NEWTOWN — A landlord was arrested Monday after he was accused of locking a tenant out of her apartment back in January.
Brian Hunter, of Martin Road, Sandy Hook, was charged with criminal lockout and criminal trespass.
Police said he entered the tenant’s apartment on Forest Drive and locked her out of it, but no details were available. After learning of an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Hunter turned himself in to police this week.
He was released on a promise to appear in court March 31.
Portraits like this one by artist Ted DeToy will be on display in seven exhibitions in Danbury from April 6 through June 4 (Courtesy of the Cultural Alliance).
The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut has received a grant from the state Department of Economic and Community Development’s office of the arts for more than $30,000. That comes in addition to the more than $3,000 it received on Giving Day, a 24-hour sponsored marathon held by the Fairfield County Community Foundation on March 5 in support of local arts and cultural organizations.
The day raised more than $1 million for nonprofit organizations throughout the county.
The grant from the state will be used to promote and support art, history and cultural assets in the region, including a comprehensive regional calendar of events that can be found at ArtsWesternct.org.
The Cultural Alliance, based in Danbury, will provide a new Regional Initiative Small Grant Program for the service area that includes Danbury, Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield and Sherman. This grant will invest in arts-based cultural projects, activities and infrastructure in the area.
The Cultural Alliance will host an informal information session regarding the initiative from 1-2:30 p.m. next Wednesday at the Alliance’s home at 287 Main Street in Danbury, home to the @287 Gallery & Meeting Place. To register for the event, visit bit.ly/18wZAt9 or email the Alliance at info@cawct.org.
Senate Bill 502, An Act Concerning Bicycle Safety, proposes updating Connecticut’s rules on riding. Those updates include reconsideration of requirements to ride as far to the right as practicable, new permissions for bike lane and cycle tracks, and endorsing the National Association of City Transportation Officials technical design guideline for bikeways and street designs.
On April 23 in Old Wethersfield, Roger Geller, co-author of the NATCO design guidelines, will hold a guided technical workshop for professionals. It is an opportunity for planning and engineering professionals in Connecticut to familiarize themselves with the designs.
This workshop could be the opportunity needed for municipal planners in Fairfield and Litchfield counties to serious consider such improvements to the roads.
On Thursday, Alexander Scott Lee, a 22 year old New Milford man, will be sentence in Superior Court in Danbury on charges stemming from the death of cyclist Tom Seinert-Threlkeld, 59, of Weston.
Steinert-Threlkeld was an avid cyclist who logged 160,000 miles over 20 years. He was riding west on Route 302 in Bethel in October 2013 when his bike collided with Lee’s vehicle as Lee made an improper left turn in front of him.
Lee kept driving as Steinert-Threlkeld fell to the roadway where he was hit by an oncoming car and trapped under it. He died from his injuries.
If there had been a designated bike lane on that road, would it have made a difference? No one will ever know.
In August 2014, an experienced cyclist Dwight Hipp, 57, of New Milford, collided with a pickup truck on Chestnut Land Road. The accident occurred about 8:30 a.m., police said. And the pick-up had just pulled out of a farm’s driveway.
The truck’s driver, John Kimberly, 22, was not charged, although Hipp died in the emergency room of New Milford Hospital after being taken there by ambulance from the collision.
The question is not if Kimberly should have been charged. The state’s attorney is trained in making such decisions. The question is, would a designated bike lane or a different road design have made a difference? Again, no one will ever know.
For information about attending Geller’s workshop, email bikewalkct@bikewalkct.org
More than 2,200 people are expected during a free, two-day dental clinic at the O’Neill Center on the Westside Campus of Western Connecticut State University that begins Friday. The event is designed to help people who either don’t have access to affordable dental care or need a way to offset its costs.
The eighth annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic will have between 250 and 300 dentists donating their time, said Jon Knapp, a dentist who practices in Bethel.
Services will include cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions, root canals and partial dentures, Knapp said.
Patients of all ages will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis, and all will be sent home with a toothbrush and floss.
Doors open at 6 a.m. each morning.
BETHEL – Three area legislators will meet at Bethel Library next week to discuss issues shaping the 2015 legislative session.
The town meeting will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday in the library’s Maria Parloa Community Room. It will feature state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-26th, and state Reps. Dan Carter, R-2nd, and Stephen Harding, R-107th.
