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Man Arrested in NYC Jewelry Heist

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Police say they have arrested a man in last week's brazen mid-day jewelry store heist in midtown, but are still looking for the two suspects who executed the robbery.

Rondu Frisby, 37, was taken into police custody Monday. He's charged with robbery, and two counts each of possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana, according to the NYPD.

It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney. 

Frisby was arrested after being questioned by police earlier in the day. Police said Frisby was an associate of the store owner and was at the store the day of the robbery. 

Police say they're still searching for the two suspects seen on video in the heist. One of them has been identified as 58-year-old Leon Fenner (picture above). 

Police believe Fenner, seen in surveillance video wearing a long coat and hat, barged into the business on the eighth floor of a building on 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, while another suspect acted as a lookout. 

He demanded the employees open the safe and give him the contents. Police say there were four employees in the shop at the time and they were complying. Then a fifth worker walked in and the fake delivery worker whacked him in the head with his gun, causing a minor laceration, officials said. Both suspects then fled.

The Nov. 11 heist drew a swarm of SWAT teams to the busy midtown block as the Veterans Day Parade marched several blocks away. 


Help FoodShare Feed Families for the Holidays

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FoodShare needs help to provide holiday meals for families in need and they are asking for donations of turkeys, money and more.

Today is FoodShare’s 15th annual Turkey Tuesday, and the regional food bank is collecting frozen turkeys, chickens, potatoes, canned goods, checks and cash, as well as all of the fixings for a holiday meal.

FoodShare has also launched its annual A Turkey and a Thirty campaign. FoodShare's Web site offers information on where to drop off your donation or how to donate online.

The organization is also looking for volunteers.

All cash and food donations will support Foodshare, which provides food to community kitchens, shelters, food pantries and other social service organizations that serve
children, families and seniors.

Warming Centers Open in Middletown, Bloomfield

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Temperatures hit freezing in all 50 states Tuesday, and warming centers have opened in Bloomfield and Middletown as colder weather rolls into the state.

Middletown

The Church of the Holy Trinity at 381 Main Street opened Nov. 16 to provide hot beverages, snacks and "a temporary respite from the cold for those in need," according to the city of Middletown's website. The center will be open to the the public from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. every day of the week.

Middletown Mayor Daniel T. Drew's Task Force on Homelessness is sponsoring the warming center thanks to "in-kind services" provided by the River Valley Services mental health center and city funding.

Anyone seeking more information on the Middletown warming center or interested in making donations can call 860-344-0097.

Bloomfield

Three locations in Bloomfield will serve as warming centers this week.

The Alvin & Beatrice Wood Human Resources Center at 330 Park Avenue will be open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Those seeking shelter are asked to use the community/youth center entrance on the west side of the building.

The Prosser Library at 1 Tunxis Avenue will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, according to the town.

McMahon Wintonbury Library at 1015 Blue Hills Avenue will serve as the town's third warming center and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

Water will be available at all warming shelters, but residents are encouraged to bring their own food, along with any medications or personal items. Service dogs are welcome.

More information on the state winter weather response is available online.



Photo Credit: AP

Convicted Felon Faces Gun Charges

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Bristol police arrested a New York convicted felon after discovering he had a gun during a domestic dispute, police said.

Craig Saunders, 23, of Brooklyn, New York, is facing gun violation charges after Bristol police responded to a complaint about a domestic incident at a Davis Drive home at 11:55 p.m. Monday and discovered he had a gun in the home, police said.

No one was injured and police found no evidence of violence to warrant domestic charges, police said.

While booking Saunders on a charge of carrying a dangerous weapon, police learned that Saunders was convicted felon in New York for a burglary at a home.

Police also charged him with criminal possession of a pistol or revolver because of his conviction.

Police held Saunders in custody until his scheduled appearance in Bristol Superior Court on Tuesday morning.



Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut

Power Outage Affecting Traffic Lights in Simsbury

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A small power outage is affecting traffic lights on part of Route 185 in Simsbury.

The lights affected are between Hopmeadow Street and Mountain Road, according to Simsbury Police.

No information was immediately available on what caused the outage.
 

Storied Stadium to "Urban Outlet"

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San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee on Monday unveiled the future of the now-defunct Candlestick Park, in what developers hope will be an "urban outlet" mall, featuring an African diaspora-themed market, movie theaters and 6,000 homes - despite some objections from lower income residents who fear the gentrification of their neighborhood.

