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

2-Month-Old Dead in Pit Bull Attack

0
0

A pit bull killed a 2-month-old boy and wounded his mother in Dallas Sunday afternoon, police said.

The attack happened at a home in the 6800 block of Beechnut Street at 4:50 p.m. Police said a man left his son alone with the family pit bull as he went outside to turn on a sprinkler system. When he walked into the house, the dog was found attacking the child as he sat in a bouncing chair, police said.

The pit bull then attacked the boy's mother, biting her twice. Police said the father was able to grab the dog by its neck and drag it outside, where it was shot and killed.

The was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No further information was released, and the incident remains under investigation.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/Flickr RF
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story on our mobile site.

Clippers Beat Spurs, 107-92, in Game 1

0
0

The Los Angeles Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-92 to take Game 1 in their first-round playoff series Sunday night at Staples Center.

The LA Clippers had won 14 of their last 15 games entering the 2015 NBA Playoffs, and Clippers coach Glenn "Doc" Rivers was asked about his thoughts on drawing the San Antonio Spurs, who are the defending champions, during his pregame press conference.

"Wow! That's what you get for going 14-1?!" Rivers exclaimed.

The Spurs may be the defending champions, but the Clippers (56-26) finished with a slightly better record than the Spurs (55-27), and so, the series started in LA with the Clippers holding the home court advantage in a potential seventh game. Taking full advantage of the reward of finishing one game better than the Spurs, the Clippers got off to a hot start in front of a jam packed Staples Center.

Almost immediately, the Clippers led by double-digits. Adding to the slow start, Spurs point guard Tony Parker rolled his ankle, which forced him off the court and into the locker room in the first quarter. Shooting 55 percent and holding the Spurs to 30 percent from the field, the Clippers led 30-18 after one quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, the Spurs put together a 10-0 run, and the Clippers' lead suddenly shrunk to only two points. At that stage, Parker shook off his niggle and returned to the ball game. In the blink of an eye, the game would be level.

For the final few minutes of the first half, Clippers center DeAndre Jordan would become a central figure in the contest. Jordan's defense would help shut the Spurs down and quickly give the home team an eight-point edge. However, San Antonio went to the "Hack-a-Jordan" strategy, and the Clippers' center would shoot 12 free throws in the second quarter alone. He made five of them.

At the halftime buzzer, the Clippers still retained a six-point edge despite Kawhi Leonard getting into an offensive rhythm late in the half. Leonard led the Spurs with nine points at the break, while Blake Griffin led the home team with 13 points at the intermission.

In the third quarter, the Clippers would break the game open with Griffin continuing to add to his tally. The 26-year-old forward would score 10 points in the third quarter, and Clippers point guard Chris Paul would contribute another 12 points of his own in the quarter. With the two Clippers' superstars firing, LA would open up a 15-point lead after three quarters.

At the start of the fourth quarter, that lead would jump back up to 18 points, which was the game high. Quickly, the Spurs would hit a flurry of three-pointers to bring the game back down to single digits with about seven and a half minutes remaining in the contest. Only one minute later, the home team re-extended the lead to 16 points to silence the Spurs' rally.

From there, the clock would slowly count down, and the Clippers took a 1-0 lead in the series. Griffin finished with 26 points and Paul ended the game with 32 points, six assists and seven rebounds.

Game Two of the best-of-seven series will take place on Wednesday night at Staples Center.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Dozens Flee Burning Tour Bus

0
0

Four of 52 passengers on a tour bus en route to Ventura were treated for injuries after the bus caught fire on Sunday, fire officials said.

San Bernardino County firefighters received a call around 1 p.m. stating that a tour bus was on fire near the intersection of Interstate 40 and Needles Highway. The bus was returning from Laughlin, Nevada, to Ventura.

When firefighters arrived, the rear of the bus was on fire "with heavy smoke traveling throughout the bus," according to a San Bernardino County Fire Department statement.

The driver of the San Luis Obispo bus was able to evacuate all 52 passengers, but four people were treated for injuries. One person suffered from a respiratory emergency and three others suffered from heat-related problems.

The driver of the San Luis Obispo-based tour bus told fire officials he heard what sounded like a rear tire exploding and immediately pulled over to the side of the road. He added that the back of the bus immediately caught on fire and he began evacuating the passengers.

The tour bus was engulfed in flames and officials estimate the loss to be at $250,000.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.



