Connecticut news

• Former Vernon Man Charged In $3M Pita Swindle

  06-04-2017 23:41
  
  (CBS Connecticut) — A former Vernon resident is accused of swindling banks and the state Department of Economic Community Development out of more than $3-million.
  Last month, Mohsen Youssef was arrested in the country where he now lives, Canada.
  He set up a pita bread company called Amoun Pita in South Windsor. He then started borrowing money from banks and the state.
  To convince state and bank officials that it was safe to give him their money, he signed paperwork certifying hat he had la
  
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• WTIC’s Closing Bell Stock Report: April 6, 2017

  06-04-2017 23:00
  
  See where the market closed today with WTIC’s Closing Bell Report, brought to you by Toomey Investment Management, Inc.
  
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• Man Tied To $500M Art Heist Pleads Guilty In Firearms Case

  06-04-2017 22:50
  
  DAVE COLLINSAssociated PressHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A reputed mobster who authorities say is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in U.S. history pleaded guilty Thursday to unrelated weapons charges.
  Robert Gentile, 80, appeared in federal court in Hartford in a case stemming from federal agents’ seizure of firearms and ammunition from his Manchester home. The plea deal calls for him to serve about three to six years in prison. Sentencing is set for August 25
  
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• West Hartford Man Charged In Deadly Crash

  06-04-2017 22:27
  
  FARMINGTON, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – A West Hartford man has been charged in connection with a deadly four-vehicle crash on Route 4 in Farmington last fall.
  Bennett Dunbar, 27, is charged with second-degree manslaughter and first-degree reckless endangerment in the October 20, 2016 crash that killed Janet Pulver, 66 of Avon, said police.
  Police say Dunbar was driving recklessly and speeding when his vehicle crossed the center lines of the road and struck Pulver’s vehicle, near the i
  
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• Ex-UConn Coach Diaco In His Element As Huskers’ Coordinator

  06-04-2017 22:20
  
  ERIC OLSON, AP College Football Writer
  LINCOLN, Neb. (CBS Connecticut and AP) — One moment, Bob Diaco is congratulating one of his charges for a job well done with a fist-bump and slap on the back.
  The next, he is charging at a linebacker who slipped out of position on a drill. Chin to facemask, and loud enough to draw the attention of sideline observers, Diaco asks him why he messed up. Apparently satisfied with the answer, he taps the linebacker on the shoulder pads and moves on.
  That&rs
  
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• Man Charged With Supplying Heroin To Woman Who Died

  06-04-2017 21:36
  
  (Thompson, Conn./CBS Connecticut) – A man accused of supplying heroin for a woman who died last fall in Thompson is facing charges.
  State Police they have arrested 39-year-old David Gagnon.
  It was last October 20 just after midnight that troopers were called an area of Brandy Hill Road on a report of an unresponsive female in a parked car.
  She later died at Hubbard Hospital in Webster, Massachusetts.
  Meanwhile, troopers and detectives continued their investigation, which included interview
  
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• Bridgeport School Evacuated Over Odor, 4 Students Hospitalized

  06-04-2017 21:32
  
  Columbus School in Bridgeport has been evacuated because of an odor in the school and four children were taken to the hospital.Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
  
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• Fire Breaks Out at Sauna at Italian Center in Stamford

  06-04-2017 21:11
  
  Fire broke out in a sauna at the Italian Center in Stamford this morning.Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
  
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• Tribes Guaranteeing Slot Arrangement With State

  06-04-2017 20:36
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut and AP) – Connecticut’s two federally recognized tribes say they’ll guarantee their existing revenue sharing agreement and chip in some more money if they’re allowed to build a satellite casino in East Windsor.
  In a letter sent Thursday to state officials, the Mashantucket Pequots and Mohegans said they’ll give Connecticut 25 percent of the revenues generated from slot machines and table games at the new facility.
  The tribes now shar
  
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• Fire Station 15 in Hartford Closes for Renovations

  06-04-2017 20:33
  
  Fire Station 15 in Hartford will be closed, at least for several weeks, for structural renovations.Photo Credit: NBCConnecticut.com
  
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• SOUND OFF CT: State Taxes, Equal Pay, and Gorsuch

  06-04-2017 20:26
  
  Jim and Pastor Will Marotti talk about the latest on the Neil Gorsuch Confirmation, and the state of CT taxes and equal pay.
  
