Quantcast
Channel: NBC Connecticut
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live

Shirt With Old Native American Logo Rekindles Controversy

0
0

Students at Hall High School have started selling and wearing a t-shirt with the mascot's old logo of a Native American to classmates. Critics call it insensitive and racist.

The blue t-shirt shows “The Rez” is written above the logo, which is short for “The Reservation.” The group is known as the school’s student fan section during games.

"The Rez" has been under fire because of the negative connotation that comes with its name. The release of a new shirt has rekindled the conversation about the group's name; its sparked attention on Twitter.

Lakota hip-hop artist, Frank Waln, who spoke to students last school year about the offensive nature of their former mascot logo, tweeted: “I told them that as a native person from an actual Rez, I was offended and angered. None of these kids are native or from a Rez.”

Later, the hip-hop posted: "Americans will fight harder to defend native mascots than they will to defend the lives of actual native ppl (sic) whose land they live on."

This tweet was shared over 1,000 times at the time of this post.

Some students say there needs to be a conversation about a name change of the group to bring inclusiveness.

“A lot of people disagree with the name, a lot of people find it very offensive and racist and have continually gone to them and said this is offensive and we want it changed. Some people aren’t comfortable going to games and being with them rooting for the school because of it,” said student council treasurer, Talia Feldman.

Last year, the high school changed its Warriors Native American mascot logo to a warrior wearing what appears to be a helmet and the letters "HW" for "Hall Warriors".

Some students say the t-shirt shouldn’t be worn.

“They do wear these shirts to school as a way to exercise their right to free speech, that is their argument around that. We’re trying to get around that,” said student, Rachel Corcoran-Adams.

School Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Andrew Morrow told NBC Connecticut in a statement:

The West Hartford Public Schools requires that all school-sanctioned and school-funded clubs and organizations respect diverse cultural values and the importance of inclusion. Unfortunately, a small number of students have chosen to selfishly seek attention by deliberately continuing to promote an unofficial student group with a name and imagery that is inappropriate and racially insensitive. This attention-seeking behavior is deliberately designed to provoke the larger student body and the community.

These students do not represent our schools and the overwhelming majority of our caring and compassionate students. Instead of these actions, we would prefer to be highlighting and congratulating the two Hall High School seniors who were identified this week as National Presidential Scholar Candidates. This prestigious award is a testament to their hard work and dedication and we are proud to have them represent both Hall High School and West Hartford.

Students told NBC Connecticut on Thursday said they hope bringing awareness to the situation will help start of a conversation between students and administration.


This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Escapees May Be in Stolen Van

0
0

A woman who taught English classes at Orange County's Central Men's Jail was arrested Thursday for allegedly helping three inmates escape from the lockup last week, a jailbreak that prompted a massive manhunt throughout Southern California.

Ravaghi Nooshafarin has been teaching English-as-a-second-language classes at the jail since July 2015, according to Orange County Sheriff's Department Lt. Jeff Hallock. She came to the United States after studying in Tehran and Paris. She earned her master's degree in education from Cal State Fullerton, college officials said.

One of the escaped inmates, Hossein Nayeri, 37, of Newport Beach, took her class and developed a relationship with Ravaghi, according to Hallock. Working for the Rancho Santigo Community College district led Noosha, as she is called, to teach English as a second-language class at the Santa Ana Jail. Nayeri took her class.

The exact nature of her alleged assistance was still being investigated, but she is believed to have provided information such as Google maps to Nayeri, the alleged mastermind of the Jan. 22 escape.

Hallock said Ravaghi, a 44-year-old Lake Forest resident who works for the Rancho Santiago Community College District, denied providing Nayeri with any tools used in the escape. It's not immediately clear if she has an attorney.

Hallock said investigators also believe the escaped inmates stole a white GMC Savana utility van from a "private party" on Saturday in the South Los Angeles area, and the inmates may be living out of it.

The van has paper license plates from Felix Chevrolet, with the plate number 8U66466, although the plates may have been removed and replaced, authorities said.

Hallock said around 10 people have been arrested in connection with the escape so far, and several other arrests for unrelated warrants or probation issues have also been made during the manhunt.

