January 2009 - Month In Review

Defendant in $22M money laundering scheme gets brief reprieve
Jan 31, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
A Shelton man previously deported to Brazil, who was arrested last March in Danbury with a loaded handgun in his car and later implicated in a multi-million dollar international money laundering scheme, saw his ...

Do you remember? Local region's booming economy keeps unemployment rate low
Jan 31, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
The Danbury region's booming economy continued in high gear during December . A record number of people were working locally, driving down the local unemployment rate to the second-lowest in Connecticut's 16 ...

Confidence Neighbors are losing jobs, as Washington argues
Jan 31, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... unemployment benefits, the third highest in Connecticut history. Those numbers hit home last week as Cartus, one of Danbury's largest employers, announced it had laid off 74 employees. Another 50 had been laid off last fall, and additional employees ...

Engaged: Crystal Barna, Norman Buzaid III
Jan 31, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Barna of East Lake Road, Danbury, announce the engagement of their daughter, Crystal M. Barna, to Norman F. Buzaid III, son of Mr.

Fire victims helped; donations available for others
Jan 31, 2009 News Times
... in the city in seven years. Several families are still waiting, but most found new apartments with the help of the Danbury Housing Authority, Red Cross of Western Connecticut, and local realtors. "Most of the families are all set, thank God, but we ...

TAKE 2: An alternative look at the day in sports
Jan 31, 2009 Columbia Daily Tribune
... more. The spill caused the street in front of the restaurant to close for several hours, according the News-Times in Danbury, Conn., and a family in a neighboring restaurant couldn't get to its car, because it was 'engulfed' in sauce. In that time, ...

Ocso K-9 teams place in competition
Jan 9, 2009 Mid-Hudson News
... 28 and 29, the United States Police Canine Region Seven conducted a K-9 Explosive Detector Certification Trial in Danbury Connecticut. The final results had the Orange County Sheriff's Office teams of Deputy Ed Josefovitz and K-9 Hunter placing 2nd ...

Homeless count can be deceiving
Jan 31, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Volunteers who scoured Danbury in search of the homeless this week found 138 people who live on the streets and in the city's shelters.

Quiana Scott sings loud and clear
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Quiana Scott describes herself as a shy person, so shy that she kept her singing talent a secret after moving to Danbury from Queens as a high school sophomore more than a decade ago.

Danbury girls fall to Westhill on late basket
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
About the only thing that didn't go according to plan for the Hatters on Danbury High's Cancer Awareness Night was the girls basketball game itself.

Mad Hatters' top forwards called up to ECHL
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Obi Aduba and Hank Carisio, two of the top forwards for the Danbury Mad Hatters, were called up on Friday to the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.

Community shaper Claire T. Geddes celebrated at 90th birthday luncheon in Brookfield
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Church in Brookfield)," said friend Helen Iride. She was also the first dean of women at Danbury Teachers' College, now Western Connecticut State University. On Tuesday, a luncheon at The Hearth in Brookfield celebrated ...

Danbury business expo to stress innovation, style
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... "Winning Strategies for Challenging Times" will be Wednesday from 7:45 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury. Admission is $55; register by calling (203) 894-8784 or visit www.smartbusinessmoves.us. Contact Susan Tuz at ...

Neurosurgeon blasts New Milford Hospital leaders for quality...
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... patients would require a neurosurgeon, she said, and those would be transported to a larger hospital, such as in Danbury or Hartford. Puglia said Waitze never performed brain surgery at the hospital, only spine surgery. Orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. ...

Chinese New Year party Saturday at WestConn
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... State University's 20th annual Chinese New Year celebration. The Western Connecticut Chinese Association and Danbury's HuaXia Chinese School will play host to festivities from 4 to 9 p.m. on WestConn's midtown campus, off White Street. The event is ...

Teen escapes injury after crashing into tree in Sherman
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... Evans Hill Road, state police said. The driver's side of the car smashed into the tree, and the girl was taken to Danbury Hospital after complaining of neck pain, state police said. She received a ticket for traveling too fast for conditions. ...

FLASHBACK: Halas Farm madness w/Photo
Jan 30, 2009 Hat City Blog
... during one of the most out-of-control Zoning Commission meetings I've ever seen in my years of following politics in Danbury. Lets just say that if you witnessed what I saw from at that meeting (and afterwards outside of City Hall), you would be ...

