January 21 / 6:15 pm
Wanna-Be Yale Student Delivers Anonymous Letter, Pictures to Court
(New Haven-WTNH) _ Another bizarre twist in the case of a woman charged with cheating her way into Yale University. And what went on outside the courthouse isn't the strangest part. Tonica Jenkins was first arrested in late 1997 for forging her records to gain entry into Yale's prestigious and rigorous neurobiology program. The case has taken several unexpected twists and turns, and now a bombshell in the courtroom was followed by exploding tempers outside.
 News Channel 8's Ned Berkowitz has been following the case and here's the latest.
Relatives of Man Wanted For Questioning in Boy's Murder Arrested
(WTNH) _ Police in two states have arrested the father and brother of a man named as a possible suspect in the murders of 8 year old Leroy Brown, Jr and Karen Clarke. They were gunned down two weeks ago in their Bridgeport home. Russell Peeler, Jr was arrested last week. His father, Russell Sr, was taken in last night.
And today, authorities found Adrian Peeler, who is now sitting in jail cell in Charlotte, North Carolina.
News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.
New Milford Officer Suspended Following Murder Arrest
(New Milford-AP) _ New Milford police Officer Scott Smith, charged with murder in shooting a suspect, has been suspended with pay indefinitely. New Milford's mayor and police chief say the shooting was the first time Smith had fired his gun in tow years on the police force. Both say they expect he will be exonerated. Smith had claimed he shot Franklyn Reid during a struggle, believing he was dealing with a violent criminal who was about to either stab or shoot him. But Waterbury State's Attorney John Connelly determined the December 29th shooting was not justified and filed murder charges against Smith on Tuesday.
Fire Burns Behind in Ansonia Factory
(Ansonia-WTNH) _ A fire broke out in the back of a factory in Ansonia Thursday, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. It happened around noon in a storage area of the Latex Foam Product factory on West Main Street. They store latex foam scrap there. It is only blocks away from the location of a huge fire that destroyed several downtown businesses in October. No one was injured in today's fire, and the factory itself was not affected.
School Says Security is Increased After Student is Attacked
(New Haven-WTNH) _ A student at a local college has told campus authorities at Albertus Magnus someone sexually assaulted her early Wednesday morning. And now security is up on campus.
News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue reports.
Pre-School Students Relocated After Gun Is Brought to Alternative High School
(Montville-WTNH) _ For years Montville's alternative high school and pre-school program have existed peacefully in the same building.
But now a student has been arrested for carrying a gun to class. Parents are scared and the pre-schoolers are being relocated in a hurry.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports from our Southeastern Newsroom at The Day.
Clinton's Lawyers Wrap up Defense Argument
(Capitol Hill-AP) _ If you look at the history of the US Constitution, a former senator says you can't impeach President Clinton. The impassioned, sometimes personal speech from long-time Clinton friend Dale Bumpers comes on the final day of the opening statements by the Clinton defense team. Looking back at the words of the framers of the Constitution, Bumpers says they clearly were looking at crimes against the United States when the developed the impeachment clause. Bumpers says the phrase "high crimes and misdemeanors" came from English law from a category of political crimes against the state. Bumpers told senators that even if you commit perjury to hide an unfaithful relationship it "does not even come close to being an impeachable offense." And he said that those senators who honor the country's history can censure Clinton or leave him in the hands of a criminal prosecutor -- but they can't convict him.
Earlier in the day, President Clinton's private lawyer accused House impeachment prosecutors of ignoring evidence that would exonerate Clinton. David Kendall says they tried to fit the facts into "a sinister pattern" of obstruction of justice. He's telling senators the evidence disproves the charges.
It was a year ago today when America woke up to Monica Lewinsky. The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times broke the story about the White House intern and President Clinton on January 21st, 1998. Three times that first, frantic day, President Clinton denied the story. And official Washington was full of speculation that Clinton's days in the White House may be numbered. Among the speculators was House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde. He said if the allegations proved true, the president would not be "immune from considerations of impeachment." It's a year later and Clinton has been impeached, Hyde is pressing for Clinton's removal in a US Senate trial, and Lewinsky has fled Washington. At last word she was working on a book, lining up interviews and awaiting a possible summons from the Senate for further questions.
Deadly Accident Closes Part of Highway
(Milford-WTNH) _ An accident on I-95 in Milford this morning has left one person dead. The accident happened around 2am between northbound exits 39-40.
A tractor-trailer crashed and rolled-over on the highway. Police are not releasing the name of the victim. Crews are still on scene sanding the area to get rid of slick spots. Police say a pickup truck was also involved in the crash, but at this time they don't know how the accident happened.
 Ethics Chief Says Lawmakers Should Wait Before Working for Patriots
(Hartford-AP) _ Lawmakers who played key roles in the $374 million stadium deal for the New England Patriots should wait a year before they work directly for the football team and its owner, the state's ethics chief says. Although there haven't been any rumors about legislators ready to jump from the General Assembly to the Patriots' payroll, Alan Plofsky said he wants restrictions _ but not prohibitions _ placed on any such move. "The principal here is more important than anything else," said Plofsky, the executive director of the state Ethics Commission. "I think there would be more public confidence in the integrity of the Patriots project" if lawmakers were forced to wait a year before working for the team, he said.