Photo Credit: San Bernardino County Fire Department

Loved Ones of 19-Year-Old Stabbing Victim Gather at Vigil

0
0

Friends and family of a 19-year-old stabbing victim killed gathered Sunday night for a vigil to honor her memory.

Holly Aeschlimann, 19, of Torrington, was stabbed multiple times Friday morning. Police identified the suspect as Heather Birden, 20, also of Torrington.

Police received a disturbance call at 1:12 a.m. on Friday in the area of Prospect and Hungerford streets, responded and learned from a passerby that Aeschlimann had been injured and that a passerby took her to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.

Authorities later learned she has died from her injuries, police said.

Multiple people who spoke with NBC Connecticut indicated that there was bad blood between the victim and the suspect and police said there's been an ongoing history between them. Friends told NBC Connecticut that Aeschlimann was riding her bike in the area when she was attacked by another young woman with an axe to grind and a knife in her possession.

"They were out here yelling there was quite a commotion out here," Robert Chatfield, of Torrington, said.

Family and friends gathered Friday afternoon to share fond memories.

"My heart's broken. For her family...and Holly," Linda Kijonka, a family friend said.

Thomas Farr is friends with Aeschlimann and took a selfie with her just hours before she was stabbed to death at the corner of Prospect and Hungerford Streets in her home town of Torrington.

"She was very close to me. She was like my baby sister, we did everything together," Farr said.

Birden is not being charged as of yet, police said, but was arraigned Friday in Bantam Superior Court for an active arrest warrant issued by the Winchester Police Department for an unrelated case from Aug. 7. She was charged with assault in the second degree, reckless endangerment and breach of peace in that case. Friends said that the other case also involved a stabbing, but that is not confirmed with police.

Birden is also being charged with violation of probation.

While friends aren't sure how or when the feud between the victim and suspect started, they said the two had scuffled about a year ago.

"I guess she was trying to get back at her for something that happened, that she started," Farr said.

Their latest dispute was apparently about a man, according to friends.

"I know that Heather liked the guy, but I know that Holly was just hanging out with him," Maddie Brown, another friend of Aeschlimann's said.

Three friends were with Aeschlimann at the hospital, Brown said.

The investigation in the stabbing is ongoing and the Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad is assisting.

No additional information has been released.

There was an impromptu gathering on Friday night in Aeschlimann's memory and there was an organized vigil on Sunday at 7 p.m. in Torrington.



Photo Credit: Facebook and NBC Connecticut

New Haven Schools Mourn Teen's Shooting Death

0
0

Grief counselors will be available at New Haven Public Schools following a shooting Sunday morning that killed a 16-year-old boy and injured a 20-year-old.

Police are still searching for the shooter who killed the high school student and shot Justin Compress, 20, multiple times in the shoulder, hand and wrist. Compress is listed in stable condition.

Someone opened fire into a parked VW hach-back the victims were in on Exchange Street near Blatchley Avenue around 12:10 a.m. Sunday morning.

The 16-year-old victim, a resident of Exchange Street, was pronounced dead at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Police have declined to release the name of the teen because he is under 18.

Police are looking for a suspicious vehicle that the shooter may have fled in. A black or dark-colored four-door car was seen racing towards James St. after the shooing. There are no descriptions of the suspect or suspects.

The fatal double shooting has a lot of people, both students and adults, asking how such a thing could happen to someone so young.New Haven's superintendent said that city and community leaders are coming together to see what they can do to prevent another tragedy like this. The superintendent said it's a sad day for the community and that what happened on Sunday was another signal that it's time for leaders to do something about the violence in the city.

"It's really a sign of the times that we need to come together," Scott Dawley, of New Haven, said. "We need to start binding together as citizens and tell these kids you know, look out for each other."

Dawley expressed sadness upon hearing about the shooting and said "you can't really feel safe."

"He's still young and he had his whole life ahead of him," another resident, Martel Arrington said about the death of the 16-year-old. "....Things like that shouldn't happen to no 16-year-old person."

Neighbors said that their community has seen its share of violence over the years and they hope the shooter is found so they can get answers.

"For his parents, the community, his friends, it's a tragedy," Arrington said. "You know, it shouldn't happen like that."

The Major Crimes Division and Bureau of Investigations are interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence.

Anyone with information is asked to call New Haven detectives at 203-946-6304.

Cop Helps Kid Fix Bike

0
0

Bridgeport's mayor praised a police officer after a precious moment caught on camera while he was on patrol.