Danbury teachers get money for special projects
Jan 30, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Students at two city schools will make more music thanks to a grant their teacher landed from the Danbury Education Foundation.

Neurosurgeon blasts New Milford Hospital leaders for quality 'deficiencies"
Jan 30, 2009 News Times
... patients would require a neurosurgeon, she said, and those would be transported to a larger hospital, such as in Danbury or Hartford. Puglia said Waitze never performed brain surgery at the hospital, only spine surgery. Orthopedic spine surgeon Dr. ...

Aces blast Mad Hatters
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
The Brooklyn Aces showed why they're the top team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League Saturday night at the Danbury Arena.

Westerners hold Hot Stuff Clinic
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... about little league baseball and describing his recruiting experience to a crowd of about 30 people. Then the former Danbury high ace and 2007 Minnesota Twins draft pick paused to ask Mike Malone a question. At the beginning of the Danbury ...

Foundation offers 10 nonprofits extra money
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... significantly assist 10 nonprofits in Fairfield County, including The Bridge to Independence Career Opportunities in Danbury, which provides job training to low-wage women. The foundation will not immediately pass the money on to the organizations, ...

Bethel teen to study in New Zealand
Jan 24, 2009 News Times
... Italy in the same program. The sisters were inspired by their father, Paul. While a student at the Wooster School in Danbury, he spent his sophomore year in France, and he and his best friend told the girls about their adventures. "It sounded like ...

Most area schools will have fewer teachers next year
Jan 24, 2009 News Times
... fewer teachers, though many of the cuts will take advantage of declining enrollments. Even with the savings from the Danbury school district's early retirement package, there will be 40 fewer positions in the fall. The two districts reflect the ...

Saving Connecticut's barns
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... the 1880s to the 1930s -- tobacco was a decent cash crop in and around the Housatonic River. "They grew it from the Danbury line through Brookfield and New Milford to Kent,'' said local historian Robin Stack of New Milford. "To the east, they grew ...

Do you remember? Video store owners applaud ruling on TV video recording
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Video store owners in the region are very happy about the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the sale and use of video recorders to tape television shows for later use, according to Bob Lund of the Danbury ...

Trash Galante case shows need to license haulers
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... of his trash hauling businesses. The federal government has taken control of the Galante businesses, based in Danbury, and is preparing to auction them off to benefit the U.S. Treasury. In the meantime, it is using Galante-style tactics to keep ...

Married: Dechristine Molony, Daniel Bozek
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... Inn in Lakeville by Justice of the Peace Deirdre DiCara. The bride is the daughter of Darren and Debra Molony of Danbury. The bridegroom is the son of Daniel and Tracy Bozek of Brookfield. Jennifer Molony, sister of the bride, was maid of honor. ...

Final Route 7 construction to begin by March
Jan 24, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
The final stage of the Route 7 construction between Ridgefield and Danbury may begin by March 1. State Rep.

Hockey: Hudson Valley Bears lose
Jan 24, 2009 Middletown Times Herald Record
The hapless Hudson Valley Bears saw their record fall to 2-21-1 in an Eastern Professional Hockey League game in Danbury, Conn.

Bears beaten at Danbury
Jan 24, 2009 Poughkeepsie Journal
DANBURY, Conn. - The Hudson Valley Bears of the Eastern Professional Hockey League lost to the Danbury Mad Hatters, 6-1, on Friday night.

'Obie motors away
Jan 23, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... fights with street smarts and a mercurial temper. At $10 for each appearance at the state armory on West Street in Danbury, he never made a fortune but did establish a fearsome reputation. However, to his many friends, the late James H. O'Brien's ...

New overflow homeless shelter in Danbury to open its doors Friday
Jan 23, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... programs are available to the homeless at other facilities in the city. "We know that the homeless population in Danbury is an issue, and with the economic conditions the numbers are rising," Amos said. "Other shelters in the city fill quickly and ...

Staying safe on the ice
Jan 23, 2009 Connecticut Post
Kyle Wityak gets to skate for free at the Danbury Ice Rink. It comes with his job as a skate guard, patrolling the ice, and making sure everybody stays safe.

