A car has crashed on the left lane on westbound Interstate 84 in Danbury, according to police.
The accident was reported just after 9 a.m. near exit 8, according to scanner reports, which also mentioned possible injuries.
No other information was immediately available.
A Chevrolet Blazer crashed on Interstate 84. Contributed photo: Jay B. Matz
Tom Dunkerton (Carol Kaliff)
The hearing to decide if Larry and Jane Miller will be kicked out of the local Republican Party will be conducted at 7 p.m. next Thursday at the Brookfield Municipal Center, Larry Miller said in an email to the News-Times.
The case was originally scheduled for March 26, but was postponed because the Millers were out of town.
Citing the Miller’s “lack of good-faith party affiliation” under a little-used provision of Connecticut state law, Republican registrar of voters Tom Dunkerton summoned the Millers to the hearing.
Dunkerton and Matt Grimes, the chairman of the Republican Town Committee, will determine the fate of the Millers, but the decision will likely be expressed to them by mail rather than in person at the conclusion of the hearing.
Kim Adams, 48, of Bethel, Conn., spends some time with Charlie, her female African pied crow, in her front yard, Tuesday, July 30, 2013.
Adams keeps the bird on a leash in open spaces to allow her to fly but not fly away. Photo: Carol Kaliff
A pet crow who flew away from her Bethel home Tuesday was found in a Newtown backyard Thursday afternoon.
Charlie, an African pied crow who’s well known in downtown Bethel, turned up at a property on Checkerberry Lane in the Sandy Hook part of Newtown, said her owner, Kim Adams.
The woman who spotted Charlie, Sayward Parsons, called her sister as soon as she noticed an odd bird behind her house, which is about 25 miles away from Bethel. The sister told her that she’d seen a News-Times article on Facebook about a missing pet crow matching the description of that bird.
Parsons then put a laundry basket over Charlie and called Adams.
Just after 5 p.m., Adams reunited with her beloved pet, who she said was a little rattled and starving. ”She ate a whole mouse in 15 seconds,” Adams said.
But the animal did not have any injuries.
Pied crows are a rare and intelligent type of corvid that can even speak and mimic sounds. If raised as pets, these birds can form a close bond with their owners — as did Charlie.
Adams said she received many calls and visit Thursday after the News-Times article was published.
“People have been coming by the house. People have been calling me all day,” she said. “A lot of people know Charlie, so I assumed there was going to be some kind of response, but it was much more than I expected.
“I want to thank everybody in the community for being so incredibly supportive through this whole thing,” she added.
Most importantly, Adams said, she thanked Parsons and her daughters, Lahja and Elli Kurjiaka.
Wall-E, a Barn Owl, looks ahead as Master Class Falconer Lorrie Schumacher, left, talks with Melissa DiNino, of Waterbury, and Stephen Wynn, of Cos Cob, during the birds of prey demostration at Western Connecticut State University’s Alumni Hall in Danbury, Conn. Tuesday, April 15, 2014. Phoyo: Tyler Sizemore
DANBURY — Western Connecticut State University’s annual “Animal Week” returns Monday with birds of prey, a wolf, reptiles and other creatures.
The program, sponsored by the university’s Roots & Shoots and the Jane Goodall Center, will take place Monday through Wednesday, April 6 to 8, on the Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury.
Birds of prey will descend upon the campus quadrangle at noon Monday. A Place Called Hope — a rehabilitation and education center for birds of prey — will bring an eagle, hawk and owl, which will fly over the campus as a trainer discusses each bird.
At noon Tuesday, a wolf demonstration will take place in Alumni Hall. Atka, an arctic wolf, will be accompanied by a member of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), who will share information about wolf behavior and habitat.
At noon Wednesday, live reptiles from Reptiles on the Move will make an appearance in the Student Center Theater.
The events will be free and open to the public.
“It’s important for the community to attend the events during Animal Week because we can become educated about endangered species, rescued animals and even some reptiles that are a bit too dangerous to keep as house pets,” Roots & Shoots President Lauren Davidoski said.
An additional event with a focus on conservation will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Wildman Steve Brill will offer a free foraging tour at the Westside Nature Preserve on the university’s Westside campus, 43 Lake Avenue Extension in Danbury.
For more information, email weinsteinl@wcsu.edu or call 203- 837-8486.
BETHEL – Sky Zone Trampoline Park is reopening today, one month after heavy snow and ice caused a partial roof collapse at the facility.
The indoor park, which opened last year in the Francis J. Clarke Business Park, will be open this Good Friday until 10 p.m.
The roof that covers a separate portion of the building collapsed March 4. Other tenants affected include Mariano Brothers, a moving company that uses a portion of the 20,000-square-foot space for storage.
