Thank you for reading the Republican American. Please log in or Register to get your 5 free articles per week. Register NAUGATUCK — When Friday the 13th came in March this year, the day was definitely bad luck for Naugatuck’s Nicole Zappone. Her job as a substitute teacher in the Waterbury public school system was terminated as classes shut down.

In a brutal recession, the job market can seem forbidding. But some workers are being hired, and Nicole Zappone of Naugatuck, Conn., is one of the lucky ones.