This event is free and open to the public. Click here to register.
NEW MILFORD — A 20 year old Sherman man is scheduled to be sentenced in February of 2016 in Superior Court in Bantam after turning himself in to New Milford Police Tuesday on a second-degree failure to appear warrant.
Francisco Davis, of Route 39 South, Sherman appeared in Bantam Court Tuesday after his arrest on the outstanding warrant. Court records on the charges related to the warrant have been sealed. Further information is unavailable.
The state Judicial website shows that Davis is scheduled for disposition on Feb. 19, 2016.
NEW MILFORD — A 28 year old local woman was being arraigned Thursday on burglary and larceny charges.
Kimberly Minasi, of Dean Road, New Milford turned herself in to New Milford Police Thursday morning on warrant charges of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree larceny.
Minasi was held on $2,500 bond with arraignment Thursday in Superior Court in Bantam.
Artist Lilane Migliorino’s portraits, like this one, will be on display at CityCenter Danbury. (Courtesy of the Cultural Alliance)
The Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut will begin its Accessible Art Series on Monday, April 6 at seven local businesses. The series, which is entering its seventh year, will feature seven exhibitions by seven local artists whose portraits will be on display through Thursday, June 4.
“Lucky? You bet,” said the Cultural Alliance’s Executive Director Lisa Scails regarding the expanded role of the series.
Here is a list of the artists and where they’ll be on display. All exhibitions are subject to change.
Ted DeToy of New Fairfield: Visual Impact, 12 Finance Dr., Danbury
Jean Fagernes of Danbury: Hodge Insurance Agency, 283 Main St., Danbury
Viorica Ghetu-Vuono of Norwalk: Danbury City Hall, 155 Deer Hill Ave.
Jane Herslag of Danbury: Danbury Library, 170 Main St.
Lilane Migliorino of Redding: CityCenter Danbury, 186 Main St.
Peach Pair of Sherman: Hancock Hall, 31 Staples St., Danbury
Ival Stratford-Kovner of Bethel: Portofino’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, 213 Greenwood Ave., Bethel
For information about Accessible Art, call the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut at 203-798-0760 or visit artswesternct.org.
KENT — The proposed 2015-16 combined education and municipal budget for the town of Kent is $12.7 million, a $404,200 or 3.2 percent increase over the present year.
No proposed mill rate has been set at this time. The next Board of Finance speical meeting to work on the budget is March 24 at 7 p.m. at Kent Town Hall.
The proposed education budget stands at $7.03 million, a $168,279 or 2.4 percent increase over the present year. That figure represents $4.46 million for Kent Center School expenses and an anticipated $2.56 million contribution to Region 1. The Region 1 budget is still a work in progress.
The municipal budget is a proposed 7.4 percent increase or $230,500 over the present year. It includes a $109,500 increase for Public Works, including one new employees and cost of sand and salt and equipment repair.
Also increased is the cost of paramedic contracting, a $19,500 increase in Kent’s hsare of the paramedic cost. Employee increases for non-union town employees and 2 percent for the union highway employees are included.
UPDATE: 3:51 P.M.
A blown tire was the cause of the bus fire on Interstate 84 in Danbury Thursday afternoon, Deputy Fire Marshal Mark Perry said.
The New York City-bound Megabus, which Perry said was carrying about 50 people, swerved a little and knocked a sign post down after the left rear tire blew up. The wheel then caught on fire, which turned into a large fire, Perry said.
The bus stopped right before exit 4 and all passengers evacuated. No one was injured.
The accident happened around 12 p.m. and the fire was put out within minutes, Perry said.
A local bus picked up the passengers and brought them to a replacement bus.
The Megabus was towed from the area at around 3 p.m., Perry said.
UPDATE: 1:34 P.M.
Blogger Al Robinson has sent us a close-up photo of the Megabus that was on fire on Interstate 84 in #Danbury Thursday.
The damage can be seen on the driver’s side of the bus.
Contributed Photo: Al Robinson
UPDATE: 1:27 P.M.
Here’s a photo of the truck fire reported on Triangle Street in Danbury:
Truck fire in Danbury. Contributed Photo: Al Robinson
UPDATE: 1:09 P.M.