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• Eight Tax Moves That Could Save You Money

  06-04-2017 20:03
  
  Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
  Beth Kobliner is a personal finance commentator and journalist, and the author of the New York Times bestseller Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties. Her new book, Make Your Kid a Money Genius (Even If You’re Not!), is on sale now from Touchstone, an imprint of our sister company, Simon & Schuster.
  Here are some ideas that might work for you come tax time:
  Bunch Your Deductions Into One Year
  If you don’t have
  
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• 2017 NFL Draft Prospects: Top Running Backs

  06-04-2017 20:00
  
  QB | WR/TE | DE/Edge | DB
  Ryan Mayer
  The NFL Draft is slated to take place in the city of brotherly love from April 27th-April 30th. As you get ready to watch who your team will select, CBS Local Sports will preview the top available prospects in the various different position groups.The running back in today’s NFL has dropped significantly in value as teams have moved more towards passing offenses and two-back systems. The days of the 300-carry back are largely behind us it would seem. Ho
  
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• Gunman Forced Clerk Into Cooler: Police

  06-04-2017 19:12
  
  A man with a gun robbed the Noble Gas Station at 76 North Road in East Windsor this morning and forced the clerk into a cooler, police said.Photo Credit: East Windsor Police
  
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• Former National Guardsman Sentenced In Sexual Assault Case

  06-04-2017 19:05
  
  BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A former National Guard soldier who sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl has been sentenced to 17 months in prison.
  The Connecticut Post reports that 21-year-old Christopher Wright pleaded guilty to two counts of fourth-degree sexual assault and one count of reckless endangerment on Wednesday.
  Police say Wright approached the girl and her friend at the Danbury Fair Mall in October.
  Investigators say Wright then drove the girl to his Bridgeport home where they wat
  
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• Hernandez Enraged By Disrespect, Prosecutor Says

  06-04-2017 19:03
  
  BOSTON (AP) – A prosecutor in the double-murder trial of former NFL star Aaron Hernandez says in closing arguments that Hernandez killed two men because he had “an illogical sense of being disrespected.”
  Prosecutor Patrick Haggan told jurors Hernandez killed Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado after de Abreu bumped into him at a Boston nightclub and spilled his drink on him. He said Hernandez became enraged because he saw it as a sign of disrespect.
  Haggan told jurors Thursday:
  
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• Drunken Woman Was Going 90 Miles Per Hour: Police

  06-04-2017 18:39
  
  A New London woman is accused of driving 90 miles per hour while drunk in Groton and Ledyard just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday.Photo Credit: Ledyard Police
  
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• RAY DUNAWAY: The St Petersburg Bombing

  06-04-2017 17:46
  
  The suicide bombing in St Petersburg was overshadowed by all the news in Washington this week… but the fact that the bombing took place in Vladmir Putin’s home town certainly sends a message.
  Howard Stoffer, Associate Professor of National Security at the University of New Haven, former US foreign service officer and Deputy Executive Director in the UN Security Council, explains what that message means…
  
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• RAY DUNAWAY: Talking The Susan Rice Reports

  06-04-2017 17:39
  
  David Lightman, National political correspondent and veteran congressional reporter for McClatchy Newspapers discusses the Susan Rice reports.
  And a new McClatchy-Marist poll shows Trump’s approval ratings are floundering.
  Hear more:
  
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• Regents Approve Administrative Consolidation Plan, Tuition Hikes

  06-04-2017 17:37
  
  WILLIMANTIC, Conn. (CBS Connecticut and AP) – The Connecticut board of Regents for Higher Education, Thursday, approved a recommendation to consolidate administrative personnel across the 17 colleges and universities and an operational consolidation plan at the 12 community colleges, to help meet serious budgetary challenges.
  In a letter released Monday to the CSCU community, President Mark Ojakian said it has become abundantly clear the system’s operational costs are outpacing reven
  
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• RAY DUNAWAY: Hartford Symphony Orchestra Preview