The news comes as a rooftop view from the Orange County Jail shows the dramatic six-story drop to the ground that the three inmates took during their escape last week, leading to a manhunt that entered its sixth day Thursday. The inmates somehow made their way to the roof, cut through razor wire surrounding its edge, then rappelled down to the ground, authorities said. The fugitives had a 16-hour head-start Friday when they fled the high-security lockup in Santa Ana.

In addition to Nayeri, the other two escapees were identified as Jonathan Tieu, 20, and Bac Duong, 43. They were awaiting trials for unrelated violent crimes when they vanished from a dormitory they shared with about 65 other men at the jail. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens called the escape "every sheriff's nightmare during a news conference Wednesday when she announced five arrests were made in connection with the investigation.

She declined to provide details about the arrests, but said more are possible in the next few days.

Around 30 warrants have been served since the escape was discovered. Those warrants were served and homes and used to search for electronic devices, such as computers and phones.

The men are believed to have escaped shortly after a 5 a.m. physical body count, one of two that take place each day at the jail. The disappearance wasn't discovered until about 9 p.m., during the second daily head count, which was to have started at 8 p.m. but was delayed by an altercation possibly staged to help delay discovery of the escape, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

Authorities were continuing to investigate whether other inmates had a hand in the escape, notably through the altercation that delayed the 8 p.m. body count.

The men cut through a steel grate, half-inch steel bars and plumbing tunnels early Friday before making their way to an unsecured part of the jail's roof and using makeshift ropes to rappel several floors to the ground.

Nayeri, of Newport Beach, was in custody on kidnapping and torture charges for the abduction of a marijuana clinic owner who Nayeri allegedly drove to the desert and burned with a blowtorch. The victim, his attackers thought he had stashed money in the desert, was also sexually mutilated, prosecutors said.

Nayeri fled the United States to Iran. Authorities do not have extradition agreements with Iran, where Nayeri has family, so investigators used a ruse to get him to the Czech Republic, which is more cooperative with the U.S. for extraditing fugitives, according to Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy. Nayeri was arrested in Prague while changing flights from Iran to Spain to visit family, Murphy said.

Tieu, of Fountain Valley, faces murder and attempted murder charges in connection with a gang hit, prosecutors said, and Bac Duong, of Santa Ana, faces an attempted murder charge and was being held without bail on an immigration hold pending a possible federal deportation hearing.

Duong was ordered deported from the United States in 1998, but remained in the country. His appeal was dismissed and Duong was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in 2003, but later released on an order of supervision. He complied with that order until August 2014, according to ICE, which lodged a detainer against him following his Orange County arrest and sought notification before his release.

Robert Kovacik and City News Service contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

State Worker Rescues Puppy From Busy Ariz. Highway

0
0

An Arizona state worker is being called a local hero after rescuing a small white puppy from the middle of a busy highway, NBC News reported.

Gil Estrada was monitoring Phoenix traffic cameras on Monday when he saw the puppy dodging cars on State Route 51. The puppy stopped when she got to the median, hopped onto the concrete barrier before she made it and lay down.

Estrada rushed into his car and drove to rescue the puppy, who was cowering on the carrier for an hour.

Authorities haven’t been able to find the owner of the puppy, who is now at a shelter, where she was given the name Dottie. 



Photo Credit: Arizona Department of Transportation

Pole Down on Route 12 in Norwich

0
0

Route 12 Northbound between Center and Winchester Roads in Norwich was closed Thursday.

Due to a pole being down, cars were advised to seek another route.

The closure was expected to last up to four hours.

There was no other details available. 



Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Challenger Alternate Thankful He Did Not Make it on Shuttle

0
0

Phillip Dombrowski taught earth science in Newington for 23 years. One of the most exciting moments of that time was when he had the chance to ride on the Challenger in 1986.

He jumped at the chance to apply for NASA's "Teacher in Space" program.

"I got all of the necessary application forms and it was a terribly involved application and that was in the days when it was a typewriter," he said during an interview at his home Thursday.

As a child, Dombrowski became enamored by anything and everything that involved space. His parents bought him his first telescope that he would use outside regardless of the weather.

"I would stand outside in the snow, with boots that didn’t fit, my feet were freezing and I was just in love with astro, the sky and what it could present to me.”

He was eventually selected as the third alternate for the state of Connecticut's entry into the program. Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from Massachusetts who worked in New Hampshire was eventually selected.

Dombrowski doesn't have any illusions about the prospects of making it into space.

