Connecticut news

• Clear the Shelters on Aug. 19

  01-08-2017 23:22
  
  On August 19, NBC Connecticut is Connecting You to wonderful, adoptable animals with our Clear the Shelters event!Photo Credit: Getty Images/Moment RFThis story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
  
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• New Haven Basketball Star to Take Part in Youth Tournament

  01-08-2017 23:08
  
  This weekend New Haven will transform Church Street into several basketball courts for the fourth annual 3-on-3youth tournament.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• Peter Kostis On WGC-Bridgestone: ‘Hard Event To Win With Such A Strong Field’

  01-08-2017 22:56
  By Dave Shedloski
  The annual PGA TOUR slugfest is on tap this week at Firestone Country Club’s big-boy layout, the South Course, when the $9.5 million World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational returns with its usual stellar cast of characters.
  A field of 76 players, 15 more than last year, descends on Akron, Ohio, which has hosted a professional golf event every year since 1954 with the Rubber City Open. World No. 1, Dustin Johnson, and major winners Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka an
  
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• Prof’s Comments Lead To Withdraws, Lost Donations

  01-08-2017 22:42
  HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The president of a private college in Hartford, Connecticut, says several incoming students have withdrawn and about $200,000 indonations has been lost due to the controversy surrounding a black professor’s social media posts about white supremacy.
  Trinity College president Joanne Berger-Sweeney says 16 incoming students and a number of past donors cited the incident involving sociology professor JohnnyWilliams as the reason behind their decisions.
  Threats rela
  
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• WATCH: Wethersfield Police Chief Takes Down Shoplifter

  01-08-2017 22:39
  
  Wethersfield's police chief was seen taking down a shoplifter on a cruiser dashcam.Photo Credit: Wethersfield Police
  
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• Top 5 Preseason Heisman Trophy Favorites

  01-08-2017 22:20
  by Rob Joyce
  It’s the start of August, which means that college football is officially less than a month away. All of the conference media days have come and gone, and now fall practice will begin nationwide within the next week. Among the natural preseason questions (who will be in the College Football Playoff? Which conference will be left out of the top-four come January?) surrounds the Heisman Trophy.
  Often times the winner come season’s end isn’t anywhere near the preseaso
  
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• Garden Talk: Gardeners vs. Forces of Nature

  01-08-2017 21:46
  Our gardening adventure continues to escalate. Alone and unafraid, (OK I’m afraid of those big wood spiders) we gardeners battle the forces of nature to a hopeful reward of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.  Deer, voles, squash bugs, chipmunks abound and who…. who will save us from this onslaught?  Not us!  We got spanked by a caller for being insensitive! Guess that bumps us from the Circle of Life.  But helpful hints were still given.
  If you believe in the theor
  
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• College Fights Ex-Student’s Request For Anonymity In Lawsuit

  01-08-2017 21:05
  DAVE COLLINSAssociated Press
  HARTFORD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut and AP) — A former Trinity College student who was suspended in the middle of his final semester for allegedly copying another student’s homework assignments is seeking to remain anonymous as he fights the discipline in a lawsuit against the private liberal arts school in Hartford.
  Trinity officials are opposing the former student’s request to use a pseudonym throughout the court proceedings, saying it would set a du
  
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• Statewide SAT Math Scores Improve

  01-08-2017 20:30
  (CBS Connecticut) — Connecticut high school juniors showed a 2 percentage point improvement in math scores on the Connecticut School Day SAT over the last year.
  In 2016, 39.3 percent of students met or exceeded an achievement standard for math.  In 2017, 41.3 percent met or exceeded the standard.  The average score went from 502 to 507, out of 800.
  State Education Commissioner Diana Wentzell said more time has been spent in the classroom on math, and more emphasis has been placed
  
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• Hartford Cops Recover Stolen Vehicles

  01-08-2017 20:25
  (Hartford, Conn. CBS Connecticut) – Hartford police say they’ve recovered 16 stolen vehicles after conducting what they call a full day/night auto theft saturation within city limits.
  Officials say 11 of those vehicles had keys inside at the time they were stolen.
  Only five of the vehicles recovered were Hartford thefts, they say.
  Seven suspects are now under arrest, facing larceny and other charges.
  The total value of the stolen cars was put at over $145,000.
  Hartford police say the
  
