Archive for March, 2011

Fire sends four to hospital

Sunday, March 20, 2011 by:Linda Conner Lambeck

BRIDGEPORT _ Four firefighters were sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation Sunday afternoon after fighting an underground fire that erupted downtown at 1087 Broad Street.

The two-alarm fire reportedly went underground and became visible when it shot flames out of a manhole cover in front of the building at around 1 p.m. The fire led to United Illuminating to shut off the power in a four block area, said Tim Quinn, a police department spokesman.

Al Carbone, a UI spokesman, said the power outage impacted about 247 customers for about two hours and was restored at around 3:30 p.m.

‘Supermoon’ to rise tonight

Saturday, March 19, 2011 by:Jim Shay

This was the scene last night at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall. The ski area (yes it's still open) will be open to 10 p.m. Saturday.

There’s a full moon Saturday, but it won’t be just any old full moon.

It’ll be bigger and brighter.

It will appear larger as it makes its closest approach to Earth in 18 years.

Scientists estimate the “supermoon” rising in the east at sunset will appear 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter at its peak.

The moon will rise at 7:24 p.m.

And the good news? It’s going to be a clear night so we’ll see it in all its glory.

Full moons vary in size because of the oval shape of its orbit, with one end closer to Earth. On Saturday, the moon will be 221,565 miles away — the closest to Earth since March 1993.

Report of overturned boat turns out to be false alarm

Saturday, March 19, 2011 by:Amanda Cuda

TRUMBULL — Police and fire personnel responded to a report of an overturned vessel in Canoe Brook Lake Friday afternoon, but the call turned out to be “one big scare,” according to a fire official.

Alex Rauso, assistant chief of the Long Hill Fire Department, said the call came in about the overturned boat around 2:20 p.m. It was eventually determined that no one was in the boat, and that the craft had broken away from its dock.

“It was old and dry rotted,” Rauso said. “It was a sailboat with no sail. There were no signs that it had been used.”

Rauso also said that area resident reported that the boat had been floating in the lake for days. The craft was brought into shore. Police and fire were on scene until about 3:30 p.m.

Historical characterization of Prudence Crandall coming to Stratford

Saturday, March 19, 2011 by:Brittany Lyte

Press release:

The Stratford Historical Society is presenting a historical characterization of Prudence Crandall by Donna Dufresne on Friday, March 25 at 7 p.m. at the Parish Hall of Christ Episcopal Church on the corner of Main Street and Academy Hill.

The program is free of charge and all are welcome. Refreshments are served after the presentation.

Prudence Crandall (1803-1890) was a Connecticut resident who tried to establish a school for African American girls. In 1833 she established the first Academy for African American women in New England. It only lasted 18 months. During that time Crandall and her students suffered tremendous persecution and hardship. She was put on trial twice in an attempt to close the academy and in the fall of 1834 such efforts succeeded and it was finally closed. Her courage and moral strength in the face of such adversity, however, led the state legislature to vote her an annual pension of $400.

More recently, she has been designated the State Heroine and her house in Canterbury, which she attempted to turn into a school, has become a National Landmark.

Join Ms. DuFresne to find out why the status of State Heroine is so appropriate for Prudence Crandall.

Donna holds a bachelor’s degree in American History from Lesley University and a master’s degree in Gifted and Talented Education from the University of Connecticut. While working on her undergraduate degree in history, she developed several historical characters which she performs as one woman shows, including Connecticut State Heroine, Prudence Crandall.

DUI checks on St. Patrick’s Day in Stratford

Thursday, March 17, 2011 by:Brittany Lyte

Stratford police will employ DUI selective enforcement patrols on St. Patrick’s Day, Thursday, March 17.

Celebrity Sighting: Travis Barker chows down at Acapulcos in Stratford

Thursday, March 17, 2011 by:Brittany Lyte

Travis Barker, the drummer for rock band Blink-182, ate lunch at Acapulcos restaurant on Main Street in Stratford about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Tuesday was also the release date of “Give the Drummer Some,” Barker’s debut solo album.

Barker stopped for lunch on his way from New York City to Rhode Island, where he performed Wednesday in the kick-off concert of the “I Am Music II Tour,” according to his Twitter feed.

While lunching at Acapulcos, Barker (left) posed for a photo behind the bar with waiter Tiburcio Cardenas:

Contributed Photo

March Madness at Cardinal Shehan Center

Thursday, March 17, 2011 by:Keila Torres Ocasio

From the Shehan Center:

BRIDGEPORT – The Cardinal Shehan Center will be hosting its 7th Annual “March Madness” Event on Monday, April 4. The proceeds from this event benefit the Center’s After School and Saturday Program, which serves over 4,000 children from the local area annually.
The Center’s “March Madness” event, sponsored by Bridgeport Fittings, is always an exciting night out. Attendees will enjoy an evening of dinner, cocktails, live and silent auctions, a raffle and much more while cheering on their favorite team in the 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship game.
The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is to be held at Tashua Knolls County Club in Trumbull. The Center invites all of those who may be interested in attending to please contact Lorraine Gibbons or Alyson O’Meara at (203) 336-4468.

Stripping down the Remington plant

Thursday, March 17, 2011 by:Keila Torres Ocasio

BRIDGEPORT — A group of men, reportedly workers for Demolition Depot, are stripping the former Remington plant on Barnum Avenue.
The men have apparently been working down there for days, taking out windows and using power tools inside the buildings.
When asked, Adam Wood, Mayor Bill Finch’s chief of staff, said it was the first he had heard about the activity on the site.
Under an order from the state Department of Environmental Protection parts of the building were torn down last fall in order for firefighters to put out a stubborn week-long blaze tore through the buildings.
Soon after, the city’s Condemnation Board ordered Remgrit to demolish the property due to safety concerns.
When the property owner failed to take action within the allotted 48-hour time frame, Finch said he was counting on $2.5 million in bond funds to carry out the action.
The city hopes to take down every building on the site, except for the shot tower that still contains live utilities and the environmentally hazardous blacksmith shop.
Remgrit Realty Inc., which acquired a tax debt now topping $8.6 million, purchased the building in 1986. Sal DiNardo is the majority shareholder in that corporation.
In 2008, the building filed for foreclosure but the suit was then stalled by Remgrit’s bankruptcy filing.