  06-04-2017 17:34
  
  Carolyn Kuan of Hartford Symphony Orchestra previews The Planets: Different Worlds, April 7-9th at The Bushnell and Lies You Can Believe In, April 27th at Real Art Ways.
  Get a preview of both shows…
  
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• Man Charged With Drug Sales After Woman’s Death

  06-04-2017 17:18
  
  State police have arrested a Thompson man accused of drug sales after investigating the death of a woman in October.Photo Credit: Connecticut State Police
  
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• 'We're Mostly Rented': Summer Shoreline Rentals Already Snatched Up

  06-04-2017 16:13
  
  It may be too late for people who waited until now to start booking their summer rentals on Connecticut's shoreline.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• Intell Committee Chair Steps Aside In Russia Probe

  06-04-2017 16:13
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) – The chairman of the House intelligence committee announced Thursday he is temporarily stepping aside from the panel’s probe into Russian meddling in last year’s presidential election.
  The decision by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., comes amid partisan turmoil on the committee. Democrats have alleged that Nunes, who was on President Donald Trump’s transition team, is too close to the White House and cannot lead an impartial inquiry.
  “Several leftwing ac
  
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• Asbestos Report Sparks Questions From West Haven High School Parents

  06-04-2017 16:09
  
  Parents are asking a lot of questions after reading a report showing pictures of disturbed asbestos inside West Haven High School.Photo Credit: Dunn Environmental Inspections
  
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• Rain, Snowmelt Could Cause Flooding In New England

  06-04-2017 16:04
  
  The latest storm to hit New England is bringing the threat of flooding instead of snow.
  The National Weather Service has placed flood advisories and watches across the region in anticipation of heavy rain Thursday across the six states, including Connecticut.
  Flood watches are in effect for much of the region beginning Thursday and running through Saturday.
  The rain could be heavy at times.
  Meteorologist Eric Schwibs says the ground is saturated with melting snow, and that it won’t take m
  
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• Dad Who Dragged Teen Daughter Through School Avoids Prison

  06-04-2017 15:59
  
  NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man who dragged his 13-year-old daughter through her school, giving her bruises and rug burns, has been spared prison time.
  The Day of New London reports that 36-year-old Mark Thornton was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation. He had faced up to 10 years in prison after being convicted in September of risk of injury to a minor.
  Prosecutors say the Mashantucket man dragged the eighth-grader by the wrists and ankles from outside a classroom to
  
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• Bully Ray Doesn’t Miss WrestleMania, Thrilled To Be In Ring Of Honor

  06-04-2017 15:22
  
  By Chuck Carroll
  We’re coming off of WrestleMania, the largest pro wrestling event of the year. WWE’s annual extravaganza draws in excess of 100,000 fans from around the world. It is the stage every wrestler dreams of performing on and where every fan wants to be. But one-half of one of the most decorated tag teams in the history of sports entertainment chose not to be there. He was wrestling one night earlier about an hour away for Ring of Honor.
  Bully Ray wrestled in front of 70,00
  
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• 4 UConn Students Charged After Death Seek Probation Program

  06-04-2017 15:18
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Four of the six University of Connecticut students charged with alcohol-related offenses after a student was run over by a campusfire department vehicle have applied for a special form of probation that would allow them to avoid a criminal record.
  The Courant (http://cour.at/2od9P18 ) reports they are scheduled to return to Superior Court in Rockville on June 1 for hearings on their applications for accelerated rehabilitation. The two who have not applied for acceler
  
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• 30 Players: Christian Arroyo Hopes To Force His Way Onto Giants In 2017

  06-04-2017 14:49
  
  By Rich Arleo
  CBS Local Sports, in our 30 Players 30 Days spring training feature, profiles one young player from each Major League Baseball team leading up to opening day.
  2016 season (Minors): 119 G, 474 AB, .274 BA, 3 HR, 49 RBI, 1 SB, .689 OPS
  The San Francisco Giants turned heads when they drafted Christian Arroyo out of high school in the first round of the 2013 draft. Since then, it’s been Arroyo who has done nothing but turn heads in the Minor Leagues on his way to becoming the Gia
  
