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

Toys R Us Liquidation Sales Postponed

0
0

Shoppers who arrived at Toy R Us stores across the country for the toy chains liquidation sales were met with signs announcing that it had been postponed "due to circumstances beyond our control."

The liquidation sale was expected to begin Thursday after the company announced last week that it was shuttering its U.S. operations, jeopardizing the jobs of some 30,000 employees and bringing to end a 70-year run for a chain known to generations of children and parents for its sprawling stores and Geoffrey the giraffe mascot.

Customers looking for a bargain at one of the chain's remaining 740 U.S. stores will now have to wait a little longer to shop the liquidation sales.

Amanda Cacialli arrived at the Toys R Us store in Johnston City, New York, at 9:30 a.m. ET Thursday hoping to score some merchandise at discount prices. She was instead met with a sign that said "Liquidation Sales Will NOT Start Today as Originally Scheduled."

"I'm very upset," she told NBC. "There are lots of people here upset." 

Similar signs were posted at Toys R Us stores around the country, according to social media posts. One Twitter user told NBC employees at a Toys R Us store in Ocala, Florida, said they didn't know when the sales would start.

A person familiar with the matter said the liquidation sales were were delayed due to unforeseen circumstances and were likely to start on Friday. The person did not say what those circumstances are.

An email request for comment from Toys R Us was not immediately answered. 

The New Jersey-based retailer, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2017, announced earlier this year that it planned to close 182 stores, citing increased competition and a shift in customers moving away from traditional brick-and-mortar stores to shopping online for the decision.

But after Toys R Us was unable to successfully reorganize, it decided it had to liquidate and announced last week that it would begin going-out-of-business sales Thursday and hope to complete those by the end of June 2018.

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported that toy company executive Isaac Larian says he and other investors have pledged $200 million in financing and hope to raise more in crowdfunding in a bid to save potentially more than half of the 735 Toys R Us stores that will go dark in bankruptcy proceedings.



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

Mexican Grandma Seen as Abuelita Inspiration in Pixar's Coco

0
0

Her hair is pulled back, exposing gray locks on her black hair, especially on the right side of her face. Her eyes are brown, so is her skin. And now people go to her small town in Oaxaca, Mexico, to take pictures with her. Estela Fabian Mendoza welcomes them wearing an array of colorful aprons, just like her apparent animated alter ego, Elena Rivera, the loving-yet-cranky grandmother in Pixar’s latest hit film. 

The physical resemblance between this Mexican grandmother and the Abuelita character in Pixar's "Coco" has led people to believe she inspired the role, even if Pixar has yet to confirm the connection officially.

"Coco" draws inspiration from Mexico and its people. In the case of Abuelita Elena, the Oscar-winning animated film got Fabian Mendoza, a 65-year-old Mexican cook and grandmother of nine, down to a T.

“Do I look like her? Well, yeah,” giggled Fabian Mendoza, telling NBC that she sees herself in Elena and the way she does her hair, stylizes her outfits with a colorful apron, and the way she walks.

“The one thing that is not like me, is [Elena’s] bad mood,” said Fabian Mendoza. 

Following the release of "Coco," Mendoza said she was the last one to find out that she “was in the movie.” Her boss Jacobo Angeles approached her with someone she couldn’t recognize saying, “She is the one that appears in the movie.” Surprised, she remembers asking if they were talking about her and they said, “Yes, you’ll see. 

“So, when I watched I learned it was true,” she said, laughing.

 

Fabian Mendoza has worked in the kitchen of Taller Jacobo and Maria Angeles for over 17 years cooking mole and stews for the shop’s employees. The shop, located in the picturesque town of San Martín Tilcajete in the Aztec region of Oaxaca, Mexico, was one of the location sites that the production team visited during the creative process, according to a local community organizer. 