"I am overjoyed," Lee said at a news conference. "As painstaking as it was to have the Niners leave us on this stadium...We are now ready."

Candlestick Park, built in the 1950s, was decommissioned after the 49ers football team left the San Francisco stadium, nicknamed the 'Stick, for a new $1.2 billion stadium nearly 40 miles south in Santa Clara earlier this year.

Demolition of the storied venue is expected to begin this winter.

The new Candlestick development project, which is expected to largely be completed by 2017, is a partnership between Miami-based real estate developer Lennar Corp. and shopping mall operator, Macerich.

The hope for the former 49ers football stadium is to create a 500,000-square-foot “urban outlet” shopping center, which may resemble a shopping center much like Santana Row in San Jose. In a statement, Lennar and Macerich said the project is expected to create more than 3,000 permanent jobs and build 6,000 homes.  The Wall Street Journal estimated the cost would be more than $200 million.

“Rebuilding and redeveloping Candlestick and The Shipyard is helping us deliver on our promise to make sure San Francisco remains a city where families at all levels of the economic spectrum can succeed,” Lee said. “This is an important milestone in our revitalization efforts in this important community and we are bringing housing, jobs, parks, open space and economic growth through this public-private partnership and laying the groundwork for more housing for our low and middle income families.”

But Hunters' Point resident Espanola Jackson is worried that Gucci- and Armani-type stores will make her low-income neighborhood unaffordable. "This is not being built for the people here," she said. "It's being built for those people coming here."

Construction has already been underway in parts of the San Francisco's Hunters Point Naval shipyard.

Candlestick Point developers promised that 50 percent of the jobs will go to those living in Hunters Point, and they expect to demolish the park in about four months.

In a joint statement, the developers said that Candlestick Point will be one of the largest urban mixed-use projects in the United States, the companies said in a joint statement.  In addition to the "urban outlet" component, it will feature a diversity of commercial offerings, including neighborhood retailers, a restaurant village, an African diaspora-themed marketplace, movie theaters, a performance venue and hotel.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Madison Cancer Survivor Is Finalist for Kindest Kid

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Two years have passed since 7-year-old Sierra, of Madison, Connecticut, was diagnosed with kidney cancer and she has been sharing her story to make things easier for other children going through similar battles.

Sierra’s volunteer work, along with her efforts to raise thousands of dollars for charity, have put her in the running for Sprout Network’s “Kindest Kid Contest.”

Sierra met with Jenna Bush Hager for a segment that aired on the Today Show this morning and talked about how she went from learning she had cancer when she was 5 years old to giving advice to help others.

“We went to the doctor’s and they felt around my stomach and said that I had kidney cancer because my kidney was actually the size of a grapefruit,” Sierra told Jenna Bush Hager for a segment that aired on the Today Show this morning.

After going through treatment, Sierra is healthy and now she is focusing on helping other children who are battling cancer.

She and her older sister started the Childhood Cancer Kids program and have raised $10,000 for the Make a Wish Foundation.

She also visits sick children in the hospital, delivering gift bags and offering advice. She tells them that stress balls, breathing exercises, blowing bubbles and yoga can help children fighting to get well.

“Kids want to be near her,” Katie Stein, of Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, said. “She will talk to them a lot about what she went through and, I think, for kids, hearing that from another kid is really impactful.”

Sierra’s parents said their daughter’s work has helped her as well and transformed her from being a cancer victim to a champion.

The winner of the contest will get the title of Chief Kindness Officer. Voting begins on Friday on Today.com.


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Pedestrian Hospitalized After Hamden Hit-and-Run

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A 28-year-old Hamden pedestrian was hospitalized in a hit-and-run in Hamden late morning on Monday and police are seeking the public's help in locating a car possibly connected.

A driver traversed the double yellow line into the oncoming lane on State Street in Hamden to pass several cars on the southbound side and struck a pedestrian crossing the road, police said. The driver didn't stop and fled in the southbound direction.

Police responded to the intersection of the road with Farm Road at 11:58 a.m. on Monday. Investigators are looking for a gray Volkswagon Passat Wagon made between 2001 and 2005 and reports indicated a woman was driving. Police have released a surveillance photo of the car they suspect the person was driving.