The owners, Edward and Walt Kim, kept their approximately 70 employees, comprised largely of area high school students, on the payroll during the four-week closure.
The staff, First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker said, was “loaned out” to the town through the Economic Development Commission for community volunteer projects.
As part of the Grand Reopening activities, Cartoon Network’s Bugs Bunny will be visiting all weekend.
Kids jump while playing a game of dodgeball at Sky Zone indoor trampoline park in Bethel, Conn. Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014. Photo: Tyler Sizemore
Douglas Cooke
DANBURY – A man armed with a knife injured an officer Friday morning after attacking his own co-worker at a car dealership in Danbury, police said.
Douglas Cooke, 45, of Laura Lane, Oxford, was charged with assault on a police officer, second-degree assault, third-degree assault and interfering with an officer / resisting arrest.
Police responded to Ingersoll, 84 Federal Road, where they found the victim standing outside with facial injuries. He said Cooke attacked him after a dispute over construction on the building, police said.
The suspect was found in a room under construction and he was asked to walk with the officers so they could speak with him, according to the report.
Cooke refused all their commands, police said, and he would not drop the pliers and a sheet-rock knife he was using on the site. A struggle between the suspect and the officers ensued and one of the officers suffered a laceration from the knife, according to police.
The suspect was taken into custody and he later posted $15,000 bond.
The officer was treated at Danbury Hospital, where he received several stitches before being released.
NEW FAIRFIELD — Connecticut State Police are investigating a two-car accident that caused the death of a woman last Saturday, March 28, in New Fairfield.
Jody A. Stracci, 54, of Bronx, N.Y., died at Danbury Hospital following the crash, which took place on Route 37, near Pine Hill road, at around 3 p.m.
A New Fairfield man driving north traversed off the right shoulder of the roadway and hit a rock, police said. His Mercedez S430 then traveled back into the northbound lane and over the double yellow lines into the southbound lane, where Stracci’s Honda Civic was traveling, according to the report.
Both drivers were taken to Danbury Hospital.
The accident remains under investigation and anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to call 203-312-5701.
DANBURY – A 31-year-old man was arrested Monday after a domestic incident in Danbury.
Matthew Schwartz, of Woodside Avenue, was charged with criminal violation of a protective order, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
He was held on $2,500 bond and was transported to court the following day, where he was released on a promise to appear in court April 30.
No further information was available.
DANBURY – A woman charged with interfering with a police officer and breach of peace was arrested again this week after police said she missed two court appearances in recent weeks.
Kelly Ferenz, 26, of Locust Trail, Danbury, was charged Tuesday with two counts of second-degree failure to appear.
She was held on a $25,000 bond, which was later changed to a promise to appear in court April 23.
Ferenz’ original charges stem from a Dec. 11, 2014 arrest, but no details were available.
She is accused of skipping court hearings scheduled for Feb. 9 and March 13, according to the state Department of Justice website.
Us Weekly
A family photo taken inside the Federal Correction Institution in Danbury shows Teresa Giudice with a very different look.
The 42-year-old “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, who’s serving 15 months for bankruptcy fraud, shared the photo with Us Weekly magazine this week.
With little makeup, curly hair and a green prison jumpsuit, she posed with her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, and their four daughters – Audriana, 5, Milania, 9, Gabriella, 10, and Gia, 14 – during visitation day at the Danbury prison.
“I cry more than the girls,” Joe Giudice told the magazine about leaving his wife after visiting her in jail every week. “I pretty much cry every time I leave. Like a little baby.”
The couple pleaded guilty last year to hiding assets from bankruptcy creditors and submitting phony loan applications to get some $5 million in mortgages and construction loans. Joe Giudice also pleaded guilty to failing to pay taxes totaling more than $200,000.
The husband will start serving his 41-month sentence when Teresa Giudice is released, an arrangement aimed at ensuring the couple’s four daughters will have one parent at home at all times.
DANBURY — A drunk driver passed out while driving on South Street in Danbury early Saturday morning, police said.
Officers were called to the scene at around 3 a.m. after a red Honda was seen stopped on the eastbound left lane, near Main Street, according to the report.
The first officer to arrive found the car still on drive and the suspect, William Gaske, 37, with his foot on the brake pedal, police said. She was able to get into the car through the passenger door and shut the car off, according to the report.
Police said the officer had to shake Gaske to wake him up.
He then failed the field sobriety tests and refused to take the Breathalyzer test, police said.
Gaske, of Main Street, Danbury, was charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.
He posted $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court April 15.
DANBURY — An out-of-state man was arrested Saturday after refusing to leave a Danbury bar following a dispute with several bouncers and officers, police said.