Eduardo Garcia Luis, who described himself as the culture coordinator at Taller, said the first time Pixar producers visited the small town was about seven years ago during Shiin Naa Lasn, or Festival for the People, where locals celebrate the town’s gastronomy and artisanal heritage. The festivities take place for a whole week around Nov. 1, the Day of the Dead, which captivated the attention of producers.


For years, the team behind "Coco" scouted the shop around Día de los Muertos. Garcia Luis said producers were fascinated with the shapes and bright colors of figurines known as Alebrijes, which the shop makes. And, even though these wooden animals and mystical creatures have no connection to the Mexican holiday, they were presented in the movie as spiritual guides that transcend from the world of the living to that of the dead.

“[Producers and animators] coexisted in the shop with all the workers for some days,” Garcia Luis said. “They spent their time sketching… but we never imagined then what the result of all that work was going to be.”

Garcia Luis even believes that Dante, the scrappy dog in "Coco," could also have been inspired by the shop’s Xoloitzcuintlies, a Mexican breed thought by Aztec mythology to be sacred.

Pixar has not confirmed if the Mexican grandmother inspired the look for their iconic character. They have yet to respond to requests for comment. 

"Coco’s" directing animator Nick Rosario has said his grandmother-in-law, Pueblito Guzmán, served as a model to help make the film, helping nail down gestures and facial mannerisms.

Fabian Mendoza said she doesn’t recall Pixar’s visits because of the many people who come and go.

In the meantime, she is enjoying the attention she’s gotten from the shop's visitors. They come looking for her to take pictures with the real-life Abuelita from the Pixar movie.

“I felt happy to see the movie because I never imagined this could happen,” said Fabian Mendoza.



Photo Credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

John Dowd Resigns as Trump's Lead Lawyer in Russia Probe

0
0

John Dowd, President Donald Trump's head lawyer in the special counsel's investigation, confirmed to NBC News that he has resigned.

"I love the president and wish him very well," Dowd said.

Dowd's resignation, first reported by the New York Times, comes after he called for an end to the special counsel's investigation. He said Saturday that he hoped it would conclude "on the merits in light of recent revelations," referring to the firing of former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe the day before.

"I pray that Acting Attorney General Rosenstein will follow the brilliant and courageous example of the FBI Office of Professional Responsibility and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and bring an end to alleged Russia Collusion investigation manufactured by McCabe’s boss James Comey based upon a fraudulent and corrupt Dossier," John Dowd told NBC News.

Dowd asserted then he didn't mean to suggest special counsel Robert Mueller be fired but that the decision to end the probe be based "on the merits."

It's already a delicate time in Mueller's investigation, as Trump's attorneys have been negotiating with Mueller over the scope and terms of an interview of the president. Trump has told reporters that he was eager to speak with Mueller, including again on Thursday when he said he "would like to" do so. But Dowd has been far more apprehensive, and the lawyers have not publicly committed to making the president available for questioning.

Dowd's move seems to be in contrast with a tweet from the president last week, in which Trump declared he was "VERY happy" with his lawyers, responding to a report from the "Failing News York Times" that the president was considering adding to his legal team.

But Trump did add a new lawyer to his team just three days ago — former U.S. attorney Joseph diGenova, who has suggested that FBI officials were part of a "brazen plot" to exonerate Hillary Clinton and frame Trump.

In a January interview on Fox News, diGenova said that anti-Trump text messages exchanged between two FBI officials who were once on Mueller's team reflect a "brazen plot to illegally exonerate Hillary Clinton, and if she didn't win the election, to then frame Donald Trump with a falsely created crime.

"Everything that we have seen from these texts, and from all of the facts developing, shows that the FBI and senior (Justice Department) officials conspired to violate the law and to deny Donald Trump his civil rights," he added.

Another Trump lawyer, Jay Sekulow, responded to Dowd's resignation, saying in a statement to NBC News, "John Dowd is a friend and has been a valuable member of our legal team. We will continue our ongoing representation of the President and our cooperation with the Office of Special Counsel."