Addressing Concerns About "Social Promotion" in Schools
(WTNH) _ President Clinton says it all starts with a teacher, and he's making big plans to put learning first in our classrooms. Thursday he president proposed spending $200 million to hire new teachers, and he plans to shrink class size in early grades. $35 million would go to college scholarships for students wanting to become teaches in poor districts. And $18 million for the troops to teachers program which trains retired military personnel for the classroom. A big issue for the president is keeping kids where they are until they are ready for the next grade.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer reports.
Aetna/US Healthcare Ordered to Pay Millions to Widow
(San Bernadino, California-AP) _ A California widow has won $120 million from Aetna/US Healthcare in a lawsuit over cancer treatment. A federal jury yesterday ordered the health maintenance organization to pay the money to Teresa Goodrich. He husband had an ongoing battle with Aetna until his death for coverage of experimental cancer treatment. She was awarded $116 million in punitive damages yesterday and $4.5 million last week for medical expenses and loss of companionship in the 1995 death of her husband. Aetna officials says Goodrich's death was a tragedy, but the company acted fairly.
Two Arrested in Ring Theft
(Milford-WTNH) _ Two brothers are under arrest after allegedly stealing a $10,000 ring. Police say 36-year old Ricky Ferrara and 37-year old Frank Ferrara robbed Schperos Jewelers on South Broad Street in Milford Thursday morning.
police picked them up in new haven after Milford police lost them earlier.
After pulling the car over, police say they found a lot of cash inside.
Branford police are now checking to see if the two men could be connected to a robbery at Dante's Jewelers on Monday.
Teens Busted for Mailbox Thefts
(WTNH) _ A Connecticut teenager and three New York teens are facing charges of "mailbox shopping". Police say they went on a stealing spree taking cash, blank checks, and credit cards from more than 1,000 roadside mailboxes.
Nearly $4,000 in forged checks had been cashed and credit cards had been used at clothing and electronic stores. The suspects allegedly hit homes in Danbury, Brookfield, and Ridgefield
Arrests Made in Separate Robberies
(New Haven-AP) -- New Haven police have made arrests in two separate robbery cases. Yesterday they arrested a man in connection with the armed robbery at a Blockbuster Video store on December 24th. 24 year old Tyron Holland of New Haven is charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree larceny. Holland is accused of showing a gun to two employees and taking off with about $1,000 in cash.
Police also yesterday arrested 31 year old Trini Davis of New Haven in connection with two street robberies. Police say he is accused of three incidents involving female victims. They say only two of the victims were able to identify him.
Guilty Plea by Bobber Who Used "AIDS" Needle
(Milford-AP) _ An East Haven man faces five years in prison for holding up a convenience store with what he said was an infected syringe as a weapon. Thomas Naciadis had been charged with using the syringe last February to rob a Milford convenience store by claiming the needle was infected with the AIDS virus. It's never been determined if he is infected with the AIDS virus. Yesterday he pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and is to be sentenced on March Third.
Charity Official Faces More Charges in Alleged Theft Scheme
(Hartford-AP)_ A woman who oversaw building projects for a Hartford charity is facing more charges for what officials say was the theft of money designated for a summer camp. Police arrested Lois Stevenson yesterday for the second time in a month, charging her with three counts of larceny. She was charged last month with stealing tens of thousands of dollars set aside for a summer camp in Hebron for inner-city kids. Also last month, a contractor who was paid by Stevenson pleaded guilty to a larceny charge for taking money to refurbish the camp but doing little or no work. Barry Alexander got four years in prison and is supposed to repay the $200,000 he took. Officials claim Alexander and Stevenson split some of that money.
Study: Teens Just Saying No to Sex
(New Haven-AP) _ Teenagers in the state and across the country have apparently been getting the message about sex. A new study shows teenagers are having fewer babies because they're saying no to sex longer and getting smarter about birth control. The study shows the teen pregnancy rate in Connecticut dropped seven percent between 1991 and 1996.
Officials Question UConn Expansion Plan
(Hartford-AP) _ State higher education officials are questioning the University of Connecticut's plan to offer four-year degrees at some of its branches. They've told UConn officials to revise the plan after raising questions about declining enrollments and duplication of programs.
Infant Carrier Recall
(WTNH) _ A Georgia company has recalled 240,000 infant carriers for fear children can fall out of them. Regal + Lager says nine babies slipped through the leg openings of the "Baby Bjorn" fabric carriers. Six of the infants suffered fractured skulls. The recall includes soft-fabric, front carriers sold in various colors. The name "Baby Bjorn" is printed on the front and strap of the carriers.
Juvenile specialty stores and mail order catalogs sold them from January 1991 to October 1998. If you own one of these carriers, stop using it immediately and call 1.877.242.5676 to receive a free repair kit.
Dry Clean Only? Not Necessarily
(WTNH) _ Drycleaning costs can be out of sight. And on top of that it seems like everything we buy has dryclean only care instructions. But just because something says dryclean only doesn't mean you have to do it.
Consumer Team 8's Anna Sava reports.
Madison Theatre to Reopen
(Madison-WTNH) _ The show must go on at the Madison movie theater.
Business owners came together Thursday to announce the Madison Cinema
House will re-open as an independent film theater.
It was forced to close down last year after big chains like Hoyt's moved into the area. Now they're ready to compete by offering something different for the community.
The new theater will open sometime in April.
State Sex Offender Website Online
(Hartford-WTNH) _ The State of Connecticut's Sex Offender Registry went online at the first of the year. Residents can look to see if a convicted sex offender is living in their neighborhood by accessing the information through the Department of Public Safety's website at www.state.ct.us/dps/
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