ANSONIA — The talk was happy, the laughter loud and the food tasty, youngsters at Mead School said Wednesday.
But at the podium, the words were much more serious.
There, U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-3, warned that an executive order could be signed by President Donald Trump which would reduce the number of families eligible for help getting food through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“When you think of summer, you think of children and their joy of playing, swimming, laughing,” DeLauro said. “They should not be ... worrying about not having lunch or where their next meal is coming from.”
She said her 3rd District, which includes most of the Valley, Milford, Orange, Stratford, New Haven, North Haven and Middletown, is “the most food insecure in the state.” More than 93,500 of her constituents struggle with hunger, including one in every seven children, DeLauro said.
The Trump administration is mulling a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule change that could eliminate SNAP benefits for some 3 million people, including 500,000 children across the country. That would happen if the proposal to eliminate people from the SNAP program who already receive food assistance from their state takes effect.
The rule change would allow any child whose family is eliminated to buy school lunches at a reduced rate. The order is on hold for a 60-day period in which comments can be filed with the USDA.
“What they could not do in the Farm Bill we passed, they are trying to do in the proposed rule changes,” DeLauro said.
Whatever happens, the effect won’t be felt at lunchtime by Ansonia students during the next few school years.
Before the 2018-19 school year,...
BRIDGEPORT — The city’s Health Department has temporarily shut down the Sunshine Deli for what the health director called “severe” and “chronic” health code violations.
The Stratford Avenue deli has appeared to be a magnet for illicit activity for years. Its flexible operation hours meant its doors would stay open late, often until 4 a.m.
But Wednesday afternoon, the store’s door was closed and locked.
“Closed per order of the City of Bridgeport Health Department,” one sign on the door read.
“Sorry we are closed,” read a second, handwritten sign.
It was unclear how long the deli must remain closed, but it will at least be closed until the health code violations are fixed and the establishment is re-inspected by the city’s health department.
Bridgeport’s Director of Public Health and Social Services Martiza Bond — who was among the city officials and police officers to gather outside the deli Wednesday to announce the closure — said Sunshine Deli has been a chronic problem for the health department.
“At the end of the day, no resident, no community member should be accepting any sub-par services,” Bond said. “Their health violations were so significant that we had to close them down. That already, is an alarming issue. It’s a chronic condition; it’s not an issue that arose overnight.”
Passerby Sonny Thompson, who said he frequents the shop, tried to pull on the door handle when he found out it was closed. He did not comment on the health violations, but said activity at and outside the store “wasn’t that bad.”
The city did not immediately provide the list of health code violations, but Bond cited failure to keep proper food...
NEW HAVEN — An Ansonia man confessed Wednesday to distributing fentanyl and crack cocaine throughout the Bridgeport area.
Kentwan Robinson, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing fentanyl, one count of distributing crack and fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl at New Haven Superior Court Wednesday.
Investigators first learned in November 2018 that Robinson, who also goes by the name Thomas Robinson, was selling fentanyl in Bridgeport. Over the next three months, officers conducted three separate controlled purchases of fentanyl off Robinson. During one buy, police said, Robinson also sold some crack cocaine.
Robinson was arrested during a raid of his Ansonia residence on Feb. 6. Officers found 10 grams of fentanyl and $1,800 in cash during the arrest.
Robinson, who has been detained since his arrest, is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 23. He faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.
Northbound traffic is moving slowly but surely Wednesday afternoon, despite the looming threat of severe thunderstorms.
Commuters coming home from the city will see traffic begin to slow down around Exit 7 in Stamford on Interstate 95, according to the Department of Transportation’s estimates at 3:45 p.m. From there, drivers will be stuck around 30 mph until Exit 12 in Darien, where it appears travel will again slow down to the teens. Speed won’t pick up until Exit 24 in Fairfield, according to the DOT.
Drivers on the Merritt Parkway look to be in for a similar ride, with traffic spreading from North Stamford up to Bridgeport.
As of 3:45 p.m., all Metro-North trains to and from New Haven appear to be moving on schedule.
MONROE — The town’s volunteer fire department has added six junior firefighters to its ranks.
A post on the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department web site explained that the juniors are high school students who “who learn the basics under the supervision of our experienced firefighters.” According to the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department web site, juniors are usually 16 and 17 years old and many become probationary firefighters within the department once they turn 18.
Many of the department’s current volunteers first entered the service as junior member.
At the station, duties of the Juniors include cleaning of the trucks,equipment and buildings. At emergency scenes, duties are limited to exterior operations, including retrieving tools from the firetruck, setting up scene lighting, advancing hose lines, replacing air bottles, and scene clean up.
The Facebook post states that, on Tuesday night, the junior firefighters practiced hose stretches using the department’s prop device. Juniors wear distinctive blue helmets to differentiate their qualification level.
“Glad to see a motivated group of young people spending their summer productively,” the post reads.
The volunteer fire department has served the town since 1923.
A Fairfield County man is suing the electronic cigarette giant Juul after he claims an addiction to the product led to a massive stroke in 2017.
Maxwell Berger, 22, filed the lawsuit on July 8 in San Francisco County Superior Court. In the suit, he claims to have become addicted to the product in his senior year of high school in 2015, when he was enticed to try the product with tasty flavors like mango.
The suit claims Berger soon became addicted to the product, which led to a massive hemorrhagic stroke in July 2017 that led to three separate brain surgeries and over 100 days in the hospital. The medical emergency left him with left-side paralysis, speech impairment and a 50 percent loss of vision in both eyes, the suit said.
At the time of the stroke, Berger was consuming two Juul-pods a day, which translates to about four full packs of regular cigarettes, according to the suit.
Berger, who is represented by Lieff Cabraser, filed the lawsuit on July 8, claiming that the company’s targeting of young teens with deceitful ad campaigns that gloss over the its products’ harmful effects contributed to his medical episode.
“We are hoping that Juul takes responsibility for its conduct in targeting and luring young people to use its very dangerous products, and that they are held accountable for fair and reasonable compensation to this young man,” said Lieff Cabraser partner Sarah R. London, who represents Berger, on the firm’s website.
Widespread media attention has been building around Juul e-cigarettes, focusing on new studies and reports of serious dangers and heightened risks associated with Juul products, particularly for users under the age of 26.
Juul products are especially popular among young...
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 9 p.m.
The watch issued at 1:15 p.m., says showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 3 p.m.
Some of the storms could produce gusty winds and heavy rain.
Track the storms on radar here.
DERBY — Griffin Hospital is accepting registrations for its free, 10-week “Mini-Med School” course that begins Thursday, Sept. 5.
Specifically designed for the layperson with little or no medical background, Mini-Med School provides an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how the human body works, insight into common disorders of the various organ systems, as well as information about disease prevention.
This free course will be conducted over 10 consecutive weekly sessions. Griffin Hospital physicians serve as faculty, covering a wide range of topics, including anatomy, primary care, cardiology, endocrinology and orthopedics. Each weekly session will be divided into two hour-long presentations on different medical topics, with a refreshment break between presentations and ample time for questions and answers.
The program meets from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the hospital’s Meditation and Learning Center, 130 Division St., Derby. The Mini-Med School will culminate with a “graduation” ceremony for participants on Nov.21. The course is comprehensive and the knowledge base is cumulative, so those participants who attend all sessions will gain the most benefit.
There is no fee to enroll in the Mini-Med School, but space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. To register, visit the events calendar at griffinhealth.org or call 203-732-1511.
BRIDGEPORT — Supporters are invited to cheer on swimmers in St. Vincent’s 32nd SWIM Across the Sound Marathon, which takes place Saturday.
About 100 swimmers will swim across Long Island Sound, accompanied by a fleet of 65 escort boats and 20 law enforcement boats. The event raises money and support for the thousands of people who are battling cancer and their families.