This is at least the second major reshuffling of Trump's legal team in the last year. Dowd had taken over the lead lawyer role last summer from New York attorney Marc Kasowitz, who has long been by Trump's side.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Getty Images, File

Dow Slides Nearly 500 on Trade Fears, Tech Troubles

0
0

U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday on worries about a potential trade war and as tech shares slid, CNBC reported.

The Dow was down nearly 500 points in late morning trading. Facebook shares continued to decline as they have all week in the wake of reports that Cambridge Analytica gathered data from 50 million Facebook profiles without the permission of its users.

The news raised concern that U.S. lawmakers could more closely regulate major tech companies, CNBC reported.

"They're not going to write the regulation just for Facebook, said Shawn Cruz, manager of trader strategy at TD Ameritrade, noting regulators are going to target the entire sector. "That could turn into a headwind for these stocks."

Later Thursday, the Trump administration was set to announce tariffs designed to punish China for intellectual property theft.



Photo Credit: Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images

Mom Arrested After Facebook Video Appears to Show Toddler Smoking Pot

0
0

A North Carolina mother was arrested Wednesday after authorities were alerted to a video of her toddler smoking pot that was widely shared on Facebook.

Brianna Ashanti Lofton, 20, is charged with two counts of felony child abuse, contributing to delinquency, and possession of marijuana.

In a Facebook video obtained by NBC-affiliate WRAL, Lofton gives her 1-year-old child a marijuana cigarette and the baby appears to take puffs of it. According to a warrant obtained by WRAL, the toddler smoked marijuana in the incident which occurred in December or January.

The video was widely shared on social media with comments admonishing the mother and urging law enforcement to get involved.

The Raleigh Police Department thanked the public in a Facebook post for bringing the video to their attention. "Thanks to your willingness to get involved, the child is now safe and the mother is in police custody,” the department added.  

The 1-year-old has been placed in custody of Wake County Child Protective Services.

Videos of Arrest Show Texas Officer Lied to Grand Jury

0
0

An indicted Fort Worth police officer punched a patient who had just been discharged from the hospital after the man called him "bro," according to videos of the incident obtained by NBC 5.

Officer Jon Romer has been charged with official oppression, making a false report to police and lying to a grand jury, after the November 2016 arrest of Henry Newson. 

Several videos obtained by NBC 5 show security officers at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital tracking Newson with surveillance cameras.

Newson, who was 20 at the time, had just spent two days in the hospital after being treated for a stomach ailment and was waiting in the lobby for his mother to pick him up.

"I'm just trying to figure out what you're doing," a security officer asked him.

Newson said he was waiting for a ride from his mother.

The conversation escalated as the officer continued to question him.

Romer, who was working private security for the hospital at the time, approached moments later and immediately confronted Newson, video shows.

"Hey get off the phone. Shut up. Get off the phone. Let's go," Romer is heard saying in the video.

The officer then places his hand on Newson's chest and pushes him backward, seeming to take offense when Newson called him "bro."

"Bro?" Romer asks before he punches Newson in the face, grabs him around the neck, and forces him to the ground.

Hospital security officers can then be seen piling on, surveillance video shows.

Newson was arrested and charged with resisting arrest and trespassing. He spent two days in jail.

He is now suing the city and the hospital.

"He doesn't resist, he doesn't fight back," said Newson's attorney, Matthew Bobo. "It was fast. It was violent and there was nothing that would have indicated that that should have happened or was going to happen. But it happened immediately. And there was no provocation by Mr. Newson."

Prosecutors dropped the case against Newson in March 2017, according to court records.

A special prosecutor was appointed in January. Romer was indicted earlier this month for official oppression and lying to a grand jury. The department suspended him the same day.

The perjury charge stems from a statement Romer made to the grand jury in which he alleged Newson was under arrest before the officer punched him.

Surveillance video footage contradicts Romer's statement and shows that Newson was already on the ground when he told him he was under arrest.

Newson's attorney questioned why the police department took no action.

