Wreckage of submarine found by divers in Long Island Sound
April 19, 2023 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut divers have discovered the wreckage of an experimental submarine that was built in 1907 and later scuttled in Long Island Sound.
The Defender, a 92-foot-long (28-meter-long) boat, was found Sunday by a team led by Richard Simon, a commercial diver from Coventry, Connecticut.
Police say 9 hurt when train hits semi in Connecticut
October 17, 2022 GMTWATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A commuter train hit a tractor-trailer Monday whose operator had driven to a rail crossing after leaving the scene of an earlier crash, transit authorities said. Nine train passengers suffered minor injuries.
Woman sues over residency requirement for assisted suicide
August 25, 2022 GMTA Connecticut woman with cancer sued Vermont on Thursday for allowing only its own residents to take advantage of a state law that lets people who are terminally ill end their own lives.
Lynda Bluestein, 75, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who has terminal fallopian tube cancer, and Dr.
Connecticut boosts Metro-North service as ridership improves
July 11, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut is boosting service along two Metro-North rail lines, a move that comes as ridership on the commuter railroad that serves Connecticut and New York moves closer to pre-pandemic levels.
Bus driver says he didn’t know his gummy snacks included THC
June 15, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A commercial bus driver has been charged with 38 counts of reckless endangerment after blacking out behind the steering wheel while snacking on gummies he says he didn’t know were infused with THC.
Police find 6-year-old’s burns not intentionally inflicted
June 10, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut boy who suffered serious burns while with other neighborhood children was not the target of a deliberate attack, police said Friday.
An investigation, which included a review of video that captured the April 24 incident, determined that four children were playing with fire and gasoline in the backyard of a Bridgeport home before the 6-year-old caught fire, suffering serious burns to his face and arms.
8th person gets prison time for shooting outside courthouse
June 8, 2022 GMTNEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man was sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison Wednesday for his role in violent gang activity in Bridgeport, including a brazen midday shooting in front of a state courthouse that wounded four people in 2020, federal prosecutors said.
Lawmaker’s trial delayed, jury dismissed amid video dispute
June 3, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The trial of a Connecticut state senator and his 2018 campaign treasurer on federal fraud charges has been delayed indefinitely amid a legal fight over whether a 28-minute video that surfaced recently can be used as evidence.
Jury selection starts in trial of lawmaker accused of fraud
May 31, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Jury selection began Tuesday for the trial of a Connecticut state senator and his 2018 campaign treasurer on federal fraud charges alleging they lied in efforts to obtain nearly $180,000 in public funds for his election bid.
Suspension of Bridgeport cop in Black woman’s case reversed
May 20, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — An independent arbitrator says a police detective in Connecticut’s largest city should have his administrative leave reversed, after he and another officer were taken off the job earlier this year amid allegations of insensitivity in their handling of separate cases in which Black women were found dead in their apartments.
Court OKs suit related to Bridgeport police hiring scandal
May 14, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A former Bridgeport assistant police chief’s lawsuit claiming he was defrauded out of the police chief’s job can go forward, a state appeals court has ruled.
James Nardozzi’s lawsuit stemmed from the hiring scandal that landed the city’s police chief and personnel director in prison last year.
Family: Injured boy screamed ‘Mommy, they lit me on fire’
April 27, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A 6-year-old Connecticut boy suffered serious burns to his face and legs after being hit with a burning ball thrown by another young child, according to his family.
The boy was being treated for second- and third-degree burns at Bridgeport Hospital and is recovering, relatives said.
M&T Bank acquires Connecticut-based People’s United
April 2, 2022 GMTBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — M&T Bank Corp. has completed its acquisition of People’s United Financial Inc. in a deal worth $8.3 billion, M&T announced Saturday.
People’s United’s headquarters in Bridgeport, Connecticut is now Buffalo-based M&T’s New England regional headquarters.
UConn reaches 14th straight Final Four, tops NC State in 2OT
March 29, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — In a double-overtime thriller that put UConn's record streak of women's Final Four appearances at serious risk, Paige Bueckers came through for the Huskies — and earned a trip home to Minneapolis.
