A school van was involved in a crash on Interstate 84 east near exit 39 in Farmington this morning.
At least one ambulance responded to evaluate people on the van.
Police said it appears any injuries sustained were minor.
Emergency crews responded to a car fire on Interstate 84 East between exits 26 and 27.
The right and center lanes are closed, according to the state Department of Transportation.
A worker from the Connecticut Light & Power facility on Reserve Road in Hartford is hospitalized after being hit in the face with a saw this morning.
Officials from the fire department said he was starting the saw when he was struck.
Police said the worker's injuries are not life-threatening.
Crews from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate, which is the standard procedure.
Norwich police have located an 11-year-old boy who was reported missing this morning when he did not get onto his school bus or to school.
Christian Gervais is a sixth-grade student at Teachers' Memorial Middle School in Norwich and the school sent an alert out to the school community.
He was found this afternoon after a search that involved a helicopter, a dog and all available Norwich officers.
Police received several tips and were going to check one of Christian's friend's houses. They have not said where he was found.
Wallingford Police are warning businesses in town of a growing number of incidents involving truck batteries being stolen from vehicles.
According to police, there have been at least six cases of batteries being stolen from trucks parked in industrial or commercial areas in town. The businesses were all closed at the time of the thefts, police said.
The most recent incident happened on Friday where six truck batteries were stolen from a business on Main Street in the Yalesville section of Wallingford.
Police suspect they are being sold at scrap yards.
"As the scrap price for vehicle batteries continues to hold stable and/or increase in value, we expect this theft trend to be an increasing concern for businesses and law enforcement," Dep. Chief William Wright said in a statement.
Police are asking businesses to be vigilant, to work together to monitor each other's property and to report any suspicious activity.
Business owners who cannot park vehicles in a locked area are urged to lock exterior battery boxes on trucks, or to park trucks with battery boxes facing each other to limit access to them.
A New Haven is deli is shutting its doors after the investigators with the state Department of Labor reportedly found a string of workplace violations there.
The Dept. of Labor announced Tuesday that it has issued a Stop Work Order for J&B Deli Grocery at 1147 Chapel Street in New Haven. The eatery is run by John and Cheong Rhee of Hamden.
Investigators found that employees worked more than 60 hours per week without proper overtime pay and many were not receiving minimum wage. Workers were also paid in cash, payroll records were not properly kept and the deli couldn’t show evidence of workers’ compensation coverage.
“This is a case where an employer is taking unfair advantage of their employees and also cheating the state by not paying the proper taxes or providing worker protections, such as unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation,” said State Labor Commissioner Sharon M. Palmer, in a statement. “Not only are these employees being treated incorrectly as independent contractors, they are working long hours at less than the minimum wage, and without required overtime pay.”
The deli must show proof of workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance coverage before it can reopen. It will also need to provide the Dept. of Labor with accurate payroll records and documentation of proper employee compensation.
The owners could be fined $300 per week for each employee who has worked without being listed on the payroll.
A former East Hartford police officer has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges.
Andrew Nielsen, 49, is accused of purchasing child pornography DVDs between Nov. 2010 and April 2011. He was charged with possession of child pornography and pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Nielsen bought the DVDs from a foreign company and had them shipped to his house in South Windsor. Federal agents seized the DVDs, which contained pornographic photos and videos of young children, while searching Nielsen’s home Nov. 1, 2012.
Nielsen was arrested following the search and resigned from his position with the East Hartford Police Department. He was released on bond and has been on electronic monitoring since the arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Nielsen could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The northbound lanes of Whitney Avenue in Hamden will be closed between Putnam Avenue and Davis Street for several hours after a car struck a pole this morning.
Just before 8 a.m., a vehicle traveling north on Whitney Avenue hit a utility pole and then a retaining wall, police said.
The Hamden Fire Department had to extricate the driver, who was transported to Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Police did not know the extent of the driver's injuries.
Police have reopened the southbound lanes of the road.
Bridgeport is considering an ordinance that would allow city residents to raise small flocks of chickens in their backyards.
Mayor Bill Finch announced the proposal Tuesday. If it’s passed, residents would be allowed to raise up to six chickens in backyard coops. No roosters would be permitted.
City Councilman Richard Paoletto said there are already unsanctioned backyard coops in Bridgeport. The ordinance is meant to enforce regulations and ensure that residents raising chickens do so in a “responsible and safe way,” according to a release from the mayor’s office.
Interested residents would need to submit a plan for their chicken coops to the Department of Health to receive a permit. Renters would need written consent from their landlords and other tenants.
Permit applicants would also need to complete a free city-sponsored educational seminar to learn how to properly tend to the animals. The first training session will take place April 10 at the Beardsley Zoo and will be taught by Dr. Michael Darre of the University of Connecticut School of Agriculture.
The chickens would be personal pets and could not be used commercially.
“We talk about the importance of providing residents with fresh and healthy food options through our farmer’s markets and community gardens,” said Finch, in a statement. “This idea fits perfectly into that concept of working towards a green community that is self sustainable.”
