You named it, and here it is ... "Cub Reporter," the bear sculpture that The Register Citizen sponsored as part of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's "Bear-live It Or Not" fundraiser/tourism effort.

CLICK HERE to read reporter Jessie Sawyer's story about the program and interview with "Cub Reporter" artist Joan Pavlinsky.

The Register Citizen is adopting a bear as part of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's "Bear-lieve It Or Not" campaign.

The concept is this:

Local businesses purchase fiberglass bears, local artists decorate them, they are out on display as part of a Northwest Connecticut "bear trail," and then the bears are auctioned to support charity.

We are excited to be participating, but we need a name for our news-themed bear.

Vote for your favorite name below or add your own suggestion in the comments and we'll add it to the poll.

What should The Register Citizen name the bear... » poll maker
Tags : register citizen

As usual, The Register Citizen will have a booth at the annual Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Home Show this weekend at the Torrington Armory.

This year, our booth will feature a free drawing for the chance to win an iPad, the tablet computer from Apple that has captivated consumers over the past few weeks.

There's no obligation. Just come on down, say hello at our booth, and fill out an entry form.

We'll have the usual stuff for kids and adults, as well, candy, balloons, copies of the newspaper and more.

The show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at 153 South Main St. in Torrington.

I will be there most of the weekend myself, and would love the opportunity to hear your thoughts, concerns and ideas about The Register Citizen.

A not-to-miss event on Tuesday evening will combine the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's phenomenally successful "Business After Hours" series with a general local business expo.
The "Table Top This" Expo will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Cornucopia banquet hall in Torrington, and 55 local business exhibitors are signed up to show off what they do.
As always with Business After Hours, there will be complimentary beverages and refreshments.
We (The Register Citizen and our affiliate publications, the Foothills Trader, Good News About Torrington and Thomaston Express) will be one of the exhibitors.
Stop by our table and pick up a free coffee mug, at a minimum.
If you were thinking about subscribing to the paper, stop by and sign up at our table, and you will get a free Thanksgiving turkey (I'll check on this, but I'm assuming a coupon for one ... I don't plan to have frozen turkeys at the Expo!).
If you're curious to see what we have in store as part of the expansion of the paper Nov. 24, you can sign up for a free, no-obligation 2-week trial subscription.
And anyone, even if you are already a subscriber or choose not to, can stop by the table and enter a raffle for a $100 grocery store gift card perfect for buying those Thanksgiving dinner essentials.
To RSVP for the Table Top This Expo and Business After Hours, visit the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's Web site at www.nwctchamberofcommerce.org.

Have you been following the controversy over Torrington Mayor Ryan Bingham's plan to utilize the city's college tuition reimbursement program?
The latest (click here for story) is that Mayor Bingham and his administrative assistant, Stephen Nocera, have changed their minds in the face of taxpayer protest, and have revoked their $11,500 request for tuition payments. They plan to pay their own way for grad school courses at UConn.
Obviously, they get and most everyone gets why there was a backlash to this. When city and school services are being cut, taxes in this state are outrageous, and cost of living increases in other areas ($4.23 a gallon when I filled my tank last night on East Main Street) are out of control.
My question, though, is what does this say about how the region must adapt to a new generation of leadership?
Ryan Bingham is one of the youngest mayors ever elected in Connecticut, in what is the oldest county in the state.
Is he a once-in-a-few-decades anomaly, or can we cultivate other young people to step into roles of leadership in public service, business and charity in Northwest Connecticut?
As a politician, Mayor Bingham might have misread the tuition request issue, but as policy, how are we going to compete against job offers that our young people receive from Boston, Manhattan and elsewhere?
Are we behind the times in knowing what 20-somethings and 30-somethings need and demand from the workplace today in terms of technology, benefits, flexibility and ... yes, continuing education and career development in the form of things like tuition reimbursement?
The Bingham-Nocera tuition reimbursement controversy is dead, and it probably should be.
But the community does need to talk about how to engage, challenge and retain its best and brightest.
Here's the good news: The Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce is forming a new group to explore just that topic.
The first meeting of its Young Professionals Forum will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at the Chamber office at 333 Kennedy Drive in Torrington. Call 860-482-6586 for more information or RSVP online by clicking here.

Why can't we attract more manufacturing business to Northwest Connecticut?
Just how important is tourism to the area's economy?
Why do some of our brightest young people move away to pursue careers and even be entrepreneurs in other parts of the state or country?
These are some of the questions Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce President JoAnn Ryan wants to answer as the Chamber and other leaders of business, government and education in our part of the state chart their priorities over the next few years, communicate with our legislators in Hartford and formulate a message to the outside business world about why Northwest Connecticut is the place to be.
We need local business owners and managers to keep an eye out this summer for word about an important survey being undertaken by the Chamber, in cooperation with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.
It will take about 20 minutes to respond, but it can be done online. By responding, you will be helping yourself!
This information will be used to help the Chamber identify the areas in which it needs to concentrate, it will be used to show legislators what the state can do (or avoid doing) to help spur business growth, and it will be used to market Northwest Connecticut for potential business investment.

John A. Pucino of Torrington was the winner of the Wii video game system that The Register Citizen gave away through a free drawing at the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce Home and Business Expo March 29 and 30. He picked it up at our office on Water Street on Thursday.
Because the Wii has caught on so fast, and they're actually still kind of hard to find in stores because of the demand, the drawing turned out to be pretty popular.
Pucino's name was picked out of 264 total entries.