"The first time somebody ever saw that video, they should have put him on a desk, taken him off," Bobo said. "They should have terminated him, quite frankly. I mean, period."

But Romer remained on the street until December, and the department didn't take his gun and badge until two weeks ago -- the day he was indicted.

The videos will likely play a key role in both the lawsuit, and the criminal case.

The videos continued to roll until Newson was taken to jail.

A one point, while in custody waiting, Newson can be heard asking to call his mom. Romer tells him he didn't need to speak to his mother because he was 20 years old.

"I do need my mom," Newson says, video shows. "She's coming to pick me up. That's the whole point I was here. I did not expect to get attacked by a cop."

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital declined to comment, citing the pending lawsuit.

Romer's attorney, Lance Wyatt, did not return a call seeking comment.



Photo Credit: NBC 5 News

EMS Volunteer in Easton Took Inappropriate Photos of Patients: Police

0
0

A volunteer with Emergency Medical Services in Easton, Connecticut is accused of taking inappropriate photos of patients who were transported by ambulance, forging documents to pose as an Easton police officer, theft and more. 

Christopher Barlow, 21, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, was a volunteer for Easton EMS and is suspected of placing a hidden camera inside a bathroom of the EMS building, taking inappropriate photos of patients who were being transported in an ambulance while they were under his care as an EMT. 

He is also accused of stealing two firearms from a co-worker at EMS, forging official documents to present himself as an Easton Police Officer and providing a false statement on an application for a long rifle, according to Easton police. 

A news release from Easton police said that in an investigation that began in the summer of 2017, police in Duxbury, Massachusetts accused Barlow of falsely claiming to be a Homeland Security agent and amassing a collection of guns, ammunition, explosives and stolen medical equipment, based on an initial complaint from the Easton EMS and Police Department. 

Barlow was held without bail until he was released on Feb. 16, outfitted with a GPS bracelet and ordered not leave his home except for doctor’s visits, according to police. 

Barlow has been charged with two counts of stealing a firearm, two counts of voyeurism, one count of illegal alteration of records and one count of providing a false statement in connection with the allegations out of Easton. 

Bail was set at $25,000 and Barlow is in court on April 5. 



Photo Credit: Easton Police

Miss Venezuela Pageant Suspended Amid Prostitution Scandal

0
0

Allegations of prostitution and corruption in the Miss Venezuela beauty pageant led the company behind the iconic contest to shut its operations and suspend all castings, according to a statement

Cisneros Media is launching an investigation into the prostitution claims, which allege that some participants in the Miss Venezuela pageant have offered sexual favors in exchange for cars, trips and other monetary rewards from government officials. 

The investigation comes days after former Miss Venezuelas accused each other in Instagram comments of receiving financial gains in exchange for sexual favors. Some alleged the use of federal resources to sponsor contestants’ plastic surgeries and couture outfits. High-profile government officials and well-known entrepreneurs aligned with the Maduro presidency were allegedly involved. 

“Due to the acts recently described through social media, anonymous blogs and by some of the people who had a close relation with the Miss Venezuela [organization], it’s been decided that there will be an internal investigation,” Cisneros Media wrote in their statement. 

The scandal has unfolded following the abrupt departure of former Miss Venezuela president Osmel Sousa, 71. Also known as the “Tsar of Beauty,” Sousa resigned the position he held for 37 years earlier last month, declining to explain any further. During his years of leadership, Venezuela won seven Miss Universe crowns and more than 20 international pageants. 

The statement also said there will be a complete pageant reorganization and that a new “Beauty Committee” will be formed following the claims. 

Prostitution and corruption allegations against the Miss Venezuela organization are not new. Local publications like Efecto Cocuyo previously reported on similar claims relating to government officials abroad. 

Last week, 1997 contestant Annarella Bono used her social media account to call out other former Miss Venezuela participants. 

