May 20 / 6:30 pm
Second body found in rubble of package store
 (Danbury-WTNH) _ Investigators found a second body in the rubble of a package store/apartment building which exploded in Danbury. Wednesday night's blast at Venancio's Wine & Liquor Store killed two, and sent 11 others to the hospital. One man remains in critical condition at the Bridgeport Hospital burn unit. Identities of the victims have not yet been released.
 News Channel 8's Ned Berkowitz reports.
 Watch our team coverage from News Channel 8 at 6:00.
Plaza evacuated after bomb found in vehicle
(Old Saybrook-WTNH) _ Police investigating a bomb found at an Old Saybrook shopping center. The device was found in a car in the parking lot. The suspect is an employee at one of the stores.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports.
Senate votes to allow lawsuit for death of doctor
(Hartford-AP) _ In a rare vote, the state Senate approves a bill to allow the state to be sued for negligence.The bill allows the family of a doctor who was killed in a car crash to sue the state for failing to revoke the probation of the drunken driver who killed her. Doctor Leslie Karp was killed in New Britain in 1992. The driver of the other car had been prohibited from drinking or using drugs under the terms of his probation. But, he had tested positive for drugs several times in the year before the crash. The bill already passed the House. It now goes to the governor.
House gives final passage to bill barring drug sales at flea markets
(Hartford-AP) _ People won't be allowed to sell over-the-counter drugs at flea markets under a bill to get approved in the state House of Representatives.
The bill was proposed after some drugs that had been shoplifted were put up for sale at flea markets. Lawmakers said the situation posed a public health threat. Similar laws are on the books in other Northeastern states. An exception is made for drug manufacturers and distributors. Violation of the ban would carry a $100 fine. The bill already passed the Senate. It now goes to the governor.
House dumps proposal to expand bottle bill
(Hartford-AP) _ The state House of Representatives dumps into the trash an expansion of the bottle bill. The proposal would have extended the five-cent deposit to bottles and cans containing water, juices, iced tea and other drinks.
The deposit currently only applies to carbonated drinks, like soda and beer.
Supporters of the measure say it's needed to keep litter off the highways. They say it makes no sense that fizzy drinks have bottle deposits and non-fizzy drinks do not. But opponents of the proposal defeated it on a voice vote. They say it would add eight to fourteen cents to the price of juice and other drinks.
First Kosovo refugee family arrives in Connecticut
 (Bridgeport-WTNH) _ The first of the Kosovo refugee families to take up residence in our state arrived in America Thursday. Their plane landed at New York's Kennedy airport in the morning, and by afternoon they were joining relatives in Bridgeport.
News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue reports.
Help for refugees still needed
(WTNH) _ More than 60 percent of the Kosovo refugees are children.
Connecticut based "Save the Children" is providing psycho-social and educational activities for them.
They group hopes to restore some normalcy in the children's lives and protect them from recruiters to the Kosovo Liberation Army.
Lauren Landis, Humanitarian Response Director: "Right now they see not other option - I either go back and do my part for the fight or I have no life in these camps."
Save the Children is currently raising funds to help the refugees through the coming winter in the camps.
Here's how you can make donations to help the refugees.
Stamford student accused of gun threat
(Stamford-WTNH) _ A Stamford teen is under arrest for allegedly bringing a gun to school. It happened Wednesday at the Wright Vocational-Technical School in Stamford during auto shop class.
News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.
US Senate passes gun control bill
(WTNH) _ With Vice President Gore casting the tiebreaking vote the Senate is going along with the Democrats, on a plan to put new restrictions on gun transactions at gun shows and pawn shops. The proposal would require mandatory background checks for all transactions at gun shows. The vote was tied at 50-50, and Gore cast his vote in favor of the Democratic provision. He'd gone to the Capitol in case his vote was needed to break a tie.
Six hurt in Georgia school shooting; suspect, a sophomore, apprehended
(Conyers, GA-AP) _ A student with two guns opened fire at his high school today, shooting six schoolmates exactly one month after the Colorado massacre, authorities said. A suspect was quickly taken into custody. None of the injuries was believed to be life-threatening. The suspect was described as a 15-year-old sophomore at Heritage High School who according to a friend had recently broken up with his girlfriend. The gunman had two weapons, a .22-caliber rifle and a .22-caliber revolver, District Attorney Richard Read said.
