March 29 / 11:40 pm
UCONN WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
(WTNH) _ They are the top dogs in the country.
 The UConn Huskies stunned the favored Duke Blue Devils 77-74 to win the NCAA mens basketball championship.
It's the first national championship for the mens program and coach Jim Calhoun.
Both teams were running and shooting and banging the boards -- everything you'd expect when #1 battles #2 for the national championship. A big 3 pointer by Richard Hamilton with 3:30 to play gave the Huskies a 4 point lead, but Duke cut it to one with 1:30 left.
Duke's Trajan Langdon could have won it for Duke, but tough defense by Ricky Moore forced a travelling violation with just :05.4 left, and the Huskies held on for the win.
Richard Hamilton lived up to his nickname, ripping the Blue Devils for 27 points. An off night for Khalid El-Amin, who finished with 11, including a key basket in the final minute. He was right on when he said before the game "we plan to shock the world tonight." He was right.
At one point UConn held a 6 point lead, the largest deficit Duke had seen in the tournament.
The Huskies were down 39-37 at the half. Mr. Defense Ricky Moore put on an offensive display in the first half, scoring 13 points and 3 rebounds. He finished with 13 and 8 boards.
UConn's defense held player-of-the-year Elton Brand scoreless for the first 12
minutes. He finished with 15.
 Here's more on the championship victory.
Hamilton leads UConn to national championship
Moore makes championship stop
Storrs Campus Erupts in Victory Celebration
 (Storrs-WTNH) _ It's a celebration to end all celebrations on the UConn campus. Within seconds of UConn's win, cheers and screams and a giant bonfire lit the nighttime sky in Storrs. A designated bonfire was already setup in a parking lot near Gample Pavilion, and it was immediately put to use.
Extra security was in place on the UConn campus in Storrs to help control the celebrations to make sure they didn't get out of hand.
 Signs and banners are everywhere you look on campus praising the Huskies. Three giant screens were set up at Gampel Pavilion, and thousands of cheering students packed into the arena. UConn merchandise is selling like hotcakes, and there are already screens made to print up 'UConn National Champion t-shirts'.
 Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, and Ricky Moore talk about national championship. (Real Player format)
Coach Jim Calhoun says he's "happy as heck." (Real Player format)
View our team coverage from 6:00. (Real Player format video).
View our 6:00 Sports report (Real Player format video).
Rally Planned for Huskies
(WTNH) _ Connecticut will get a chance to show their support for the UConn Huskies on Tuesday, when the team returns home. The Huskies are expected to arrive at Bradley International Airport at approximately 2:00 near the AMR Executive terminal. Signs will direct people where to park if they want to be on hand to greet the team. Then at 4:00, there will be a big rally at Gampel Pavilion. It's free to anyone who can get there. Doors will open at 3:00.
Mother of UConn's Jamelle Elliot Dies in Fire
(Storrs-AP) _ On a day when there could be much celebrating, the UConn athletic community is dealing with a tragedy. The mother of women's assistant basketball coach Jamelle Elliot died in a fire over the weekend in her Washington, DC home. 47 year old Charlotte Elliot suffered from multiple sclerosis and was confined to a wheelchair. Fire officials say the blaze began in her bedroom and her wheelchair was in another room. He husband was not home at the time. Jamelle Elliot was a member of the 1995 undefeated University of Connecticut women's national championship team. She learned of news while at the women's Final Four in San Jose, California. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Two Killed in DOT Accident
 (Waterbury-WTNH) _ State police are investigating a double fatal accident involving the Department of Transportation. The driver and front seat passenger died after a Chevy Lumina slammed into a DOT traffic warning truck in Waterbury. A backseat passenger and a DOT worker were injured.
State workers were putting in a new sign further down on Interstate 84 near exit 25a when the accident happened. State troopers say the lack of skid marks on the road means the car hit the back of the truck at full speed.
The names of the victims have not been released.
Bristol Girl Dies in Vermont Accident
(Bethel, Vermont-AP) _ A 16-year-old Connecticut girl has died in a highway accident in Vermont. Vermont State Police say Cassandra Boutwell of Bristol was a passenger in a truck being driven by 18-year-old Ryan Forcier, also of Bristol. Forcier was heading north on Interstate 89 near the Bethel-Royalton town line yesterday when the vehicle flipped over. Boutwell was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the truck. Forcier suffered cuts, bumps and bruises. Forcier later was charged with transporting alcohol, although police say alcohol did not play a role in the crash.
