault is the prime mover in an effort to challenge the punishment of Avery Doninger, a Lewis S. Mills High School student from Burlington, for critical remarks she made last year on her blog about school administrators.............

justice?

well it would seem like it's a first step. please stop by the cool justice report

and read

BREAKING NEWS: Niehoff Suspended Without Pay For 2 Days
But, Will She GetTo Speak At Graduation?
By ANDY THIBAULT
The Cool Justice Report
www.cooljustice.blogspot.com
June 13, 2008EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com

BURLINGTON – Embattled Principal Karissa Niehoff – a key figure in The Famous Douche Bag Case – was suspended for two days without pay after she violated the privacy rights of free speech freedom fighter Avery Doninger.
Responding to a May 30 article in The New York Post, Niehoff wrote to Midwestern educator Mike Morris about Doninger. Niehoff’s letter is loaded with unsubstantiated and undocumented allegations about Doninger, who will graduate from Lewis Mills High School next week................

and a special shout out to alan beitman

i've said it before and i'll say it again

don't mess with andy thibault!

the 'douchebag(s)' (i can say that because i don't go to school in douchebag land, i'm older than a teenager AND i'm not running for any school office in douchebag land) appear to be getting their hands slapped (at least their representation is)

from the cool justice report


Commission Orders Douche Bag Lawyer To Produce Billing Records

Chinni, Schwartz Broke FOI Law By Censoring & Withholding Public Documents School Bosses Escape Fines For Hiding Write-In Ballots In Stolen Election U.S. Second Circuit Ruling Way Overdue As School Term Concludes
By ANDY THIBAULT The Cool Justice Report http://www.cooljustice.blogspot.com/
May 22, 2008 EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/


Will there be justice for free speech freedom fighter Avery Doninger and all the students who elected her Secretary of the Class of 2008 at Lewis Mills High School in Burlington, CT? How about the taxpayers footing the bill for an incompetent school board lawyer who runs up more and more fees every time she makes a mistake?Perhaps there will be a little justice. Certainly the truth will be told. And, in the course of learning about a welfare system for board of education lawyers in Connecticut, citizens might be moved to do something.The Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission issued a finding this week ordering attorney Christine Chinni to produce uncensored billing records for her "work" of behalf of now-retired School Superintendent Paula Schwartz and Lewis Mills Principal Karissa Niehoff. Those records were requested Aug. 1, 2007 and should have been produced then...........

(you go andy!!!)

a link to a post

from one of my favorite blogs. the cool justice report by andy thibault (even though this article is not by andy). andy is quite the renaissance man. i've never met him, but he and i both live in connecticut. i'm in the process of reading one of his books right now, law and justice in every day life. it's fascinating. i've told him i love reading the book, but the stories are scaring the HELL out of me (they deal for the most part with connecticut cases).

andy has taken up causes (i don't know if that's the correct terminology. i don't know if HE would describe it that way) from billy smolinski to avery doninger AND LOTS in between.

if i was ever in a jam, i hope i'd have someone like andy at my back


Column: Top Connecticut Lawyer Delineates Ethics Rules On Telling The Truth

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire: The Rules For Lawyers Have Changed" The lawyer is mandated to remedy the falsity, even if it means informing the court that the client is lying ... Thus it is not only truth by others, but as importantly, truth from attorneys that is mandated."By RICHARD MEEHAN The Cool Justice Report http://www.cooljustice.blogspot.com/
Feb. 15, 2008
EDITOR'S NOTE: This column is available for reprint courtesy of The Cool Justice Report, http://cooljustice.blogspot.com/
The Rules of Professional Conduct (RPC) are the Bible governing lawyer ethics. Despite the cynicism of some wags, we do try to police ourselves as a profession and adhere to a code that places respect for the process above all other considerations.Lawyers have always had an obligation to be truthful with the court. Overzealous representation should not lead to an attorney misrepresenting the facts or misleading a court on issues of legal authorities. Traditionally, the RPC required that an attorney not participate actively in presenting false testimony before a tribunal. That rule has been amended to demand even more of lawyers.Rule 1.6 of the RPC requires lawyers to maintain client confidences. The sanctity of the attorney client privilege is no less than the sanctity of the seal of the confessional between priests and penitents.But what is the lawyer's responsibility when he learns that a client has given false testimony? Does the privilege mandate attorney silence and allow a subversion of the truth finding purpose of the judicial process? No.................. (read the rest at the link above)

please stop by andy thibault's

cool justice report to see what's going on with the infamous 'douche bag case'. well his foi portion of it.

i highly recommend his blog in general by the way. not only does he report on justice mainly in our state (OR lack thereof) but he has many postings about the arts, literary in particular