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• Canoe Found in Connecticut River Was Abandoned

  06-04-2017 14:25
  
  Emergency crews responded to the Connecticut River, near the Arrigoni Bridge, after someone spotted an overturned boat and it turned to be an abandoned canoe, according to officials.Photo Credit: Connecticut Department of Transportation
  
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• PHOTOS: Police Investigate Gas Station Robbery in East Windsor

  06-04-2017 13:36
  
  Photo Credit: East Windsor Police
  
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• Reputed Manchester mobster linked to art heist to plead guilty in unrelated case

  06-04-2017 11:57
  
  HARTFORD — A reputed mobster who authorities said is the last surviving person of interest in the largest art heist in U.S. history is expected to plead guilty to unrelated weapons charges. Robert Gentile, 80, is scheduled to appear in federal court in Hartford on Thursday. Details of the plea agreement have not been released. The charges stem from numerous firearms and ammunition seized from Gentile’s home in Manchester. Prosecutors have said they believe Gentile has information abo
  
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• Residents Pack Town Hall To Oppose Plan For Hundreds Of New Apartments In Hamden

  06-04-2017 05:34
  
  Dozens of Hamden residents spoke out to town officials on Wednesday in an attempt to prevent a large-scale housing development from being built on property along Rocky Top Road.
  
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• Bridgeport Amber Alert suspect waives extradition

  06-04-2017 02:32
  
  BRIDGEPORT —  The suspect in a deadly Bridgeport stabbing and subsequent kidnapping will be returning to Connecticut to face charges. 39-year-old Oscar Hernandez was arrested back in February after crashing into a tractor-trailer in Pennsylvania. Police were chasing him under an Amber Alert. Hernandez is accused of stabbing Nadia Gonzalez in Bridgeport, before fleeing the state with their 6-year-old daughter, Aylin Sophia Hernandez. Aylin was rescued from the car, suffering only
  
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• Save money on eating at restaurants

  06-04-2017 02:02
  
  HARTFORD —  Just because you are on a budget doesn’t mean you have to spend every night in your kitchen. If you want to go out, find gift cards at a discounted rate. Try GiftCards.com or Restaurants.com. For instance, you can get a $25 gift card to your favorite restaurant without having to pay the full 25 bucks. Or, download an app like “gift me” that lets you buy digital gift cards from other people looking to get rid of them. […]
  
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• Student Death Ruled An Accident

  06-04-2017 01:17
  
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) _ A medical examiner has ruled that accidental asphyxia was the cause of death of a Connecticut college student who died after choking on pancakes during an eating contest on campus.The New York City chief medical examiner’s office released autopsy results Wednesday for Caitlin Nelson, a 20-year-old student from Clark,
  New Jersey, who attended Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. The official cause of death was “asphyxia due to obstruction of airway by bolus of
  
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• New Britain Schools Undergo Name Changes

  06-04-2017 01:03
  
  The New Britain Board of Education recently approved name changes for several schools in its district.
  
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• Food trucks, carts required to fork over more cash in New Haven

  06-04-2017 00:29
  
  NEW HAVEN —  The mobile food vending business in New Haven is wildly popular. But the meals on wheels will soon see their annual licensing fees at least double. “$1,000 for the carts and $2,500 for the trucks,” said Steve Fontana, the city’s deputy economic development director. Those numbers are based on what a parking space or permit for sidewalk obstruction for a year would cost. With the cost of doing business increasing, should customers expect to pay more? It [
  
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• Suffield First Responders Learn About Autism

  06-04-2017 00:28
  
  Suffield first responders will be learning about children with autism in an effort to respond more effectively to emergencies involving children with special needs.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• 6-year-old dancer loses leg after strep throat leads to deadly infection

  06-04-2017 00:04
  
  NORTHFIELD, Ohio – An Ohio girl lost her leg after a bout with strep throat and the flu led to a life-threatening infection, according to WJW. In the beginning of March, 6-year-old Tessa Puma was treated for strep throat. Then, last week, she got the flu. On Friday night, her leg began to swell up and her parents took her to Akron Children’s Hospital, where doctors found an infection that forced them to amputate her leg. Puma was diagnosed with […]
  
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