May 28 / 11:10 pm
Father of train victims arrives in US, Wants to take bodies back to Ecuador
(WTNH/AP) _ The father of four boys killed in Tuesday's train accident in Fairfield is in the US tonight, and he hopes to take the bodies of his children and estranged wife back home with him.
Carlos Urgiles was met by the Ecuadorian consul general after going through immigration and customs at JFK airport Friday night. An Ecuadorian airline offered to fly him to America for free so he can repatriate the bodies. The US Consulate granted a humanitarian visa to the 52-year-old farm worker.
Urgiles said he does not know why his family was on the tracks that fateful night. He denied he and Julia Toledo were having marital problems, saying he had to return to Ecuador to care for his mother. Urgiles, who is Catholic, wants to take the remains of his family back to Ecuador. But his sister-in-law, who is Mormon, has already made funeral arrangements.
In a TV interview conducted before he left Ecuador, Carlos Urgiles said he was
stunned to hear about the death of his family. "I have a great pain in my heart. It hurts to have lost my senora and children," he said.
 News Channel 8's Jocelyn Sigue has more on the funeral arrangements made before Urgiles arrived in the US.
Man arrested in road rage incident
(Milford-WTNH/AP) _ An apparent case of road rage means a West Virginia man may spend the Memorial Day weekend behind bars.
35-year-old Mark Blount of Dunbar, West Virginia, was arrested on charges he pulled a semi-automatic rifle on another driver on Interstate 95 in Milford
Police say Blount was driving erratically on I-95 and would not let a motorist from Rhode Island pass. The drivers exchanged gestures, and that's when police say Blount pointed the rifle out his window. The other driver followed Blount to a gas station in Milford and called police. Blount is charged with reckless endangerment, having weapons in a motor vehicle and threatening. He is being held on $10,000 bond and is due in Milford Superior Court on Tuesday.
Holiday traffic rush is on
(WTNH) _ If you've got plans to go somewhere on this Memorial Day weekend you're not alone.  This unofficial start to summer is always one of the busiest days of the year on Connecticut highways. More people than ever will be hitting the highways. Friday night I-95 was as busy as ever, with commuters and vacationers hitting the roads.
State police will be out watching the highways for drunk drivers and speeders. There is ALSO a big push on this weekend to make sure people, especially children, are buckled up for safety. With millions of people nationwide expected on the highways this weekend, AAA says be prepared.
Jodi Amatulli, Automobile Assoc. of America: "Plan your route well in advance. Have a map handy. Give yourself plenty of extra time to reach your destination, and take the time to make a thorough check of your car. Make sure your fluid levels are correct, your tires are properly inflated, and carry emergency items in the back of your car."
 Christina Hager reports from Chopper 8 LIVE.
Workers get beaches, parks ready for holiday weekend
(East Lyme-WTNH) _ Workers at the state's parks and beaches are getting ready for the start of the summer season this holiday weekend.
But are the facilities ready for the public? According to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection the answer is yes.
Officials say state employees have been gearing up for the holiday onslaught.
But apparently there's room for improvement.
News Channel 8's Peter Standring reports.
Sun Safety
(WTNH) _ There is no such thing as a "safe tan", but you can be safe out in the sun. For many this weekend will be their first foray into the sun, and that could mean severe sunburns.
Health Team 8's Susan Hiland reports.
Roses planted to remember veterans
(Newington-WTNH) _ Veterans hospitals in Connecticut and across the US are getting started with their Memorial Day events. A "Veteran's Honor" rose bush was planted at VA Hospital in Newington. The hybrid tea rose will be a tribute to American Veterans. Roses will be sold, and profits will go to VA medical research. Bushes were planted around the country simultaneously.
Prosecution finishes case in Curtis competency hearing
 (Bridgeport-WTNH) _ The prosecution has finished its case in the competency hearing of accused killer Ken Curtis. But it's the defense that makes the day's strongest point. Ten years ago, Ken Curtis was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. But two years ago News Channel 8 found Curtis getting A's and B's in college classes, and police re-arrested him. Now the court is questioning his mental competency.