Douche Bag FOI Hearing Runs Two-Plus Hours
Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission HearingJan. 4, 200818-20 Trinity St.Hartford, CT 860-566-5682 Complaint by Andy Thibault Against Paula Schwartz, Superintendent of Schools,Regional School District #10Editor's Note: Today's hearing opened shortly after 11:30 a.m. and concluded about 2 p.m. The hearing was taped by CT-N, the Connecticut Network. The network posts its schedule at http://www.ctn.state.ct.us/ and generally broadcasts such hearings a few days later.
Connecticut Network, CT-NThe hearing officer's decision generally follows several weeks later. However, both parties have until Jan. 17 to file briefs summarizing the case and making final arguments.The hearing officer's decision will be voted on during a regular meeting of the Freedom of Information Commission.In a significant development, counsel for the Region 10 Board of Education, Atty. Christine Chinni, agreed to produce unredacted billing records from her firm for an in-camera or confidential review by the FOI Commission. This followed requests during the hearing and in prior correspondence.Outstanding issues include the question of whether the Region 10 Board of Education is using an insurance company as a front or beard to hide public records. Other issues include claims that Superintendent Schwartz failed to produce records including ballots in a timely manner as required by the FOI law. A sample write-in ballot for Avery Doninger, Secretary Elect of the Lewis Mills High School Class of 2008, was entered into the record.Prior correspondence on file at the Freedom of Information Commission -- including a request for a subpoena of Chinni -- was not allowed into the hearing record.Chinni had written to the FOI Commission on Dec. 7, 2007: "While I will be representing the respondent, Paula Schwartz, Superintendent of Regional School District No. 10, in these proceedings, my partner, Craig Meuser, will present my sworn testimony on these matters."Chinni refused to testify today. No explanation was given.Most, but not all of my following remarks were allowed into the record. I also inserted a statement a couple of times as follows: The FOI law demands that the respondents produce originals of documents in a timely manner.-- Andy Thibault.................
(more at the link above)

a nice little write up

about what andy thibault is doing (BUT SHOULDN'T HAVE TO DO) because our constitutional rights are being slowly BUT surely taken away

if you're free on october 14th, why not attend the event at the litchfield inn?

"If You Stand Up, People Will Help Out"
A Ripple Effect in Reg. 10 Flap By Emily M. Olson Litchfield County Times09/20/2007LITCHFIELD - When Litchfield journalist Andy Thibault heard about Avery Doninger, a 17-year-old student at Lewis Mills High School in Burlington who was punished by school administrators for critical statements she made in a blog on an Internet Web page, he was outraged. And when the situation became a legal battle involving the student's First Amendment rights, he was disgusted and angry and wanted to do something. Now he's using that energy to help the Doninger family raise money to pay its continuing legal expenses to fight the Region 10 school district by organizing a fund-raiser at the Bistro East at the Litchfield Inn. On Oct. 14, "Poets and Writers for Avery: A Free Speech Festival" will be held involving Mr. Thibault's writer friends, including Wally Lamb, Ravi Shankar, Amy Ma, Franz Douskey, Rand Cooper, Jon Andersen, Ron Winter, Margo Schilpp, Oscar de los Santos and Luis Colavecchi. Five local bands have also been invited to perform. .............

......"We'll have a great time and we're doing something that's important," he said. "It's like a 'Field of Dreams,' -- if you stand up, people will help out."E-mail tntcomm82@cs.com, or call 860-690-0211 for information and tickets. ...............

listen to andy and colin

plan a poety gathering while they were on the air yesterday

go here for the podcast link

andy's blog the cool justice report

colin's blog to wit

is anyone taking a look at the waterbury police department?

i have been following the billy smolinski case (thanks to andy thibault at the cool justice report). seems the waterbury police department* ROYALLY screwed things up. seems like the did it on PURPOSE, not as an oversight. seems like they were protecting people they should have been investigating.

to the smolinskis, i really do hope you find the answers you seek. i'm sorry for your loss and your pain. i'm sorry the people who were supposed to help, serve and protect (as in the waterbury police department) DID NOT do so.

thanks to the cool justice report for forwarding this article to me

oh and a shout out to all of the OTHER journalists who have not let the smolinski case fade away. the family deserves the truth
Buried Secrets

By John Murray
She couldn't go.
Janice Smolinski knew that if she drove to Shelton she'd be on her knees clawing at the earth to uncover Billy. No, she couldn't go, Janice and her husband Bill had to first process the devastating information they had just read in the Waterbury police report. After three years of searching for their 31 year old son, the Smolinskis now believed they knew what happened to Billy when he vanished from his life in August 2004. The moment that Bill and Janice Smolinski had long sought was here, but it wasn't playing out the way they'd imagined..........

............The Observer visited Waterbury Police Chief Neil O'Leary's office and he was direct in saying he suspected foul play. O'Leary was not involved with the investigation and hooked the Observer up with deputy chief Jimmy Egan and told him to share information with the newspaper. Egan began by calling Billy Smolinski a mixed up kid who is probably in Europe having a cold beer. Egan challenged the credibility of Janice Smolinski by inferring she was a bit daffy because she had talked with psychics. After several minutes of smearing the Smolinskis, Egan asked if we had any other questions. When we asked about the love triangle he began to squirm. When we specifically asked about Chris Sorensen the deputy chief asked if we were going to publish his name.
When we said we might, Egan said we'd ruin the guy's life. Egan paced back and forth across the room and appeared to be more concerned with protecting Sorensen and Gleason than finding out what happened to Billy Smolinski. A second meeting with Egan three days later was in stark contrast. He was subdued and concerned about the Smolinski family and their search for Billy. He stated he had lots of empathy for the Smolinskis and had never said a bad word about them.
That was a lie..............

ah, but that's NOT all. i happened to be watching nbc (dateline) the other day. to my amazement what do i see? a story about how the waterbury police department MESSED UP AGAIN (earlier, in 1993, but this along with the smolinski case certainly would be sending up red flags to me)

a woman was raped (her children sleeping in rooms next to her), reported it to the waterbury police department and they turn around and threaten HER with arrest because they didn't believe her????