"There were people from every state selected as alternates. A third alternate from Connecticut? You’re not going anywhere.”

On the day of the Challenger launch, Dombrowski had a television set up in his classroom to watch the events with his students. They knew he had applied for the seat the McAuliffe occupied.

“There was nothing you could say. The whole thing went to smithereens because of the cold weather that morning down in Florida. They had never had such a heavy freeze. It was a showstopper in the effect that I looked at my class and my class looked at me and there’s nothing that can be said.”

Dombrowski had one thought following the explosion:"That could have been me."
He says hindsight is 20/20 is happy he never made it on board.

He said the accident didn't change his view of NASA or the space program. Today, Dombrowski wishes the United States still sent astronauts into space, and is disappointed country now depends on others to get Americans into orbit.

“Space is so doable now and it’s a political thing and to lose that ability to travel in space and rely on the goodwill of the Russians, that’s a sad statement in my opinion.”



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

2 Injured in Hamden Hit-and-Run

0
0

Hamden police are searching for the car that hit two pedestrians, seriously injuring them, then fled the scene.

Police said the two pedestrians were struck at Dixwell Avenue and Robert Street around 12:57 p.m.

Dixwell Avenue was closed at Robert Street, according to officials. It has since reopened 

Authorities are looking for an older red vehicle, possibly a Saturn or Nissan Altima, with front-end damage, as well as damage to the windshield.

Both victims were sent to Yale-New Haven Hospital with serious injuries. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Hamden Police at 203-230-4000.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

New Haven May Revise Rules for Food Truck Vendors

0
0

At the Lunch Box 23 food truck in New Haven, Maurice Watson and his sister serve all sorts of sliders.

“Anything from burgers to chicken to duck to rabbit,” Watson said, “We try to change it up every other day.”

Watson said he is already paying several city fees to operate outside the Apple store on Broadway.

“The permits are between five and six hundred dollars yearly and that’s through the fire department, health department, the zoning department,” Watson said.

As part of revising the rules for the food truck business, New Haven city officials are considering raising the fees for vendors. Food truck operators like Watson who use metered parking spots may need to pay more than $5,000.

“Any increase would be devastating to my business,” Watson said.

Deputy Director of Economic Development Stephen Fontana is overseeing the overhaul of the ordinances regulating New Haven’s 700 food truck and cart vendors.

“Our current structure for regulating vendors isn’t working,” he said.

The city is receiving public health and safety complaints," Fontana said, adding that some are coming from from brick-and-mortar restaurants that have been around for decades.

“What we’re trying to do is come up with a system whereby we can collect resources to provide that amount of enforcement, cleanliness, safety and inspection,” Fontana said.

The lunch rush at the Yale Whale ice rink is a sign of how the food truck business is booming in the Elm City.

In the line of vendors cooking a variety of international cuisines, David Casner at D&D Confessions sells American favorites like hot dogs and hamburgers.

“If they’re going to use the raising the fees to have better rules and have better enforcement of the rules then I’d be ok with it,” Casner said.

City officials are meeting on Monday Feb. 8 with food truck vendors to get their feedback, Fontana said.

Mayor Toni Harp and the Board of Alders would need to review any proposed ordinance changes for food trucks.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Correction Officer Arrested for Narcotics Possession: Police

0
0

A correction officer is being accused of possessing narcotics and drug paraphernalia, Newington police said. 

Police were responding to a check of welfare complaint at the home of Tashia Rae Andino on Dec. 28.

Newington police found Andino safe but discovered narcotics at the home, police said. 

The 26-year-old has been on on paid leave from the Department of Correction since the arrest, police told NBC Connecticut. 

Andino was released on a $25,000 bond. She is accused of possession of narcotics and intent to sell. 



Photo Credit: Newington Police

Military Fighter Jet Causes Sonic Booms Felt Along Coast

0
0

A U.S. military fighter jet was responsible for sonic booms in New Jersey on Thursday afternoon, the Pentagon said.

The Joint Strike Fighter jet was followed by a chase plane as a spotter, officials told NBC News.

The jet is based at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, officials said. 

Residents of the shoreline reported feeling shaking in Connecticut.

