March 22 / 6:30 pm
Knife Wielding Suspect Killed by Police
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Police shot and killed a man Monday after getting into a gun battle with the suspect while serving an arrest warrant. The incident happened on South Street in Hartford's south end. Police from Hartford and East Hartford showed up the home where Damien Cersosimo had been staying to serve him with a warrant for burglary and larceny. That's when it all exploded.
 News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.
Firefighter Laid to Rest
(Bridgeport-WTNH) _ Hundreds said farewell Monday to a firefighter who died in the line of duty. 44 year old Walter Flyntz was laid to rest today in Bridgeport. He died of a heart attack last Wednesday while fighting a fire.
He served in department for ten years. Flyntz was buried with full honors.
One Injured in House Fire
(New Haven-WTNH) _ A New Haven firefighter was injured battling a fire Monday afternoon. The blaze broke out at a multi-family home on Spring Street about 3:30 pm. Residents were evacuated. One firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital. No word on his name or condition.
Woman's Body Found in Basement
(Waterbury-WTNH) _ The state medical examiner says the woman found dead in a Waterbury basement over the weekend was strangled. Police say the body found was that of 32 year old Michelle McMasters. She was discovered in the basement of a 4-family home on Burtin Street in the city on Sunday. Police say drug paraphernalia was found nearby.
Students Hear News of Accused Stalker's Arrest
(Storrs-WTNH) _ College students back from spring break are just hearing the news of an accused "campus stalker.
Convicted Massachusetts sex offender John Urban has been charged with
preying on students on the UConn campus at Storrs. Out of 57 cases of women being approached, the 38 year old Urban has been charged in connection with four of them.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer talked one-on-one with one student who says Urban approached her.
Search Called off for Man Missing in Colorado
(Colorado Springs, CO-AP) _ Colorado authorities have called off their search for a Connecticut man who disappeared March 14th. An underwater team spent the weekend fruitlessly searching the lake beside a hotel where 44-year-old Rick Wallace was staying. Wallace, the administrator for the Jewish Home for the Aged in New Haven was scheduled to give the keynote address at national seminar on services for the aging. He is still missing.
Transportation Committee Approves Tougher Drunken Driving Bill
(Hartford-AP)_ The legislature's transportation committee has endorsed a bill to lower the drunken driving standard in Connecticut. The bill would lower the blood alcohol level from the current .10 to .08. The bill also calls for heaving penalties for drivers arrested with a blood alcohol lever about .16. Supporters of the bill say it will get more drunken drivers of the road and more heavily penalize habitual offenders. Opponents say it's not prove that .08 levels will make the roads any safer. The bill now heads to the Judiciary committee which is expected to give it a very hard look.
Plan to Expanding Reading Programs Faces Budget Battle
(WTNH) _ To read is to learn. You can't do one without the other. That's why last year's general assembly spent $20 million on early reading programs for the state's poorest communities. A looming budget battle is brewing over expanding the programs. Some say early reading skills are the key to this year's top education priority - ending social promotion.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.
Region Hopes to Lure Fishing Tournament to Thames
(New London-WTNH) _ A fishing tournament could become a real catch for Southeastern Connecticut. Business people are thinking about starting a major fishing tournament in the once polluted Thames River. If all goes well the event could mean millions for the local economy.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports from out Southeastern Newsroom at "The Day".
Truck Rollover Slows I-95 Commute
(New Haven-WTNH) _ An accident on i-95 is expected to cause problems for commuters this morning. State police shut down the highway from Exit 47 to Route 34 through New Haven because of a tractor-trailer rollover accident. The truck was carrying stereo equipment. No injuries were reported.
Police Get Lesson in Train Safety
(WTNH) _ Safety on the tracks is front and center. A four-day police officer training course on rail safety comes on the heels of last week's deadly Amtrak crash near Chicago. With the ultra-modern high speed rail service just months away, precautions are being made to prevent accidents here.
News Channel 8's Kristen Cusato reports.
Suicide Reported at Prison
(Niantic-WTNH) _ An apparent suicide is under investigation at the women's prison in Niantic. The head of a corrections officer union tells News Channel 8 a woman hanged herself with a sheet in one of the prison shower stalls Sunday. She's identified as 19 year old Bobbi Jo Garcia. Garcia was transported to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital, where she was declared dead.
Hikers Find Remains
(Middletown-AP) _ Middletown police are investigating some skeletal remains found in a wooded area of town. Hikers found the bones Sunday in dense woods behind the former headquarters of Weekly Reader. A father and his sons made the discovery late yesterday afternoon on a ridge behind the empty office building on Long Hill Road. Police say the skeleton is apparently that of an adult and appears to have been there since late summer. Police say there are no specific indications of foul play, but they're treating the area as a crime scene for now.
Ernest Stanten, Erotic Illustrator, Dies
(Clinton-AP) _ Ernest A. Stanten, an erotic illustrator who drew pinup icon Bettie Page, died last week after a long illness. He was 72. Stanten, who worked under the pseudonym Eric Stanten, was dubbed by biographers and archivists the "Father of Fetish" and "Eric the Wild." He was seen in some circles as an underground pioneer at a time when his work, once confiscated by New York police, was considered taboo. He is the subject of several books, including a coffee table volume, "Eric Stanton: Dominant Wives and Other Stories," by the German publisher Taschen. Most of his illustrations were done on commission for private buyers around the world, according to the book's introduction. His images depicting dominant women captured a range of fetishes and were printed in more than 100 adult novels and magazines. His subjects included Bettie Page, a sexual icon of the World War II era. Stanten moved from New York to Clinton in 1978.
Warnings Issued over Y2K Bank Scam
(WTNH) _ A warning tonight regarding the year 2000 and your bank accounts. Be careful who you give your personal information to. As the new millennium approaches more scams than ever will begin to surface. The one we're about to tell you is just the beginning, and it's a really clever way to separate someone from their savings.
Consumer Team 8's Anna Sava reports.
"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.
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
|
|