On Thursday, Miss Venezuela 2013 Migbelis Castellanos told Telemundo morning show “Un Nuevo Dia” that she personally experienced “sponsorship invitations” in the years leading up to the national pageant. She also said she saw how other contestants received luxury items of “dubious origin” that they couldn’t have otherwise afforded. 

“Venezuelans can be sure that the organization will not hesitate to take the necessary measures to assure no acts against our rules, values and ethical and moral principles take place during our activities,” said Jonathan Blum, the president of Cisneros Media. 

--Sindy Nanclares contributed to this story


New Britain Couple Set to Be Deported to Pakistan Takes Sanctuary in Old Lyme Church

0
0

A New Britain couple set to be deported to Pakistan Monday has taken sanctuary in an Old Lyme church. 

The First Congregational Church of Old Lyme had offered sanctuary to Malik Nayeed bin Rehman and Zahida Altaf

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson John Mohan said the couple entered the U.S. on nonimmigrant visas in 2000, but did not leave the country in accordance with the terms of their visas. 

An immigration judge with the Executive Office Review issued final orders of removal in January 2008 and the Bureau of Immigration Appeals upheld the decision in May 2010, Mohan said. 

Malik Nayeed bin Rehman and Zahida Altaf, who own Pizza Corner in New Britain, are currently enrolled in the agency’s Alternatives to Detention program. 

Mohan said enforcement actions may occur at sensitive locations in limited circumstances, but will generally be avoided. Churches, synagogues, mosques and temples are classified as sensitive locations. 

The church hopes that providing sanctuary to the family is to help slow the deportation procedure down and provide an opportunity for the appeals process. 

“We believe that, with time and reason and compassion, the couple can receive the full, fair hearing and consideration they deserve – and that justice will prevail and they will be allowed to remain in the U.S. with their five-year-old daughter Roniya (who is a U.S. citizen) and extended family members. Deporting the parents would needlessly tear the family apart,” the statement from the church says. 



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Youtube Bans Certain Firearm Videos

0
0

Youtube has updated its policies regarding videos featuring firearms. The company will now prohibit videos made to sell certain firearms and firearm accessories, as well as videos that demonstrate how to manufacture or install certain types of accessories, such as bump stocks, high-capacity magazines and silencers.

Your Stories: New Shops at Corbins in West Hartford Reveal Plans for Grand Openings

0
0

Work is nearly done at the new buildings at Corbins Corner in West Hartford and some businesses said they plan to open next month while others plan to open sometime this summer. 

Hundreds of viewers called in to tell us “Your Stories” during our Connect-a-Thon last month and several viewers wanted to know when the new shops are set to open at the site of the old Sears and Sears Automotive shops, which were demolished in May 2017. 

Construction has been underway ever since in preparation for a new development that will bring retail and restaurants including an REI store, Saks Off 5th, Cost Plus World Market, Buy Buy Baby and Shake Shack. 

The property developer, Seritage, previously stated the stores are set to open “Spring of 2018,” but now that spring has officially arrived and construction appears to be nearing completion, shoppers are anxious to know when the stores will officially move in and open for business. 

Seritage tells us the property is on track to be “substantially finished” by March 31, but could not provide exact dates for individual store openings. 

NBC Connecticut contacted individual retailers; here’s the latest: 

  • Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Off 5th” store has its grand opening set for Thursday, April 19 at 10 a.m. 
  • REI will open Tuesday, April 24 at 10 a.m. Its old Blue Back Square location will shut its doors Sunday, April 22 at 4 p.m. 
  • Regarding the Buy Buy Baby and Cost Plus World Market stores, parent company Bed Bath and Beyond tells NBC Connecticut, “We will be opening both a buybuy BABY store and a Cost Plus World Market store at Corbin's Corner shopping center… West Hartford is such a location and we are very excited to be coming there. This buybuy BABY store will be approximately 24,000 square feet and the Cost Plus World Market will be approximately 15,000 square feet. We plan to open both stores this summer. I'll be sure to contact you directly as soon as the stores open. Based on a variety of factors, we unfortunately cannot narrow down the time frame until closer to the opening.” 
  • Shake Shack plans to open in late April. 

