March 25 / 10:15 pm
Yugoslavia Pounded by Second Wave of Attacks
(AP) _ A second night of NATO airstrikes against Yugoslavia has apparently ended. The Pentagon says all NATO planes in today's raid returned safely to their bases. Belgrade sounded the all-clear siren at 11:37 pm local time (5:37 pm Eastern time). In today's action, bombs and missiles rained down on Kosovo's capital of Pristina shortly after dark. Explosions were also heard in northern Kosovo, and in Serbia and Montenegro, the two republics that make up Yugoslavia. But there is no sign Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is rethinking his refusal to accept a Kosovo peace plan.
Serbia, meanwhile, ordered foreign reporters belonging to NATO countries to leave. Most journalists heeded the warning _ and several were threatened by angry Serbs on their way out. Yugoslavia also announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with United States, Britain, France and Germany for participating in the airstrikes.
Far from heeding NATO's demand to cease operations against ethnic Albanians, the Serbs have been conducting security "sweeps" -- and burning villages -- according to US officials. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger reports the Serbs have also lobbed shells into Albania. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians often get logistical support from across the border. Berger calls the developments disturbing.
 Get more on the latest developments from ABCNews.com and CNN Interactive.
Local Protests to NATO Attack
 (WTNH) _ Demonstrations and confrontations in Connecticut Thursday over the situation in Kosovo. People on both sides of the issue are making their feelings known.
News Channel 8's Christina Hager reports.
Connecticut Based Forces In Mediterranean
(Groton-WTNH) _ It appears American sailors based in Connecticut are in the line of fire over in the Mediterranean Sea. The USS Miami and the USS Pittsburgh, both out of Groton, are in position to be taking part in the strikes against Yugoslavia. Navy officials at the base won't give the vessels' exact locations or say if either sub has fired its weapons.
Both subs are 'Los Angeles' class submarines with crews of about 130.
Both are armed with at least a dozen long-range cruise missiles.
Capt. Van Mauney, U.S. Navy: "In my opinion the crews are heros, and should they be involved in the Kosovo operations, I'm sure they'll perform as flawlessly as they did in the Gulf."
Both subs have seen combat before. The 'Miami' did launch missiles late last year against Iraq, and the 'Pittsburgh' saw action 8-years-ago during Operation Desert Storm.
Champion High School Wrestler Commits Suicide
(Wilton-AP) _ A state champion wrestler and honor student at Wilton High School has died after dousing himself with gasoline and setting himself on fire, police said. Samuel Hingston, 17, died Wednesday after sustaining third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body. Police told The Hour of Norwalk that Hingston filled a container with gasoline, swallowed some of it, then doused himself with the rest before setting himself on fire.
Here's more of the story.
Huskies Arrive in Florida for Final Four
(St. Petersburg-WTNH) _ March Madness is in full force for UConn Husky fans.
The team arrived at their Florida hotel last night, and held a private practice on the court in St. Petersburg earlier in the day.
Following that, the Huskies checked out the Hoop City fan exhibit near the arena. The players signed autographs, answered questions, and appeared relaxed heading into Saturday's big game against Ohio State.
Ricky Moore, Co-Captain: "We're enjoying ourselves. That's the most important thing. Down here enjoying ourselves and when the game comes we're gonna stay focused."
Moore has a sprained knee, but is expected to be ok for game time.
Bad news for Kevin Freeman, who's played so well in the tournament. He has an ear infection. The medication tends to make him dizzy. He was kept out of Thursday's closed door practice.
Back in Connecticut, State Senator Tom Gaffey has proposed that Saturday be an honorary state holiday to honor the success of both the men and the women's basketball teams.
Game time Saturday is approximately 5:40 pm.
Cheshire Nuns at Final Four, Courtesy of Coach Calhoun
 (Cheshire-AP) _ Two nuns from the Franciscan Life Center in Cheshire are heading for the Final Four, courtesy of UConn coach Jim Calhoun. Mother Shaun Vergauwen and Sister Mary Richards will be watching the action in St. Petersburg in person. The nuns have ties to Calhoun that go back to when he attended the center's first sports banquet in 1988. In 1990, the nuns gave Calhoun their St. Francis Award citing his value system and his caring for the young men he coaches. Last year, the nuns gave Calhoun and cookie jar full of gum to chew on and he told them they'd go if UConn got to the Final Four. The teams didn't make it last year, but he's making good this year. Calhoun's gift includes seats on a charter flight leaving Bradley Airport tomorrow, hotel rooms and tickets to the games.