The City Council Ordinance Committee will hear the proposal tonight. If it’s approved, the city will hold a public hearing before the ordinance goes to final vote.
The Huskies head to Madison Square Garden to face Iowa State in the Sweet 16 on Friday, and Metro-North is adding an extra New Haven Line train to accommodate UConn fans traveling to the city.
The additional train will depart New Haven at 4:15 p.m. Friday. It’s scheduled to stop in Bridgeport at 4:36 p.m. and will arrive at Grand Central Terminal at 6 p.m., according to a release from Gov. Dannel Malloy's office.
If needed, extra cars will also be added to other trains leaving New Haven between 2 and 5 p.m. Friday, particularly the 3:50 p.m. departure.
Fans should avoid the 4:21 p.m. train from New Haven, as there will be no extra room, according to the release.
Cars will be added to New Haven-bound trains leaving New York between 9:30 and 11:22 p.m. Friday to bring fans home after the game.
“Both UConn Huskies basketball teams are again taking the NCAA tournament by storm and gaining the nation’s attention. There will no doubt be a large contingent of Connecticut fans traveling to New York City to cheer for the men on Friday,” said Malloy, in a statement. “It’s time to turn MSG into a home game for our Huskies.”
Metro-North is encouraging fans to purchase round-trip tickets before boarding the train and will bring in additional ticket sellers Friday afternoon.
Firefighters responded to Colt's Manufacturing in West Hartford Tuesday morning for reports of smoke coming from part of the building and removed what appeared to be still-smoking ventilation ductwork from the building.
The building was evacuated at 545 New Park Avenue.
The fire department has left the scene.
A 64-year-old West Hartford school dean and teacher has died after her car collided with a school bus at Boulevard and Mountain Road in West Hartford this morning, according to West Hartford police.
Police had to extricate the driver, 64-year-old Patricia Rosoff, of West Hartford, who was pronounced dead at UConn Medical Center. She was on her way to work when the crash happened.
Police said the crash happened at a traffic light around 7:10 a.m. Tuesday when Rosoff's Saab was traveling east on Boulevard collided with a bus carrying 18 Conard High School students that was traveling south on Mountain Road.
Rosoff was a creative arts and modern languages teacher at Kingswood Oxford School, where she was also the academic dean of humanities. School officials said she worked at the school for 39 years.
"She was a giant in our community, and her loss is incalculable,” said Head of School Dennis Bisgaard, in a statement.
“Pat was an artist in every sense of the word – an artist of color, words, people, and emotions,” said Natalie Demers, KO’s Assistant Head of School for Academic Life, in a statement. “And, she was the ultimate student – she never wanted to stop learning new things! She truly epitomized lifelong learning. She is who anyone in education would aspire to be: She saw the good, and the potential, in everyone. We will miss her terribly.”
Rosoff was a California native who earned a bacherlor's degree from the Rhode Island School of Design and a master’s degree from the University of Hartford Art School.
The school bus driver and students were uninjured, police said. Firefighters evaluated the students before another bus brought them to school.
A parent at the scene said officials wanted to take statements from the students and that afterward, parents would be able to take their children home.
Conard High School Principal Julio Duarte sent a letter home to those parents, explaining that students involved in the crash met with police and school officials about their physical and emotional well-being.
Administrators, school counselors and social workers were also available to speak with students.
"Although it was an unfortunate incident, I am very thankful that all of our students are safe and injury free," Duarte said.
Investigators are working to figure out the cause of the crash.
A bus driver accused of driving unsafely while heading to the Suffield middle school Monday afternoon has been terminated from service with the school district, according to an email from the superintendent to students assigned to the bus.
Superintendent of Schools Karen Baldwin emailed parents on Monday to say the driver crossed the center line while turning from Sheldon Road onto Mountain Road, then “continued to exhibit unsafe driving skills, and had difficulty maneuvering the turn into the middle school driveway.”
Baldwin said another bus driver noticed the “unsafe and erratic driving practices” and reported them to a bus company dispatcher.
The buses were held at the middle school while another driver arrived to take over, according to the email.
In a second email sent Tuesday, Baldwin said the driver in question had been “removed from service with the Suffield Public Schools.”
Although removed from service with the Suffield school system, the driver’s employment status with M&J Bus Company is unknown.
Parents said students were on board the bus at the time of the incident.
A 2-year-old child was injured Monday after a dozen razor blades were glued to playground equipment at a park in East Moline, Ill.
According to NBC affiliate KQWC, the child suffered a cut to the hand but was not injured seriously.
After treating the boy at home, the victim's father and police went back to the park, where they discovered additional razor blades attached to the playground equipment with white putty.
Police closed the park until all of the razor blades were found and removed from the monkey bars, a slide and the ground. Each blade was affixed to the equipment with the putty-like substance.
Police are looking for suspects in the case and searching other area parks for similar pranks.
