New CT Street Takeover Bust: Juvenile Arrested In Connection With Racing Incident New CT Street Takeover Bust: Juvenile Arrested In Connection With Racing Incident
New CT Street Takeover Bust: Juvenile Arrested In Connection With Racing Incident State police have nabbed a juvenile who they believe was part of a "street takeover" event in Connection. The juvenile, who is under the age of 18, was arrested on Tuesday, June 6 in connection with a Tolland County street racing incident, or "street takeover," that happened in the town of Tolland on Sunday, May 21.  On the night of the incident, a group of racers and spectators gathered to race cars, perform burnouts, set off fireworks, and more, according to officials.  On the same night as the Tolland incident, similar "street takeovers" happened in Hartford and New …
Search Ends For Missing Connecticut Woman After Monthslong 'Nightmare' Search Ends For Missing Connecticut Woman After Monthslong 'Nightmare'
Search Ends For Missing Connecticut Woman After Monthslong 'Nightmare' All efforts to find a woman who went missing during a trip to Japan ended after the largest search effort police ever performed in the region turned up an "underwhelming" amount of evidence, according to her family.  Tolland County resident Patricia Wu-Murad, of Storrs, was last seen on the morning of Monday, April 10. A "tireless" search for Wu-Murad ended on Tuesday, May 30 after an international and crowd-funded effort to find her turned up few clues, according to a GoFundMe created by Patricia's daughter, Murphy Murad. Wu-Murad went missing while hiking the Kumano Kodo trail in Osaka,…
Connecticut Woman Misused PTO Funds, Arrested: Police Connecticut Woman Misused PTO Funds, Arrested: Police
Connecticut Woman Misused PTO Funds, Arrested: Police A Connecticut woman serving as president of a parent-teacher organization group allegedly drained approximately $12,000 from the group’s bank accounts, leaving them without enough money to hold school events, authorities alleged. Tolland County resident Marissa Marks, age 41,  of the town of Somers, was arrested on Tuesday, May 23 for allegedly misusing parent-teacher organization (PTO) funds, the Connecticut State Police reported. According to witness statements, Marks was elected to the Somers CT PTO in 2019, before Somers Public Schools shut down in-person classes due to COVID. Sh…
Street Racing Bust: 20-Year-Old From Norwalk Accused Of Leading Statewide Takeovers Street Racing Bust: 20-Year-Old From Norwalk Accused Of Leading Statewide Takeovers
Street Racing Bust: 20-Year-Old From Norwalk Accused Of Leading Statewide Takeovers Police believe they've nabbed the person behind a string of racing incidents dubbed “street takeovers" in Connecticut. A 20-year-old Fairfield County resident, Jefferson Duron, of Norwalk, was arrested at approximately 1:40 p.m. on Monday, May 22, for being a ring leader in a series of illegal street racing events, according to Connecticut State Police. The arrest came after months of police investigations into “street takeover” events, where racers and spectators gather to race cars, perform a burnout with their cars, set off fireworks, and more, officials said. Authorities reporte…
CT Fire Captain Dies Suddenly After 34 Years Of Service: 'Leaves Tremendous Hole' CT Fire Captain Dies Suddenly After 34 Years Of Service: 'Leaves Tremendous Hole'
CT Fire Captain Dies Suddenly After 34 Years Of Service: 'Leaves Tremendous Hole' A community in Tolland County is mourning the loss of a fire captain who spent over 30 years passing on his fire safety knowledge to the next generations.  Captain Dennis Carlson of the Tolland Fire Department died unexpectedly after 34 years of service, the department announced on Sunday, May 14.  Beginning his career as a volunteer before transitioning to a full-time Public Safety Officer, Carlson took on many roles during his time with the department.  This included serving as an emergency responder, an EMT, a rescue dive team scuba diver, and even an educator, as he coul…
Popular Restaurant Closes Last Location In CT After 'Last Few, Very Difficult Years' Popular Restaurant Closes Last Location In CT After 'Last Few, Very Difficult Years'
Popular Restaurant Closes Last Location In CT After 'Last Few, Very Difficult Years' A beloved Connecticut restaurant has suddenly shut down its second and final location only months after closing its original, flagship locale.  The owners of Lucky Taco announced the permanent closure of their Tolland County location at 73 East St. in Vernon's Northeast Shopping Center on Tuesday night, May 9 on social media.  The closure comes after the business's original Hartford County flagship location at 829 Main St. in Manchester was shut down for good in mid-March after nine years in business as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Earlier Report - Popular Restaurant …