As the swimmers make their way across the Sound, supporters are invited from 2 to 6 p.m. to cheer them on as they make their final approach to Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport. The dockside celebration is free and open to the public. The maritime amusement center will offer music, entertainment and vendor booths, and the boardwalk shops and restaurant will be open, too. Children of all ages can partake in face painting and balloon art.
Swimmers come from towns across Connecticut, our surrounding states, and as far away as Texas, Tennessee and Florida. The fastest swimmers are expected to start crossing the finish line around 2:30 p.m., depending on the weather. Things will really heat up after 4 p.m when the bulk of the swimmers will finish.
At 15.5 miles, the SWIM is one of the longest challenges on the World Open Water Swim Association Top 100 list. The marathon, which begins at West Beach in Port Jefferson, N.Y., and culminates at Captain’s Cove, includes solo swimmers, two-person relays, and four to six member relay teams. Universities and corporations also form relay teams.
Individual swimmers and relay teams must raise a specified minimum amount of money to participate. Boat captains donate their time and fuel for the day to escort swimmers or serve as perimeter boats. All net proceeds are used to help individuals and families who are battling the many...
BRIDGEPORT — In a Tuesday night accident a car went off the road and struck Tony’s Smoke Shop, according to News 12.
Officers responded to the area of 2742 E. Main St. and a party had to be extricated from the car, said Police Spokesman Terron Jones.
The traffic reconstruction team was notified and responded to the scene based on the parties’ injuries.
The number of people in the vehicle and the extent of injuries sustained in the incident were not clear based on initial reports.
There was no word on the cause of the accident.
Jones said additional details will be available later Wednesday.
STAMFORD — The next court date in Fotis Dulos’ criminal case has been pushed back due to his lawyer’s schedule.
The estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos, charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in connection with her May 24 disappearance, was due in court on Friday.
But he’s now scheduled to come into court a week later, on Aug. 9.
His lawyer, Norm Pattis, said he’s handling a trial in Waterbury that necessitated the change.
According to arrest warrants, two people resembling Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were seen stopping along a four-mile stretch of Albany Avenue in Hartford around the same time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing May 24.
But Pattis has questioned the evidence in the case in a request to the judge to dismiss the charges.
In a motion to dismiss hindering prosecution and evidence tampering charges against Fotis Dulos, Pattis said prosecutors turned over discovery to him last week consisting only of 26 CDs containing videos “purporting to show the defendant.”
Surveillance videos depict Fotis Dulos tossing garbage bags that were later found to contain his wife’s blood, according to arrest warrants.
Pattis, who said the defense team couldn’t open some of the videos and would need them copied again, said he...
By Aileen D. Bastos
Daniel Wadsworth, one of the first major arts patrons in the United States, founded the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in 1842. Today, it is the oldest, continuously operating public art museum in the US.
Its collections of nearly 50,000 works of art span 5,000 years and feature drawings, paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. On display, and in storage, are Greek and Roman antiquities; European decorative arts; Baroque and Surrealist paintings; Hudson River School landscapes; European and American Impressionist paintings; modernist masterpieces; Ballets Russes costumes and drawings; American colonial furniture and decorative arts; the Samuel Colt firearms collection; costumes and textiles; African American art and artifacts; and contemporary art.
E.B. & E.C. Kellogg, Wadsworth Atheneum, Main Street, Hartford, ca. 1842-1848, lithograph – Connecticut Historical Society and Connecticut History Illustrated
The Wadsworth Atheneum is comprised of five connected buildings. The first is the 1844 Gothic Revival Wadsworth building, designed by architects Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis. It originally housed an art gallery, the Connecticut Historical Society, and the Young Men’s Institute (which later became the Hartford Public Library), and the Natural History Society. The second building, the Tudor Revival Colt Memorial, built in 1910, and the third, the Renaissance Revival Morgan Memorial, constructed from 1910 to 1915, were designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris and provided additional space for the growing fine arts collection.
The Avery Memorial opened in 1934 and was the first American museum building fashioned in the International Style. By 1964, the institutions not affiliated with the art museum had moved to other Hartford locations. When the Goodwin building, designed in a late modernist style, opened to the public in 1969, the entire facility was devoted to the fine arts.
The Wadsworth Atheneum’s art gallery developed slowly during its early years. The collection consisted mostly of history paintings, portraits, and American landscapes by artists such as John Trumbull, Thomas Cole, and Frederic Church, along with examples of Victorian era sculpture. The museum entered a period of rapid growth in 1889 when the Goodwin and Morgan families spearheaded a public fundraising campaign for a renovation and expansion program. In 1905, the museum received a generous donation when Elizabeth Hart Jarvis Colt bequeathed over 1,000 objects—including Hudson River School paintings, decorative works, and the firearms collection of her late husband Samuel Colt—as well as funds for the construction of the Colt Memorial.
The eastern extension of Morgan Memorial, 1912 – Connecticut Historical Society and Connecticut History Illustrated
In 1907 Hartford native J. Pierpont Morgan offered to build the Morgan Memorial, and in 1917, JP Morgan Jr. presented the museum with his father’s collection of ancient bronzes, Renaissance majolica, 17th-century ivories and silver gilt objects, and Meissen and Sèvres porcelains. In 1926 Morgan purchased the preeminent Wallace Nutting collection of American “Pilgrim Century” furniture and decorative arts for the Wadsworth Atheneum. In 1927 the bequest of Hartford banker Frank C. Sumner established the Ella Gallup Sumner and Mary Catlin Sumner Collection fund, in memory of his wife and sister-in-law. This fund continues to enrich the museum’s holdings by enabling it to purchase paintings of the highest quality. The Wadsworth Atheneum used these funds to become the first US museum to acquire works by Caravaggio, Miró, Mondrian, Balthus, Harnett, Cornell and DalÃ.
The modern history of the Wadsworth Atheneum began in 1927 with the appointment of A. Everett “Chick” Austin Jr. as director. During his 17-year tenure, Austin founded the museum’s collection of European paintings, especially in the baroque field, and acquired masterpieces by leading modernists. He also introduced other art forms new to the museum world: music, dance, theater, film, and photography. In the 1930s, the Wadsworth Atheneum presented America’s first major Italian Baroque exhibition, its first Surrealist show, and its first comprehensive Picasso retrospective.
C. Cunningham, director from 1946 to 1966, enriched the Italian, Spanish, and Northern baroque collection with works by such artists as Panini, Zurbarán, Ribera, and Hals. He built the French Impressionist collection with major works by Monet, Renoir, and Pissarro; added to the holdings of English art with J.M.W. Turner, Wright of Darby, Holman Hunt, and Stanley Spencer; and expanded the American collection with paintings by Winslow Homer, George Inness, Thomas Eakins, and Andrew Wyeth.
In 1966 James Elliot became director and during his 10-year tenure developed the contemporary collection, in particular, presenting innovative programs of theater, music, and dance. In 1975 he founded the MATRIX program of focused exhibitions, performances, and lectures reflecting diverse trends in contemporary art. MATRIX has presented, often for the first time, more than 160 emerging artists, many of them well-known today.
Two boys in workroom Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford – Hartford Public Library, Hartford History Center, Hartford Times Collection and Connecticut History Illustrated
Between 1977 and 1987, director Tracy Atkinson helped establish the Amistad Foundation, now the Amistad Center for Art & Culture, a sister organization that is a unique repository of African American art and artifacts. Patrick McCaughey became director in 1988 and served until 1996. He appointed the first Curator of African American Art, acquired important European and American paintings, and oversaw the building of the Helen and Harry Gray Court. McCaughey dramatically increased the museum’s international audience, sending large portions of its permanent collection for exhibition to Paris and Japan as well as launching and supporting the first major Australian-American landscape exhibition.