"It should have damage to the windshield. In addition, the vehicle is missing the grill insert on the driver's side fog light," police said in a news release.

Police responded to the intersection of State Street and Farm Road at 11:58 a.m. on Monday.

An ambulance transported the pedestrian to Yale-New Haven Hospital to be treated for leg and wrist injuries, police said. The man's condition is unknown and police have not released his identity.

Hamden police ask anyone with information to call Officer Gregg Curran in the department's traffic division at 203-230-4000.



Photo Credit: Hamden Police Department

New Haven to Restructure Fire Department

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The New Haven mayor is stepping in to fix the city's fire department and has enlisted an independent agency to look into policy and procedures that are now under scrutiny.

It comes in light of criticism in response to the department's handling of a massive August blaze that destroyed Delaney's Taproom, a historic pub on Whalley Avenue.

After complaints surfaced about Asst. Fire Chief Patrick Egan's instruction at the fire scene, Egan was placed on paid administrative leave. The incident remains under investigation.

The fire department is also playing catch-up on mandated state fire reports. The state fire marshal wrote a memo to city officials stating that the office had not received any incident reports yet this year.

"The city acknowledges that it has fallen behind filing fire reports with the State Fire Marshal's Office. There was an administrative glitch, so some of those reports have not been filed as intended," said the mayor's spokesperson, Laurence Grotheer.

A lack of staffing and hefty overtime bills have also raised questions, according to the city. Officials said some of the problems began creeping in before current Chief Allyn Wright took over.

"I take it day by day. It just seems like every day something else hits me, a new problem," Wright said. "Instead of trying to run from it, I'm dealing with it, but it's bigger than me, and I let the mayor know that. I think I need help doing this."

The city has now turned to an independent agency to evaluate department practices and recommend improvements.

"We're going to look at the entire department. We are constrained in terms of overtime, because the way you deal with overtime is you have an adequate number of people in the force, adequate number of people in the force, adequate number of firefighters, and it takes time to build up," explained New Haven Mayor Toni Harp.

The fire department is currently training a class of recruits and expects another class in January, then perhaps a third in May. Fire union president Lt. Jim Kottage said the new recruits will help bolster staffing but is concerned the review comes too late.

"This should have been done years ago. I know this is an inherited problem for this administration, but what are we paying this third party do an investigation for the fire department? There are a lot of questions that need to be answered," Kottage said.

The chief, on the other hand, said he's optimistic the review will help the department move foward.

"There are some things we're going to like, and there are some things we're not going to like, but we're going to deal with it," Wright said.

Historic Westport Building Moved Across the Street

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A historic Westport home has been relocated due to a downtown revitalization project.

Officials didn't want to tear down the Kemper Gunn House, so they put it on wheels Tuesday morning and moved it to an Elm Street property across the street.

"This is fun. We’re glad we’re here and we're looking forward to seeing it move," Ray Abramson, of Westport, said.

The move may have been short, but the debate between preservationists and developers leading up to it went on for years.

"First was the concept of what are we going to do with the house and developers needed it to be moved," Matthew Mandell, of the Westport Chamber of Commerce, said.

At one point the home, more than a century old, was in danger of being destroyed.

"At the grassroots level, people banded together to say let's save this house, let's restore it and let's preserve this historic part of Westport," Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe said.

The idea stopped the wrecking ball and put the wheels in motion to relocate the building to town-owned property across the street.


"It's like a remote control. He’s literally driving it across the street," Chris Moran, of Westport, said Tuesday morning.

Officials have plans to bring in new tenants to the home while restoring old features.

"Here we are today and finally starting Bedford square, which is important to me in many ways this is the cherry on top of the whole process," Bedford Square Developer David Waldman said.

When the house is up and running at the new location, there are strict guidelines for who can lease it. There can't be more than five stores and officials involved hope that local businesses move in.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Gas Leak on Capen Street in Hartford

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Police are asking people to avoid Capen Street in Hartford because of a gas leak.

The gas leak is at 171 Capen St., according to police.

Firefighters are responding and police the area is closed to traffic.

Crews from CNG have responded.

It’s not clear if there are evacuations.

Please avoid the area. Check back for updates.
 