The Megabus that was on fire by exit 4 on Interstate 84 was being towed Thursday afternoon.
It’s not clear what caused the fire, but all passengers appeared to be safe and uninjured.
Photo: Connecticut Department of Transportation
UPDATE: 12:55 P.M.
Besides the bus that was on fire earlier this afternoon on Interstate 84, a truck also caught fire in Danbury.
Spokesman Steve Rogers said the Danbury Fire Department had units in both locations just before 1 p.m., but no details were immediately available.
The truck fire was reported on Triangle Street and the bus fire happened by westbound exit 4 on I-84.
ORIGINAL POST: 12:42 P.M.
A bus is on fire on westbound Interstate 84 by exit 4 in Danbury.
Several passengers were seen waiting outside the bus.
More information as it becomes available.
Photo: Connecticut Department of Transportation
Marc Balanda, assistant principal at New Milford High will be the new principal at Brookfield High School in July
BROOKFIELD — New Milford school’s loss is Brookfield High School’s gain with Assistant Principal Marc Balanca at New Milford High School leaves at the end of the school to take a new position as principal at Brookfield High.
“Mr. Balanda surfaced as the top candidate following a series of interviews,” said Acting Superintendent of Brookfield schools Ralph Iassogna. “I believe he will be a very good match for Brookfield given his eight years of experience as an assistant principal in New Milford.”
Iassogna said he believes New Milford is a similar community to Brookfield.
Balanda accepted the Brookfield position Wednesday.
“I’m ecstatic to join the Brookfield school system,” Balanda said Thursday. “When I started my administrative career years ago in Watertown, I knew one day I would want to be principal.”
Balanda came to New Milford in 2012 as assistant principal. In December, he served as interim principal at New Milford High School during Principal Greg Shugrue’s absence.
“Serving as interim principal this school year for awhile cemented my goal to be principal myself,’ Balanda said. “The experience of working with Greg has been excellent. He’s a great administrator and the outpouring of support I receive today from the people I work with here in New Milford confirmed what a great place this has been to work.”
Another building on the former Schlumberger property in Ridgefield is on the chopping block. This time it’s the library.
A special town meeting Wednesday night unanimously voted on the resolution to demolish the former library building. The town, as per previous Board of Finance approval, authorized the issuance of $221,000 in bonds to meet the cost of the leveling.
Since a proposed deal to sell a 12-acre parcel to a local art collector for $3.4 million was voted down in November, the town is left with the four buildings on the plot – the Philip Johnson, with an abutting auditorium, the sky dome and the library.
And after Sky Dome LLC fell out of the running for the land, “there is no other interest in the library building,” according to First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
“It’s beginning to deteriorate,” Marconi said. “The roof is leaking, the ceiling is stained, the carpet’s stained. We’re going to have to put money into it, and there’s no desire for that. So the decision was made to go forward with the razing of that building.”
A Metro North train nears the Bethel, Conn. train station
Low ridership has forced Metro-North to eliminate the 4:29 PM direct train from Grand Central Terminal to Danbury.
But Metro-North and the state Department of Transportation say there will be no reduction in the number of through trains serving Danbury,
Instead, Metro-North will add a new through train to Danbury, departing Grand Central Terminal at 8:01 PM, making stops at Greenwich, then all main line and Danbury Branch stops from Stamford to Danbury.
Last May, Metro-North instituted a new weekday through train from GCT to Danbury at 4:29 PM, taking the place of an existing shuttle train that ran from Stamford to Danbury.
But the Department of Transportation said in a release “an analysis of the ridership impacts of this change, including multiple customer counts, has revealed that very few customers are using this service.. Of the 220 customers boarding the train at Grand Central Terminal, approximately 200 get off at Stamford; only 20 customers on average travel east of Stamford.”
Starting after April 26, the that train will return to its previous schedule, as a shuttle train from Stamford to Danbury. Customers traveling from Grand Central Terminal to Stamford will instead leave four minutes later on the 4:33 PM New Haven train, as they did before the institution of the new through Danbury train.
The new direct train will affect some existing Metro-North train schedules.
Here’s how the DOT describes the changes:
The existing 9:18 PM shuttle from South Norwalk to Danbury is replaced by this new through train.