The Town of Madison Twitter account reports receiving calls from Fort Path Road residents around 2:30 p.m. and a Killingworth resident contacted NBC Connecticut to report feeling nine “significant” tremors in the last hour and a West Haven resident reported two unusual tremors.

At least nine sonic booms were recorded in an hour and a half , the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

USGS shows a sonic boom about a mile north-northeast of Hammonton, New Jersey.

NBC Philadelphia reports that residents of the Jersey Shore also felt something shake several times on Thursday.



Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Exclusive: Iran's Supreme Leader Personally Set Conditions for Nuclear Deal

0
0

Ali Akbar Salehi, the energetic, English-speaking head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told NBC News in Tehran how the the historic deal between Iran and the United States came to fruition. 

During the interview Salehi revealed for the first time some of his country's calculations, preconditions and continued mistrust of Washington.

Salehi, who is also one of Iran's vice presidents, said the country's supreme leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khameini, was involved at every step of the way.

During the NBC News interview Salehi also discussed that Washington initiated the talks and that the Iranians had several conditions, including that the talks should be quick and no fall into lethargy. 



Photo Credit: AP

NYC Slasher Suspect Caught

0
0

The slasher who told a subway rider "I will chop you up on this train" before attacking her on a 3 train in Brooklyn Tuesday has turned himself in, police say. 

Police said investigators were speaking to 37-year-old Ras Alula Nagarit on Thursday night, two days after he allegedly hit a 29-year-old woman with an object wrapped in cloth on a train in Prospect Heights. 

Nagarit has been charged with assault, attempted assault, criminal possession of a weapon and menacing. 

The incident was the latest in a string of slashings and stabbings that have shocked New Yorkers recently. The NYPD confirms slashings in the five boroughs were up nearly 15 percent in January over the same month in 2015: there were 249 slashings in January of 2015, compared to 286 so far this month.

Of those, five of the slashings happened on the subway this month, compared to just two in 2015.

Police say most subway slashings are the result of a fight, and that just three people were slashed at random in all of last year. 

"Each one seems to have its own motivation when we make the arrest and get into what was behind it," Bratton said Wednesday. "Sometimes they’re emotionally disturbed persons. So their rationale is beyond rationalization.”

When it comes to subway crime -- most of which is not violent, mainly thefts of bags or cellphones from sleeping people -- NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton says there are already 2,800 officers on patrol underground, with some undercover. He announced Thursday another 1,300 officers will be trained to join the officers on the subway. 

NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Fox took to the trains with NBC 4 New York Thursday to reassure riders the subway is "very safe" but says understands their concerns. 

"It only has to happen once for everyone to see it happening to them. That's where our job is," he said.

With the new officers, "we want to be there to throw off potential criminals," Fox said. 



Photo Credit: NYPD

California Woman Missing

0
0

Authorities were searching for a 38-year-old woman who went missing a few days before her husband's body was discovered in an apparent suicide at their home in Pomona, officials announced Thursday.

Police responding to a suicide call Wednesday found Ivan Zarate dead in his garage at the home he shared with his wife Marisela Fabian Hernandez around 10:30 a.m., according to the Pomona Police Department.

"When I came back I thought somebody broke into my garage because the lock was missing and there he was," said 19-year-old Fernando Zarate, the oldest of four kids in the family. "He was the best."

Police are investigating what they call suspicious circumstances around the disappearance of Hernandez, who failed to report to work on Sunday and has yet to contact her kids or relatives.

Hernandez, who has a history of marital problems with Zarate, has left two or three times before, but is always in contact with her family, according to Marcus Perez of the Pomona Police Department. Hernandez left her car behind and it is unknown how she left her home.

Police say Hernandez may have a boyfriend in Albany, New York after family said that's where she disappeared to last month. 

"I hope she's watching, I hope she can get down here as soon as she can because there's a lot of things that need to be taken care of," Fernando said.

A possible murder-suicide has not been ruled out, police said.

Hernandez is described as 5-foot-3, weighs 133 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information about Hernandez's whereabouts is asked to call the Pomona Police Department at 909- 620-2151.