While he was on duty April 11, Bridgeport Police Officer Cody Remy spotted a kid having trouble after his brown bike broke, so he stopped to help him fix it.

A neighbor who lives in the same apartment complex as the boy snapped a photograph without his knowledge and submitted it to local news website doingitlocal.com.

“Officer Remy’s act of helping out a child in need in our community is a great example. He doesn’t think he did anything extraordinary. But I disagree," Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said in a statement. "The picture speaks for itself. And, I’ll leave it up to others in our community and beyond to decide for themselves.”

The mayor's office said the "crime is trending at historic lows in the state's largest city" in part thanks to the service of the Bridgeport police department. WPRI.com reported that Bridgeport "has experienced the biggest drop in crime in New England over the past decade when compared to cities of comparable size," the mayor's office noted.

“Bridgeport police officers help protect our community day in and day out,” Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said in a statement. “They help make our neighborhoods safer and more secure for kids and families, ensuring our city continues getting better every day.”



Photo Credit: doingitlocal.com

Ballpark Construction Prompts Road Closures in Hartford

0
0

Hartford is alerting drivers of road closures in the city during construction on the new Downtown North development and ballpark, including part of Trumbull Street.

Trumbull Street will be closed between Main Street and Market Street from the end of the day today until around Sept. 4 to realign it, according to city officials. That section of Trumbull Street will be redesigned to accommodate the new baseball stadium. (Note: This date changed from April 17.)

Pleasant Street has four lanes during construction, two westbound and two eastbound. One lane was recently closed to allow for construction of the north end of the ballpark.

Windsor Street will close permanently between Pleasant and Trumbull streets. It will be used first as a construction staging area and will then be turned into the "Windsor Walk," which will include pedestrian and bicycle lanes.

Windsor Street, between Trumbull and Pleasant streets, will be closed to through traffic, but it will be accessible for emegency vehicles and public transportation through construction. 

Route 80 Reopens After Crash

0
0

Route 80 has reopened in East Haven after a female driver was extricated from a car that collided with a dump truck, police said.

The road was briefly closed both ways at Circle Drive. There are some residual traffic delays.

There is no word on the extent of the injuries.


Hundreds of CT Runners to Race in Boston Marathon

0
0

Hundreds of runners in Connecticut are in Boston this morning, getting ready to run the 119th Boston Marathon.

Two years have passed since bombs went off at the finish line of the race and, for that reason, emotions are running high for Natalie Carpenter, a running coach from Hartford.

"To hear what happened, I wanted the chance last year to run, such an important race, to show the world that we're not afraid," Carpenter said. 

Last year was her first Boston Marathon and this year, she coached a group of 25 runners through Fleet Feet in West Hartford, helping them prepare for the 26.2 mile run.

"We have been running through the winter. Ice, snow, angry drivers. Anything nature has thrown at us we've been running through," Carpenter said.

This year there are nearly 500 of the marathon runners from Connecticut.

Brent Robertson, of West Hartford, is running his first Boston Marathon.

"I just started training in January. This is my first ever marathon, I just started running a year ago," Robertson said. 

He said he's ready.

"I was fine as soon as I picked up my bib, as soon as i picked that up I started to get the jitters," he said.

Carpenter said the 26.2 mile race is not easy, but that it pushes runners like him to remember the marathon bombings and use the tragedy as motivation to finish Monday's race Boston Strong.

"My best advice is to take it one step at a time, and just remember that Boston is behind you every step of the way," Carpenter said.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Cost Controversy Over Ticket Prices for Hartford Baseball Stadium

0
0

A portion of Trumbull Street will be closed in Hartford starting Monday as construction begins on the new baseball stadium that will house the former Rock Cats to be renamed the Yard Goats.

As construction tees off, funding for the stadium is still up in the air amid a cost controversy over the price of a ticket. Lawmakers will discuss it at a public hearing Monday morning.

Normally when you go to a ball park, the ticket includes a 10 percent tax that goes back into the state's general fund.

But in Hartford, city leaders want the money to stay in the capitol city so they can use it to pay off the bonds needed to build the $56 million stadium in the first place.

Some say it's a backdoor way of raising money, while others say it's a good way to get the people who go to the stadium to help pay for it.

The public hearing will begin at 11 a.m. at the capitol building.