Peter C. Sutton became director in 1996 and created the first monographic exhibition of the Dutch master Pieter de Hooch in 1999. Sutton launched a series of exhibitions inspired by the permanent collection that combined originality with broad popular appeal, including DalÃ’s Optical Illusions and The Impressionists at Argenteuil. During his tenure the museum purchased important works of art ranging from baroque master Valerio Castello to Andy Warhol.
Beginning in 2000, directors Kate Sellers and Willard Holmes led the museum during a period in which large portions of the its American and European collections traveled throughout the United States and Europe to unprecedented acclaim. In February 2008, Susan Lubowsky Talbott, previously director of Smithsonian Arts at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, was appointed the Wadsworth Atheneum’s 10th director. Her aims have included developing new programs and exhibitions that are both engaging and intellectually exciting, expanding the collections through significant acquisitions, and creating partnerships and collaborative projects with a broad range of community groups in order to make the Wadsworth Atheneum an even more inclusive and welcoming institution.
Aileen D. Bastos, a former staff member of the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, holds a BA in museum studies and art history from Regis College in Massachusetts and is pursuing her MA in public history at Central Connecticut State University.
ANSONIA — Mayor David Cassetti said he is not going to rush to nominate a replacement for John Izzo as a city representative and co-chairman of the Ansonia-Derby Temporary School Regionalization Committee.
“I think it should wait until after the November elections,” Cassetti said. “It’s only three months away and the committee may only meet two or three times before then.”
On Wednesday night the Ansonia Board of Education is expected to accept Izzo’s resignation.
“I anticipate that we will appoint his replacement and it will be a Republican,” said William Nimons, the school board’s president.
All this comes as a result of a Derby Police Department internal affairs investigation into Izzo’s work as an auxiliary officer there. It was alleged that Izzo, while working as an auxiliary, gave his phone number to a teenage girl at an event after speaking to her and a friend. As a result of that investigation, Izzo resigned from the auxiliary position.
On Monday, he sent a letter of resignation from the Ansonia school board to Nimons.
Izzo is a registered Republican and supporter of Cassetti. During the last two years Izzo frequently clashed with the Democratic majority on issues regarding school board policy, contracts and spending.
His resignation from the Ansonia Board of Education necessitates his removal from the regionalization study committee.
State statutes require that two Board of Educations members from both Ansonia and Derby be among the...
NEW MILFORD — Route 202 is closed at Hipp Road due to an overturned dump truck, the state Department of Transportation said.
The accident was reported around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday and police said the cause is unknown.
Authorities also said no one was injured in the incident.
On the last day of July, it will be warm and humid with a chance of showers and thunderstorms that could bring heavy rain and gusty wind.
It’s the kind of weather that we’ve had all month.
July’s temperatures have averaged about four degrees above average and thunderstorms have dropped nearly a month’s worth of rain in a few hours.
After days of hot and humid weather, a cold front will approach from the west which will allow showers and thunderstorms to develop during this afternoon and into this early this evening.
“Any thunderstorms will be capable of producing locally heavy rainfall, along with strong gusty winds,” the National Weather Service says.
“It will be warm and humid today with temperatures mainly in the middle and upper 80s. The humidity will make it feel like it is in the lower 90s across parts of the region. Any showers and thunderstorms will end from west to east during late this evening and into the overnight.
“Weak high pressure will begin to build just west of the region on Thursday. This will allow slightly less humid air to work in on alight north to northwesterly flow. Temperatures will average closer to normal and it will be a bit more comfortable. The dry weather will continue into Thursday night and Friday with seasonable temperatures.”
July’s weather numbers
Rainfall: Rainfall was above average with some areas getting double the amount of rain in an average July.
The heaviest rainfall came from thunderstorms on July 11, 17, 18, 22 and 23.
Rainfall amounts varied greatly from the thunderstorms with some towns getting a deluge, while others got nothing.
According to the Northeast Regional Climate...
BRIDGEPORT — A $2.5 million gift — that was really an I.O.U from the city to the Beardsley Zoo — helped Mayor Joseph Ganim be declared a hero among tiger lovers on Monday.
By the same token it had some supporters of the cash-strapped school district ready to pounce.
“I wish the Mayor loved our students as much as he loves tigers, or at least pretends he does,” an incensed Joe Sokolovic, secretary of the city school board said. Sokolovic’s reaction on social media was a bit more salty.
Others were left scratching their heads.
“I love the tigers at the zoo, they have a nice habitat right now ... while our kids are losing valuable teachers and basic essentials at the schools!” said Keyla Medina Rentas, a parent.
And still others sought clarification.
A quick email from City Council Member Pete Spain to City Budget Director Nestor Nkwo helped 130th representative confirm what he suspected.
“The $2.5 million will be paid out of the 5-year capital budget, specifically from Fiscal Year 2021,” said Spain in an email. “The line item is "Beardsley Zoo Improvements."
So what if the announcement was made two years in advance. It’s an election year. Mayor Ganim is on the campaign trail for another term. Monday, as it turns out, was International Tiger Day.
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s, located in the Park City, has three endangered Amur tigers and there has been a campaign to build a new habitat for them.
Pamela Hope (Kochiss) Werth first stepped forward with the first $1 million pledge for a new tiger habitat. Others have chipped in. The city’s announced contribution will allow architect’s renderings to be finalized, and construction to...
MONROE — The town Parks and Recreation Department is hosting tennis camp during the month of August.
Weekly sessions are offered at the Wolfe Park Tennis Courts, where participants will learn a different stroke daily. Lessons include instruction on the forehand, backhand, serve and volley. Children can either participate in a cross-training component or an optional pool break.
Cross-training will include games such as soccer and kickball to facilitate coordination as well as improve endurance. Match Play will be offered as an option in addition to field games.
The U.S. Tennis Association’s 10 and under tennis Match Play, designed for the junior player, will be played on a modified court with tennis balls designed for their specific skill level. This will provide players with an opportunity to play real tennis and learn the rules of the game.
Children will receive a minimum of two hours on-court instruction each day and should bring a nut-free snack daily.
Camp sessions run from Aug. 5 to 8 (Aug 9 rain date) and from Aug. 12 to 15 (Aug. 16 rain date). Junior Camps (for kids from 5 through 16) meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fees vary. Visit the parks and recreation web site for details.
More factory and warehouse closures are on the horizon for Shelton-based Hubbell Inc.
The electrical products manufacturer is looking to reduce roughly 10 percent, or 1 million square feet, of its footprint of manufacturing and warehouse space, according to officials during a Tuesday morning quarterly earnings conference call.
“We ramped up footprint consolidation efforts in the second quarter with more to come in the second half (of 2019),” said Hubbell president and CEO Dave Nord during the conference call.
Hubbell plans to invest roughly $60 million over the next two years to consolidate larger warehouses and facilities. About half of that investment is expected to help with efforts this year, according to Dan Innamorato, director of investor relations for Hubbell
He said the company already has roughly 10 active projects planned that would consolidate 500,000 square feet of space during the remainder of 2019. Neither Nord nor Innamorato commented on where the projects are located.
Hubbell has 75 factories and distribution facilities worldwide and nearly 20,000 employees.
The Shelton-based company announced in June that it would shut down its electrical component’s factory in Newtown and its Burndy plant in Bethel in coming months, eliminating 194 jobs.
The Newtown plant, which is the manufacturer’s largest in the state, employs 140 people; the Bethel facility employs 54.
Most of the work will move to a larger Hubbell facility in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico. Most of the work at the Burndy plant, which Hubbell acquired in 2009, will move to Alabama.
Hubbell earned a net of $96 million last quarter, or $1.75 a share, compared with $100 million, or $1.82 a share, in...
MONROE — The Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Turnpike, will host a program on making lotus lanterns from 6 to 7:15 p.m. Monday.
The program is for adults and teens in the eighth grader or older. Members of the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project will be on hand to help participants make a lotus flower lantern using colorful paper and wire frames.