NC State looks to end UConn’s Final Four streak
March 27, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — No one on North Carolina State's roster was born the last time the Wolfpack reached their last Final Four 24 years ago.
The top-seeded Wolfpack will try to end that drought and stop UConn's record streak of 13 straight trips to the national semifinals when the two teams play Monday night in the Bridgeport Region final.
Bueckers scores 15; UConn beats Indiana to reach Elite 8
March 26, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Over the past 25 years, UConn has been known for putting together lengthy scoring runs that turn tight games into blowouts.
Paige Bueckers and the Huskies put together a classic one to begin the second half against Indiana on Saturday and move into the program's 16th consecutive regional final.
Perez’s late basket lifts NC State to 66-63 win over Irish
March 26, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Raina Perez decided to come back for one more season and hopefully lift N.C. State to new heights. The senior guard did just that, helping the Wolfpack advance to their first regional final in 24 years.
ACC rematch and Indiana vs UConn highlight Bridgeport Region
March 25, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Wes Moore isn't worried about having to potentially face UConn in the state of Connecticut yet.
That game wouldn't occur until Monday night and would require both teams to win their Sweet 16 games on Saturday.
Relatives call for law on timely notice by police of deaths
March 9, 2022 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Relatives of two Bridgeport women who died on the same day in December cried Wednesday as they urged state legislators to pass a law requiring police to timely notify families of their loved ones' deaths.
Black women hold protest in Bridgeport, demand police reform
February 20, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Black women and their supporters held a protest march in Connecticut's largest city on Saturday, demanding police and government reforms amid accusations of racial insensitivity by the Bridgeport Police Department in how it handled the deaths of two Black women.
Report: Authority seeking to buy Sikorsky airport for $10M
February 6, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The authority that operates Bradley International Airport and other state-owned airports in Connecticut is seeking to pay up to $10 million to buy the airport named after aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky from the city of Bridgeport.
Detectives suspended amid probes of 2 Black women’s deaths
January 31, 2022 GMTTwo police detectives in Connecticut's largest city have been suspended amid investigations into allegations of insensitivity in their handling of separate cases in which Black women were found dead in their apartments.
Officer found justified in shooting of stabbing suspect
January 28, 2022 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Bridgeport police officer was justified in the non-fatal shooting of a man who was stabbing another person in 2020, the state inspector general ruled Friday.
Officer Eliud Henry tried verbal commands and used his stun gun on the man, but they had no effect before Henry fired a single shot that struck the suspect on the right side of his torso, according to the report by Inspector General Robert Devlin Jr.
Woman’s death on date ruled accidental, police investigating
January 25, 2022 GMTThe death of a Connecticut woman while on a date with a man she met online was caused by drugs and alcohol and has been ruled an accident, the state chief medical examiner’s office said.
The family of the 23-year-old woman, Lauren Smith-Fields, had complained authorities were not giving the investigation enough attention because she was Black.
Family of Black woman found dead questions police response
January 24, 2022 GMTThe family of a Black woman who was found dead last month in her Bridgeport apartment has accused city police of showing a lack of responsiveness and racial insensitivity in their handling of the investigation.
State to help train insurance brokers for underserved cities
January 19, 2022 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut’s health care exchange announced plans Wednesday to launch a training program for licensed independent insurance brokers in the state’s three largest cities.
Freezing rain causes crashes, school closings
January 5, 2022 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Numerous car crashes and school closings were reported across Connecticut on Wednesday morning as freezing rain iced over roads.
State police said they were responding to multiple accidents.
Ansonia teen charged with murder in Bridgeport shooting
December 22, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A 16-year-old Connecticut teen was charged Wednesday with murder in the fatal shooting of a Bridgeport man in June.
The teen, from Ansonia, also faces charged of conspiracy to commit murder, and carrying a pistol without a permit, police said.
Airport gets new name as some decry lack of public input
December 19, 2021 GMTSTRATFORD, Conn. (AP) — One of Connecticut’s airports has a new name.
Bridgeport city officials approved the renaming of Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford as the Bridgeport Igor Sikorsky Memorial Airport.