Firefighters Rescue Mother From Window in Blaze

0
0

Firefighters rescued a mother from a house fire in Wolcott Monday morning after they arrived on scene and her children were screaming that their mother was trapped inside.

The fire broke out at 2 Garrigus Court in Wolcott just before 4 a.m. Firefighters discovered two children outside the home with their pets when they arrived yelling for someone to help their mom, who was still inside the home.

They spotted a woman waving her arms from a window in a room engulfed in flames. The fire was so intense that they couldn't go up the stairs, so they had to use a ladder to get to the window and pull her out of the building.

"And there was a woman coming out of a second floor window about 12 feet up and they assisted her out of the window and there were heavy flames coming behind her in the upstairs bedroom," Wolcott Fire Chief Kyle Dunn said. "That’s where the main fire was on the second floor."

Everyone got out safely, but the mother and her children were transported to an area hospital.

There is no word on her condition.

Garrigus Court is blocked at Meriden Road, but there isn't a major impact to traffic. A fire engine and crew remains on scene to make sure the flames don't flare up again.

Wolcott's fire marshal continues to investigate the cause of the fire.



Photo Credit: Courtesy Photos

Eight Displaced in New Haven Fire

0
0

Eight people were displaced after a fire at 11 Truman Street on Saturday.

Police officers nearby saw the flames and helped two adults and six children in the home to safety, police said.

It didn't take long to put the fire out, but firefighters deemed the home uninhabitable due to the damage.

The American Red Cross is offering aid to the people displaced.

The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.

Professional counseling is being made available to the kids, police said.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

39 New Haven Stores Sold Tobacco to Minors: Police

0
0

New Haven police found 39 businesses in violation of state tobacco sale laws when they sold tobacco to minors during an extensive sting operation and 203 unannounced compliance inspections at stores in March and April.

Funding for the compliance checks at businesses selling tobacco came from a Tobacco Master Settlement Health and Trust Fund grant from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

"The inspections were performed in an effort to determine compliance with state laws concerning the prohibition of the sale of cigarettes and/or tobacco products to youth under the age of eighteen," New Haven police said in a news release.

Clerks at the 39 stores that sold to minors were fined $200 and issued a first-time offense infraction, police said.

It has been illegal for people under 18 in Connecticut to buy, smoke or have tobacco in public since Oct. 1, 2008, police said.

The following businesses were found in violation of the state's tobacco sale laws, police said:

• Pops Grocery at 267 Grand Ave.
• Grand Ave Smokers Market at 118 Grand Ave.
• Ninos Market at 521 Ferry St.
• Valley Mart LLC at 589 Valley Rd.
• Gushers Food Mart at 1306 Whalley Ave.
• Sohum LLC at 801 Whalley Ave.
• Tiger Mart at 775 Whalley Ave.
• Jay Deli at 385 Whalley Ave.
• L & A Deli at 351 Whalley Ave.
• Walt's Package Store at 451 Columbus Ave.
• California Grocery at 846 Congress Ave.
• Super Star Market at 96 Sylvan Ave.
• Walgreens #6474 at 82-92 York St.
• Eddies Market at 58 Slyvan Ave.
• Sammy Inoas Market at 253 Davenport Ave.
• Eddys Food Center at 276 Howard Ave.
• Kavs Package Store at 529 Howard Ave.
• Mi Favorita Corner Store at 52 Liberty St.
• Spring Liquor at 105 Cedar St.
• Sams Food Store at 63 York St.
• Ferry Grocery at 410 Ferry St.
• Jaynez Grocery at 227 Ferry St.
• Stop & Go Delimart at 161 Whalley Ave. STE2
• H & S Food Mart at 306 Whalley Ave.
• Sams Food Store at 285 Whalley Ave.
• Mobil Mart  at 284 Whalley Ave.
• Deli Haven LLC at 794 George St.
• Family Dollar Store at 760 Chapel St.
• Discount Liquor of Annex at 383 Forbes Ave.
• Empire Liquors at 1655 Quinnipiac Ave.
• Gate Way Food Store at 55 Church St.
• Orchard Market  at 738 Orchard St.
• Dixwell Deli & Grocery at 269 Dixwell Ave.
• Dixwell Mini Mart at 284 Dixwell Ave.
• Smokers Stop at 206A Dixwell Ave.
• Corner Deli at 265 Winchester Ave.
• State Street Hess at 1331 State St.
• Gloria Grocery Corp at 607 East St.
• One Way Corner Mini Market at 108 Greenwood St.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

29-Year-Old Man Dies After Shooting in New Haven

0
0

Police are investigating the shooting death of a 29-year-old New Haven resident, who was shot in the city while driving his car Monday afternoon.