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• Study Group That Was Paid To Exercise Still Struggled To Go To Gym

  01-08-2017 20:13
  CBS Local — Getting paid to exercise did little to encourage people who just joined a gym — and expected to visit regularly — to stick to their commitment, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University.
  Participants in the study were promised one of three rewards for visiting the gym nine total times throughout six weeks: a $30 Amazon gift card, a prize item — such as a blender, of equivalent value — or a $60 Amazon gift card. A control group receive
  
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• Hartford Police Recover 16 Stolen Vehicles, Arrest 7

  01-08-2017 20:13
  
  Hartford police arrested seven people and recovered 16 vehicles as part of an operation aimed to crack down on car theft in the city.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• Teen Faces Manslaughter Charge in Fatal Hartford Hit-and-Run

  01-08-2017 20:06
  
  A teenager faces a manslaughter charge after a hit-and-run crash on July 18 that killed a Hartford woman.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut/CT Department of Correction
  
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• Sound Off CT: The Mooch Is Out!

  01-08-2017 20:00
  The Mooch only made it ten days in the Trump administration… and we discuss his departure.
   
  
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• 2017 Big 12 Football Preview

  01-08-2017 20:00
  Ryan Mayer
  College football season is almost here. As you prepare to root for your favorite team on Saturday, we’ll bring you previews of each conference, separating the teams into a couple categories: contenders, bowl teams, and rebuilding. The tiers are fairly self-explanatory. Contenders means these teams will push for the division/conference title. Bowl bidders are expected to be in the conversation for a bowl bid. Rebuilding teams are in the process of attempting to get into cont
  
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• Non-Profit State Providers Feel Budget Pain

  01-08-2017 19:49
  HARTFORD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – As the state budget impasse drags on, non-profit social service providers are feeling the effects of deeper cuts.
  Heather Gates, with Community Health Resources, also known as CHR, says a 2.5 percent cut took effect Tursdaycovering all programs funded by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
  “We are all, across our system, freezing positions, eliminating positions, trying to negotiate with DMHAS what our services are going to look
  
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• Google To Invest $50 Million To Prepare Job Seekers For The ‘Future Of Work’

  01-08-2017 19:44
  CBS Local — Google will invest $50 million “for the changing nature of work,” starting with investments in the U.S. and Europe to train job seekers and improve working conditions for others, the company announced last week.
  The move was announced by Google.org, the organization’s philanthropic arm. The commitment involves studying the economic consequences that were precipitated largely by Google’s parent company, Alphabet.
  “[We] recognize that the way we work
  
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• Candidate For Governor Stands By Supporter With Mafia Past

  01-08-2017 19:37
  MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (CBS Connecticut and AP) – A candidate for governor of Connecticut is defending a $375 contribution from a convicted felon previously connected to the Mafia.
  Middletown Mayor Dan Drew’s exploratory committee has received the maximum allowed under the state’s clean-elections law from Salvatore “Butch” D’Aquila Jr.
  The Connecticut Post reports that D’Aquila also attended a fundraiser for the Democratic mayor.
  D’Aquila was sent to pr
  
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• Somers Hires Town's First Female Police Officer

  01-08-2017 19:25
  
  The Town of Somers has hired its first ever female police officer.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• Women Handle Being Primary Breadwinners Better Than Men, Study Finds

  01-08-2017 18:45
  CBS Local– Being the main breadwinner for a family is daunting for many, but according to a new study, men are worse off health wise mentally and physically when they are the main source of income in their home.
  Researchers studied the effect of household income dynamics on health and happiness, and sifted through 15 years of data on heterosexual married couples between 18 and 32 years old. They found that men had worse psychological and health scores when they contributed more than t
  
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• Red Cross Needs Volunteers for Home Fire Safety Event

  01-08-2017 18:43
  
  The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to participate in their home fire safety event, Sound the Alarm, coming up in New Haven in October.Photo Credit: NBC 5 News
  
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• Transportation Advocates Keep Wary Eye On Budget Process