Subway sandwich chain co-founder Peter Buck dies at 90
November 24, 2021 GMTDANBURY, Conn. (AP) — Peter Buck, whose $1,000 investment in a family friend's Connecticut sandwich shop in 1965 provided the genesis for what is now the world's largest restaurant chain — Subway — has died.
More than 80 animals rescued from Fairfield home
November 21, 2021 GMTFAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — More than 80 animals have been rescued from a home in Fairfield.
Police said they received a call from fire department personnel Saturday morning who were assisting the home’s resident who was suffering a medical emergency.
Judge denies early prison release in boy witness murder case
November 17, 2021 GMTNEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man convicted in the 1999 killings of an 8-year-old murder witness and the boy's mother will not be getting out of prison anytime soon, a federal judge ruled Tuesday amid pleas by the victims' relatives and prosecutors to keep him locked up.
Somber milestone as case of missing Bridgeport girl turns 20
November 7, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The case of a missing 10-year-old Bridgeport girl has hit a somber milestone.
Bianca Elaine Lebron was waiting to go inside her elementary school on Nov. 7, 2001 when she told classmates she was going shopping with an uncle.
US Supreme Court won’t hear appeal in student killing
November 1, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the appeal of a former Connecticut nurse convicted of killing and dismembering his college student girlfriend in 2013.
Jermain Richards, of Bridgeport, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 60 years in prison for the killing of Alyssiah Marie Wiley, a 20-year-old sophomore at Eastern Connecticut State University.
Bridgeport, Connecticut’s largest city, to keep mask mandate
October 30, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut's largest city plans to keep its local indoor mask mandate in place, even though the number of COVID-19 cases has been dropping and some nearby municipalities have decided to lift their masking requirements.
Marina owner fined $45,000 for scuttling boats in LI Sound
October 25, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn (AP) — The former owner of a Connecticut marina was sentenced Monday to two years of probation and fined $45,000 for intentionally sinking abandoned boats in Long Island Sound.
John Magness, 72, of Bristol, Maine, pleaded guilty last November to a federal charge of obstructing navigable waters by sinking a vessel.
Report: Bridgeport awaits vaccination status of 600 workers
October 23, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Roughly 600 Bridgeport city workers haven't yet submitted proof of vaccination against the coronavirus, nearly a month after a deadline for them to do so or get tested weekly, according to a published report.
Drug dealer gets life in prison for baseball bat killings
October 21, 2021 GMTA Connecticut drug dealer whose federal death sentence was overturned in the baseball bat killings of three people during a 2005 dispute over crack cocaine sales was resentenced Thursday to life in prison.
Guilty plea entered in state senate election fraud case
October 20, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A former campaign worker for a Connecticut state senator pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges that she conspired to fraudulently obtain public funds for the senator's 2018 legislative campaign.
16-year-old arrested in ‘gunplay’ death of Bridgeport teen
October 19, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy who shot another teenager to death while playing with a gun inside a Bridgeport home has been arrested, police said.
The shooting suspect, a 16-year-old whose name was not released because of his age, was arrested Monday in connection with the Oct.
Jury orders police officer in fatal shooting to pay $350K
October 16, 2021 GMTNEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A civil jury has ordered a former Bridgeport police officer to pay $350,000 after finding he wrongfully shot and killed a man eight years ago who had dropped his weapon.
Bridgeport officer suspended for hitting teen with a gun
October 14, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn (AP) — A Bridgeport police officer has been suspended for 20 days for an incident caught on video in which he struck a 17-year-old in the head with his gun.
Acting Police Chief Rebeca Garcia issued the suspension to Officer Gianni Capozziello after an investigation found he used excessive force during the Aug.
Lee scores in first game since injury, Islanders beat Flyers
October 6, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Anders Lee, back this season after recovering from his ACL injury, scored to lead the New York Islanders to a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in a preseason game in Bridgeport, Conn., on Tuesday night.