Books on Korean history and culture will be handed out for free. After the class, short documentaries on Korea will be shown and traditional Korean refreshments will be served. The event is full, but those who fill out a registration form will be put on a waiting list.
TRUMBULL — Two Bridgeport women were arrested for shoplifting from the Trumbull Mall Wednesday evening after one pepper sprayed a security guard while trying to escape, police said.
Around 8 p.m., Shazia Depass, 21, and a female juvenile selected more than $500 worth of Macy’s merchandise and left the store without paying.
Macy’s and mall security confronted the pair in the parking lot, where Depass was detained.
When a Macy’s security officer attempted to apprehend her, the juvenile pepper sprayed him and a struggle ensued.
Both women were held for the police and the security guard was treated on scene by Trumbull EMS.
The juvenile was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital to be treated for minor injuries sustained in the altercation.
Depass was charged with fifth-degree larceny and released on a promise to appear in court Wednesday.
The juvenile was charged with third-degree robbery and fifth-degree larceny.
She was released to the custody of a relative on a promise to appear in juvenile court Aug. 7.
Macy’s security later recovered all of the clothing stolen from the store.
There still hasn’t been any West Nile Virus detected in Connecticut’s mosquitoes — a phenomenon that at least one local scientist said he was somewhat anticipating.
Theodore Andreadis is director of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, which runs the state’s mosquito trapping and testing program. He said, at the start of this season, he expected that West Nile might not be as rampant this year, as last season was the worst in the state’s history for the mosquito-borne illness.
“So many birds (which play a role in spreading West Nile) were exposed last year, so there may be some herd immunity,” Andreadis said.
Last year, there was a total of 393 positive mosquito samples collected from 65 sites in 53 municipalities. The state reported 23 human cases of West Nile, and one death — the first since 2006.
Andreadis said the number of Culex pipiens mosquitoes, which are the main mosquitoes that carry West Nile, has also been low this year, which might be another reason why virus activity has been stagnant so far.
Another expert from the agricultural station, Philip Armstrong, echoed Andreadis’s thoughts that the low numbers of Culex mosquitoes could be responsible for what is likely just a late start to West Nile season — which he expects to pick up soon.
“In prior years, we have had a similar slow start but virus activity can ramp up very quickly,” said Armstrong, a virologist and medical entomologist, in an email. “I expect the numbers of Culex pipiens to increase with the onset of hot weather in July and that could lead to an increase in WNV activity.”
West Nile activity is already increasing elsewhere in the country, including nearby Massachusetts, New Jersey and New...
If P.T. Barnum had actually run, there might have been a President of the United States from Bridgeport.
It was a real possibility, as an article in the New Yorker details.
“Toward the end of his life, Barnum toyed with the idea of running for President,” the article says. “His running mate, he suggested, should come from a state like Indiana. Barnum called himself the ‘Prince of Humbugs,’ which, generously and perhaps presciently, left open the possibility that one day there would arise a king.”
Born in Bethel, Barnum has long been associated with Connecticut and with Bridgeport. In addition to being a showman — famous now for his “sucker born every minute” quote — Barnum was a politician.
He served two terms in the Connecticut legislature in 1865 as a Republican from Fairfield, and was elected in 1875 as mayor of Bridgeport. He was named after his grandfather, a veteran of the American Revolution, who had bought much of the land around Bethel.
Barnum is buried in Mountain Grove Cemetery.
The New Yorker piece, “What P.T. Barnum Understood About America,” compares the showman, and the tactics he used to gain fame, wealth and power, to those used by president Donald Trump.
“Barnum lied easily and often,” writes Elizabeth Kolbert. “When he was not fabricating, he was exaggerating; he routinely inflated how much he’d spent on his various business ventures. He may or may not have said, ‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity,’ but certainly he believed in this maxim and welcomed any imbroglio that would be noticed by the press.”
MILFORD - A Tennessee man, who police say, broke into a Milford church because he believed the church and its pastor “were supporting and pushing the LGBT agenda,” has been charged with a hate crime.
Charles Yarbrough, 30, of Nashville, was charged with hate crime and and intimidation based on bigotry/bias.
It was his second hate crime arrest in two vandalism incidents at the Mary Taylor Church on Broad Street.
His July 25 arrest is in connection with the June 27 vandalizing of the church. Police said Yarbrough slashed two chairs and a banister inside the church.
Mary Taylor Memorial United Methodist Church in downtown Milford has made a point of proclaiming that it welcomes members of the gay community.
Since February, a colorful sign in front of the church has announced, “To be clear if you are queer LGBTQIA+ you are affirmed here!”
It went up days after a vote at a special General Conference in St. Louis Feb. 23 to 26, when the United Methodist Church voted to strengthen its ban on gay clergy and same-sex marriages. The local church also posted a sign apologizing for that vote.
The Rev. Kristina Hansen at Mary Taylor Church doesn’t think it was necessarily the rainbow colored sign that made the church a victim of a hate crime, but rather the church itself and its views on sexuality. The church has long been an open and affirming church, one that sanctions marriages between those of alternative sexuality, and allows openly gay clergy.
During the first attack on the church on June 27, Yarbrough targeted what Hansen described as church symbols, gouging a huge hole in an antique wooden kneeling rail inside the church, as well as slicing chairs on the church altar.
...MILFORD — A West Haven man is facing multiple drug-related charges after being reported to be asleep behind the wheel Saturday morning, police said.
Investigation in the area of Hawley Avenue and Anderson Avenue led to the arrest of Brian Dorsi, 33, who is accused of operating a vehicle under the influence of narcotics and being in possession of a cut straw and cocaine.
The East Avenue resident is also accused of operating the car with a suspended driver’s license.
Dorsi was charged with driving under the influence, possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, operating under suspension and unsafe movement.
He was held on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 22.
MILFORD — A Stratford man was arrested early July 25 for engaging in a physical altercation with a woman, police said.
Officers arrested Taylor DeCarlo, 34, after responding to the parking lot of Pilot Travel Center, 433 Old Gate Lane, after receiving a report of a possible domestic violence incident.
DeCarlo is accused of physically fighting with the woman while at Cumberland Farms, 258 Boston Post Road, a short while before arriving at the Pilot parking lot.
DeCarlo was charged with second-degree breach of peace.
He was released on a promise to appear in court July 25.
A Bristol man was arrested Friday after being charged with multiple federal child exploitation offenses, said U.S. attorney John H. Durham.
In a federal criminal complaint, it was alleged that Jeffrey Bacon, 60, began communicating with a 15-year-old girl in October 2018 through Kik, a messaging application.
Bacon began messaging the girl after meeting her in a chat group for teens.
“Knowing that she was a minor, Bacon still sent the girl sexually explicit pictures of himself and described various sexual acts that he wanted to engage in with the girl,” said Durham in a prepared statement.
The girl told her mother who then reported the communications to the police.
It is also alleged that on Oct. 30, 2018 a law enforcement officer assumed the girl’s Kik identity to continue correspondence with Bacon.
Thinking he was speaking to the girl, Bacon asked the undercover officer to remind him of her age.
The officer responded with “15.”
Between Oct. 30 and Nov. 1, Bacon repeatedly sent sexually explicit pictures and videos of himself to the undercover officer. He also requested sexually explicit pictures in return.
Bacon also suggested that he and the girl meet in person several times.
He asked the undercover agent if he could pick her up from school and offered to take her to the mall where she could try on clothes while he engaged in a sexual act.
He also discussed going to a motel so he could engage in sexual acts with her.
On Nov. 19, 2018 Bacon was arrested on related state charges.
It is alleged that a forensic examination found images of child pornography, including images depicting prepubescent females...
GREENWICH — Four men were taken into custody early Monday morning and accused of stealing mail in Riverside.