Investigative reporter Paul Adrian is covering the hearing.
Judge orders new trial in bus arson case
(Middletown-AP) _ A Superior Court judge has thrown out a conviction against a man who allegedly torched a fleet of school buses and has ordered a new trial based on evidence that another suspect may have been involved.
Superior Court Judge Salvatore Arena made the ruling Friday, but has yet to set a new trial date. David Saraceno, 22, was convicted in June 1998 of the 1994 arson that caused $500,000 in damage to the Haddam-Killingworth bus fleet.
Here's the full story.
Lawyers from Connecticut and New Jersey sue Pataki over commuter tax
(New York-AP) _ Two lawyers filed a lawsuit today saying state law illegally discriminates against out-of-state commuters by taxing them for the money they make in New York City. The lawyers, Thomas Igoe of Darien, Connecticut and Richard Swanson, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, said in court papers they believe the tax repeal was bad policy. But they say since the law was changed it must apply to everybody. The bill ending the commuter tax for New York state residents was signed yesterday by Governor George Pataki. The measure killed the 0.45 percent tax for state commuters but left it in place for residents of other states. The lawyers who sued are asking the court to rule that the Commuter Tax Relief Act of 1999 is unconstitutional and New York City should be barred from collecting the commuter tax from residents of other states. Officials from Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey have said they will probably challenge the commuter tax law, as it now stands, in court.
Swanson and Igoe are asking for class-action status to cover all out-of-state commuters. Their papers say some 240,000 New Jersey residents and about 90,000 Connecticut residents commute to New York City daily.
Quarry diving turns up stolen cars
(Berlin-WTNH) _ An unusual catch in a Connecticut quarry. Police officers went "fishing for cars", and they caught several stolen or missing cars.
News Channel 8's Leon Collins reports.
Husband awarded millions in accident that killed wife
(Milford-AP) _ A jury has awarded an Oxford man $4 million in the highway death of his wife more that eleven years ago. John Rogers had sued the state Department of Transportation, claiming it had failed to deal with an icy patch on Route 67. Karen Rogers was driving on the highway on February 16th of 1988, less than a half mile from her home,when her car hit the ice and slid into the path of an oncoming pickup truck. The lawsuit claimed DOT officials knew of structural problems that caused flooding and icing on that section of Route 67 for six years. The lawsuit also claims that though there were DOT garages with trucks loaded with sand and salt just five minutes away in Southbury and less than ten minutes away in Beacon Falls, nothing was done. The trial was held in Milford Superior Court.
House passes video voyeurism, 'SPAM' bills
(Hartford-AP) _ Peeping Toms will have to start looking out for the long arm of the law if Governor Rowland signs a bill passed by the House today. The bill, which passed on a 138-1 vote, would make it a crime to photograph or videotape someone without their consent for sexual gratification or to humiliate them. Taking the pictures would be punishable by up to a year in prison. People caught distributing the photos or videos could face up to five years behind bars.
And state Lawmakers are taking a step toward banning unwanted e-mail.
In a unanimous vote today, the Connecticut House of Representatives OK'd a bill that would prohibit companies from sending fraudulent and misleading e-mail messages. The bill would make it a crime to send an e-mail promising goods or services that are never delivered. The bill now goes to the Senate.
Jury picked for Ross penalty trial
(New London-AP) _ A jury has been picked in New London to determine if serial killer Michael Ross returns to death row or remains behind bars for life.
The final member of the new jury was picked yesterday. The panel has 12 regular jurors and four alternates. Judge Thomas Miano has tentatively scheduled the start of the retrial of the penalty phase of Ross' 1987 capital murder trial for early June. It could continue into August. Ross, a former Jewett City insurance salesman, pleaded guilty to two killings in 1985 and was convicted of four others in 1987. Later that year, he was sentenced to death.