Sens. Booker and Flake Hold 'Snowball Duel' on Capitol Lawn

0
0

The time was set for 10:00 a.m. Thursday.

The stakes were high: Pizza for the winner's staff.

The place: Capitol East Lawn.

Two Senators met for a 'snowball duel.'

Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Jeff Flake of Arizona traded tosses on an open field Thursday morning as staffers looked on.

Booker ducked, rolled, bobbed and weaved, but in the end came up short. Flake, who was raised in (wait for it) Snowflake, Arizona, was victorious.

"I was set up," Booker mused to his Instagram followers about the irony of the situation.

In announcing the face-off, Booker harkened back to the legendary duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The East Coast-native even took a jab at Flake's home state of Arizona, which he said "doesn't have much snow!"

"With so many fights on Capitol Hill, @CoryBooker and I are going literal," Flake playfully tweeted.

The duel sparked much reaction on social media and even became a Twitter moment that you can see below. 



Photo Credit: Cory Booker Twitter
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

Tractor Trailer Strikes Pulled Over Cruiser on I-291

0
0

A tractor-trailer struck a cruiser parked on the side of I-291 west on Thursday.

Police said a trooper was stopped behind another vehicle in the right shoulder of Bissell Bridge in South Windsor around 3:23 p.m.

The people inside the car were stopped in the right shoulder and having an argument. The trooper parked his cruiser behind theirs and walked up to investigate.

While the trooper was outside of his vehicle speaking to the people, a tractor-trailer struck the stationary cruiser.

No injuries were reported. 

"Connecticut's Move Over Law requires motorists to reduce their speed to a reasonable level below the posted speed limit and (when traveling in the adjacent lane) move over one lane, if safe to do so when approaching stationary first responders," state troopers said.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

Driver Says She Was Injured After State Slow Plow Hit Car

0
0

A New Britain mother said she was injured after a state snow plow sideswiped her car.

Vanessa Irizarry said the plow driver left the scene and she wants the state to pay for her injuries and the full cost of repairing her car.

“They haven’t accepted full responsibility,” Irizzary’s attorney, Christopher Sica, said.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) said state snow plows cover almost 5 million miles every winter. Occasionally, they get into accidents, according to data provided to the NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters by the agency.

“The sheer volume of trucks that we have out there and the mileage that you’re putting out there, it’s an unavoidable statistic that you’re going to have incidents that occur, and sometimes there are claims we are going to have to pay,” CTDOT spokesman Kevin Nursick said.

NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters reviewed snow plow accident data provided by the CTDOT for 2016 and 2017. The data suggests very few accidents occur considering how many miles state plows drive each year.

But Irizarry said the state isn’t taking full responsibility after she was injured in January 2017 on Corbin Avenue in New Britain. She said she was on her way home when the accident happened.

“He took a right into my car and pushed me into the sidewalk and I had to turn into the gas station,” Irizarry told NBC Connecticut.

Irizarry said her lower back and hips were hurt after the accident and the insurance company declared her two-door gray Honda totaled.

She and her attorney provided NBC Connecticut with a copy of surveillance video from the nearby gas station right where the accident happened. The video purportedly shows the state plow truck inches up Corbin Avenue near the Valero gas station and the driver of the state plow appears to stop for nearly ten seconds before continuing on his way.

In the police report, the state employee said he didn’t know what happened and when he saw Irizarry’s car go into the parking lot, he stopped for a moment and then continued driving.

“He only later returned to the scene when his supervisor informed that he had to,” Sica said.

Sica said witnesses came to Irizarry’s aid in the parking lot.

“They asked if I was ok, and I was like, ‘I’m ok,’” Irizarry said. “I said, ‘Where’s the driver?’ They said he left, they attempted to beep the horn and stop him but he just kept going.”

Irizarry and her attorney said they’re planning to sue the state for negligence.