According to the police-report narrative, “At about 2:50 am Monday morning Greenwich police stopped a car in the Riverside section of town for driving without lights on. The car was occupied by four men who were in possession of other people’s mail. Further investigation revealed a device commonly used to unlawfully take mail from postal boxes.”
On of the suspects in the vehicle, Mohamed Bah, 21, of Morris Ave., the Bronx, N.Y., gave false information to officers about his identity, according to police, and was charged with interfering with a police investigation, along with other charges.
Arrested and charged with larceny, possession of burglary tools, conspiracy and criminal attempt at identity theft were: Amadou Diallo, 19, of Southfield Ave., Stamford; Hassan Togo, 20, of Richman Plaza, the Bronx, N.Y.; Mohamed Bah, 20, of Southfield Ave., Stamford.
Stolen mail, especially letters containing credit-card information, can be used in a variety of financial crimes, according to authorities.
Bail was set at $10,000 for the suspects.
By coincidence, Amadou Diallo was the name of a man killed by New York City police officers in the Bronx in 1999. He was a 23-year-old immigrant from Guinea, and police believed he was carrying a gun when he was killed. He was holding his wallet.
A dog found tied to a pole Saturday in West Haven is the most recent incident in a spate of cases of animal abuse and neglect in Connecticut this summer.
The dog, found outside an apartment complex on Campbell Avenue, was tied to the pole with a neck tie.
The day before, another dog, a pit breed, was found tied to a tree in Norwalk’s Cranbury Park.
A note attached to the pit breed’s collar identified her as “Annabell” and pleaded for help.
“To whomever loves dogs,” the note read. “She’s an amazing dog. House trained. Brendal and Bully. Aug. 12 she’ll be 3 years. Human friendly. Dog friendly. All shots and a sweet heart. Her name is Annabell. Couldn’t afford her. Please help.”
It is illegal to abandon animals, animal control officials said.
Another state law prohibits people from tethering a dog to a stationary object “for an unreasonable amount of time.”
Earlier in the month, Woodbridge Municipal Animal Control reported they were helping a dog named “Merritt” who they found July 15 after she was tortured and struck by two vehicles.
“Merritt’s” rear left leg had to be amputated after she was struck twice on the Merritt Parkway, WAC said.
Animal...
For years, a project on a 5-mile stretch of the Merritt Parkway in Fairfield and Westport has caused lane closures and traffic delays.
As the $56.7 million project enters its next phase, commuters can now view live traffic cams in the are most prone to bottlenecks and the biggest delays.
That’s the area between Exit 41 and 42 in Westport caused by construction work and the merging traffic from the two entrance ramps.
The five cameras are found on the project’s web site.
The link - http://www.traffic-asti.com/tcm/default.aspx?id=f8a23c29-ad84-4caf-9ac4-dcdce90bda5a - also includes current sensor data that gives traffic speeds in both directions.
This is the area that will have the most construction activity since the project began in 2017.
The next stage of the work will mean more lane closures and intermittent closure of entrance and exit ramps at Exit 41 and 42 with signed detour routes..
Motorists can expect changes beginning in the southbound direction with lanes shifted to the right side to establish a work zone for construction of median improvements. Concrete barriers will be installed on the left side of the southbound roadway to separate the median construction work area from traffic.
Lanes will remain reduced to 10 feet wide and justified to the right side of the roadway.
Motorist can anticipate similar traffic alignment changes occurring in the northbound direction as shoulder reconstruction work is completed and median reconstruction begins.
All work will be done with nighttime lane closures.
The project will improve a 5-mile section of the Merritt Parkway and restore 11 historic bridges (over and underpasses) from the Newtown...
BRIDGEPORT — Police are investigating two male victims that sustained gunshot wounds to their legs Monday night, according to dispatch reports.
The incident occurred near Grant Street and both victims transported themselves to Bridgeport Hospital.
This shooting follows the recent homicide of 32-year-old Dathan Gray, who was fatally shot Saturday in the East End.
Gray is the city’s 12th homicide of 2019 and the third in July.
Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Monday’s shooting.
By Graham Stinnett
Since Chuck Berry did the duck walk and Elvis swung his hips, Rock ‘n’ Roll became the sound of youth rebellion against codes of conduct in post-war America. As the radical 1960s waned and the troubled 1970s bore on, through economic downturn, military withdrawal from Vietnam, and political malaise, Rock ‘n’ Roll came to represent, for some, a tired, moneyed, and virtuosic expression that no longer possessed counter-cultural credibility. The discontented youth of the 1980s scraped its collective nails against the pearly white billboards of America. With intentional tonal simplicity, quickened riffs, and biting attitudes towards the normative, an aggressive genre of music became the banner charge against all limitations to personal expression.
Across the US and even here in the land of steady habits, hardcore punk rockers occupied venue spaces, spectators became performers, pools became skate parks, and Xerox machines became the printing press in this underground renaissance. Modes of production formerly held in the hands of publishers, record companies, and band agents were seized and stripped down with a do-it-yourself sneer. Actively expressing opinions through fanzines, forming bands, making clothes, collectivizing venues, spray painting, skateboarding and just scrapping by—these formed the tenants of the underground punk and hardcore scenes that thrived in Connecticut during the late 1970s into the ‘80s.
From hand-drawn flyers and venue calendars, to fanzines, posters, and photographs, the Joe Snow Punk Rock Collection, which is held in the Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries, speaks to the DIY—do it yourself—spirit so essential to the hardcore punk ethic. In addition to buttons and other ephemera, the collection also preserves the music that galvanized fans. From home recordings to studio sessions, the media formats that area bands used to circulate their music included CDs and audio cassette tapes as well as vinyl LP (long-play) and 45-rpm records. The collection also includes documentation related to Incas Records, a West Haven-based recording label started by members of the band Lost Generation.
So, what can a collection like this tell us about Connecticut history? Seen within the larger context of radical social movements since the late 1960s, it provides an opportunity to examine and understand punk rock as more than a musical genre. With its sociological and economic overtones, this underground do-it-yourself youth culture marks a transition from one generation’s revolt, sparked in 1968, to a very different but no less vibrant social movement that took localized forms in response to the times in which a new generation came of age.
Graham Stinnett, Archivist of the Human Rights Collections at the Archives & Special Collections, Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries, co-curated the exhibition Out of the Frame: Alternative Arts of the 1980s (March 3 to May 11, 2014), which features materials from The Joe Snow Punk Rock Collection.
DANBURY — Police activity on Route 7 Tuesday morning resulted in the closure of the southbound Exit 10 ramp, said the state Department of Transportation.
Connecticut State Police said there was an accident but could provide no further information.
There was no word on whether anyone was injured.
The incident was reported at 7:55 a.m.
MERIDEN — A truck accident on Interstate 691 Tuesday morning caused eastbound traffic congestion, according to the state Department of Transportation.
The box truck accident, reported at 6:52 a.m., closed the right lane of the roadway and slowed traffic for 3.6 miles between exits 3 and 5.
News 12 reported that the truck had rolled over down the embankment near Exit 5.
There is no word on whether anyone was injured.
The cause of the accident was not reported.
Connecticut may rank eighth in overall child well-being nationwide but today’s children still face steep economic and financial obstacles.
So say representatives of the Connecticut Association for Human Services about the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 30th annual KIDS COUNT report released this month.
“Indicators show a relatively stable Connecticut that is gradually improving,” said Sheryl Horowitz, chief of research for the Association. “The problem is that this is not the whole story. Connecticut’ s large percentage of white residents, present in many of our towns projects an overall image of well-being for its children. The real story however, is found below the surface, within its racial and ethnic groups.”
In three of the four measures, black and Latino children are consistently scoring between 10 to 30 percentage points lower than their white counterparts.
The association plans a press conference Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford to discuss the findings.