Crash Sends 6 to Hospital
(New Haven-WTNH) _ An accident in downtown New Haven sent six people to the hospital Monday afternoon. The crash happened at the intersection of State and Grove Streets. A Plymouth Acclaim rear ended a Nissan carrying three people. The passengers had to be removed from the vehicle with the jaws of life. Two others cars travelling on the street collided, causing a domino-effect crash. The six people were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Changes Discussed for Witness Protection Program
(Rocky Hill-WTNH) _ "It had such a chilling effect that people were fearful about coming forward." That's how one top law enforcement official describes the aftermath of the murder of an eight year old in Bridgeport. Just ten weeks since his murder, 8-year old Leroy Brown, Jr. is about to have a state witness protection law named for him.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.
Sheriff's Fight to Keep Jobs
(Hartford-WTNH) _ The state's eight high sheriff's jobs may be on the line.
The county sheriff's have decided to make a united push to try to stop legislation ending their jobs, saying they have cleaned up their act and are providing a needed service.
Sheriff Frank Kinney, (D) New Haven: "For once we've got a group of High Sheriffs that have come together and have seen the light, if you will, and have made tremendous strides and have addressed many of the problems that we've been accused of, to be honest with you, for many many years and we've addressed them."
The high sheriff's, who appoint the special deputies that guard the court houses and the deputies that serve legal papers, have been accused of running the last real purely patronage system in state government. A plan for the sheriff's replacement has not be announced.
Computer Users Beware of 'Melissa'
(WTNH) _ Computer users worldwide are on the lookout tonight for a cyber virus. It's called the 'Melissa macro virus' and it's already hit more than 100,000 computers and hundreds of companies. 'Melissa' greets you with an e-mail and a smile but she is anything but friendly.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports.
Connecticut Among First to get Statewide 911 Service
(New Haven-AP) _ Connecticut is getting a better statewide 911 emergency telephone system. The state becomes the second in the nation, after Vermont, to get the new digital system that is supposed to reduce response times. State officials say the enhanced network will cut the time it takes for 911 operators to contact emergency personnel from an average ten seconds to less than two seconds. Southern New England Telecommunications is upgrading the system, which last had a technology update more than ten years ago.
SNET hopes to complete the work by the end of September. The company is installing the new digital technology at 109 public safety answering points statewide. The nearly $9 million upgrade will be paid for by a surcharge added to residential and business phone bills.
Women Inmates Ask for Hands off Policy by Male Guards
(Bridgeport-AP) _ Should male prison guards be allowed to do pat down searches of female inmates? That question is the focus of hearings in Bridgeport federal court in petitions filed by two inmates, including a New Haven woman, at Danbury federal prison. The warden at the federal prison for women says the searches are necessary in trying to find contraband. Warden Margaret Harding says the pat downs are cursory searches of loose clothing, the chest, armpits and the crotch. But the women filing the complaints, say the male guards actions border on sexual assault. They claim that opposite sex, non-emergency pat-down search violation their constitutional rights to privacy. The hearings have been ongoing over the past few weeks.
Garage Fire Leads to Cash Award for Bridgeport Boy
(Bridgeport-AP) _ An unlocked garage door will cost a Bridgeport man $250,000. A boy who was badly burned by a fire in a neighbor's garage will receive the money in a settlement with the neighbor. Vernon Luna was hospitalized for more than three months after suffering burns over 45 percent of his body in a fire in August 1996. The fire occurred when the then seven-year-old Luna and two friends wandered into an unlocked garage.
Court documents show the kids lit a fire and poured dry gas onto it, burning Luna. The boy's family filed suit, claiming negligence.
Vaccine for Peanut Allergy Announced
(WTNH) _ Scientists believe they may have found a vaccine for those who are allergic to peanuts. Researchers at John Hopkins University have tested the vaccine on mice and say it reduced the allergic reaction in the mice to peanut particles. Although there's still more work to be done, this mice model proves for the first time that a peanut vaccine can reduce allergic reactions. Each year, 100 people die as a result of this allergy.
Planning for a Millennium Baby? Good Luck
(WTNH) _ Do you want to have a millennium baby? The cutoff date of getting pregnant so that you have a baby on the first day of the year 2000 is fast approaching. Can it really be done?
Health Team 8's Kristen Cusato reports.
JobDirect Resume Posting
(WTNH) _ Looking for an entry level job? Your path to a new career may be on a certain website that helps job candidates reach employers and vice versa.
Consumer Team 8's Anna Sava explains how it works.
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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