One of my very first friends at Channel 3 was Mika Brzezinski.   We both joined the Eyewitness News team in the summer of ’92 and she and I, along with David Ushery, Eric McLendon and Virginia Cha were the rookie “young guns” at Broadcast House; a bunch of 20-somethings making our way in the trenches of television news.   Our current general manager, Klarn DePalma, also started his career at Channel 3 around that time.   On June 22nd, Mika returns to Hartford to use her national fame to help a great cause.

Mika and Joe Scarborough (whom I can’t wait to meet,) her co-host on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” are the featured guests for the Hartford Public Library’s big fundraiser, “One Big Night.”  The event is Wednesday, June 22nd at the Connecticut Convention Center at Adriaen’s Landing.   Governor Malloy will also be there, and if you watch “Morning Joe,” you know he’s been on their program talking taxes with Mika and Joe, putting Connecticut in the national spotlight.

Although Mika has worked in New York for more than a decade now, Connecticut is still very much a part of her life.  She met her husband here, WTNH investigative legend Jim Hoffer, and her eldest daughter was born here.     The family  maintains a home on the shoreline and Mika always includes our state on her book tours.

I’m also very excited to announce right here on “the Hartfordite”  that Mika and Joe will be joining us for a taping of “Face the State.”  Details on that later.   There’s  already an intense search in our archives for vintage clips of the former host of “Eyewitness News Daybreak.”

In the meantime, if you’d like to come help Mika and Joe support the Hartford Public Library, there are some tickets left, but they are going quickly.   Call (860) 695-6360.   See you there.