Alert About Counterfeit UConn Apparel
(WTNH) _ Husky merchandise is a hot commodity. Some really hot. Officials are on the lookout for anything counterfeit. The Collegiate Licensing Company, or CLC, protects and enforces trademark rights for all NCAA events. It is warning that fakes are out there. Officially licensed merchandise should display a round, red and blue "officially licensed collegiate products" logo,
a fully intact tag, the manufacturer's name, and trademark designations next to the UConn logo.
Student Arrested over Dress Code Dispute
(Waterbury-WTNH) _ A seventh grade girl has been arrested in Waterbury for a crime of fashion.
12 year old Teshana Byars was busted because she wore blue jeans to school. That's a violation of the school's dress code.
When she went to school Wednesday, she was arrested on charges of criminal trespassing.
Byars' father says he was never advised of a change in the dress code outlawing jeans at North End middle school. Dennis Byars says the school is violating her constitutional rights.
Dennis Byars, Father: "She has a right to wear whatever she wants to wear. I've stated several times that as a free man - as a free person - I have my own right to make a choice. You can't dictate to me otherwise I'm not free."
The Byars' family is not strangers to controversy. Teshana's sister Tisha Byars got into trouble for not saying the pledge of allegiance in class. She sued, and eventually won a $60,000 settlement from the city. No comment yet today from the superintendent.
Parents Protest Conditions For Special Ed Students
(Bridgeport-WTNH) _ Parents protested in Bridgeport Thursday, claiming their special needs children are being treated poorly in the classroom. Parents rallied in front of the school where their children have been moved. They say the move is distracting, unsafe, and they oppose one of the classrooms because it's connected to a kitchen.
News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.
Sheff Plaintiffs to Monitor Legislature's Progress to Integration
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Plantiffs in the Sheff vs O'Neill school desegregation case plan to keep a close watch on what the legislature does to racially integrate Hartford schools. Starting next month the sheff attorneys will begin collecting information on student enrollment changes and progress in magnet construction programs for students. The plantiffs say they want to encourage the state to give children in the city the same oppourtnities as their counterparts in the suburbs.
Elizabeth Horton Sheff, Plaintiff: "If the legislature doesn't come up with a plan that will move toward quality integrated education we will develop a plan for the legislature."
Attorneys say the state needs to come up with a detailed plan and a timetable for the changes to take place.
Witness Protection Bills Approved
(WTNH) _ A Bridgeport state senator has announced the approval of two key bills which will protect murder witnesses. Sen. Alvin Penn proposed the bills in the wake of the murders of 8-year old Leroy Brown, Jr and his mother Karen Clarke. Brown was a state witness in the murder of his mother's fiance.
The bills require financial disclosure when a bond of more than $10,000 is posted for a criminal suspect. And witnesses names will not be included in the pre-trial proceedings.
Trooper Demoted Over Pornography Moves to Block Release of Investigation Details
(WTNH) _ A Connecticut state trooper accused of downloading pornography while on the job says releasing details of the investigation would be a violation of his privacy. Lt. William Pagoni has moved to block the release of an internal affairs report. State police say the 41 year old Pagoni was stripped of his command of the Litchfield barracks last week and will be demoted to Master Sergeant for misusing a department computer.
Massachusetts Most Wanted Deadbeat Parent Caught in Connecticut
(WTNH) _ A former Chicopee, Massachusetts man who was one of the state's most wanted deadbeat parents was arraigned in Connecticut Thursday on fugitive charges. Authorities say John Bouchard was found working as a manicurist at a beauty parlor in Glastonbury. Authorities say he owes nearly $140,000 in child support.
Guilty Plea in Counterfeiting Case
(Stamford-AP) _ A Stamford man has pleaded guilty to federal counterfeiting charges, after prosecutors say he gave ninety-thousand, two hundred dollars in counterfeit bills to an FBI agent. Officials say they began investigating Alvaro Urena in October when surveillance cameras caught him passing fake $100 and $20 bills at the Mohegan Sun Casino. An undercover agent contacted the 36-year-old Urena, and arranged to buy $150,000 in counterfeit money from him for $60,000 in real money. Urena met the agent at a McDonald's parking lot in Stamford in December, and was arrested with about $90,000 in counterfeit $100 bills. Urena faces a maximum of 15 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled for sentencing on June eleventh.