  01-08-2017 18:37
  (Hartford, Conn./CBS Connecticut) – A consortium of business leaders, universities and others are voicing concerns to the general assembly about transportation funding.
  They’re concerned about spectre of revenue reductions and bond cap proposals.
  Karen Burnaska, coordinator of the group Transit for Connecticut, says their concerns are twofold.
  She says monies that had been previously approved earmarked for the fund area needed to keep it solvent.
  Burnaska also says any revenue cuts c
  
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• July Was The Deadliest Month For Hot-Car Deaths In Nearly A Decade

  01-08-2017 18:10
  CBS Local — Eleven children died from heatstroke in overheated cars in July, making it the deadliest month for child hot-car deaths in almost a decade.
  July is normally the deadliest month for children in hot cars, and the highest death toll was 16 in 1999, meterologist Jan Null of Golden Gate Weather Services told USA Today.
  The July death toll last reached 11 in 2008.
  About 37 children die while trapped in overheated vehicles every year in the U.S., and at least 729 have died in hot-car
  
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• Newtown Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Children

  01-08-2017 17:59
  
  A Newtown man has been charged with four counts of sexual assault on children.Photo Credit: Newtown Police Department
  
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• Man Arrested On Child Sex Charges

  01-08-2017 17:58
  (Newtown, Conn./CBS Connecticut) – Newtown Police are charging a Danbury man after they say he turned himself Monday on child sex and other charges.
  Police say 72-year-old Richard Saunders is charged with four counts each of risk of injury, sexual assault, and impairing the morals of children.
  In a police statement, Saunders is said to have allegedly had sexual contact with minor children.
  He was the subject of an investigation undertaken by a school resource officer based on reported inci
  
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• Facebook Shuts Down AI Robots After They Invent Their Own Language

  01-08-2017 17:40
  CBS Local — Facebook has shut down a pair of artificial intelligence robots after they invented their own language.
  Earlier this year, the research team at Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research built a “chatbot” that was supposed to learn how to negotiate by observing and imitating human trading and bartering practices.
  But when the researchers pit two of the AI programs, nicknamed Alice and Bob, against each other to trade, the bots began to engage in their own f
  
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• Somers Hires First Female Officer

  01-08-2017 17:37
  
  The Town of Somers has hired its first ever female police officer.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• New London Man Arrested in Groton on Drug Charges

  01-08-2017 17:27
  
  Groton police have arrested a man on drug charges as part of an ongoing effort to stem the heroin epidemic in the area.Photo Credit: Groton Town Police Department
  
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• Trinity loses students, donations following controversial Facebook posts

  01-08-2017 17:08
  HARTFORD —  Following the national uproar that surrounded Trinity’s Professor Johnny Eric Williams’ Facebook posts, president of the college said numerous students and donors have withdrawn from the school. Trinity’s President Joanne Berger-Sweeney, said 16 incoming students have withdrawn and past donors have chosen not to contribute to the school this year, resulting in about a $200,000 loss in donations. Both, the students and donors referred to thi
  
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• Mosquitoes in Stamford Test Positive for West Nile Virus

  01-08-2017 16:58
  
  Mosquitoes trapped in Stamford have tested positive for West Nile virus, city officials confirmed Tuesday.
  
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• Mom dies after botched buttock augmentation in Manhattan apartment, family says

  01-08-2017 16:42
  MANHATTAN, NY — An investigation is underway after a mother died following a botched buttock augmentation inside a Manhattan apartment, according to her family and multiple reports. Latesha Bynum, of Harlem, died days before her 32nd birthday following an “occurrence” on July 15th, police said Tuesday. Police are investigating Bynum’s death as they wait for the medical examiner to determine the official cause. The “occurrence” was a botched buttock lift that i
  
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• Ready To Play: Steelers QB Josh Dobbs Discusses How He Masters The Playbook

  01-08-2017 16:30
  It’s a long and tough road to get to the NFL for most players, but it might be an even more difficult task to get yourself mentally and physically “Ready To Play” in the NFL week in and week out. As we work our way towards the start of the NFL season, we’re speaking with a different NFL player each week and getting a first-hand account from them on how they get themselves ready for all of the rigors that come with competing at the NFL level. Here’s Pittsbu
  
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• 1,700-pound barbecue pit stolen from New Mexico restaurant