Photo Credit: Pomona Police Department/DMV

LA Youth Take Super Bowl

0
0

In a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, the youth of South Los Angeles will perform in front of millions alongside a handful of Grammy winners at Super Bowl 50’s halftime show.
The Youth Orchestra Los Angeles is slated to take the stage with its conductor, Grammy winner and LA Philharmonic Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil announced Thursday. The program’s EXPO students will join headlining act Coldplay as well as Beyoncé and Bruno Mars.
The group, comprised of South LA youth aged 6 to 18, will travel up to the Bay Area for the Feb. 7 event and perform live in front of more than 75,000 fans in Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium, as well as millions of viewers across the U.S.
Before landing the halftime show, YOLA has performed to audiences at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Dudamel, who nabbed a Grammy for Best Orchestra Performance in 2012 and contributed to the score for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," hopes YOLA’s performance in Santa Clara will inspire others.
"When we play, it will be for the youth of the world so they can be inspired to create both a better life for themselves and a better future," Dudamel said in a written statement.

Since 2007, YOLA has provided free instruments and after-school support for musical and academic pursuits to more than 700 students in South LA, the Rampart District and East LA. 

Super Bowl City Displacing Homeless

0
0

The homeless in San Francisco said they are being herded out of the Embarcadero as the city prepares to kick off Super Bowl City this weekend.

"We have to get up and move everything right there and then," said Tee, one of the homeless people moved by the city.

Tommy Davis is one of the many homeless in the city who call the tents home along 13th and Harrison streets. Davis said city officials and police are actively moving them away from Super Bowl City.

Davis has been moved twice in the past few weeks, which he said is frustrating. When the tents are moved, some fear belongings will also be thrown away.

"It's the most ridiculous thing," said Tiny Garcia, a homeless advocate. "That's lying to the fans."

Garcia is calling on Mayor Ed Lee and city officials to have a better game plan for the homeless. She said simply removing them from certain areas of town does not solve the problem.

"There's homeless people in San Francisco Super Bowl fans," Garcia said. "Guess what? That's our reality."

San Francisco police said all homeless matters are handled by the Mayor's Office. Calls to the Mayor's Office for comment on the issue have not been returned.



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area

Man Attends Every Super Bowl

0
0

He’s the Super Bowl’s ultimate fan: Larry Jacobson has gone to every single Super Bowl game.

“Fifty years later, I could have investment in an apartment house,” Jacobson said. He belongs to an elite group of fans called “Never Miss a Super Bowl Club.”

The ticket cost 50 years ago? Just $12. The 76-year-old San Francisco resident sat down with NBC Bay Area in his Noe Valley home. He calls the second floor room, adorned with patches from every Super Bowl and shelves full of footballs, his “man cave.”

NBC BAY AREA: How much has 50 Super Bowls cost you?

LARRY JACOBSON: I don’t know and I don’t want to know.

NBC BAY AREA: Then you must be excited you don’t have to travel this year.

LJ: I’m saving money on airfare, rent-a-car and hotel, so yeah I’m saving a few bucks. But the best thing about having the Super Bowl in San Francisco is we get two weeks of hype. I love the energy of the city during the Super Bowl.

NBC BAY AREA: During Super Bowl I, you took a girl on a first date?

LJ: I put the whole thing together for less than $100. That’s the tickets, the airline fair, the rental car, the program, parking at the airport, all that was under a hundred bucks. The tickets were 12 bucks and the program was a dollar. Long of the short was she wasn’t impressed with the football and she wasn’t impressed with me.

NBC BAY AREA: So I take it that was your last date?

LJ: I don’t even remember her name.

NBC BAY AREA: Do you have a favorite Super Bowl?

LJ: I’ve been a season ticket holder of the 49ers since 1953. As a 49ers fan, my favorite Super Bowl is Super Bowl 23. On the last play of the drive, I saw the Niners line up. John Taylor was on the line and I saw him running up and he was running so fast I thought he’d be out of the end zone before Montana found him and threw the ball to him. That just played out right in front of me and I’ll never forget that play. It’s my favorite play of all time.

NBC BAY AREA: Tell me how you met Don, Tom, Stan and Bob – your fellow “Never Miss a Super Bowl Club” members.

LJ: There was a newspaper Q&A, and one of them was: Has anybody been to every Super Bowl? And they named three people, Don, a man named Stan, who has since passed away, and myself. I called Don and we found Tom and Bob, and we all met for Super Bowl 34 in Atlanta. I’d never met these guys before and I didn’t know whether they were going to drink up a storm or what would happen.

NBC BAY AREA: But it sounds like you hit it off with everyone, especially Don.