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Ford Recalls 65,000 Fusion Sedans for Ignition Issue

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Ford is recalling about 65,000 Fusion midsize cars in North America because the ignition keys can be removed if the transmission is not in park due to a software problem.

The recall covers certain Fusions, including gas-electric hybrids, from the 2014 and 2015 model years. Ford traced the problem to a computer program in the instrument cluster. Keys can be removed 30 minutes after the ignition switch is turned off if the cars are left in gear. That violates U.S. safety regulations and increases the risk of cars rolling away unexpectedly.

Ford says it's not aware of any crashes or injuries from the problem. Dealers will reprogram the instrument cluster at no cost to owners.

The recall covers about 55,000 vehicles in the U.S., with the rest in Canada and Mexico.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Man Accused of Lewd Act in Middletown

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Middletown police have charged an East Hampton man with public indecency after receiving reports that he was pleasuring himself while driving through the city.

The driver of a tractor-trailer told police he noticed a man in a red pickup masturbating while driving on Washington Street near High Street, so he followed the man to Portland and flagged down police officers, police said.

Police identified the suspect as David E. Clare Jr., 67, of East Hampton. Middletown officers traveled to Portland and questioned Clare, who said he didn’t think he was masturbating, but was unsure, according to the arraignment report.

As police questioned him further, Clare denied saying this and told officers he has a young wife at home and has no need to masturbate, police said.

Clare was charged with public indecency, released and is due back in court on Nov. 26.
 

Child, Adult Hospitalized After Blaze in Torrington

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One adult and a child were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after fire tore through a three-story home at 404 Main Street in Torrington this afternoon.

The fire, which broke out around 11:30 a.m., destroyed the house. 

Officials said there were no firewalls and the blaze spread quickly through the balloon-frame structure.

The ceiling began to collapse as crews were inside, but all the firefighters were all able to get out OK. 

Officials said cold did not pose a problem, but wind was a factor and one fire department had issues responding because of a crash across town.

Four people live in the home and everyone is accounted for, officials said.

What caused the blaze is under investigation. 


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Technology Alerts State Police About Stolen Car

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State police arrested a New Bedford, Massachusetts woman in North Stonington Monday night after she drove by a patrol cruiser and a license plate reading device alerted troopers that the car was stolen, police said.

State police from Troop E in Montville were in the North Stonington area doing "motor vehicle enforcement" when a Ford Explorer with Virginia plates passed a parked patrol cruiser with a license plate reader at about 6:30 p.m. The technology detected the car was stolen, prompting police to pull the car over.

Police arrested Dianne Dacosta, 59, of New Bedford, Massachusetts, on charges of third-degree larceny and operating a motor vehicle without a license after they confirmed the car was stolen in Rhode Island, police said.

Dacosta was cooperative with police.

She was issued a $5,000 bond and is due in court in New London on Tuesday.



Photo Credit: State Police

DNA Evidence Helps Police Nab Robbery Suspect

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DNA test results helped Ansonia police identify a bank robbery suspect from more than five years ago.

Dennis Wilson, 42, of Waterbury, was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday to face charges as a suspect in the March, 4, 2009 robbery of  Naugatuck Valley Savings Bank at 75 Tremont Street in Ansonia. About $8,359 in cash was stolen from the bank during the 9:10 a.m. robbery.

The robber, described as a black man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, fled the scene toward the building that houses Big Y and Bob's Stores in Ansonia before police arrived, witnesses told police. Police located the vehicle parked nearby due to dry marks in the pavement after snowfall that year and seized a cigarette butt from the area that the suspect may have left behind, police said.

Officers arrested Wilson on Oct. 29, 2014 after obtaining a warrant following DNA results for seized crime scene items that the state laboratory released in July of 2013, police said. The DNA test identified a convicted robber, Wilson, as a suspect while he was imprisoned in New York for a separate case, police said. Investigators confirmed Wilson's DNA matched evidence containing DNA through samples obtained from him in prison, according to police.

Detectives picked him up at Otisville Federal Correctional Facility in New York and took him into custody once they had a warrant and formally charged him when he was back in Ansonia.

Police charged Wilson with first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny.

He was scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 18 to enter a plea, but as of 1:19 p.m., his case file had not been updated.



Photo Credit: Ansonia Police

Man Arrested Twice in Drug Factory Busts

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A man already facing multiple narcotics and weapons charges in connection to a drug factory bust in Bridgeport a few weeks ago has been arrested again on further similar charges.