East Moline is 162 miles west of Chicago.
Police are searching for a 90-year-old man who went missing from Meriden yesterday.
A Silver Alert has been issued for William Radston, who was last seen around 1:30 p.m. Monday at the Bradley Home & Pavilion Senior Care Facility at 320 Colony Street in Meriden, where he lives, police said.
He's described as being a white man with brown hair and blue eyes. Police said Radston is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds.
It's not clear what he was wearing when he disappeared.
Police said Radston has occasional memory issues but has not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or dementia. Family members told police Radston is in good health.
According to police, Radston is free to leave the facility but has never been gone for this long.
He may be driving a tan 2000 four-door Chevrolet Malibu with Connecticut plates 258-XZO, police said.
Anyone with information is urged to call Meriden police at 203-238-1911.
A malfunction at BP's Whiting Refinery in Indiana caused oil to spill into Lake Michigan.
BP spokesman Scott Dean said the disruption was discovered around 4:30 p.m. Monday. It resulted in the discharge of crude oil from the refinery's cooling water outfall into the cove between the waste water treatment plant and the steel mill.
It's not clear how much oil spilled into the water, but Dean said the sheen was no longer visible in the water Tuesday morning.
"The discharge has stopped," Dean said, "and BP and its response team have deployed boom, containing the oil to a cove."
There were no injuries, he said, and cleanup activities are underway.
NBC 5 Chicago's Sky5 helicopter footage of the scene showed crews cleaning up the lakeshore near the refinery. State and federal environmental officials also were at the scene.
Dean said BP notified the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. EPA and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management after the discharge was discovered.
"BP will continue to work in full cooperation with the agencies to ensure the protection of personnel, the environment and surrounding communities."
In a joint statement, Sens. Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin said they are encouraged to hear the spill is contained but are "extremely concerned" about the possibility of a future spill after BP recently announced a plan to nearly double its processing of heavy crude oil at the refinery.
"We plan to hold BP accountable for this spill and will ask for a thorough report about the cause of this spill, the impact of the Whiting Refinery’s production increase on Lake Michigan, and what steps are being taken to prevent any future spill.”
Two CNN producers were arrested at the World Trade Center site Tuesday after allegedly trying to push through a gate and climb a fence, police said.
Port Authority police said the employees, Yon Pomrenze, 35, and Connor Fieldman Boals, 26, allegedly tried to enter the site at Vesey and Washington streets, but were stopped by a police officer.
The producers, who were carrying a GoPro camera and a camera on a tripod, are accused of telling the officer that if a 16-year-old boy could get in, they should be able to as well.
Police say the men then walked toward the PATH station entrance and Boals was seen trying to climb the fence there before he was stopped.
They then tried to push their way through a gate, and were arrested at that point, police said.
Both are charged with criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration.
A CNN spokeswoman said the producers "were not asked to sneak onto the WTC site. They were in the surrounding area to do a story about the recent incidents at the WTC and other sites, and the notion that daredevils are being drawn to them."
The alleged security breach attempt comes a day after three extreme-skydiving enthusiasts were arrested for a parachute jump off the 1,776-foot trade center last fall.
That and the breach by the teenage boy have raised questions about security at the lower Manhattan site, which is supposed to be one of the most tightly protected in the country. The site is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Even after five deployments overseas, Sgt. Woodrow Valle is still a member of the U.S. Army, but he was making contacts at the Heroes 4 Hire job fair for the day he gets out, shaking hands and handing out resumes.
He was one of the 1,200 job seekers the Connecticut Department of Labor counted at the annual event at Rentschler Field on Tuesday, the 10th time it's organized Heroes 4 Hire.
"From what it looks like, I'll have a job probably within a month," said Thomas Warren, who has been out of the Army since 2012. "I've done my schooling, I've done my time in the service. All I'm asking for is a little hand down and someone saying hey, I've got a job. And I'll get it done for you."
Most of the veterans were older than Warren, with many years back in civilian life. Tony Williamson left the army 30 years ago and has been unemployed for the past year.
"So far, by me coming here it's been real helpful," Williamson said. "I've run into a couple of good prospects."
The 85 companies set up behind tables ranged from the Norwich Fire Department to ESPN, from bus companies to insurance companies.
A gesture of solidarity got a young Colorado girl banned from her school.
Kamryn Renfro, a student at Caprock Academy in Grand Junction, shaved her head to support her 11-year-old friend who's battling cancer and going through chemotherapy.
But when Kamryn tried to go back to school this week, she was not allowed in.
It turns out that having a shaved head is a violation of the school's dress code policy.
“I’m sad, because she was really happy to go back to school and show people what she did,” said Delaney Clements, Kamryn’s friend, who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2010.
“For a little girl to be really brave and want to shave her head in support of her friend, I thought that was a huge statement,” said Wendy Campbell, Delaney’s mother.
The school decided it is willing to make exceptions to the rule given the circumstances, though, and has told Kamryn she will be allowed to return to school.