LJ: I said, ‘Who do you write for?’ He said, ‘I write for the philatelic magazine.’ He writes for a stamp magazine. What the hell is a guy who writes for a stamp magazine doing at the commissioner’s press conference? I said to myself immediately, this guy is a phony. He’s my kind of man.

NBC BAY AREA: Any other antics over the years?

LJ: At Super Bowl 6 in New Orleans, I got arrested. I was parked five feet from the curb, which I guess isn’t okay there. A police officer stopped me and I said, ‘Don’t you think you’re being a little chicken bleep about this? He said, did you call me chicken bleep? I said, yes I sure did. He says you’re under arrest. I bailed myself out. There was a cab out front. I took the cab back to the stadium and actually got back before the game started.

NBC BAY AREA: I’m surprised this is the first year you are receiving free tickets to the game.

LJ: Why? I’m not Avis. I’m not American airlines. I’m not Budweiser. I’m a guy off the street. Nobody comps me anything…until now.

NBC BAY AREA: How many Super Bowls do you hope to go to?

LJ: I’ll go until they put me in a box.


Chicago Police Developing Strategy

0
0

Mayor Emanuel said police are turning to a new strategy to address the spike in crimes during the month of January.

Chicago crime is up this January compared to last January at an alarming rate. Chicago police statistics show murders are up 93 percent, while shootings are up 171 percent. During an 11-hour time span just this past Monday, 16 people were shot – 5 fatally.

"I believe the increase in the shooting, the increase in the gun violence, the onus of that is on the gangs and illegal flow of guns into the hands of criminals,” Emanuel said.

The change in crime fighting strategy means 275 officers will move into patrol cars to increase visibility.

“You are going to see more of the officers in the impact zones are now going to mobile, not just on feet to cover more territory," Emanuel said.

The mayor does not believe police are laying back after the scrutiny from the Laquan McDonald shooting.

“The people responsible are not the police officers, I put the responsibility on the gangbangers who are pulling the triggers," Emanuel said.

Meanwhile, activists say the solution must include job creation for those who live in the neighborhoods most impacted.

"If we have nothing to offer them but hey you got to change your ways, you got to put down the guns, you got to stop selling drugs, fine. If they say yes to all of that, what next," Father Michael L. Pfleger said.

Dozens from all backgrounds came together Thursday evening at Old St. Pats church to speak out against the violence.

"The theme of the night was "enough is enough. No more violence," Rev. Booker Vance of Faith in Place said.

At the Steve Harvey studios, guests arrived to tell their stories for an upcoming episode on Chicago violence.

Among them was Rochetta Tyler who lost her daughter to gun violence. She brought her ashes to the taping.

"We need help," Tyler said. "I just want my baby back, and I know I can't get her back."

The Fraternal Order of Police has yet to respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Pawn Shop Losses Diamond Ring: Now What?

0
0

A pawn shop can be a quick way to get some extra dollars, but a Bristol woman found out firsthand the risk that can come along with it hocking your valuables.

In a crunch for cash, Susan Peters pawned a diamond ring last August, along with an extra diamond band she had added to the center of it, and two pair of gold earrings. She said CT Pawn in Bristol gave her $90 bucks for the bling that she said originally cost about $2,000.

“I really wanted that extra amount for my kids when we went on vacation,” said Peters.

Peters said all was well while she was making the payments on the loan from CT Pawn, but things took a surprising turn for the worse, when she went to get her ring back in December.

“He said it’s gone just like that. It’s not in the store,” said Peters.

Not only was the ring gone, Peters said CT Pawn also lost the receipt they had given her a copy of. However, they did have one important thing.

“They had a picture on their computer of the items,” said Peters.

Not sure what to do next, she said she called police, but they wouldn’t take a report.

While there is regulation that specifically addresses a pawn shop stealing your item, we couldn’t find anything that specifically addresses loss.

Local and state police regulate pawn shops, and both told us losing an item isn’t a crime. Police also said a person would have to take the pawn shop to court if they don’t make it right.

Lora Rae Anderson with the Department of Consumer Protection suggests you read the paperwork from the pawn shop carefully. It’s a contract. If you have something valuable, make sure the contract addresses items lost by the pawn shop.

“If something is lost or stolen you know is it going to get paid for?” said Anderson. “Is it going to get replaced?”