State police arrested Michael A. Young, 43, of Bridgeport twice in a larger joint narcotics investigation spanning Oct. 29 to Nov. 18 involving a collaboration between the Connecticut State Police Gang Task Force, the Statewide Narcotics Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

During more than three weeks of investigating, the team served multiple search and seizure warrants at several locations in the Bridgeport area. In total, investigators confiscated about 220 pounds of synthetic marijuana, about 19 pounds of marijuana, about 96 baggies containing 30 grams of heroin, 22 pounds of assorted synthetic narcotics including methamphetamine, bath salts and"Molly" – a type of MDMA or "psychoactive drug" similar to ecstasy, according to the National Institute of Drug Abuse's website. Police also recovered five stolen handguns, about 187 rounds of ammunition, a stolen vehicle, about $22,000, chemicals to make the drugs and packaging materials.

State police first arrested Young and Lawrence "Kevin" Gaithers, 36, in a drug factory bust at a three-story factory turned office building at 955 Connecticut Avenue in Bridgeport on Nov. 5. Young is in custody at Bridgeport Correctional Center on a $450,000 court-set bond for the original charges and police arrested him there a second time on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.

When state police arrested him the first time, they discovered he had three different driver's licenses with his photo, each using a different name and state.

Police charged him Nov. 18 with operating a drug factory, possession of narcotics with intent to sell, criminal possession of a firearm, theft of a firearm, criminal possession of a stun gun, possession of narcotics with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, possession of marijuana with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of school, possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell within 1,500 feet of a school and second degree forgery.

Young remains in custody on an additional $500,000 surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Superior Court on Nov. 19.



Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police

Baby Sitter Charged After Staging Home Invasion: Cops

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Police have arrested the baby sitter accused of staging a home invasion in Plainfield in an effort to steal money from the family.

According to police, the sitter, identified as 40-year-old Angela J. Pearl, of Chaplin, smashed a bedroom window and ransacked the home on Juniper Lane in the Moosup Village of Plainfield on Sept. 30.

Homeowner Ellen Demaio said the sitter was caring for her 2-year-old granddaughter while she was away in Maine. Demaio said she arrived home to find the sitter had stolen prescription drugs and money while the toddler slept.

Authorities arrived at the scene that night to find Pearl at home with the child, uninjured. Although they initially believed Pearl to be the victim of a break-in, investigators later learned she had staged the whole thing, according to police.

Pearl was arrested Tuesday and charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident, third-degree larceny and third-degree criminal mischief.

She was held on $25,000 bond and is due in court Wednesday.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com/Plainfield Police Department

Woman Let Dog Urinate at Store

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Police are looking for a woman who allegedly let her dog urinate on dozens of clothes at a New Jersey store, refused to leave when asked and then led officers on a short chase after they were called to the scene.

Police say the woman, identified as 35-year-old Theresa Tumbleson, went into a Lane Bryant store in Toms River on Monday with her small dog. While inside, she allegedly let the pet relieve itself on 14 dresses and 11 pairs of pants, causing more than $2,000 in damage to the merchandise.

Police say the suspect got angry when a store employee asked her to leave and officers were called to the scene.

Officers got to the store as the woman was getting in her car. They tried to pull the vehicle over and followed the car for a short distance with their cruiser's lights and sirens on.

The car ran several red lights and officers decided not to give chase because the roads were wet, police said.

Police say warrants are out for Tumbleson’s arrest on charges of eluding a police officer and obstruction of the administration of the law.

She’s also likely to face additional charges in connection with the altercation inside the store, police say.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Masked Man Tries to Rob New London Store at Gunpoint

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Police are searching for the man who tried to rob a New London convenience store at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

Authorities said a masked man armed with a semi-automatic handgun entered the DB Mart at 268 Bank Street around 4 a.m. and demanded money.

He ordered two customers to get down on the floor and threatened to shoot the store employee, who refused to open the cash register at first, according to police.

Police said the suspect couldn't get the register open and left the store, removing his mask as he walked out.

The would-be robber is described as standing between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 210-220 pounds. He has a shaved head and was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, blue sweatpants and a gray backpack, according to police.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to call New London police at 860-442-4444. Calls will remain confidential.

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