  01-08-2017 16:27
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Police are investigating a bizarre heist of a 1,700-pound barbecue pit from a popular Albuquerque restaurant. The Albuquerque Journal reports police say the black and red 200-gallon smoker smoke was stolen early Sunday. Daniel Morgan, the owner of Pepper’s Ole Fashion BBQ, says the smoker was cooking up a batch of brisket when it was taken. Morgan says most of the meat the restaurant serves is prepared in an indoor barbecue pit and he uses the custom […]
  
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• Best Last-Minute Summer Activities For Families In Connecticut

  01-08-2017 16:00
  By Gillian Burdett
  Summer’s end is approaching. In just a few short weeks, the kids will back to school. With the return to classes comes the morning rush and evenings filled with soccer practice and homework. Before the lazy days of summer become a memory, take a break from back to school shopping and squeeze the last bit of juice out of summer 2017 with some fun (and educational!) family activities. Here is our roundup of some of the best Connecticut has to offer, guaranteed to engage y
  
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• A Second Chance: 60 Kittens Saved From Death Row; 13 to CT

  01-08-2017 15:43
  
  Thirteen little kittens have a lot to purr about in Newtown.They’re the latest arrivals to Kitten Associates, a nonprofit home-based animal rescue. Now in their seventh year running, founder Robin...
  
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• 103-Year-Old Woman Fulfills Dream, Rides Motorcycle

  01-08-2017 15:39
  
  A 103-year-old Rochester, Minnesota woman's dream of riding a motorcycle has finally come true. Bert Mullenbach said it was a dream of hers for years but she didn't think it would ever actually happen. However,
  
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• Charge: Man hid girlfriend in freezer, lived with impostor

  01-08-2017 15:29
  YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — An Ohio prosecutor alleges a man stored his girlfriend’s body in a freezer while another woman helped him and assumed the dead woman’s life by moving into her home, using her credit cards and caring for her dog. The body was found last weekend at a Campbell home, near Youngstown. Authorities suspect it’s a missing woman named Shannon Graves. They’re awaiting official identification and information on the cause of death. Youngstown Prosecutor Dana
  
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• Proposed Changes to Silver Sands Sandbar Following Drowning

  01-08-2017 15:01
  
  Like many people who have grown up near the shoreline in Milford, Annette Petrus remembers venturing out on the sandbar at Silver Sands State Park.Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• West Haven Police Arrest Burglary Suspect

  01-08-2017 14:36
  
  West Haven police have arrested a man accused of trying to burglarize a home on Washington Avenue.Photo Credit: West Haven Police Department
  
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• Woman says she had teen sexual relationship with Pete Rose

  01-08-2017 14:26
  PHILADELPHIA  — A woman says she had a sexual relationship with former baseball great Pete Rose in the 1970s, starting when she was 14 or 15 years old. Her sworn testimony was submitted Monday as part of a federal lawsuit Rose filed last year in Philadelphia against a lawyer whose investigation got him kicked out of baseball for gambling. Rose alleges John Dowd defamed him in 2015 by saying Rose raped girls during spring training. Rose’s lawyer says the woman’s […]
  
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• Man Who Brutally Beat Good Samaritan Gets 12 Years In Prison

  01-08-2017 14:25
  HARTFORD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut and AP) – A Connecticut man who brutally beat a good Samaritan who had stepped in to try and stop another assault has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
  The Hartford Courant reports that 23-year-old Wesley Ayala was also sentenced to 10 years of probation. He pleaded guilty in May to first-degree assault.
  Prosecutors say in July 2016, Damion Williams witnessed several men beating another man.
  Williams stepped from his truck, yelled at the men to stop, an
  
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• Unmarked Stratford Police Vehicle Involved in Accident

  01-08-2017 14:16
  
  An unmarked Stratford police detective vehicle was involved in a two car accident that caused the vehicle to rollover and land in front of Pickle Barrel Deli.Police said the detective was responding...Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut
  
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• How To Make Your Very Own Harry Potter-Inspired Butter Beer

  01-08-2017 14:01
  Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster
  Dinah Bucholz is the author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook from our sister company Simon & Schuster. She lives in Philadelphia.
  Butterbeer is one of the most popular drinks in the wizarding world, and when Harry has his first butterbeer during a sneak visit to Hogsmeade, he finds it to be the most delicious drink he has ever tasted (see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 10). But what is this most warming and comforting of drink
  
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