Suspects in boy witness killing waive probable cause hearing
(Bridgeport-AP)_ The Peeler brothers have waived their right to a hearing to determine if they should be tried for murder. The Bridgeport men are charged in the shooting deaths of an eight-year-old murder trial witness and his mother. In court today, they waived their right to a probable cause hearing.
Russell and Adrian Peeler have been charged with the January Seventh murders of Leroy Brown and Karen Clarke. The boy was going to testify in the trial of Russell Peeler, who is charged with killing Karen Clarke's boyfriend.
Both brothers today pleaded innocent to charges of murder, capitol felony and conspiracy to commit murder. They are due back in Bridgeport Superior Court on June 16th.
Judge rules death of slain pregnant woman's baby is murder
(Waterbury-AP) _ Antonia Rodgers may have been fatally injured before she was born. But she lived 42 days, and her assailant can be charged with murder, Superior Court Judge Richard Damiani ruled Wednesday. The ruling clears the way for Robert Courchesne to be charged with a capital felony _ which carries a possible death penalty _ because there were multiple victims, and one victim was a minor.
Here's the full story.
Judge allows plant to continue operation
(WTNH) _ Despite opposition from the Waterbury mayor, Phoenix Soil is being allowed to operate. A judge granted a stay of the Waterbury's Zoning Commisions cease and desist order.
Phoenix's smokestack is higher than city zoning regulations allow, and the mayor is demanding Phoenix owner David Green fix the problem.
The judge says the smokestack poses no danger to Waterbury residents.
Millstone II back generating power
(Waterford-AP) _ The Millstone II nuclear power plant is back to full power after being idle for three years. After licensing and other problems and a court challenge, the Waterford plant was cranked up in the past few week.
The return of the plant will mean a boost in cash flow for Northeast Utilities.
The plant had been removed from utility rates by Connecticut regulators last April. Its return will generate $6.6 million a month. The state Department of Public Utility Control said Millstone II's expenses could be added back to rates when it returned to service and had operated at 75 percent power or more for 100 hours. The plant restarted May ninth and reached 75 percent power on Monday.
Amtrak rerouting New York to Boston during track upgrade
(AP) _ Three trains that travel daily between Boston and New York will be rerouted during the next several months while Amtrak prepares its shoreline tracks for high-speed service. The Northeast Direct trains that usually go by way of Providence and New London will instead stop in Hartford, Springfield and Worcester, Amtrak officials said.
Here's the full story.
Connecticut's public colleges getting costlier
(Hartford-AP) _ Connecticut public colleges are become a bit pricey for many would-be students. A new report says the state run schools have become less affordable in the 1990s and even Connecticut's modestly priced two-year schools are out of the reach of some students who receive financial aid.
The study was done for the state Department of Higher Education. Among other things, it found that although the Legislature froze tuition last fall, costs continued to grow at a faster pace than family income. Tuition and fees have more than doubled at the University of Connecticut, Connecticut State University and the two-year colleges since 1989.
Here's the full story.
If you're fighting the tuition battle we've got some help.
Tonight at 11:00 on News Channel Eight catch our special report "Cash for College". We'll have some good strategies you can use to help pay the high cost of a college education.
SAT: How can kids improve their scores
(WTNH) _ They're the three most dreaded letters for any kid planning to go to college: S-A-T. The Scholastic Aptitude Test is a long, grueling exam that can make or break a college application. But there are some ways to help your child improve their score.
News Channel 8's Darren Kramer has some tips on mastering the SAT.
Mascara Recall
(WTNH) _ 30,000 tubes of mascara are the subject of a recall. A.M. Cosmetics of New Jersey is recalling its "Wet 'n Wild Megalash" mascara.
The Food and Drug Administration says that mascara may contain bacteria that could kill people who have cyctic fibrosis or weakened immune systems.
So far no one has been infected. The lot numbers for the recalled products are:
Home Selling Tips
(WTNH) _ Are you planning to sell your home in the next three years?
If so, you may have some remodeling ideas in mind. But, experts say some improvements aren't worth as much as you may think.
Consumer Team 8's Anna Sava has tips on what to fix.
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