According to police, Lyndell Moore, 29, of New Haven, was shot on Townsend Street. He drove off toward Charles Street, where he lost control and crashed at the intersection of Orchard Street around 1:20 p.m.

Police said an officer heard the crash and went over to investigate. The officer found Moore unconscious and requested medics, who removed Moore's shirt to see he had been shot several times in the torso.

Moore was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he died, police said.

Before Moore was shot, there were no reports of crime or gunfire in the city, according to police.

Investigators at the scene received reports of three men wearing gray hooded sweatshirts fleeing from the area after the shooting on Townsend Street toward Henry Street.

Check back for updates.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Silver Alert Canceled for Missing New Britain Woman, 26

0
0

State police have canceled a Silver Alert for a missing 26-year-old New Britain woman.

Kimberly R. Hendricks, 26, had last been seen April 6 wearing a brown T-shirt, grey sweatpants and grey slippers.



Photo Credit: State Police

Kraft Mac & Cheese to Remove Dyes

0
0

The iconic mac and cheese in a blue box will start showing its true colors.

Northfield, Illinois-based, Kraft Foods announced Monday it will remove artificial preservatives and synthetic colors from its “Original Kraft Macaroni and Cheese” in the U.S. starting Jan. 2016.

Kraft will replace the synthetic colors currently used with natural sources such as paprika, annatto and turmeric, the company said. The company hopes the move will “delight consumers with on-trend updates to meet consumers’ changing lifestyles and needs.”

“[Families] told us they want to feel good about the foods they eat and serve their families, including everything from improved nutrition to simpler ingredients,” Triona Schmelter, vice president of marketing meals at Kraft, said in a statement. “They also told us they won’t compromise on the taste of their mac and cheese – and neither will we. That’s why we’ve been working tirelessly to find the right recipe that our fans will love.”

The company’s announcement comes on the heels of other changes in its mac and cheese recipes.

Kraft’s “Mac and Cheese Boxed Shapes” in the U.S. launched last year with six grams of whole grains per serving, reduced saturated fat by 25 percent, lowered sodium by 100 milligrams per serving and no synthetic colors. Most recently, artificial preservatives were removed from the same product this past year.

The company’s Canadian division, Kraft Dinner, will begin removing synthetic colors from its “Kraft Dinner Original” by the end of next year. Synthetic colors were removed from “Kraft Dinner Boxed Shapes” last year while its “Original” recipe reduced sodium by 19 percent since 2012.

“Listening, extensive research and continuous improvement have been part of the Kraft Mac and Cheese 75-year heritage,” Schmelter said. “From packaging like convenient ‘Cups’ to products like ‘Deluxe,’ ‘Organic’ and ‘Whole Grain’ to light prep instructions, we’ve innovated this iconic brand through the years to remain North America’s favorite mac and cheese.”

Kraft Foods made headlines last month when it recalled about 6.5 million boxes of original flavor "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese" and merged with H.J. Heinz Company.



Photo Credit: AP

Chipotle Not Serving Pork at Some Connecticut Locations

0
0

If you have a hankering for carnitas at Chipotle Mexican Grill, you might have to wait awhile until its return to some Connecticut locations.

The Chipotle on New Britain Avenue in West Hartford has a sign posted on its door and inside with "SORRY, NO CARNITAS" in big letters.

"Due to supply constraints, we are currently unable to serve our Responsibly Raised pork. Trust us, we're just as disappointed as you and as soon as we get it back, we'll let the world know," the sign at the Chipotle says.

A store employee said the location likely won't get Carnitas again until the end of May and that the company is working to put it back on the menu as soon as possible. The employee also said other Connecticut locations aren't serving Carnitas right now, but it's unconfirmed which ones aren't serving it.

Chipotle is still facing a nationwide Carnitas shortage since it announced in January it would stop serving pork at a third of its restaurants in the country because one of its suppliers was not complying with its animal-welfare standards.

"We regularly audit our suppliers to ensure that they meet all of our high standards. As part of our ongoing audit program, we found a pork supplier that was not meeting all of our standards," Chipotle said on its website. "While the supplier in question was meeting most of our standards, some of their practices related to the size and condition of the housing offered to some of the pigs were not in line with our protocols. As soon as we identified these issues, we suspended our purchases from this supplier. Without this supplier, we do not have enough Responsibly Raised pork for all of our restaurants, and we will not be able to serve carnitas in some restaurants."