Former ‘Jane Doe’ fights for other rape victims
Police ignored Donna Palomba's case, now she's helping others seek justice


By John Springer
TODAYShow.com contributor
Updated: 9:24 a.m. ET April 27, 2007
Donna Palomba was alone in bed on a September night in 1993, when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching closer and closer.
Then she saw him. The man in the mask.
With her husband away on business and her children asleep down the hall, the Waterbury, Conn., woman was no match for the shadowy figure in her bedroom. Armed with a knife and a handgun, he cut Palomba's bed clothes and raped her.
When it was over, the man menaced Palomba with the gun and threatened to return and kill her if she told anyone about the assault. Although she did run to the home of a neighbor and called 911, for some time afterward Palomba wondered if calling police was a mistake.
They didn't believe her.
The lead investigator for the Waterbury Police Department accused Palomba of making up the story, and threatened to charge her with making a false police report...............

(*in all fairness chief neil o'leary appears to at the very least be willing to listen.)

if you're not busy sunday night

how about stopping in at the bee and thistle inn to hear andy thibault?


Bee And Thistle Storytellers

Litchfield author Andy Thibault is among six writers featured during the Sunday Night Storytellers series this spring at the Bee And Thistle Inn in Old Lyme. The series of dinner parties runs March 18 through April 29.Thibault's appearance is scheduled for 6 p.m. on April 29."We're quashing the winter doldrums," innkeeper Linnea Rufo said.Thibault, author of Law &Justice in Everyday Life, published the award-winning Cool Justice column in The Connecticut Law Tribune from 2000-06. He currently publishes a blog on cops, courts, general news and the arts at www.cooljustice.blogpsot.com.F. Lee Bailey described Thibault as "a gunslinger from the Old West, ready to fire at anything that moves -- especially if he doesn't take kindly to the movement ... He is in a way a corollary of Robin Hood; he takes from the powerful and gives to the weak."Thibault's reporting on the Smolinski missing person / love triangle case last fall coincided with a request by the Waterbury police department to seek FBI assistance. Documents disclosed by order of the state Freedom of Information Commission revealed Waterbury police did virtually nothing to follow up a tip that Smolinski was strangled in Woodbridge and buried under concrete in Shelton.A series he co-authored about a shady land deal and an attempt to shut down a Montessori school in Enfield has drawn the attention of corruption investigators. An extensive interview with Thibault about blogs was published in the Fall 2006 edition of Readings, the quarterly publication of The Connecticut Center for the Book.He is an adjunct lecturer in English and a mentor in the MFA writing program at Western Connecticut State University. He is a consulting editor for the literary journal Connecticut Review and the author of several other books including The History of the Connecticut State Police and The 12-Minute MBA for Lawyers. Thibault chairs a non-profit foundation that awards $1,000 prizes annually to young poets and writers in Connecticut -- The IMPAC-Connecticut State University Young Writers Trust. He is also a licensed professional boxing judge and a private investigator.As chief investigator for the Washington, D.C. public interest law firm Judicial Watch, Thibault brought in from the cold two girlfriends of the late U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown as the firm probed cash for trade mission placements and other corruption in that agency.Thibault delivered the 2004 Pew Memorial Lecture in Journalism at Widener University, Chester, Pa. His speech was reprinted in The Executive Speaker newsletter.Other authors in the Bee and Thistle Inn series have included: Robert Holland, The Voice of the Tree; and Mary-Ann Tirone Smith. Girls of a Tender Age.The Bee and Thistle Inn sits on five acres by the Lieutenant River in Old Lyme. It has 11 guest rooms. The inn was built in 1756 as a private home. Patrons can reserve for the storytelling series and a three-course dinner at 860-434-1667 or by email at innkeeper@beeandthistleinn.com Thibault has been an editor at publications including The Hartford Courant, The Commercial Record and The Times Leader, Wilkes Barre, Pa. His writing also has appeared in Connecticut Magazine and on "Page Six" of The New York Post. He is a former commissioner of the Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission, a former vice chairman of the Litchfield Board of Education and a former board member of the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. He has also served as vice president of the Litchfield-Morris Rotary.Thibault's work as an investigative reporter and feature writer hasearned numerous state and national awards, including a series that won first place prizes from the National Newspaper Association for investigative reporting, the New England Press Association for community service and the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists for in-depth reporting.Thibault is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. He also serves on the advisory board of the Connecticut Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Library of Congress.

cool justice report