“It’s not my intention to file the lawsuit but unfortunately the state has not accepted full responsibility and therefore that has forced our hands,” Sica said.

NBC Connecticut Troubleshooters found 41 accidents, including Irizarry’s, cost Connecticut’s transportation agency $66,741 last year. State records show Irizarry was paid $1,574 for damages to her car but her attorney said that was half the amount appraised for her car and they’re seeking more.

“That is just fair, reasonable compensation for the low back and hip injury and the pain and suffering associated with undergoing treatment for those injuries,” Sica said.

Nursick said he cannot comment on pending cases, but that drivers should stop if they get into an accident.

“If a driver is aware they have gotten into a motor vehicle accident, they’re supposed to stop,” Nursick explained.

Nursick wants people to know just how challenging the job can be.

“They are working in the absolute worst conditions that you could possibly ask for in terms of driving, snow sleet freezing rain, very little traction little visibility 17 hour shifts behind the wheel with very little break before back behind the wheel for 17 hours and you may be repeating that cycle for days on end, in the worst possible driving conditions you could want to be on the road on,” Nursick said.

CTDOT drivers are required to have a certified driver’s license and undergo annual training. If a resident is involved in an accident with a state snow plow, the state will send paperwork so they can file a claim after police investigate the incident.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Snapchat Videos Purportedly Show Plainfield Teen With Firearm

0
0

Two teens were arrested in Plainfield after a video on social media purportedly showed one of them handling a firearm, police said. 

Officer were told around 2:15 p.m. that a 14-year-old Griswold Alternative School student was allegedly posting a video showing a firearm on Snapchat on Thursday morning.

The teen was located at a friend's house on Seventh Street in Plainfield, along with multiple other juveniles. 

An investigation found a loaded firearm within the residence and police said the weapon was brought to the house by a 15-year-old Ellis Technical High School student. It was determined that the firearm was taken without the family member knowing it was gone, Plainfield police said. 

Both teens were arrested on multiple charges and their schools were notified. 

The case remains under investigation. 

No other details were immediately available. 




Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

‘High’ Tea Parties Come to Los Angeles

0
0

Now that cannabis is legal in California, there is a demand for more diverse cannabis products. Some women are turning to cannabis tea to spice up parties but also to ease pain.

Tolls Proposal Clears Committee

0
0

A proposed two-step process that could lead to tolls on Connecticut highways was approved by the Transportation Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly.

The bill that passed committee, if approved by the entire General Assembly and signed into law, would authorize the Connecticut Department of Transportation, to come up with the structure and costs associated with tolling. That study would then need to be approved next year, or if the legislature didn’t act, then the study would be authorized, essentially approving tolls in Connecticut.

“I think this is a pivoting point right now,” said Rep. Tony Guerrera, who chairs the Transportation Committee and has been the loudest supporter of tolls in the General Assembly. “I think if it comes out of the committee obviously we’ll get a vote in the House and a vote in the Senate.”

Opponents have been vocal, too. They liken tolls to another tax on Connecticut residents.

“What we would be doing is layering on an already overtaxed state that’s driving people and jobs out,” said Sen. Toni Boucher, who serves as the Senate Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has endorsed tolls as a way to raise revenue for the state’s Special Transportation Fund which his administration projects will run out of money within the next few years.

State Could Penalize Schools for Cutting Too Much From Budgets

0
0

The state Department of Education is threatening to penalize six school districts after drastic state funding cuts and more state money on hold. 

The agency sent letters to Killingly, Southington, Watertown, Canterbury, Montville and Groton saying these districts are cutting too much.

Groton’s letter said the district is not meeting the minimum budget requirement (MBR) for the current school year by almost $1.6 million. If they don’t fix it, the reduction to their Education Cost Sharing (ECS) grant would be $3.1 million.

"Three teachers were reduced, unfortunately, so we restored those immediately and we had a significant underfunding of our paraprofessional accounts," Groton Superintendent Dr. Michael Graner said about his budget fixes, adding he got the letter in error.