A Chipotle representative said on Twitter that about 60 percent of its restaurants are still serving carnitas.

Chipotle is working with the supplier to ensure that all animal-welfare standards are met before the company gets pork from there again, according to its website. The company is also seeking out new suppliers.

More information is available on chipotle.com/porkinfo. Check with your local Chipotle for more information on whether they're serving Carnitas.



Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com

Doerr, Guirgis Among Pulitzer Winners in Arts

0
0

Anthony Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See," a World War II novel that has been one of the top-selling literary works of the past year, has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Pulitzer judges on Monday cited Doerr's "imaginative and intricate novel," which alternates brief chapters between a blind French girl and young Nazi soldier. Doerr, fittingly, was in Paris when the award was announced. A resident of Boise, Idaho, Doerr needed more than a decade to complete "All the Light We Cannot See," more time than the war itself. He told The Associated Press that there were days when he thought "he would never finish the book" and was especially surprised by his Pulitzer since the story "contains no Americans."

The $10,000 prize is given "for distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life."

"Obviously, it's wonderful," the 41-year-old Doerr said of the Pulitzer, adding that he was enjoying ice cream with his family when his editor called to share the news.

Fiction finalists included previous winner Richard Ford for "Let Me Be Frank with You," post-Hurricane Sandy stories featuring his longtime protagonist Frank Bascombe, the main character of his 1996 Pulitzer winner "Independence Day."

Also Monday, Stephen Adly Guirgis's "Between Riverside and Crazy" won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, with judges hailing the New York playwright for using "dark comedy to confront questions of life and death." The play tells of a cantankerous ex-cop who owns a piece of real estate on the Upper West Side and makes it a refuge for the hard-luck orphans who have become his surrogate family.

The Pulitzer for general nonfiction went to "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History," by Elizabeth Kolbert, whose work was praised by judges as "an exploration of nature that forces readers to consider the threat posed by human behavior to a world of astonishing diversity."

David I. Kertzer's "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe" won for biography-autobiography, and "Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People " by Elizabeth A. Fenn, won for history.

The poetry prize was given to Gregory Pardlo's "Digest" and Julia Wolfe's "Anthracite Fields" won for music.

Wolfe's work, described by judges as a "powerful oratorio for chorus and sextet," was composed after a year's study of the Pennsylvania coal mining industry at the turn of the 20th Century, near where Wolfe grew up in Montgomeryville, Pennsylvania.

"I'm definitely shell-shocked," Wolfe, 56, said from her home in New York City. She describes herself as a musical renegade, with inspirations that come from folks, classical and rock, and said she hopes the award can inspire other musicians to follow dreams that follow unconventional paths.

Here's a list of the 2015 Pulitzers in journalism and the arts:

Journalism:

Public Service: The Post and Courier of Charleston, South Carolina

Breaking News Reporting: The Seattle Times staff

Investigative Reporting: Eric Lipton of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal staff

Explanatory Reporting: Zachary R. Mider of Bloomberg News

Local Reporting: Rob Kuznia, Rebecca Kimitch and Frank Suraci of the Daily Breeze of Torrance, California

National Reporting: Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post

International Reporting: The New York Times staff

Feature Writing: Diana Marcum of the Los Angeles Times

Commentary: Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle

Criticism: Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times

Editorial Writing: Kathleen Kingsbury of The Boston Globe

Editorial Cartooning: Adam Zyglis of The Buffalo News

Breaking News Photography: St. Louis Post-Dispatch photography staff

Feature Photography: Daniel Berehulak, freelance photographer, The New York Times

Letters and Drama:

Fiction: "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr (Scribner)

Drama: "Between Riverside and Crazy" by Stephen Adly Guirgis

History: "Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People" by Elizabeth A. Fenn (Hill and Wang)

Biography: "The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe" by David I. Kertzer (Random House)

Poetry: "Digest" by Gregory Pardlo (Four Way Books)

General Nonfiction: "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History" by Elizabeth Kolbert (Henry Holt)

Music:

"Anthracite Fields" by Julia Wolfe (G. Schirmer Inc.)



Photo Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

Woman Stabbed Other Woman in Putnam: Cops

0
0

Police have arrested a woman accused of stabbing another woman in Putnam.

