Connecticut Post back issues from September 2007:
Bush offers plan to aid homeowners.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Peter Urban Sep. 1--WASHINGTON -- President Bush offered a series of proposals Friday aimed at staving off a wave of mortgage defaults that could throw the United States into recession. While rejecting a direct bailout of lenders, Bush said the federal ...
Monroe delays demolition of historic house.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Tony Spinelli Sep. 1--MONROE -- Historic preservationists have delayed the demolition of a century-old building they hope finds a new life. The former house, at 474 Main St., across from the Clocktower Shopping Center, had been TLC Inc., a landscape-garden ...
Judge denies request for new Foxworth trial.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Michael P. Mayko Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Former NBA star Charles Smith won't be called into court for questioning in a city corruption case. And state Rep. Charles "Donald" Clemons can rest easier. Senior U.S. District Judge Alan H. Nevas refused to ...
Milford plans 2nd farmers' market.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Frank Juliano Sep. 1--MILFORD -- Woodmont could have its own farmers' market by next summer to compliment the one on the opposite end of the city at Walnut Beach. Mary Treat, owner of the Treat Farm here, said Thursday that she is considering a "market day" ...
EDITORIAL: High hopes again focus on building.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--There have been so many false starts and failed plans at this abandoned downtown building that it's hard to get excited about any new ideas. Until there's real progress, everyone will take a wait-and-see attitude when it comes to the former office building at 333 State St. ...
Railroad safety fence delayed in Stratford.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: John Burgeson Sep. 1--STRATFORD -- Three weeks ago, officials announced with fanfare that work on erecting a safety fence along a stretch of Metro-North Railroad tracks on the town's west side should start by the end of August. The month has ended, but there ...
Manslaughter case continued.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- The case for a Monroe man accused of driving drunk and killing a 20-month-old girl on Connecticut Avenue last month was continued in Superior Court Thursday. Clayton Luf, 41, of Glenbrook Drive in Monroe, did not appear in ...
Rell gets 'take-it-or-leave-it' offer on budget.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Ken Dixon Sep. 1--HARTFORD -- House majority Democrats have set Sept. 10 as the day they'll confront Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell on this year's controversial list of long-term capital projects called the bond package. Speaker of the House James A. Amann said ...
BRIEF: Former Staples star joins Bluefish.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Rich Elliott Sep. 1--MORE HELP -- The Bluefish lost third baseman Luis Figueroa for an indefinite period Thursday when he was hit on the right thumb by a sharp ground ball by Vito Chiaravolloti in the fifth inning of a loss to the Road Warriors. Second baseman Steve Hine ...
Determined Blake fights way to third round.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Mike Pignataro Sep. 1--NEW YORK -- James Blake's confidence wave may have been crashing, but his determination was at an all-time high. Blake, of Fairfield, Conn., wasn't going to lose another five-set match. Not this time. The ...
Census: Rich get richer as poor get poorer.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Rob Varnon Sep. 1--WASHINGTON -- After a U.S. Census Bureau report this week showed a large gap between the nation's rich and poor, the Labor Department today released statistics reporting a widening disparity of pay between the highest- and lowest-compensated workers. ...
EDITORIAL: Council can boost city school system.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--Bridgeport's City Council has the opportunity tonight to boost the city's school budget in two ways. They must seize the opportunities. First, the council must vote its approval of passing through to the school system $8.1 million in new state Education Cost Sharing ...
EDITORIAL: Dodd unlikely to gain ground.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--Christopher J. Dodd has a long history in the U.S. Senate, and as he makes an unlikely bid for the presidency in 2008, some of his past deeds are bringing him rewards. In his biggest coup to date, he earned the endorsement last week of the 281,000-member International Association ...
Singh seeks debate before Stratford primary.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Richard Weizel Sep. 1--STRATFORD -- Former Town Council Majority Leader Michael Singh is challenging his Democratic-endorsed opponent in the 4th District, Emma Brooks, to a debate before a Sept. 11 primary that will determine the official party nominee in November. ...
'Pooper scooper' ordinance passed in Derby.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Matthew Higbee Sep. 1--DERBY -- After months of howling about negligent dog owners, the Board of Aldermen bared its teeth this week with a new "pooper scooper" ordinance. Failing to clean up after one's dog will now result in a $200 fine and a trip to court ....
Building inspector hires approved.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Matthew Higbee Sep. 1--DERBY -- In 2000, in a move to clean up the rundown properties around the city, officials revised the city code to give the blight ordinances some teeth. At the same time, the officials created the new position of facilities inspector ...
Edington defiant after sentencing in killing.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Facing a 12-year prison term, Fairfield patent lawyer Jonathon Edington on Friday clung to his belief that fatally stabbing his neighbor was justified. "I don't care what they say, I know he molested my daughter," the ...