Wife says Husband Victim of Foul Play
(Hamden-AP) _ Linda Wallace says she doesn't know what's happened to her missing husband. Wallace was quoted as saying she certain her missing husband is the victim of foul play. But she told WELI radio this morning that at this point she's not certain. Rick Wallace of Hamden has been missing in Colorado since March 14th. Wallace was in Colorado Springs for a nursing home conference he had organized. Investigators say that they've found no indication that Wallace was the victim of an accident or foul play. A search of a nearby lake by divers didn't turn up anything and police say there is no physical evidence of a crime.
Police in Colorado Springs are continuing their search into how and why Wallace left a conference at The Broadmoor, a resort at the base of the Cheyenne Mountains.
Private Eye testifies in Moxley probe
(Bridgeport-AP) _ The grand jury investigating the death of a Greenwich girl has heard from a private investigator hired to clear the nephews of Robert and Ethel Kennedy in the case. Willis Krebs testified yesterday before a one-man grand jury probing the unsolved 1975 killing of Martha Moxley. Krebs testified for more than an hour behind closed doors yesterday. Moxley was beaten to death with a golf club that was matched to a set owned by the Skakel family, who lived near the Moxleys. Sutton Associates was hired in 1992 by the family of Thomas and Michael Skakel. Krebs assignment was to gather evidence to clear the brothers names. He interviewed both brothers and a Sutton report reveals that they changed their stories about their movements the night Moxley was killed.
Death Row Inmate Plotted Escape
(Hartford-AP) _ Word of a plan to escape from Connecticut's death row has come out in a Hartford courtroom. Convicted killer Daniel Webb reportedly had come up with an elaborate scheme to escape from death row at the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers. Webb's now-former lawyer told a judge yesterday that he had come into possession of an escape plan last month. The judge approved attorney Norman Pattis' motion to withdraw as Webb's appeals lawyer based the information Pattis presented in court yesterday. Pattis told the judge that his learning of the plot raised the possibility he could become a witness against Webb. Pattis said he reported the escape plot to the warden at the institution. The Hartford Courant says the plan included a weapon, night goggles and an unidentified helper from outside the prison. The judge has approved the appointment of the State Public Defender's office to represent Webb in his continued appeal.
Group Formed to Organize Construction Jobs Predicted in Hartford
(Hartford-WTNH) _ Help Wanted: Stadium construction workers. A coalition of state and city agencies, plus labor unions and construction companies, are setting up a program to identify 1,000 Hartford residents who can be trained for construction jobs to help build the stadium for the New England Patriots.
Tony March, Development Authority: "And then try to set up a direct referral of them to agencies that can get them trained and may get their GED, whatever your level currently is, try to upgrade you to a level where you can get a job in the construction industry."
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.
Mass House Speaker Talks About Keeping Patriots
(WTNH) _ A key Massachusetts lawmaker is again raising the issue of keeping the New England Patriots in the Bay State. House Speaker Tom Finneran says he has some new ideas for getting a new stadium built in Foxboro if team owner Robert Kraft's deal with Connecticut falls through.
Finneran remains opposed to doing what Connecticut's doing offering public money to help build a stadium. He's suggesting that the Patriots follow the lead of the Green Bay Packers and sell stock in the team.
Now Showing: A New Theatre
(Stonington-WTNH) _ There are some coming attractions heading to Stonington: A new multi-screen cinema. Hoyts is opening its new ten-screen theatre. There's a private screening at the theatre Thursday night for special guests. It opens to the public Friday.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports.
New Coaster for Lake Compounce
(Bristol-AP) _ Lake Compounce Theme Park officials have unveiled plans to build a $6 million wooden roller coaster. The 4,500 foot long coaster will be built on the mountainside among the rocks and cliffs which form the western boundary of the park. The coaster will begin with an initial drop of 115 feet and have a maximum vertical drop of 140 feet. It will reach a speed of 60 miles per hour. Construction is expected to begin in early May and conclude in 2000. The park, which is managed by Kennywood Entertainment, has undergone $35 million in upgrades over the last two years.
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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