Police responded to a report of a stabbing on Battey Street at 12:06 a.m. on Friday, found the victim and transported her to Day Kimball Hospital.

Police have identified Kristy Carpenter, 25, of Marshall Street in Putnam as the suspect and charged her with second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, carrying a dangerous weapon and breach of peace.

She was held on a $20,000 bond and is due in Danielson Superior Court.

Police said they are continuing to investigate.



Photo Credit: NBC

Students' Gains on Fossil-Fuel Divestment Mixed

0
0

Students and alumni at hundreds of colleges nationwide are urging their administrations to stop investing millions in endowment funds in coal, oil and gas. But after months of demonstrations, sit-ins and talk with school officials, the movement's results are mixed, and the answer many activists keep getting is still no.

The issue, activists say, is a moral one. Taking their cue from the successful push in the 1970s for universities to divest from apartheid South Africa, now students from Maine to California say fossil-fuel divestment would help curb climate change because of the moral authority their schools' voices carry.

The push for fossil-fuel divestment began in earnest at Swarthmore College in 2011 and has gained traction at campuses nationwide. While few of the bids have managed to persuade colleges to divest entirely from fossil fuels, 23 colleges and universities have removed some fossil-fuel companies from their investment portfolios, according to the environmental group 350.org's advocacy project Fossil Free.

And at Harvard, which has by far the largest endowment of any American university, 72 percent of the more than 3,500 of undergraduates who voted last year backed a ballot measure that demanded the Ivy League university divest its more than $35 billion in endowment funds.

“Investing in companies that are at the root of climate change is immoral,” said Harvard sophomore Talia Rothstein, co-coordinator of the student-led climate change activism group Divest Harvard. “We have to divest in order to transition into a renewable society."

Still, divestment pushes at campuses nationwide have met with resistance from many university officials and industry group the Petroleum Association of America, who say divestment isn't an effective strategy to combat climate change — as well as from the courts, in Harvard's case.

Opponents of divestment say direct actions to limit carbon emissions on campus and at fossil-fuel plants are already being taken, and that the harm divestment would cause to schools' endowments would outweigh any environmental impact.

"For many schools, that would be impossible because of the commingling of funds," said endowment investment expert Kenneth Redd, director of research and policy analysis at the National Association of College University Business Officers. "Students will [suffer], because investment returns are being used to fund scholarships, faculty research projects and other support they need."

Harvard's divestment battle even made its way this year to court earlier this year, when students including Rothstein sued the school, calling Harvard's fossil-fuels investment "a breach of their fiduciary and charitable duties as a public charity and nonprofit corporation."

Student activists were dealt a blow when a Massachusetts judge dismissed their suit. Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Paul Wilson said in his decision last month that students had "brought their advocacy, fervent and articulate and admirable as it is, to a forum that cannot grant the relief they seek."

The students plan to appeal. Harvard declined to comment on the lawsuit but said the university "is fully committed to leadership in (climate change) through research, education, engagement with key actors in the energy and policy domains."

One of the divestment movement's highest-profile — if partial — victories came last year at Stanford University when the school's board of trustees voted to divest from coal.

President John Hennessy said in May 2014 that the school had a responsibility to “promote the sustainability of our planet” and called coal divestment “a small but constructive step.” But months later, the student group Divest Stanford learned that the university, whose endowment tops $20 billion, had invested in three oil and gas companies. A Stanford spokesperson told NBC in an email that the university had decided to divest only from coal companies, not from other fossil fuels.

The victory was a partial one, but it also was a shot in the arm for divestment efforts elsewhere — including at the University of Maine, which decided to divest fully from all fossil fuel companies, and at Syracuse University, which decided to divest only from coal.

Meanwhile, at Stanford and elsewhere, students are continuing their push for full divestment.

At the University of California, whose board of regents is weighing divestment, president Janet Napolitano announced a plan to reduce carbon emissions by investing $1 billion of the school system's more than $7 billion endowment in renewable energy solutions to combat climate change.

Activist Jake Soiffer, a field organizer for the the UC-wide coalition Fossil Free Cal, lauded that plan but said it’s not enough. He wants full divestment.

“The entire fossil fuel industry is destructive,” Soiffer said. “It is responsible for more than five times the amount of carbon emissions. Their business model is set up around that, and we need our institution to use their power to call that out.”

Viewing all 57608 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images