In 1994, the state Supreme Court upheld his conviction but overturned the death sentence because the trial judge had excluded part of a psychiatric report that might have helped him escape death.
St. Vincent de Paul shop looking for shelter itself
(Shelton-WTNH) _ A Shelton thrift shop and food bank designed to help needy people could be out of business.
The St. Vincent de Paul shop usually shuts down for the summer, but this year it's closing for summer for a different reason - it was forced to. The building where it operated has been sold. What now?
News Channel 8's Verna Collins reports.
Jury rules jail time worth $1 million
(Bridgeport-AP) _ A Bridgeport jury has awarded $1 million to a man who was mistakenly charged with robbery. Ambrose Gooden had spent ten months in jail after police failed to check out his alibi for the 1989 robbery at a Bridgeport grocery. He was initially identified by the store clerk who said he looked like the gunman. But Gooden, who had no prior arrest record of any sort, told police he was working at his job in a Fairfield nursing home at the time of the robbery. Gooden's attorney says police never checked out whether Gooden was at work. Gooden was jailed because he couldn't make the $10,000 bond. When the case went to trial, the judge threw it out after the store clerk said Gooden wasn't the robber. The city's lawyer says he's appeal.
State police report theft of firearms, ID from cruiser
(New Haven-AP) _ State police say a weapon and police identification card have been stolen from a cruiser parked in New Haven. Authorities say the car was parked on a city street about 11 pm Wednesday when the trooper reported it vandalized. Firearms, assorted personal and professional paperwork and a state police ID were taken from the car. Police did not say what weapons had been stolen. A message seeking comment was left today for a state police spokesman. Police say the car was locked when it was burglarized. The Major Crime Squad is investigating.
Two injured in car/truck accident
(Milford-WTNH) _ Two people are in the hospital this morning after their car hit a tractor trailer overnight. State police say the driver of the car was speeding on I-95 near exit 36 when he came upon a car ahead of him, swerved out of control, and barrelled into the back of a tractor-trailer. The driver and his passenger suffered minor injuries. The unidentified driver was charged with speeding.
Truck overturns, closes exit ramp
(New Haven-WTNH) _ A morning highway mess has been cleared up in New Haven.
A truck carrying the powder used to make cement flopped over on the exit 49 ramp to I-95 southbound. It took a couple of hours to get the truck righted again. No one was hurt.
Power company says power outages increased in first quarter
(Berlin-AP) _ Connecticut Light and Power says its service reliability took a bit of a dip in the first quarter of this year. CL&P says that on average, its customers were without power about 23 minutes for the period from January First to March 31st. In the same period in 1998, the average time without power was about 20 minutes. The utility says bad weather this year was responsible for the increase power interruptions. The statewide outage figures for this year don't include the massive outage that affected some 200-thousand customers on March 15th and 16th who lost power during a winter snow storm, State regulators allow the company to exclude widespread power interruptions when reporting on reliability of service.
Governor congratulates SCSU graduates
(New Haven-WTNH) _ Friday was graduation day at Southern Connecticut State University, and the class of '99 is looking to the future with hope and pride.
Celebrating the 'last graduating class of the century was one of the themes of the ceremony. Governor John Rowland delivered the commencement address. He urged the future leaders to consider Connecticut as a place to work and call home.
Gov. John Rowland: "What is there to do, there's nothing to do at night there's no excitement. I guess you guys know the speech pretty well. Your roots are here, your families are here for the most part. Give our state a chance. We need you!"
The graduates also wore blue and white ribbons in memory of the students of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
Hartford man reaches top of Everest
(Katmandu, Nepal-AP) _ A 38-year-old Hartford man has reached the top of Mount Everest. Gheorghe Dijmarescu made it to the top of the 29-thousand foot summit Wednesday with a Nepalese Sherpa guide. The sherpa guide's effort was his tenth time reaching the summit, just the second person to achieve the feat.
Dijmarescu's successful climb comes a year after a failed expedition in which four other climbers died.
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