Correction: 1/18/09
Jan 18, 2009 Journal News
... police in an article yesterday on Page 6A in some editions. A man arrested with Bollinger, Gregory Troche, 24, of Danbury, Conn., was charged with criminal possession of a hypodermic needle and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled ...

Don't touch that book
Jan 17, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... on top of it and says the situation is extremely fluid," Maryellen Dejong, community relations coordinator for the Danbury Public Library, said about clarification of the new law. "We're watching, just as all the libraries are." Contact Marietta ...

2008 News-Times All-Area Football Team
Jan 17, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... defensive player, but because of his shoulder we had to play him just on offense." Stuart Armstrong FULLBACK, DANBURY, SENIOR All-FCIAC West Division " The 5-11, 185-pound Armstrong was the bull in the Hatters' rushing attack. The senior finished ...

Drawdowns at Candlewood Lake could use study
Jan 17, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... wintry crust may stay in place until February. "It's actually very nice,'' said Michael Calandrino, a member of the Danbury Common Council who lives on the lake and has walked and cross-country skied around its perimeter when the lake water is low. ...

Baby Jesus statue taken from St. Peter Church
Jan 17, 2009 News Times
As parishioners of St. Peter Church in Danbury, we would just like to speak out and say that it was very sad to hear that the little statue of baby Jesus got stolen from the church during the week of the ...

Educating our youth serves nation's goals
Jan 17, 2009 News Times
... college-bound students. AMBYESE held its initial programs at WestConn's Ancell School of Business, then moved to Danbury High School until 1995. From 1996 to 1999, Westchester County schools played host. In 1998, AMBYESE launched Y.E.S., I Can, a ...

Do you remember?
Jan 17, 2009 News Times
Blonde, blue-eyed Muffy Silvestri, 5, who attends a pre-school program at King Street Primary School in Danbury, will represent more than 22 million hearing-impaired people as the 1984 poster child for the ...

People looking for green alternatives to looking and feeling better
Jan 17, 2009 News Times
... a 27- year shelf life like some of the supermarket brands." Some people even look to natural products for healing. Danbury resident Hillel Goldman said he was not a believer in natural oils until he had neck pain. His mother and cousin were telling ...

VIDEO: How to help Danbury fire victims
Jan 17, 2009 News Times
... donations of clothing and other materials are being accepted at the home of Maxine Nery at 155 Westville Ave. Ext in Danbury. Nery is friends with two of the women who were displaced after the fire. She visited the victims at the War Memorial (where ...

Firefighters At Massive Fire On New Street In Danbury
Jan 17, 2009 FireFightingNews.com
A fire that tore through an apartment building Friday, one of the coldest nights of the year, left about 30 people homeless and their belongings in ashes.

Engaged: Tara Mazza, John Ramirez
Jan 17, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Mr. and Mrs. Louis S. Mazza of Danbury announce the engagement of their daughter, Tara L. Mazza, to John Ramirez, son of Bonnie Hoover of Terrell, Texas, and Antonio Ramirez of Monterrey, Mexico.

Engaged: Vanessa Pinheiro, Christopher Lynch
Jan 17, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
A. Henrique and Delia Pinheiro of Brookfield, formerly of Danbury, announce the engagement of their daughter, Vanessa Lynn Pinheiro, to Christopher Robert Lynch, son of Robert and Deborah Lynch of Cheshire.

Man accused of fleeing with jewelry from Brewster store
Jan 17, 2009 The Journal News
... waiting vehicle, which was later stopped by police on Interstate 684. The driver of the car, Gregory Troche, 24, of Danbury, Conn. was charged with criminal possession of a hypodermic needle and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled ...

Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control Issues Draft...
Jan 17, 2009 Earth Times
DANBURY, Conn -- FuelCell Energy, Inc. , a leading manufacturer of high efficiency, ultra-clean power plants using renewable and other fuels for commercial, industrial, government and utility customers, today ...

Danbury stamp theft defendant gets jail sentence
Jan 16, 2009 News Times
... 90 days behind bars Friday in Superior Court, after he paid restitution. Andrew Mastrianni, 22, of Advocate Place in Danbury, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy and first-degree larceny in the case. Mastrianni and a co-defendant, Daniel McCauley of ...