Animal 'rescuer' fails in bid to avoid jail.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Self-proclaimed animal rescuer Robbin D'Urso lost an 11th-hour appeal and was sentenced Friday to 60 days in prison for violating probation on an animal cruelty conviction. D'Urso, of Fairfield, stuck her hands behind her ...
Greek fest subdued with thoughts of home.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Amanda Cuda Sep. 1--Many of the signs posted at the "Odyssey 2007" Greek festival at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Orange advertised food, or games, or items for sale. They called out to festival patrons, alerting them to delicacies such as roasted ...
BRIEF: Wyman, Blumenthal back Finch bid.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Amanda Cuda Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and Comptroller Nancy Wyman announced Friday that they would endorse state Sen. Bill Finch in his bid for mayor. In a press release, Wyman was quoted as saying she backed Finch ...
BRIEF: Caruso endorsed by CCGA.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Bill Cummings Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- State Rep. Chris Caruso has picked up the endorsement of the Connecticut Citizens Action Group. "In politics one of the hardest things to do is to admit you're wrong," said Tom Swan, CCAG executive director. ...
BRIEF: New bus terminal, routes to debut.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: John Burgeson Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- The gleaming new bus terminal downtown opens to traffic and passengers Sunday, along with a series of major changes to most of the routes serviced by the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority. The new terminal, at Water ...
Police pool resources to boost enforcement.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Genevieve Reilly Sep. 1--Drivers in Fairfield who fail to wear their seatbelts could find themselves pulled over and issued a ticket by a Trumbull cop -- or maybe an officer from Monroe or Easton. The four towns Friday announced the formation of a new regional ...
Legion pays honor to softball legend.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Aaron Leo Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Dick Thompson, or "Dickie T" to friends and family, was at home on a basketball court, the outfield of a softball field and raising money to buy Christmas presents for needy children. And while he never served in the military, ...
Bridgeport Board of Ed takes budget steps.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Linda Conner Lambeck Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- The Board of Education has inched closer to a 2007-08 budget -- two months into the fiscal year. In short order, the City Council's Budget and Appropriations Committee voted Thursday night to recommend the full ...
Trumbull searching for new tech director.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Susan Silvers Sep. 1--TRUMBULL -- A new search is under way to fill the post of town technology director after officials frowned on the outcome of a recent civil service exam. Personnel Manager Mary Ann Meier said she was asked to draw up a new test after the ...
Farm survey needed for grant to Shelton.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Genevieve Reilly Sep. 1--SHELTON -- A survey is needed to complete the city's purchase of the development rights for 132 acres of the Jones Family Farms. The city is getting a nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's farm protection ...
GE dumps plastics, buys into 'plastics'.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Rob Varnon Sep. 1--FAIRFIELD -- General Electric Co. got out of one plastics business Friday while, at the same time, its GE Money subsidiary jumped into the "plastic" business for Chevron. GE said Friday it completed the sale of Pittsfield, Mass.-based GE ...
EDITORIAL: Helping our Sound.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--Connecticut's coordinating agency for the annual International Coastal Cleanup Day on Sept. 15 bears the perfect title: Save the Sound. If you care about Long Island Sound and Connecticut's coastline -- and you should -- we urge you to volunteer for the Sept. 15 cleanup ...
EDITORIAL: Oxford's priorities.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--Talk about splitting the ticket in balloting. Voters in the town of Oxford last week were confronted with votes on seven separate requests for athletic fields and equipment for their new -- and first -- high school, which opens its doors Tuesday. They voted ...
EDITORIAL: More testing isn't the answer.(Editorial)
Sep 01, 2007 ... Sep. 1--Connecticut doesn't scrimp on education testing. Many schools have problems, especially in the cities, but the state was a national leader in standardized testing, and should not face new penalties under the increasingly strict tenets of the No Child Left Behind law, enacted at the ...
Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, Ken Dixon column: Hoping for best as Capitol summer ends.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Ken Dixon Sep. 1--My mother, quoting her mother from back in the Great Depression, still occasionally says, "If wishes were fishes, we'd all have a fry." I'm not sure where the term originates, but it's probably not from Gertrude Stein's "If fishes were ...
Monroe to get Super Stop & Shop.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Tony Spinelli Sep. 1--MONROE -- Plans for a long-awaited Super Stop & Shop are moving forward. A spokesman for the Quincy, Mass.-based chain of 360 stores in the Northeast confirmed Thursday the company is working to secure a building permit. The ...
Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, John Hourihan column: No one wants to see the gore of real life.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: John Hourihan Sep. 1--When did we become so vindictive? Michael Vick did a bad thing. He admitted he did it, and he will be sentenced. He will most likely go to jail according to the guidelines we have set up as punishment for this particular bad thing. And it ...
Bluefish fall to Road Warriors.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Rich Elliott Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Rafael Bergstrom faced the greatest test of his career in his debut with the Bridgeport Bluefish. Playing in Germany for two seasons and one each in Australia and Israel, he had never before faced the quality of players that compete on ...
UConn running back Brown a marked man.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Neill Ostrout Sep. 1--DURHAM, N.C. -- Unlike last season, when defensive coordinators had to thumb through their notes in the middle of a game to identify the running back slicing through their players' arms, the name Donald Brown will be on the tip of opposing coaches' ...
UConn's Charles cleared for full duty.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Rich Elliott Sep. 1--It had been a cumbersome off-season of watching for UConn sophomore center Tina Charles. It consisted mainly of lengthy rehabilitation sessions, strengthening her legs by lifting weights and standing idle on the side as her teammates participated in ...
Monroe slates debate.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Tony Spinelli Sep. 1--MONROE -- The contenders in the first three-way race for the town's top job since 1993 have agreed to debate each other Oct. 23. The debate for the first selectman candidates is being organized by the League of Women Voters of Greater ...
BRIEF: James family suing Edington's wife.
Sep 01, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 1--BRIDGEPORT -- Friday's sentencing of Jonathon Edington is not the end of legal troubles for the Edington family. Edington's wife, Christina, was served with a wrongful death civil lawsuit by the family of stabbing victim Barry James just ...
BRIEF: Tour bus catches fire on I-95.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sep. 3--MILFORD -- A loaded tour bus headed on Interstate 95 to Chinatown in New York City caught fire Sunday. None of the roughly two dozen passengers was injured, according to fire and police officials, but traffic was slowed in both directions. The bus was returning from a casino, ...
BRIEF: Cops nab city man after probe of shots.
Sep 03, 2007 ... Sep. 3--A man was arrested on gun charges after a brief foot pursuit in Bridgeport late Friday. Ferdinand Flores, 25, of Howard Avenue, Bridgeport, is charged with criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a pistol without a permit and interfering with a police ...
Soup kitchen barbecue lifts spirits.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Tony Spinelli Sep. 4--BRIDGEPORT -- Linwood Briggs munched on potato salad Monday at the Thomas Merton Center and reflected on Labor Day. "I used to be a security guard," said the 63-year-old Briggs, but health problems make that impossible. "I've been on ...
Volunteers sought for food project.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Genevieve Reilly Sep. 4--SHELTON -- The Valley United Way wants to build a house, and the agency is looking for volunteers. But they don't need people who are skilled with a hammer and saw. They want people to bring food -- and lots of it. ...
'Pooper scooper' ordinance passed in Derby.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Matthew Higbee Sep. 4--DERBY -- After months of howling about negligent dog owners, the Board of Aldermen bared its teeth this week with a new "pooper scooper" ordinance. Failing to clean up after one's dog will now result in a $200 fine and a trip to court ....
UConn's Green to miss Maine game.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Neill Ostrout Sep. 4--UConn guard Lawrence Green will miss Saturday's game against Maine due to the right knee injury he sustained in the Huskies' season opening win over Duke. The sophomore could miss more games, though UConn coach Randy Edsall would not go into any ...
Derby bubbling over with wrath over fountain.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Michael P. Mayko Sep. 4--DERBY -- Vandals who flooded Derby's newly restored National Humane Alliance Fountain with a soapy substance are now wanted men. City residents have posted a bounty on their heads that reached $1,400 Monday afternoon. Mayor Anthony ...
Park marker to honor Stone's legacy.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Melvin Mason Sep. 4--ANSONIA -- The city's Historical Commission plans to make sure that visitors to Abe Stone Park know something about the man whose legacy the park honors. A stone marker recognizing the park's namesake will be unveiled at a park ...
BRIEF: Norwalk man killed in Trumbull crash.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Michael P. Mayko Sep. 4--TRUMBULL -- A Norwalk man is dead after his motorcycle collided Sunday night with a car near Main Street and Tashua Road. Robert Tassiello, 26, of Eagle Road was pronounced dead about 8 p.m. at St. Vincent's Medical Center in ...
De Niro taps Milford bar for new film.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Frank Juliano Sep. 4--MILFORD -- Since he led the 2005 effort to offer tax breaks to film companies shooting in Connecticut, House Speaker James A. Amann has been referring to the state as "Hollywood East." Now a little movie magic is coming to Amann's Devon ...