Union reaches deal with group home agency, cancels strike
October 4, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Several hundred unionized group home and day program workers in Bridgeport and eastern Connecticut have reached a new contract with the latest provider, ending a strike that was threatened to begin Tuesday, their union announced Monday,
Teen workers help diner owner weather pandemic challenges
October 3, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — When a teenager came into his restaurant looking for a job, Nick Roussas didn’t realize his fortunes were about to turn around.
The longtime Bridgeport diner owner discovered the teen was a student at Bridgeport Military Academy, and he proved so reliable that Roussas hired three of his classmates to fulfill takeout and delivery orders.
Ad falsely claims Connecticut politician has criminal record
September 14, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — An online political ad falsely claimed that a Bridgeport city councilwoman had a criminal record after the organization that placed the ad confused her with another person with the same name.
Man drowns while swimming with friend at Fairfield reservoir
September 12, 2021 GMTFAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A 35-year-old man drowned Sunday while swimming with a friend at a Fairfield reservoir, police said.
Police and fire department dive teams found the body of Karlis Eltermanis, of Bridgeport, in nearly six feet (1.8 meters) of water in the Samp Mortar Reservoir at about 12:45 p.m.
Man sentenced to 10 years for fire that destroyed theater
September 10, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for setting fires including the 2019 blaze that destroyed a well-known Shakespearean theater in a shoreline town.
Connecticut firefighter dies from rock climbing fall in NY
September 8, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut firefighter fell to his death while rock climbing in New York on Monday, New York State police said.
Bridgeport police face racial discrimination probe
September 8, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — An independent investigator will look into allegations of racial discrimination within the Bridgeport police department including unfair discipline of Black officers and a hostile work environment, city officials said.
Gun rights group sues police agencies over permit delays
August 31, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A gun rights group and four citizens have sued the police chiefs of four Connecticut cities claiming officials have effectively ended the ability of residents to get gun permits by intentionally and illegally slowing the licensing process by several months.
Bridgeport Councilman charged with threatening city official
August 20, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Bridgeport City Council member has been arrested and charged with allegedly threatening the city's public facilities chief earlier this month during a discussion about repairs to the municipal ice arena complex.
Connecticut parish mourns loss of sister church in Haiti
August 16, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — The earthquake that killed at least 1,300 people in Haiti on Saturday has had an unforeseen emotional effect on a Connecticut parish and its Rev. Dukens Boliere.
Boliere is the pastor of Shekinah Free Methodist Worship Center in Bridgeport.
Bridgeport, Hartford, Stamford to mandate masks indoors
August 10, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Bridgeport, Hartford and Stamford will be mandating indoor mask-wearing amid another coronavirus surge fueled by the delta variant, city officials said Tuesday.
Hartford and Bridgeport's requirements will take effect Wednesday and Stamford's will begin at 8 a.m.
Bridgeport City Councilman indicted on election charges
July 28, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut City Council member and landlord has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple election fraud charges, including allegedly forging the signatures of his tenants on absentee ballots so it would appear they had voted for him.
700 workers to lose jobs in sale of People’s United Bank
July 24, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — More than 700 employees of People's United Bank will lose their jobs when the Connecticut lender is acquired by a New York bank, according to a filing with the state.
Officer, 2 others hospitalized after Bridgeport car wreck
July 4, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Bridgeport police officer and two other people have been hospitalized after a car crash.
Officials tell local media it happened around 9:40 p.m. Saturday at West Avenue and State Street.
State police investigating shooting by Bridgeport officer
June 16, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Bridgeport police officer shot and wounded a person Tuesday night while working with a federal and local law enforcement task force, authorities said.
State police said Wednesday that the person was treated at a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and released.
Man pleads guilty to setting fire to Shakespearean theater
June 5, 2021 GMTBRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to setting fire to a renown Shakespearean theater and several other structures in four towns.
Christopher Sakowicz, 20, of Stratford, faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to arson charges Friday in Bridgeport Superior Court, the Connecticut Post reported.
Connecticut man charged in US Capitol breach
June 3, 2021 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man seen in photos and video in the U.S. Senate chamber standing with the so-called QAnon shaman during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection was charged with several crimes Thursday, federal authorities said.