Teens charged with car theft in Danbury
Jan 16, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Two 16-year-old Danbury boys were arrested late Wednesday after they stole a car that had been left running outside a West Street convenience store.

Tales from the bright side of life
Jan 11, 2009 The Independent
... Donald, a factory worker, suffered a heart attack and died. Just hours before his demise, he had visited a shop in Danbury, Connecticut. Charlotte went through his purchases and found two lottery tickets from the shop. She took them back, explaining ...

Mom with Ph.D. guides math team
Jan 11, 2009 News Times
Three years ago, when Sheila Sundaram's son, Benjamin Altman, was in eighth grade at Rogers Park Middle School in Danbury, she felt he wasn't being challenged enough in math class

City might bill insurance companies for emergency calls
Jan 11, 2009 News Times
... "These are just additional costs that have to be taken care of. I haven't heard of any backlash." David St. Hilaire, Danbury's finance director, said the fees would help recoup some of what it costs for the fire department to respond to calls, ...

Great response to ice storm
Jan 11, 2009 News Times
... Trees came down. Power lines came down. Warming centers were opened. Connecticut Light Power crews were on the job. Danbury Hospital also was busy -- coping with a rash of injuries caused by falls. This is New England and we're used to snow. But a ...

Domestic violence centers run short
Jan 11, 2009 News Times
... of domestic violence shelters that have been caught up in the state's budget crisis. The Women's Center of Greater Danbury operates two shelters for victims of domestic violence. It does not have 24-hour staffing, which is needed to respond to the ...

Engaged: Keri Pacific, Bryan Luchsinger
Jan 11, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... in Bethel. The future bridegroom graduated from Bethel High School and from Western Connecticut State University in Danbury with a bachelor's degree in health education. He is a special education teacher at Bassick High School in Bridgeport. A ...

Conn. origami master hooked on 'geometry without numbers'
Jan 11, 2009 Telegram & Gazette
DANBURY, Conn. - Tucked inside Rona Gurkewitz's purse is a brightly colored memo cube, the kind found at any office supply store, that this mathematician keeps close at hand just in case she has what she calls ...

Area residents gleeful to see Obama take office
Jan 11, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Kate Kelly of Danbury won two tickets to president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration in the lottery drawing that U.S. Rep.

Franco, Ruggirello capture titles at wrestling tourney
Jan 10, 2009 Recordonline.com - The Times Herald-Record
... Butler (Port Jervis) d. Zeal McGrew (Burnt Hills) 12-1; 285: Brian Nicoll (Timberlane, N.H.) d. Humphrey Swift (Danbury, Conn.) 4-0. Semifinals 96: Shane Connolly (Warwick) d. Tom Manning (MacArthur) 5-4 rideout. Connolly took a 2-0 lead on a second

Teens look forward to their moment in history
Jan 10, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... Wesley Morlock will attend the leadership conference and inauguration with McLoone. Melissa Hood, 20, of Danbury, a junior at Western Connecticut State University, will take part in the leadership council's university conference while Danbury High ...

Teens look forward to their moment in history
Jan 10, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... Wesley Morlock will attend the leadership conference and inauguration with McLoone. Melissa Hood, 20, of Danbury, a junior at Western Connecticut State University, will take part in the leadership council's university conference while Danbury High ...

Winter storm triggers accidents
Jan 10, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Another winter storm rolled through greater Danbury Saturday, causing a smattering of car crashes and prompting Mayor Mark Boughton to declare a level one snow emergency.

New Hope pastor wants to savor Obama inauguration
Jan 10, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... empty in Washington. Don't count the Rev. Ivan S. Pitts among them. Pitts, the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Danbury and the president of the Greater Danbury Chapter of the NAACP, will join a busload of congregants and friends Jan. 20 as ...

The widow was a millionaire next day...
Jan 10, 2009 Blogger Party
The widow was a millionaire next day... Charlotte Peters of Danbury, Connecticut lost her husband when he had a massive heart attack.

Cross country year in review 2008
Jan 10, 2009 News Times
... 2007. Many of the names may have been different, but the results were the same. For the second straight season, the Danbury boys cross country squad walked away with the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference, Class LL, State Open and ...