Bus riders deal with major changes.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Richard Weizel Sep. 4--BRIDGEPORT -- Rushing to catch a bus at the city's shiny and spacious new bus terminal Monday, Mary Lein paused long enough to say she's been riding the city's buses for more than 50 years and finds them a reliable way to get where she needs to go ....
Local vultures make some folks uneasy.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Michael P. Mayko Sep. 4--BRIDGEPORT -- A pair of wild black vultures that spent the summer flying around Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo set off concerns Monday along upper East Main Street after police received reports of large birds invading the neighborhood. ...
New sitcoms are not a laughing matter.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Amanda Cuda Sep. 4--With the fall season set to start in mere weeks, my TV columnist colleagues are knocking themselves out looking for trends in the newest batch of fall pilots. Some write about the large group of British actors who will be invading TV ...
Blake stumbles in Open, ousted by Haas.
Sep 04, 2007 ... Byline: Mike Pignataro Sep. 4--NEW YORK -- Just out of reach. It's been the story of James Blake's career in five-set matches. On Monday, the sixth seed from Fairfield, Conn., reached as high as he could, but Tommy Haas' perfect backhand lob sailed just ...
Hartford is Annalee Jefferies kind of 'Town'.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Byline: Joe Meyers Sep. 5--The quintessential New England drama "Our Town" is the fall season opener at Hartford Stage, with an ensemble headed by Hal Holbrook and Annalee Jefferies. New Haven native Thornton Wilder's tale of life and death in Grovers Corners, N. H., opened on ...
'3:10 to Yuma' worth catching for major stars.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Byline: Joe Meyers Sep. 5--If you've been yearning for a big-budget Western with major stars, "3:10 to Yuma" should be a pleasing experience. Those of you who share my belief that the genre was worn out through repetition years ago, however, will want to look ...
Oyster Festival big gig for local singer.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Byline: Sean Spillane Sep. 5--For headliners Jay and the Americans, The Village People and Arturo Sandoval, the Norwalk Oyster Festival is just another paying gig, one of many the artists have lined up each year. For April Rose, however, her appearance on the ...
Man on trial for fatal shooting.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 5--BRIDGEPORT -- The Superior Court trial starts this morning for Durante Best, accused of killing one woman and wounding two others in May 2006. Best, 33, a slight man with a shaved head, faces a 12-person jury on charges of one count of ...
EDITORIAL: Post endorses Sen. Bill Finch in mayoral primary.(Editorial)
Sep 05, 2007 ... Sep. 5--Bridgeport, finally back on the road to economic recovery and growth, turns a new page in its history next Tuesday when city Democrats engage in a political primary to select party candidates for mayor and a host of local offices, including City Council and Board of Education. ...
Firm to oversee minority business law.
Sep 05, 2007 ... Byline: Aaron Leo Sep. 5--BRIDGEPORT -- A consulting firm will be hired to help the city put into action a set of new guidelines designed to give a larger share of municipal business to minority-owned firms. A $200,000, one-year contract for the Rufus Wells Group of ...
Dodd to offer bill to reform subprime loans.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Peter Urban Sep. 6--WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., said Wednesday he plans to introduce legislation to reform subprime lending practices that have put millions of homeowners at risk of foreclosure. "While affordable home loans are a good thing, ...
Oxford spending discussed.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Melvin Mason Sep. 6--OXFORD -- Board of Finance Chairman Tom Kelly doesn't expect much change to the fifth proposed 2007-08 budget when it is discussed tonight at a Town Meeting. The session, set for 8 p.m. at Quaker Farms School, 30 Great Oak Road, will ...
BRIEF: Bridgeport man shot to death.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Daniel Tepfer Sep. 6--BRIDGEPORT -- A 19-year-old city resident was shot to death outside a North End condominium complex early this morning. Edgardo Difre, of Jackson Avenue, died at St. Vincent's Medical Center from multiple gunshot wounds. ...
Lowe's developer seeks blasting permit.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Matthew Higbee Sep. 6--DERBY -- The shopping center owner that is preparing a New Haven Avenue site for a Lowe's home-improvement store is seeking permission to blast rock, a change from the original plan. The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a hearing ...
Greenwich novelist focuses on reincarnation.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Joe Meyers Sep. 6--Greenwich writer M.J. Rose has written a thriller with spiritual undertones that she hopes will push readers to think about the idea of reincarnation. "The subject has been explored in movies, but there has been very, very little about it ...
Stratford Guard unit back from Iraq.
Sep 06, 2007 ... Byline: Staff And Wire Reports Sep. 6--WINDSOR LOCKS -- A Stratford-based National Guard unit returned to home territory early this morning, landing at Bradley International Airport after spending the last year in Iraq. The 120 members of the 1048th Transportation ...