Expected participants include Commissioner of Early Childhood, Beth Bye; Steven Hernandez, the executive director of the Commission on Women Children and Seniors, and Merrill Gay, Executive Director of the Early Childhood Alliance.
According to the report, Connecticut ranks eigth overall when health, education, economic well-being and family and community circumstances are considered.
Connecticut had its best showing in education, ranking third nationwide, due in larger part to having only 65 percent of three and four-year-olds in preschool. Also more high school students graduate on time. But the number of eighth graders proficient in math is down from a decade ago and racial and ethnic disparities...
SHELTON — BIC Celebrated its 49th Annual Scholarship Awards ceremony at its North American headquarters this month by honoring the academic achievement of 34 children of BIC North America employees.
The scholarships are awarded annually and are based on the students’ scholastic achievements, community service and an essay submission. Each recipient received a $2,000 scholarship.
Several local residents are among the recipients of scholarships, including Anthony Abed of Stratford, Katerina Spanolios of Bethany, Alyssa Carrano of Branford, Olivia Ceballos and Victoria Ceballos of Bridgeport, Patrick Agonito of Fairfield, Anthony Marzitelli, Danielle Marzitelli and Christa Marzitelli of Madison, CT; Jonathan Feher, Elizabeth Hull, Olivia Keator, Emma Lucas and Sophie Lucas of Milford; Peter Westphal of Monroe, Alison Bodyk of Naugatuck, Carly Brown of North Haven, Christina Brown of Shelton, Minna Holleck and Brooke Tweedie of Southbury, CT, Frank Cioffi and Alex Jackel of Trumbull, John Lewis, Lauren Lewis, Leah Lewis and Adam Shea ofWest Haven and Benjamin Crosby of Weston
BIC supports education through The BIC Corporate Foundation, employee time and matched financial donations. It has awarded well over $2 million in scholarships since its implementation.
With hot and humid conditions Tuesday, the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory and an Air Quality Alert for most of Connecticut.
Fairfield, northern Middlesex and New Haven counties will have unhealthy air with elevated levels of ozone.
The Heat Advisory was issued because the heat index will reach between 93 and 97 degrees. Peak temperatures are expected between 1 and 5 p.m., according to the NWS hourly forecast.
A Heat Advisory is issued when the combination of heat and humidity is expected to make it feel like it is 95 to 99 degrees for two or more consecutive days, or 100 to 104 degrees for any length of time.
The heat advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On Monday high temperatures were 94 at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, 93 at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford; 91 at Tweed-New Haven Airport in East Haven; 90 at White Plains airport, near Greenwich; and 89 in Danbury.
With the extreme heat and humidity, seniors and those with chronic health problems or mental health conditions are at an increased risk. The NWS says homes without air conditioning can be much hotter than outdoor temperatures. “Use air conditioning to stay cool at home, or go to a place that has air conditioning. Check on vulnerable friends, family members and...
STRATFORD — The Stratford Library, 2203 Main Street, announces that the Hudson Shakespeare Company of New Jersey will return to Stratford on Saturday, August 3 at 2 p.m. for its all-female production of “Coriolanus.”
Performed outside in the library’s scenic back courtyard, the fully-staged and costumed performance is free and open to the public.
Shakespeare’s exploration of military honor, corrupt politics and complicated family relations in “Coriolanus” are shifted from a traditional Roman setting to an ancient, fantasy world with an all-female cast.
Based on the semi-legendary, semi-historical figure of Caius Marcius Coriolanus, this is not yet the Rome of Julius Caesar but tells a hardbitten tale of centuries before the classical republic and eventual empire. It is a country still working itself out.
Director Noelle Fair showcases an Amazonian world taking many influences from both historical (women warrior society of ancient Eastern Europe) and fantasy sources (Wonder Woman, Game of Thrones), underscoring it with it with a percussive and female driven soundtrack.
Written in 1606, “Coriolanus” marks the end of Shakespeare’s high tragedies of “Macbeth” and “King Lear” before moving on to more hopeful redemption stories of “Pericles” and “The Winter’s Tale.”
Hudson Shakespeare Company was begun in 1992 and for 28 seasons has toured free Shakespeare to parks and libraries in northern New Jersey presenting the Bard’s well known and lesser done titles in a variety of settings and periods.
The Hudson Shakespeare Company’s presentation of “Coriolanus” will be held beginning at 2 pm in the Stratford Library’s back courtyard located in the rear of...
HARTFORD — Bodycam videos of a fatal police-involved shooting Friday night show an offier warning a 41-year-old suspect “You’re gonna get shot, bro!” during a struggle after a car chase.
The three shots that rang out immediately after the warning killed Alphonso Zaporta, whose last known address was in Windsor, according to authorities.
The videos were released Monday by Matthew Gedansky, the state’s attorney for the Tolland Judicial District, who is investigating the shooting.
In a prepared statement, Chief State’s Attorney Kevin Kane’s office said about 9:17 p.m. Hartford cops tried to pull over the vehicle Zaporta was driving near Park Terrace.
Three days after the shooting, it is unclear why officers tried to pull the car over, Kane said.
“At this early stage, the facts and circumstances of why this vehicle was stopped have yet to be determined,” he said.
Whatever the reason, Zaporta did not stop, Kane said, and instead fled and tried getting on Interstate 84. His car was stopped after police used “stop sticks” on it, Kane said.
“The driver of the vehicle engaged in a struggle with officers,” Kane said. “During the struggle, the driver gained control of one of the officer’s department-issued firearm. Another Hartford Police detective then fired multiple rounds at the driver. The shots were fatal.”
Another gun found on the floor of Zaporta’s car — a 9 mm loaded with 16 rounds — was found to have been reported stolen out of Springfield, Mass.
“The State’s Attorney extends his condolences to Mr. Zaporta’s family. The investigation is in its early stages and it is not possible to predict at this time how long it will take to...
BRIGEPORT - A local police officer has been arrested for a sixth time.
Steven Figueroa surrendered to police Monday after being told there was a warrant for his arrest.
He was charged with violating the conditions of release and then released after posting $1,500 bond.
He is free on a total of more than $200,000 in bonds.
On July 20, Figueroa, who on administrative leave without pay from the Bridgeport Police Department, was charged by Shelton police with first-degree sexual assault for allegedly raping his former girlfriend, whom he had earlier been charged with assaulting, in his home.
Figueroa has previous arrests in Bridgeport, Stratford and Milford for domestic violence against women. In the new arrest, he is accused of violating the conditions of his conditional discharge with his arrests in June and this month.
Figueroa has six months left on his conditional discharge following his September 2018 conviction for second-degree breach of peace.
In that case, officers were called to a home on Brooks Street in Bridgeport to check on a dispute. When they got there, they said, they saw Figueroa, who was armed, shoving a woman in the street. Police said the victim told them Figueroa, who had been ordered by a judge to stay away from the woman, had been stalking and harassing her and had called her cellphone 67 times.
When the victim of the Brooks Street incident threatened to call police on Figueroa, she told officers Figueroa responded, “My boys are coming and they ain’t gonna do (expletive) to me,” police said.
MONROE — Children ages 8 to 12 can learn and explore the fundamental of Java Programming at “TechStars by Computer Explorers — Dimension Builder: Java Coding in Minecraft” a camp that takes place from Aug. 12 to 15 at Jockey Hollow Middle School in Monroe.
Campers will create a new world in the popular game Minecraft. They will use a Java IDE kit to create a portal in order to enter a new dimension complete with a new biome and their own pet dragon.
Camp is from 9 a.m. to noon each day. The fee is $181 for residents and $199 for non-residents.
For additional program information and registration, visit the Monroe Parks and Recreation website at www.MonroeRec.org.
ORANGE — A Hamden man is facing multiple drug-related charges after the vehicle he was traveling in Sunday night was pulled over, police said.