Do you remember?: Governor leads dedication of courthouse
Jan 10, 2009 News Times
Gov. William O'Neill presided over a brief dedication ceremony at the new Danbury courthouse on White Street yesterday while some 300 people toured the four-story, $8.5 million building that will serve as the ...

Roos' bid for 500th career win put on hold
Jan 10, 2009 Connecticut Post
... at 7:30 p.m. at the Milford Ice Pavilion. Notre Dame has already defeated the Mustangs, 3-1, this season in Danbury on Dec. 30. "I just say go out and play, and when it happens, it happens," Roos said about his 500th win. "Sooner or later it will ...

Hubby Buys 7m Lottery Ticket.. Then Drops Dead
Jan 5, 2009 Daily Record
... with wife Charlotte for 20 years, bought 10 weeks' worth of tickets on November 1. As he worked on his garden in Danbury, Connecticut, later that day, he suffered a fatal heart attack. Charlotte, 78, was so overcome with grief, she forgot to check ...

National Report
Jan 4, 2009 St. Augustine Record
... later found the boy's mother, Jennifer Nelson, 29, dead in her home. Lottery ticket wins $10M for mourning widow DANBURY, Conn. -- On the day that Donald Peters died, he unknowingly provided financial security for his wife of 59 years and their ...

Monday PostScript: Barbed wire, fateful lottery and more w/Photo
Jan 4, 2009 The Post-Standard
... have had their cars broken into since the wire was removed from the church parking lot. Rest of the World News In Danbury, Conn., retired hat factory worker Donald PetersA two Connecticut Lottery tickets at a local 7-Eleven store on Nov. 1 for the ...

Mad Hatters rock Jersey
Jan 4, 2009 News Times
A tired Jersey Rockhoppers team, playing its third game in as many nights, was no match for the rested Danbury Mad Hatters Sunday.

Eagles return
Jan 4, 2009 News Times
... at least a month,'' said Howard Russock, a professor of animal behavior at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, who for many years supervised a graduate student program at WestConn that monitored eagle numbers in the area. He has been ...

2009 is Bethel Library's centennial year
Jan 4, 2009 News Times
... be writing. "I was a history major in college," said Rosato, who studied at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury. Among other projects planned for the centennial year are specially designed library cards. "The Friends of the Bethel Public ...

Boughton warns lawmakers: Don't burden towns
Jan 4, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who plans to travel to Hartford for the first day of the state legislative session Wednesday, said Connecticut senators and representatives must protect municipalities from being ...

Conn. man's last lotto ticket wins $10M for widow
Jan 4, 2009 Casper Star-Tribune
DANBURY, Conn. - On the day that Donald Peters died, he unknowingly provided financial security for his wife of 59 years and their family.

Thumbs up, thumbs down
Jan 4, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
THUMBS UP to Danbury's First Night celebration on New Year's Eve. The crowds were diminished by the snow, cold and wind.

Man's Last Lotto Ticket Wins $10M For Widow
Jan 4, 2009 The Huffington Post
... that day, the 79-year-old retired hat factory worker suffered a fatal heart attack while working in his yard in Danbury. On Friday, his widow cashed in one of the tickets: a $10 million winner which, in her grief over her husband's death, she had ...

$10,000,000 Lotto Ticket: Final Gift:...
Jan 4, 2009 Ground Report
... Dec. 2,2008. Later that November day Donald suffered a fatal heart attack and died while working in his yard at his Danbury Connecticut home. His wife Charlotte had put the tickets aside with some others as she and her family coped with his sudden ...

Trouble at the Horizon
Jan 4, 2009 News Times
... crowd," according to flyers for the event posted on MySpace. In addition to the estimated 550 people inside Horizon, Danbury police said a line of some 200 people waiting to get inside stretched from Ives Street and down White Street. Compounding ...

Man faces charges for DUI, leaving scene
Jan 3, 2009 NewsTimesLive.com
... motorist driving a 2005 Dodge pick-up truck on Elm Street was struck by a Pontiac being driven by Marco Ludizaca of Danbury. Police said the motorist followed Ludizaca and saw him enter a residence on Spring Street. Police responded to the address, ...