With this change, Danbury Branch customers who work late will have the opportunity for a more convenient commute home at night, without a change of trains en route.
This new train will take the place of the 8:03 train to New Haven. Customers on that train will be served by the 8:06 PM New Haven train, which will depart Grand Central Terminal at 8:07 PM and make additional stops at Stamford, East Norwalk, Green’s Farms, and Southport.
DOT says “the end result of this complex change is a better-utilized Danbury through train, which will accommodate several hundred main line customers as well as Danbury Branch customers.”
In this file photo Alexander Lee, 21, appears in superior court in Danbury, Conn, on Wednesday , December 4, 2013. Photo: H John Voorhees III
The man who last month pleaded guilty to fleeing an accident that killed a Weston cyclist in 2013 is expected to be sentenced in Superior Court in Danbury today.
Alexander Lee, 22, of New Milford, faces up to five years in prison for the charge of misconduct with a motor vehicle, five years for the charge of tampering with physical evidence, and up to 10 years for the charge of evading responsibility leading to death. In addition, he faces up to seven years for an unrelated narcotics charge.
Tom Steinert-Threlkeld, 59, an avid cyclist from Weston, was killed in the Dec. 4, 2013, accident after he collided with the passenger side of Lee’s car while riding on Route 302 in Bethel, according to court documents.
The victim approached an intersection where Lee’s car made a left turn in front of him, causing him to hit the car and fall from his bicycle, police said.
Lee drove away and avoided apprehension for more than a month.
Click here for the full story.
Photo: Carol Kaliff
With forecasters calling for up to 3 inches of snow to hit the Danbury area Friday afternoon, several school districts are announcing early dismissals.
As of 8:20 a.m., all area districts have confirmed they’re closing early today:
For more weather news throughout the day, follow our Weather blog.
BREWSTER, N.Y. — A tractor trailer overturned on eastbound Interstate 84 early this morning, causing minor injuries, according to New York State Police Troop K.
The accident took place right by exit 20, near the ramp to Interstate 684, and it has caused major traffic delays as multiple lanes remained closed this morning.
Contributed Photo: Ina Gunson
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra will play Sunday evening at West Conn. (Courtesy of RSO)
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra will hold its 50th anniversary benefit performance on Sunday at West Conn’s Visual & Performing Arts Center.
The orchestra will play music by Mozart, Copland and Johann Strauss Jr., and there will be an auction featuring a week’s vacation in a three-bedroom home in France, a week in Cape Cod and a Swiss-made Leonard ladies wristwatch.
Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased at the West Conn Box Office at 203-837-8499 or at wcsu.edu/tickets. They will also be available at the door. All proceeds benefit the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra.
A cocktail hour, with a complimentary glass of champagne and a cash bar, begins at 4:30 p.m., with show time at 5:30.
Bill Tinsley tells about the plans for the Four Corners revitalization plan. (Carol Kaliff)
First Selectman Bill Tinsley will hold the second of his Saturday office hours tomorrow morning from 9 a.m. until noon in Room 133 in Town Hall.
All constituents are welcome to speak to the First Selectman about whatever is on their mind. No appointment is necessary and bagels and coffee will be provided.
The “Our Time – Your Questions” series will also be held on March 28, April 11, April 18 and April 25 at the same time and venue.
Photo: Nelson Oliveira
Photo: Nelson Oliveira
DANBURY — A car leaving an auto body shop crashed against a gate in a busy Danbury intersection late Friday morning.
The driver, Danbury resident Manuel Panora, said the brakes of his Honda Accord did not work after he left Techno Motors, 68 Elm St., and the car crashed against the gate at Igreja Pentecostal Filadélfia Assembly of God, 45 New St.
Metal pieces of the gate were thrown at several cars parked in the church’s parking lot but no one appeared to be injured, including Panora.
Clara Lopes, who was inside the church during the crash, came outside to find the rear window of her car completely shattered by a piece of the gate.
More details as they become available.
Photo: Nelson Oliveira
The free dental clinic will open back up Saturday morning. (File photo)
The free dental clinic at West Conn closed its doors just before 2 p.m. on Friday, not because of the snow, but because it was already filled to capacity.
The clinic, which is being hosted by the Connecticut Mission of Mercy in conjunction with with the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, will reopen at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, as scheduled.