Officers were dispatched to Marsh Hill Road regarding an erratic driver and arrested James Ardito, 54, who was also in the vehicle.
Authorities discovered that Ardito was in possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia.
He was charged with possession of a controlled substance, intent to sell narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ardito was held on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Monday.
BRIDGEPORT — Six people were rescued from the water Sunday at Bridgeport Harbor, according to News 12 Connecticut.
Firefighters made the rescue near Seaside Park after the group was unable to make it back to shore due to the high tide, the report said.
No one was injured, officials said.
By Gregg Mangan
Salt is a mineral so readily available today that most Americans take it for granted. There is never a question of whether an adequate supply of salt exists or how to go about procuring it. Back in the late 1700s, however, Americans imported large quantities of salt from overseas. During times of war, this resulted in critical shortages of salt that Americans relied on both for seasoning and preserving their food. During these times, well-informed entrepreneurs took to generating domestic supplies to fill the market demand. One of these entrepreneurs was Amos Morris of East Haven.
Morris was a merchant engaged in trade with the West Indies. A direct descendant of mercantile entrepreneurs who left London for Massachusetts in the 1630s, he owned a wharf and large warehouse in East Haven that he utilized to grow his business.
When the Revolutionary War brought a temporary halt to salt shipments from the West Indies, Morris set up an operation to make his own. Setting out a series of wooden vats 30 feet long, 20 feet wide, and 10 inches deep, Morris collected seawater that he turned into salt through the process of evaporation.
“The Ancient Salt Works at Morris Cove” from A Pictorial History of “Raynham” and Its Vicinity by Charles Hervey Townshend
Each saltwater vat had a sliding cover used to protect the salt from rain and wind, as well as to keep dew from accumulating in it at night. After subjecting the water to the sun to promote natural evaporation, Morris utilized five boilers to rid the salt of its remaining water. He stored his product in sheds for a few days to allow the magnesium to drain off before re-dissolving and crystallizing his salt for market. Utilizing this process, Morris produced approximately a quarter of a pound of salt for every gallon of seawater he processed.
Unfortunately for Morris, in 1779, a series of raids along the Connecticut coast by British Major General William Tryon destroyed Morris’s salt manufacturing equipment. With the war ending shortly after, salt imports resumed and Morris never bothered to rebuild his facilities.
During the War of 1812, local residents briefly resumed producing their own salt but with little success. After moving their equipment away from local freshwater sources that compromised their product, a September 1821 storm destroyed the facility and salt production in East Haven ended.
Gregg Mangan is an author and historian who holds a PhD in public history from Arizona State University.
ORANGE — A 48-year-old Waterbury man was arrested and turned over to Orange authorities Saturday night in connection with a theft that occurred last summer, police said.
After taking David R. Hagley into custody, the Waterbury Police Department contacted the Orange Police Department.
Hagley held an active arrest warrant originating from Orange due to an incident that took place at a U-Haul store Aug. 30, 2018.
He was charged with sixth-degree larceny and conspiracy to commit sixth-degree larceny.
Hagley was released on a promise to appear in court Aug. 9.
STRATFORD — The Stratford Health Department has partnered with the American Red Cross this summer to host a blood drive for the public.
The blood drive will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 16 at the Birdseye Municipal Complex, located at 468 Birdseye St.
The American Red Cross is encouraging all residents to attend the event and donate blood to help save the lives of those depending on blood donations.
“Summer is an especially challenging time to collect blood because with all the activities going on, donating may not be at the front of people’s minds. However, hospital patients don’t get to choose when they might need that lifesaving gift. It is the blood already on the shelves that saves lives in times of crisis,” states Kelly Isenor, External Communications Manager for the American Red Cross Connecticut. “The American Red Cross is grateful for the support of agencies like the Stratford Health Department who host blood drives and for the donors who take the time to come out in the busy summer months to ensure the blood supply remains stable and sufficient throughout the year.”
If you are interested in donating blood at the upcoming August event, you can schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-733-2767 or online at www.redcrossblood.org (sponsor code: HealthDept) to select the Stratford Health Department’s blood drive site.
BRIDGEPORT — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo celebrated International Tiger Day Monday with an announcement that they had received more than $3 million to create a new Amur tiger habitat.
The zoo began a campaign to create a new, more spacious home for the endangered species after the birth of four cubs in November 2017, only two of which survived.
Pamela Kochiss Werth, a longtime Bridgeport resident and supporter of the zoo, stepped forward, pledging up to $1 million toward the construction as long as it was matched, said her brother, Ken Kochiss.
“She heard there was a need and wanted to respond,” said Kochiss, who represented the family at the event, of his sister’s donation.
The additional money for the construction project — a whopping $2.5 million — is being donated by the city, Mayor Joe Ganim said.
“People need to know what a great great place this is for children ... and people of all ages to enjoy,” Ganim said.
The donation has already gotten the ball rolling on phase one of the construction, said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho.
A zoo architect has begun developing plans to at least double the size of the current habitat.
The new habitat will increase animal welfare by offering more holding space for the tigers and will also make it easier for the public to view them, Dancho said.
The habitat is currently home to three Amur tigers: A mother, Shangbai, and her two cubs, Zaya and Reka.
Amur tigers, once known as Siberian tigers, are a rare subspecies of tiger native to southeast Russia as well as areas of China and North Korea and are the largest cats in the world.
In the past century, the tiger population has steadily...
With a flip of an oversized light switch, Bridgeport and state officials celebrated the city’s newest industrial landmark.
“It’s not often where you’re able to gather a public-private partnership on multiple levels and as a result see so many positives come out of it,” said Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, during a Tuesday address commemorating the official opening of PSEG’s natural gas-powered Bridgeport Harbor Station 5 overlooking Long Island Sound.
The 485-megawatt plant went online roughly a month ago, providing energy to thousands of homes and businesses throughout the state. It also set in motion plans to retire PSEG’s longstanding coal plant next door, which officials say is scheduled for June 2021
This is a developing story
jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com
FAIRFIELD - The town’s superintendent of public works is accused by police of accepting bribes to allow a local construction company to dump truckloads of demolition material containing high levels of PCBs and lead onto property adjacent to the public works garage.
Fairfield has been locked in a legal battle with Julian Enterprises since May 2017, when the town sued to force the company to pay the town $3 million in damages.
But recently police raided the office of Julian Enterprises on Meadow Street in Fairfield, hauling away boxes of records. Police also obtained records from the Fairfield County Bank in Ridgefield.
“These are simply allegations that haven’t been proven in court, and my client is confident they will be exonerated at trial,” said Julian’s lawyer, Thomas Cotter.
Scott Bartlett, the town’s superintendent of public works, who has not been charged, did not return calls for comment.
“These affiants have probable cause to believe that evidence of a conspiracy between Scott Bartlett and Julian Development personnel to commit environmental crimes as well as larcenies is located in the business offices of Julian Development AKA Julian Enterprises,” states the search warrant application for the company’s office that was obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media.
A plan to recycle
“Statements of town employees suggest that Bartlett was influenced by Julian Management through benefits provided him and/or his son, who is an employee of Julian Development and support the belief that Julian Development...
ORANGE — A Hamden man’s erratic driving Sunday night led to his arrest for drug possession, police said.
After receiving reports of an erratic motorist, officers were dispatched to Marsh Hill Road.
They apprehended Frederick T. Williams, 54, at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel.
Narcotics were observed in plain view in Williams’ vehicle and a controlled substance was found on his person, authorities said.
He was charged with possession of a controlled substance.
Williams posted a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 12.
MONROE — Summer is often seen as a time to relax and let loose, but the Edith Wheeler Memorial Library, 733 Monroe Turnpike, is encouraging tweens to button up a bit this summer.
From 11 to noon Wednesday, children in seventh and eighth grade can make button collages in the Ehlers Meeting Room of the library. Kids can create a pattern, make it sparkly and make it their, while de-stressing at the same time.
