March 15 / 6:15 pm
Winter Storm Strikes - Schools Closed, Roads Slippery
 (WTNH) _ Connecticut is slowly cleaning up after a wild end-of-winter snow storm that dumped up to a foot or more of snow across the state. The heavy snow snapped tree limbs and dragged down power lines, knocking out electricity to more than 100,000 customers at its peak.
The snow mad driving downright treacherous this morning in unplowed roads. Hundreds of DOT trucks were out early to keep the roads as clear as possible.
Nearly all schools in Connecticut closed for the day. Many colleges and Universities also cancelled day classes or delayed their opening.
Bradley International Airport remained open, but there were weather-related problems in the morning. 16 flights were cancelled because the airplanes did not arrive in from their previous locations, and one flight (a Caracas-to-Kennedy Airport) was diverted to Bradley overnight.
Unofficially, News Channel 8 viewers reported snow totals of 13" in Oakdale, 11" in Bristol, 9" in Unionville, 8" in Seymour, and 7" in Niantic. Officially, Hartford received 7", 8" in Colchester, and 5 1/2" in New Haven.
 News Channel 8's Ned Berkowitz reports on how people are dealing with the snow.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring talked with folks in the eastern part of the state.
 Watch News Channel 8's Team Coverage From Noon. (7:00 Real Player Format)
Snow Shoveling Can be a Health Risk
(WTNH) _ If you've been out in it you know this is that heavy wet snow is tough to shovel. And every time we get a storm like this some people wind up hurting themselves. Yale-New Haven Hospital's emergency room treated 5 men for injuries they received when their hands caught in the spinning blades of snowblowers while they were trying to clear their driveways.
Dr. Albert Weihl, Yale-New Haven Hospital: "Snowblowers, even when they're stopped once they're jammed, the impeller is under tension. When your hands in there it jumps forward and people have gotten serious injuries even when they're turned off."
How do you deal with this heavy snow safely?
News Channel 8's Kristen Cusato reports.
Truck Accident Closes Interstate Connector
 (New Haven-WTNH) _ A major tie-up on the I-91/I-95 connector brought part of the evening commute to a crawl. A truck rolled over at the entrance to exit 48 north in New Haven. The truck was carrying nail polish remover, which is made from acetone, for a company named Earth Technology. Fire department hazmat crews are on the scene. Traffic was backed up for several exits.
Johnson Introduces Bill to Fight Online Predators
(Southington-WTNH) _ A warning is being sent to sexual predators who do their leg work on-line. Connecticut congresswoman Nancy Johnson is proposing legislation to fight the problem. The bill is designed to protect kids who use the internet from the possibility being sexually exploited.
News Channel 8's Verna Collins reports.
Sleepwear Safety
(West Haven-WTNH) _ Local politicians are fighting for sleepwear safety for children. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called for the return of strong flammability standards Monday.
A 1972 decision required kids' sleepwear to self extinguish. But two years ago, the standards were weakened because the cotton industry was losing money.
Linda Degutis, Regional Injury Prevention Program: "The lost a lot of their market share, and they are fighting to relax the standard, and they want the relaxed standard so they can sell more products."
The public has until next monday to send comments to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Sayde E Dunn
Secretary, Consumer Product Safety Commission
4330 East West Highway, Room #502
Bethesda, MD 20814
Fleet, BankBoston to Merge
 (WTNH) _ It is one of the biggest mega-mergers New England has seen. Fleet Bank is acquiring BankBoston in a $1.6 billion venture. Both banks hope to have the deal wrapped up in the next few months. But many say it's too short of time and there's just too much to do.
Consumer Team 8's Anna Sava has reaction to the deal.
Should Hotel Chains Run College Dorms?
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Is it time to turn state college dormitories over to hotel chains? A bill would experiment with the idea and that has students concerned. It would be done to save money. It's just one of several proposals aimed at keeping the cost of college down and attracting more students.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis has the story.
Manslaughter Conviction Upheld
(Hartford-AP) _ The state Supreme Court has upheld the manslaughter conviction of a woman accused of helping her lover kill her husband in a Stratford cemetery. Kimberly Schiappa was convicted in 1994 of manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years in prison. However, in April of 1997, the state Appellate Court ruled she was entitled to a new trial because of some hearsay statements that were used against her. The Appellate court said that statements made by Steven Staffy, her love, to his roommate implicating the woman should not have been allowed as testimony. The body of James Schiappa had been found in a pool of blood in St. John's Cemetery in December of 1991. He had been beaten and stabbed after he followed his wife and Staffy, to the cemetery. Staffy is serving a 25-year sentence for murder.
DEP Supports Bills to Beef up Hunting Safety
(Hartford-AP) _ The state Department of Environmental Protection is supporting some bills in the Legislature to beef up hunting safety. Among the proposals is a bill to create a criminal charge of negligent hunting. The charge would apply to hunters who recklessly disregard hunting laws, leading to death or injury of other people. The DEP also is asking for more conservation officers to patrol the woods.
Deer Contraception Bill Supported
(Hartford-AP) _ Everyone from environmentalists and scientists to the state's greenhouse industry is supporting a bill to study deer contraception.
The bill comes as the state tries to find nonviolent ways to cut down on the overpopulation of deer. Scientists at the Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station say they're willing to work at developing a contraceptive that can be used on free-ranging deer in suburban and rural areas. Environmentalists say contraceptives have been tried in controlled deer populations, but they're not sure how it will work in wild deer. The state's nursery plant industry says the bill is needed to cut down on the costly damage deer does to all kinds of plants.
Man Busted for Pot Possession
(South Windsor) _ A 31-year-old South Windsor man has been charged with possession of marijuana after receiving a shipment of pot at his home. Police say postal inspectors arrested William Herring after he signed for the package, which contained a bucket crammed with more than six pounds of pot. Authorities say they were tipped off by a drug-sniffing dog at the post office.
Agencies Share in Ryan White Aids Funding
(New Haven-WTNH) _ The New Haven community is getting some help to fight AIDS and HIV. 26 agencies throughout New Haven and Fairfield counties will share $6.1 million in funds through the "New Haven Ryan White Title One Program". New Haven Mayor John DeStefano and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro announced the finding Monday. The money helps people cover medical treatment costs, so they may lead longer, healthier lives. While breakthrough treatments are helping those infected, medications can cost between $15-18,000 a year.
Police looking for hit-run driver in Ellington
(Ellington-AP) _ Police sought information today about the circumstances surrounding the death of 53-year-old man who was killed in a hit-and-run accident Sunday morning. Charles Coleman, of Ellington, was pronounced dead at the scene on Shenipsit Street, about 2 a.m. The vehicle that struck him fled the area, police said. Authorities conducted a door-to-door search on Sunday for witnesses who might have seen the vehicle that struck Coleman. Police asked anybody with information to contact the state police.
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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