Officers working the “holdover shift,” which targets the crowds pouring from nightclubs and bars over the weekend, saw a bouncer waving to them at Molly Darcy’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, 39 Mill Plain Road, around 2 a.m.
When they approached the bar, three or four bouncers were attempting to restrain Carlos Manuel Carneiro, 27, who was actively trying to resist, according to the report.
Police said officers tried to subdue him, but Carneiro continued fighting with the bouncers and the police. The group then tripped on a plant and they all fell down a small hill outside the bar, according to police.
Carneiro, of Millsboro, Del., was charged with interfering with an officer and breach of peace.
The bouncers told police that the dispute began when they saw a group of male patrons cursing at a group of women inside the bar. When they tried interfering, Carneiro started “throwing punches wildly.”
The suspect posted $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court April 13.
DANBURY — An 18-year-old male was arrested Friday afternoon following a disturbance at the Family & Children’s Aid building in Danbury.
Police were called to the facility, 75 West St., around 1:30 p.m. on a report that a teenager who’s staying in the building had become aggressive and damaged a wall, police said.
Derrick Johnson was charged with disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
He’s being held in lieu of $1,000 bond and is expected to be transported to court Monday morning, according to police.
NEWTOWN — A 20-year-old Sandy Hook man is facing drug charges.
Miles E. Dobbron, of Polce Bridge Drive was arrested Friday about 4:32 a.m. when officers responded to the dead end of Chimney Swift Drive for report of suspicious activity.
Dobbron was found at the site and with the assistance of the Monroe Police Department K-9 was arrested for illegal possession of narcotics, possession of a controlled substance less than 4 ounces marijuana and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
Dobbron was released on $1,000 bond with a court date April 21 in Superior court in Danbury.
There are some patches of dense fog and black ice this morning in the Danbury area.
Conditions are expected to improve by the time the morning rush is over with partly cloudy skies and high temperatures around 60 degrees. Monday will be the lone bright spot of the week with rain expected through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
An accident Monday morning on Route 7 in Ridgefield is slowing traffic on the road, town police said.
There were no fatalities in the crash, which happened near the intersection of Topstone Road, police said, but no further information was available.
(Courtesy of the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum)
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will have new and extended gallery hours in May, including free guided tours and family workshops on the third Saturday of every month.
The museum is able to provide these services due to a $5,000 donation from the Fairfield County Bank.
The new hours, which take effect on May 4, will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Monday, and Wednesday through Saturday, and Sunday hours will remain noon-5 p.m.
The free guided tour on Mondays and the third Saturday of every month will be held from 1-2 p.m., and the third Saturday family workshops will go from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
And from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the museum will be open until 7 p.m. on Fridays, and the “First Fridays” contemporary cocktail series will also continue through the summer, offering music and refreshments on the patio at sunset.
For a complete listing of events, visit aldrichart.org.
DANBURY – The Lions Club is offering $3,000 college scholarships to three Danbury High School graduates in the spring.
The deadline to submit applications is April 24.
To be eligible, students must have financial need, a spirit of service and a desire to excel academically.
Students must also be enrolled in one of the city’s public or private high schools, be on schedule to graduate in 2015, and be ready to attend an accredited college in the fall.
Scholarship forms are available in high school guidance offices or by visiting http://danburylions.org.
For more details email the Lions at info@danburylions.org.
The DMV has booked 39,860 appointments for the drive-only written test from Dec. 1 to March 12, according to data provided by the department.
Four Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles branches are no longer accepting appointments for the state’s new undocumented immigrant licensing program, while thousands are waiting months to take the written test.
The Norwalk, Hamden, Waterbury and Old Saybrook offices stopped offering the drive-only services on Thursday due to the number of written test appointments already scheduled, according to a statement from the DMV.
DMV spokesman William Seymour said department officials need to assess how they are using their resources, because of the high demand for the program.
“We are working on that now and have restructured our appointment system in these offices while we do this review,” said Seymour in an email. “There are offices nearby in those geographic regions that can assist the drive-only applicants seeking a knowledge test.”
DANBURY — A Danbury man was arrested Sunday after the driver of the car he hit followed him and took a photo of his license plate, police said.
Daniel Berrezueta, 31, of Griffing Avenue, hit a car that was stopped at a red light around 5 p.m. on Osborne Street, near Moss Avenue, according to the report.
The complainant told police he was driving north on Patriot Drive when Berrezueta struck his car from behind, immediately passed him and headed north on Moss Avenue. Police said the victim followed the suspect for several blocks until he was able to take a picture of the license plate with his cell phone.
Officers then located the suspect car and the driver on Griffing Avenue a short time later, police said.
Berrezueta was charged with evading a motor vehicle accident, following too close and driving without a license.
He posted $1,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court April 17.