Registration is required and is available at the library web site.
COLCHESTER - Police are looking for the burglar who broke into a local frozen custard restaurant early Sunday.
A single male suspect forced entry into Scotties Frozen Custard at 327 New London Road sometime between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m. Sunday, police said.
Video (click here) from the restaurant shows a man wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt and possibly a bandana over his face forcing open a door to get inside. He pulled up minutes before in what appears to be a light-colored, soft-top Jeep that is a model from the mid-2000s, police said.
It is unclear what was taken during the burglary. The time stamp on the video is not accurate police said, but the video was from the burglary that occurred early Sunday.
The store posted a comment about the break-in on their Facebook page, saying that it appeared the burglar wasn't the man's "first rodeo."
The restaurant's response to concerned customers who saw the post was that the frozen custard was not damaged in the break-in.
Anyone who recognizes the man or has any information is asked to call Colchester police at (860) 537-7270.
With a heat index expected to hit 100 degrees, parts of Connecticut are under a heat advisory on Monday.
With the exception of Litchfield County, all of northern Connecticut is under the advisory from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible,” the National Weather Service says. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditionedroom, stay out of the sunshine, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”
Temperatures are expected to feel between 95 and 100 degrees in northern Connecticut and a few degrees “cooler” in southern Connecticut.
The heat index is expected to hit a high of 94 degrees along the shoreline around 4 p.m., according to the hourly forecast. Middletown’s peak index will also be 94 degrees; Danbury and Torrington, 93 degrees; and Litchfield, 91 degrees.
Sea breezes, especially in southwest Connecticut will keep temperatures in the mid to upper 80s.
“High pressure off the East Coast will bring in warm and humid conditions. Highs will reach the upper 80s to lower 90s.. The chance for showers and thunderstorms will decrease tonight and mainly dry conditions are expected after midnight as a disturbance weakens.
“It will continue to be warm and humid, with lows only dropping to the middle to upper 70s in the Connecticut. Warm and humid conditions will continue for Tuesday, with temperatures closer...
NEW HAVEN — Police are investigating the stabbing of a woman that took place Sunday afternoon near a store on Chapel Street.
According to the New Haven Police, at 3:23 p.m. officers responded to the report of the stabbing and found the victim on scene. Police said she had sustained a stab wound to the abdomen. She was taken to by ambulance to Yale New Haven Hospital, where she remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday night.
New Haven Police Investigative Services detectives responded to the scene. Witnesses are asked to call the New Haven Police Detective Bureau at 203-946-6304 if they have any information.
HARTFORD — Connecticut State Police have identified the man who died in an officer involved shooting that took place in Hartford on Friday.
The man, Alphonso Zaporta, 41, of Windsor, was shot following a police pursuit that Hartford Police alleged turned violent.
According to state police, at 9:17 Friday, officers from the Hartford Police Department tried to pull over a vehicle near Park Terrace during a criminal investigation. The vehicle reportedly fled and officers followed the suspect vehicle to the area of the Interstate 84 Westbound on-ramp from Capitol Avenue.
Police said the vehicle came to a stop due to construction traffic and “Stop Sticks” that had been deployed in the area. Hartford officers reportedly tried to approach the stopped vehichle on foot. Police said Zaporta exited the vehicle and surrendered, but then became involved in a physical struggle with officers.
During the struggle, police allege, Zaporta gained control of one of the Hartford officers’ department-issued firearm. Police said a Hartford police detective then fired multiple rounds at the driver. The shots were fatal.
A separate firearm was also located on the driver’s floor, according to state police.
The Connecticut State Police’s Eastern District Major Crime Squad investigated the shooting and State’s Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky is overseeing a use of force investigation.
An autopsy was conducted Sunday and Zaporta was identified as the deceased. Additional testing and findings are pending with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
BRIDGEPORT — An overturned motor vehicle closed part of Route 25 Southbound in the city Sunday evening.
According to the state Department of Transportation, the crash took place between exits 2 and 1 in Bridgeport and was reported at 6:23 p.m. It closed that part of the highway for part of Sunday evening. The accident was expected to be cleared in a half hour or less.
BRIDGEPORT — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, 1875 Noble Ave., is celebrating its big cats Monday with some bookmarks and a special announcement.
Monday is International Tiger Day, meant to raise awareness about tigers across the globe.A post on the Beardsley Zoo Facebook page cites information from National Geographic showing that, in the last century, tiger numbers fell from 100,000 to 3,200, and they now live in only 7 percent of their historical range.
In honor of the tigers and their plight, the zoo is giving away tiger bookmarks at the front gate Monday, and zoo staff will makee a special announcement at noon in front of the tiger habitat. Come see Chang, Reka and Zeka, and learn more about the Amur tiger, and the threats to its survival.
ORANGE — One person went to the hospital following an accident on the Housatonic River Sunday afternoon.
According to a post on the Storm Engine ambulance company Facebook page, that company, which is in Derby, was dispatched shortly after 2:30 p.m. to assist Shelton with a water rescue for a party who was injured while using a rope swing on the Orange side of the Housatonic River.
Before personnel made contact with the patient, the post read, units were diverted to the cemetery on Derby Milford Road in Orange and other units were added to the assignment to assist Orange fire, Shelton Ffre, Shelton emergency medical services, and Stratford with extricating the patient through the woods.
The post states that, following the rescue, a 22 year old male was taken Yale New Haven Hospital with minor injuries.
Echo Hose Ambulance out of Shelton also posted on the incident, thanking “all the First Responders and local boaters who assisted with today’s rescue.”
On July 28, 1863, the Soldiers Monument in the Kensington section of Berlin was dedicated. One of the state’s–and the country’s–earliest monuments commemorating the Civil War, the dedication was held less than a month after the Battle of Gettysburg. Kensington resident Nelson Augustus Moore designed the obelisk. A member of the Hudson River School, Moore was considered an accomplished landscape artist, sculptor, and photographer. The monument was built of brown Portland sandstone as a memorial to Kensington’s fallen and originally honored six men. The sandstone was brought from the quarries in Portland by a sledge, a vehicle mounted on low runners, drawn by 14 oxen to the Bacon quarry in East Berlin to be worked on. Its inscription reads:
ERECTED TO COMMEMORATE THE DEATH
OF THOSE WHO PERISHED IN SUPPRESSING
THE SOUTHERN REBELLION.
“HOW SLEEP THE BRAVE WHO SINK TO REST
BY ALL THEIR COUNTRY’S WISHES BLEST.”
1863
As 2013 and the monument’s 150th anniversary approached, the Kensington Congregational Church, which owns and cares for the memorial, joined with the Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission to gain federal recognition for the monument. They succeeded and the Kensington Soldier’s Monument is now recognized on the National Register of Historic Places as the country’s oldest, permanent Civil War monument.
STRATFORD — Emergency medical personnel in town celebrated a victory in a Facebook post about an overdose victim who was revived with the medication naloxone on Sunday.
According to the post, made Sunday afternoon on the Stratford EMS page, paramedic Mike Battistelli and emergency medical technician Michelle Edler along with operations supervisor Eileen Brophy responded with members of the Stratford Fire Department to the report of a 48 year old overdose.
The post said the patient was not breathing and didn’t have a pulse.Stratford police were reportedly on scene, and had already administered a dose of Narcan, which is the brand name naloxone is sold under. Naloxone is used to block the effects of opioids, particularly in the event of an overdose.
Manual CPR and mechanical ventilation was started by Stratford EMS and fire, according to the Facebook post, while intravenous lines were established and the patient was administered more Narcan.
“Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved and the patient was alert and talking upon arrival at the hospital,” the post read. “This is the way the system is supposed to work and everyone worked together in concert toward this fantastic shared goal! Another amazing job by...