Peters’ contract with CT Pawn didn’t state what they would do if they lose her ring.

“If something is very valuable to you don’t pawn it for a low amount of money, don’t hand it over,” said Anderson.

“It was something I probably shouldn’t have pawned,” Peters explained.

She said CT Pawn offered to replace her ring with one from their jewelry selection, but she didn’t like that idea.

“I was not comfortable picking out a ring from the case,” said Peters. “There is no sentimental value, I didn’t know a monetary value.”

Peters still has the original jewelry box the ring came, she used it to look up the ring online. It’s currently selling for about $1100. She will have to replace the extra diamond center piece that she had gotten for it separately, which she said cost $500.

That’s a lot of cash, but Peters said she kept up her end of the deal, now she just hopes CT Pawn will keep up theirs.

We contacted a manager at CT Pawn, he told Troubleshooters they are going to try to replace the ring with an exact match.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Firefighter, Wife Locked Child in Bathroom for Months: PD

0
0

A Watertown, Connecticut, volunteer firefighter and his wife are accused of punishing their five children by making them stand locked in the bathroom for long periods of time, police said.

George Barnes, 45, and Nancie Barnes, 47, were arrested Thursday. They are charged with cruelty to persons, unlawful restraint, and risk of injury to a minor. The Barnes adopted four of the children and is the guardian to a fifth child. 

George Barnes is a Watertown volunteer firefighter, Watertown Fire Chief Larry Black confirmed.

One of the Barnes's adopted children was locked in the bathroom from September to mid-December when the Department of Children and Families came to the house, according to police. The DCF removed the children from the house temporarily.

Baby monitors were used to see if the child was standing when he or she was "supposed to be," police said. Meals were brought to the child during the three months. 

All five children, ranging from ages 9 to 18, told police that they had been punished various times and would need to stand in the bathroom and read for extended periods of time, Watertown Police said. 

Police said that when the children were confined to the bathroom, they were allowed out to go to sleep or to school.

The owner of a daycare where two of the children were allegedly enrolled told NBC Connecticut that four years ago Nancie Barnes requested no snacks be provided to the kids as "punishment."

"It was concerning to us that mom actually wanted us to not provide snacks for her children as a punishment for misbehaving at home," Rhonda Lagasse, owner of Watertown Little People, told NBC Connecticut.

"In a proper learning center you do not demean or embarrass children or withhold anything from your program from a child because of misbehavior," Lagasse said.

Lagasse said she contacted the DCF because she felt withholding food was not a proper punishment for children. She said an investigation was done on the family and the children were removed from the daycare immediately.

"I did not want them leaving the program because we wanted to be able to keep an eye on it," Lagasse said.

An unidentified woman who knows the family said the children would be punished throughout the home: "One in the bedroom, one in the bathroom upstairs, one in the bathroom downstairs, one in the hallway."

The woman also said baby monitors were in every room of the house to "keep an eye on the kids."

The Barnes are expected in court on Jan. 29 and are each released on a $35,000 bond. It was not immediately clear if they had retained attorneys.

Jamie Ratliff contributed to this article.



Photo Credit: Watertown Police Department

Whoops: Broncos Logo Painted In Wrong End Zone

0
0

The NFL's grounds crew may have forgotten that another team was playing Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.

On Jan. 26, the grounds crew mistakenly painted the Broncos logo in the wrong end zone at Levi's Stadium while readying the field for next Sunday's big game. The error didn't go unnoticed on Twitter.

Yahoo Sports' Samuel Lam posted a photo displaying both the correct Broncos end zone, and the still-visible Broncos logo in Panthers' territory. James Martin, a CBS photographer, shared a close-up image of the field, showing the faded remains of the Broncos insignia before the grounds crew corrected the error. 

 

By the day's end, all was in order on the Santa Clara, California, field. 

The NFL declined to comment.  



Photo Credit: NBC Bay Area
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Injuries Reported on Crash I-91 North on East Windsor, Enfield Line

0
0

There are serious injuries in a crash that closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 91 on the East Windsor/Enfield town line.

A vehicle rolled over between Exit 45 and Exit 46, according to state police, and the accident reconstruction unit was called.

The right lane and shoulder are getting by.  



Photo Credit: Chris Herbert
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images