March 21
"Shakespeare In Love" Takes Home Best Picture Oscar
(WTNH) _ (Los Angeles-AP) _ The last best picture show of the century is "Shakespeare in Love" which took the final Oscar of the 1999 Academy Awards. Chalk up another big win for Steven Spielberg, who won the best director Oscar for "Saving Private Ryan." Gwyneth Paltrow is best actress, also for "Shakespeare in Love."
Italian Roberto Benigni says he used up all his English picking up the best foreign film award, but he charmed the crowd again accepting the Oscar for best actor for "Life is Beautiful." James Coburn has his first Oscar for best supporting actor. Judi Dench took best supporting actress.
Hollywood had a mixed reaction to Elia Kazan's honorary Oscar.
Some members of the audience leapt to their feet to give Kazan a standing ovation. Others purposely did not clap, while others, like Steven Spielberg, applauded politely. Kazan's lifetime achievement Oscar was a point of controversy because he named names of his comrades in the Communist Party before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. Kazan himself made no mention of his controversial past, instead just thanking the Academy.
 Here's the full story.
Here's the list of winners.
Woman's Body Found in Basement
(Waterbury-WTNH) _ Waterbury police are investigating a homicide. The partially clothed body of an African American woman was found in the basement of 17 Burton Street around 1:00 pm Sunday. Police have not identified the woman or how she died. Officers say a tenant of the building found the body when they went to the basement.
Lawmaker "Comes Out" As Gay Rights Events Begin
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Connecticut raised the rainbow flag in Hartford Sunday.
It will wave above the state capitol all week long symbolizing a national push for gay and lesbian rights. And at the ceremony came an unexpected admission from one state lawmaker.
News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue reports.
Missing Attorney Spotted in Near Albany
(Menands, N.Y.-AP) _ Prominent attorney F. Mac Buckley reportedly has been spotted at a cemetery in a suburb of Albany, New York. Connecticut state police say a caretaker at the Saint Agnes Cemetery in Menands reported a man asked for directions to the grave of Buckley's father on March 5th. Christopher Buckley died in 1997. When police later showed Buckley's photo to the caretaker, he says he was certain that the lawyer -- who was declared a fugitive after he disappeared March 1st -- was the visitor he had helped.
Police also say Buckley made a short cell phone call from the area. 57 year old Buckley is accused of embezzling about $145,000 from two clients and stealing from assets of another client jailed on a murder charge. Buckley's license to practice law has been suspended.
Firefighters Say Goodbye to Fallen Comrade
(Bridgeport-WTNH) _ A sad day for firefighters in Bridgeport, who gathered at a wake to say goodbye to a fellow firefighter who died earlier this week. 44 year old Walter Flyntz died of an apparant heart attack as he fought a fire at the Fairfield Garden apartments Wednesday. What makes the loss even more difficult is it happened about an hour after another member of the department died. 45 year old Daniel Kileen, a dispatcher, also had a fatal heart attack. Flyntz's funeral is set for Monday morning. He will be buried with full honors.
Mayor Wants Investigation Into Police Commissioner's DUI Arrest
(West Haven-WTNH) _ West Haven mayor Richard Borer is calling for an investigation into police commissioner Thomas Gallagher's arrest on drunk driving charges.
Gallagher was stopped Saturday and charged with driving while intoxicated.
Gallagher's lawyer is calling the arrest "vindictive".
Attorney Hugh Keefe says Gallagher had recently denied the arresting officer - Sergeant John Serra - an unusual request for time off. Keefe also says there have been other problems with the officer. Another officer at the scene told the New Haven Register Gallagher was speeding and driving erratically.
Suspect Spits at Trooper, Smashes Window Following Arrest
(Westport-WTNH) _ A Westport man is facing some serious charges after an encounter with a state trooper. State police say Thomas Dorbandt was pulled over for traveling about 90 miles an hour on I-95 in Greenwich at about 1:00 am Sunday morning. Dorbandt reportedly failed a sobriety test and as the trooper tried to arrest him Dorbandt hit him and spit at him. Police say once inside the cruiser Dorbandt kicked out the windshield. He had two young children in the car with him. Dorbandt was released on $75,000 bond.
Police Call Two Men Heroes for Pulling Motorist from Burning Car
(Hartford-AP) _ Peter Vontell and George Peluso insist they're not heroes. But state police say the men risked their own lives to save another in a fiery crash on Interstate 84 in Hartford. Police say Mark McBride was driving east on I-84 around 10:00 pm Saturday when he lost control of his car and careened into a bridge abutment. The car was nearly engulfed in flames when Peluso and Vontell ran over to help. Peluso, a 37-year-old furniture refinisher from West Hartford, and Vontell, a 17-year-old from Bristol, kicked out the windshield of the burning car. They pulled McBride from the car a few minutes before the vehicle exploded. McBride, a 33-year-old Windsor man, is in critical condition today in the burn unit at Massachusetts General in Boston. Peluso -- who was treated for smoke inhalation and cuts and bruises -- says what spurred him was not bravery, but basic human nature. He says, "I couldn't let the guy die like that." Vontell says the danger of the situation did not hit him -- until after the rescue.
Man Arrested for Hartford Murder
(Hartford-AP) -- A Hartford man is in jail on charges of shooting to death 28-year-old Johnny McGhee earlier this month. Police say 43-year-old Ronnie Foster was arrested Friday and charged with murder. McGhee was found in a city home with a gunshot wound in his abdomen on March 4th. Police are still investigating the relationship between the two men. No word yet on a motive.
He is being held in lieu of $500,000 bond.
National Guard Unit Heads to Kuwait
(AP) _ The Connecticut Air National Guard will send about 400 members to Kuwait for the month of April. The soldiers and airmen will help enforce the no-fly zone in southern Iraq. The main contingent of about 225 will leave March 30th from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks. Others will ship out in mid-April for a two-week stint at the isolated desert outpost of Al-Jaber Air Base. The 103rd Fighter Wing, a 900 member unit stationed at the outpost, is moving in to take part in "Operation Guarded Skies." They will provide a break for regular Air Force personnel stationed there to enforce UN sanctions imposed against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Falcons Return
(Bridgeport-AP) _ Outside the 16th-floor office windows of People's Bank in Bridgeport, two endangered birds are making a home. Almost 25 years since the peregrine falcon population in the Northeast was declared extinct, the birds are slowly making a comeback. They are carving out lives atop office buildings like People's Bank and the Travelers Tower in Hartford, and may soon be removed from the federal endangered species list. The peregrine was a regular nester in Connecticut in the latter part of the last century, but hunting and the use of pesticides depleted the populations. In 1975, there were only 324 breeding pairs in the United States and Canada. But by 1997, their numbers had increased to nearly 1,600. But state Department of Environmental Protection officials say falcons remain on the state endangered list because the recovery here has not been as dramatic.
Massage-a-thon Benefits Soup Kitchen
(New Haven-WTNH) _ Massage therapists asked the charitable to indulge today for a good cause. Creative Body Therapies hosted the third annual massage-a-thon. Massage therapists from around the area donated their services for one dollar a minute. All of the money will be donated to the Community Soup Kitchen of New Haven.
Denise Bowles-Johnson, Creative Body Therapies:
"I think a lot of people can't give to themselves unless they're giving for something else so this way they can come and get a massage and know that they're giving money to a good cause."
The massage-a-thon raised $2,800 for the soup kitchen.
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/sor.htm
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