CT Homeless Shelter Deputy Director Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Selfless' CT Homeless Shelter Deputy Director Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Selfless'
CT Homeless Shelter Deputy Director Killed In Crash Remembered As 'Selfless' A popular, fun-loving, and what many called "selfless" person was one of two people killed in a crash on a Connecticut highway. Tolland County resident, Bryan Flint Sr., age 64, of Ellington, was deputy director of the Cornerstone Foundation in the Rockville section of Vernon, died in the crash on I-95 on Sunday, May 7, which also injured his two grandchildren.  Related story: Head-On Crash: 2 Adults Killed, Pair Of Children Survive In Tolland County The foundation said on its website that their "hearts are broken," over the loss of Flint. "Bryan had a huge heart that was always…
Police Searching For Van Causing Serious Connecticut Crash Police Searching For Van Causing Serious Connecticut Crash
Police Searching For Van Causing Serious Connecticut Crash Authorities are asking for help from the public in locating the driver of a van that crashed into a motorcycle in Connecticut and then drove away, leaving a Massachusetts man injured. The crash happened on Sunday, May 7 around 9:40 p.m. in Tolland County, at the intersection of Main Street (Route 190) and South Road (Route 83) in Somers, according to state police.  At the time of the crash, a motorcycle driven by a West Springfield, Massachusetts resident had been traveling east on Route 190 when it was cut off by the van, which was trying to turn left on South Road.  The van the…
Former Teacher, Rye Native Dies At 69: Made Life 'Easygoing, Silly' For Friends, Family Former Teacher, Rye Native Dies At 69: Made Life 'Easygoing, Silly' For Friends, Family
Former Teacher, Rye Native Dies At 69: Made Life 'Easygoing, Silly' For Friends, Family A beloved Westchester County native who taught chemistry at a high school in Connecticut and made learning fun for his students is being remembered for his light-hearted nature.  Richard Linden, who grew up in the city of Rye and who taught in Tolland County at RHAM High School in Hebron, died on Sunday, April 16 at the age of 69, according to his obituary.  Born in 1953, Linden went on to graduate from Cornell University with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago.  After working as a hospital administrator for …
Helicopter Carrying Saw To Fly Over Several CT Towns For More Than Week: Here's Why Helicopter Carrying Saw To Fly Over Several CT Towns For More Than Week: Here's Why
Helicopter Carrying Saw To Fly Over Several CT Towns For More Than Week: Here's Why If you look up in the sky in Hartford or Tolland County and see a helicopter fitted with a large saw, there's a good reason for that.  A helicopter with a large saw hanging underneath it will be flying over the towns of Vernon, Enfield, East Windsor, and South Windsor between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day through Friday, May 5, according to Vernon town officials.  The reason for the flight will be to trim trees along Eversource right-of-ways as part of their regular vegetation management program. Those hoping to get a close look at the helicopter can see it fuel up…
Double Murder, Kidnapping Case: Newtown Native Gets 55-Year Sentence Double Murder, Kidnapping Case: Newtown Native Gets 55-Year Sentence
Double Murder, Kidnapping Case: Newtown Native Gets 55-Year Sentence A 26-year-old former UConn student has been sentenced to prison for the horrific killings of two men and the kidnapping of a woman. Fairfield County native Peter Manfredonia, age 26, who grew up in Newtown, who currently has an address in Tolland County in Mansfield, was sentenced on Wednesday, April 19 to 55 years in prison in a 2020 murder and kidnapping case under a plea agreement, according to NBC Connecticut. Manfredonia admitted to killing 62-year-old Ted DeMers, in Willington on Friday, May 22, 2020, officials said in an arrest warrant.  DeMers, according to the warrant, was fo…
'Desperate' Family Searches For Connecticut Woman Missing For Over A Week 'Desperate' Family Searches For Connecticut Woman Missing For Over A Week
'Desperate' Family Searches For Connecticut Woman Missing For Over A Week After an unsuccessful 72-hour search for a missing Connecticut woman who went missing while hiking in Japan, her family has taken matters into their own hands, according to an online fundraiser.  Patricia Wu-Murad, a resident of the Storrs village in Tolland County, was last seen the morning of Monday, April 10 before she set out to continue her hike of the Kumano Kodo trail in Osaka, Japan, according to a GoFundMe created by Patricia's daughter, Murphy Murad.  The US Embassy notified Patricia's family that she had gone missing on Thursday, April 14 after three days of searching. The pri…