Graner said he fixed the problem months ago but that’s because Groton became an Alliance District, which is a program targeted at helping the state’s lowest-performing districts. The district not losing any ECS funding from the state and the cuts were made when he thought he was, according to Graner.

Montville schools also got the letter from the state that said their budget was shot by a little under $178,000.

“We set a budget where we could afford and that would support our students in a really good way and we were all comfortable with that. So for us to now be penalized and punished by the state is just unimaginable,” Montville Superintendent Brian Levesque said.

Between the cuts in the state budget and Gov. Dannel Malloy’s holdbacks to ECS funding, Montville schools are shorted about $1.65 million in state aid, according to Levesque.

But the Department of Education is saying holdbacks do not count as state reductions for purposes of minimum budget requirements.

“When it came to me I was dumbfounded that the state was going to say that a holdback was not a reduction,” Levesque said.

Before all of this, Levesque said he consulted the state to make sure Montville schools were in compliance and he thought he was based on those conversations. Levesque also doesn’t think the money held back is coming back to him.

Levesque said the district can’t operate at a deficit.

“The irony of all this is I could go to my town and put the $177,000 dollars back into the budget and then in a separate motion, ask them to vote to hold that money back in this year’s budget – just like the state did,” Levisque said. “Now that is was not reduced, but a holdback, they wouldn’t say we didn’t meet the MBR.”

A spokesman for the Department of Education Peter Yazbak said the state has heard back from all six districts. Three have assured the state they’ll not be in violation, while the other three said they might need some help. The state believes those districts won’t be in violation.

The penalties would impact next year’s budget but no one will see them until the end of this fiscal school year.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

State Unveiling New Plan for Route 9 Traffic

0
0

The state is unveiling a new plan to fix the problem in Middletown on Route 9 where traffic lights cause major backups during rush hour.

"Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s tough," Mike Millane, of Cromwell, said.

The state's vision is to have drivers sail right through and no longer suddenly stop at two traffic lights.

On Thursday, people showed up to a public hearing to learn more about a new proposal by the state Department of Transportation.

Instead of the lights, exits 15 and 16 would be reworked so that cars could get on and off Route 9 north and south using a combination of ramps and bridges.

"It’s a relatively simple plan. And it provides a huge improvement both in terms of traffic flow but also safety too," William Britnell, transportation principal engineer, said.

During the last three years, the state said drivers were involved in 313 crashes in this area.

Some people are concerned the $75 million plan, which would also include improvements to intersections on Main Street, might lead to heavier traffic in parts of the downtown, causing problems for businesses and neighbors.

"I don’t think this plan is good for Middletown. It’s certainly not good for my neighborhood," Catherine Owens, of Middletown, said.

Residents can still sound off on the plan by sending comments to CTDOT.

The project cost would be split between the state and feds, with the goal to start construction in 2019.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Man Dies After Crashing Vehicle Inside Calif. Air Force Base

0
0

A man died after officials said he gained an unauthorized access to the Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, California, with a vehicle that crashed Wednesday evening.

Travis Air Force Base first responders and Fairfield emergency officials responded to the incident near the base's main gate at about 7 p.m., officials said. 

The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Travis Air Force Base's Chief of Media Relations Sarah J. Johnson. There are "no current threats to the base or the community" and the investigation is ongoing, Johnson said.

Air Force Office of Special Investigation and the FBI's Sacramento Field Office are working together to investigate the incident and no other information was immediately available. 

The Travis Air Force Base is comprised of more than 26,000 active duty, reservists and civilian employees.

“The safety and welfare of our Airmen, their families and our local community is our top priority,” Col. John Klein, 60th Air Mobility Wing commander said in a statement.

The host unit of Travis Air Force Base controls more than $11 billion in total resources and handles more cargo and passengers than any other military air terminal in the United States.



Photo Credit: Travis Airmen
Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images