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Obituaries
'Gone Too Soon': Friends Mourn 23-Year-Old Killed In Motorcycle Crash 'Gone Too Soon': Friends Mourn 23-Year-Old Killed In Motorcycle Crash
'Gone Too Soon': Friends Mourn 23-Year-Old Killed In Motorcycle Crash Loved ones of a Connecticut man killed in a crash on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 24, said he was a caring, funny, and loving young man. Peter Bienasz, of Plainville in Hartford County, was riding behind a Toyota Prius on Route 72 near the I-84 on-ramp, when he crashed into the back of the car, causing him to slam into a metal guardrail around 12:14 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, Connecticut State Police said. He was tossed from his bike and died at the scene.  Original Report: Police Detail Crash That Killed 23-Year-Old Motorcyclist Facebook/Peter Bienasz Memorials poured in on social medi…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police
Women Claimed Elite Hackers Made Her Life A Nightmare For Years, But She Did It All: Police A 63-year-old Connecticut woman told police for years she and another person were the target of an ongoing online harassment campaign that lasted years by an anonymous person who made their lives miserable. But she was sending the messages and threats, police in New Haven County said.  Deborah Ann Calloutas, age 63, of Wolcott, is facing several felonies linked to the alleged faked harassment that went on for years, Connecticut State Police said.  Calloutas first reached out to police in 2021 to say she and her unnamed friend were the targets of hackers who were doctoring their ph…

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by Josh Lanier
Business
Tavern To Close Location In CT After 30 Years: Here's When Tavern To Close Location In CT After 30 Years: Here's When
Tavern To Close Location In CT After 30 Years: Here's When An Italian restaurant chain that has been around for three decades has announced when one of its Connecticut locations will close.  First & Last Tavern will serve its last meals at its location in the Hartford County town of Avon at 26 West Main St. (Route 202) on Sunday, Nov. 10, the chain announced on social media. The restaurant did not specify a reason for the closure but thanked those who stopped by over the decades, many of whom celebrated major life events within its walls.  "It's hard to believe 30 years has passed since we first opened our doors. As we reflect on it …

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by Ben Crnic
Obituaries
Mom Of 2 ID'd As Victim Of 'Suspicious' Death At Apartment: Report Mom Of 2 ID'd As Victim Of 'Suspicious' Death At Apartment: Report
Mom Of 2 ID'd As Victim Of 'Suspicious' Death At Apartment: Report The body of a 37-year-old Connecticut woman found inside a Hartford County apartment has been identified as a mother of 2, NBC Connecticut reported.  Lisa Beebe was found on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Parkridge Condominiums at 1320 Berlin Turnpike in Wethersfield. She leaves behind a young son and daughter, her obituary said.  Paramedics were called to her apartment after receiving a report of a medical emergency. Authorities have not said what that was, but police ruled the circumstances "suspicious," officials said at the time. Investigators do not believe there is an ongoin…

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by Josh Lanier
Schools
Middle School Student Pulls Knife On Bullies In Retaliation Over Abuse: Police Middle School Student Pulls Knife On Bullies In Retaliation Over Abuse: Police
Middle School Student Pulls Knife On Bullies In Retaliation Over Abuse: Police Five teens were arrested this week after one of the children, fed up with being bullied, pulled knives against the four others, police said.  Fairfield Police said a video circulating online shows the result of an "ongoing verbal harassment and bullying" campaign by four Fairfield kids against another middle school student.   Fairfield Public Schools Superintendent Michael Testani said in an email that the incident involved Roger Ludlowe Middle School students and took place on Thursday night, Oct. 3.  The incident happened off of school grounds. In the video, the alle…

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by Josh Lanier
Lifestyle
Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why
Catherine Zeta-Jones Posts Nude Photo: Here's Why Longtime New York resident actress Catherine Zeta-Jones found a new meaning for the term "birthday suit" in a new social media post.  The 55-year-old actress posted a naked photo of herself on Instagram on Thursday, Sept. 25 to celebrate both her birthday and that of her husband, acclaimed actor Michael Douglas, who turned 80.  The post shows Zeta-Jones standing over a bathroom sink wearing nothing but her high heels. In the caption, the actress said the photo was "gift option two" for her husband, after golf balls. "After over 25 years of sharing my birthday day with my hu…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Alex Jones' InfoWars Up For Auction To Pay Sandy Hook Victims' Families: Report Alex Jones' InfoWars Up For Auction To Pay Sandy Hook Victims' Families: Report
Alex Jones' InfoWars Up For Auction To Pay Sandy Hook Victims' Families: Report The tools Alex Jones used to build his conspiracy theory and supplement-hawking empire could soon be yours, NPR reported.  A court-appointed trustee will soon begin to auction off pieces of Free Speech Systems, the parent company of InfoWars, to pay back the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting victims, the report continued.  Jones owes them $1.5 billion in a defamation judgment after he claimed the massacre, which killed 26 people — 20 of them children – was a hoax.  The trustee will sell everything from chairs and production equipment to the InfoWars brand name, th…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Social Media Trend Honors High School Student Killed By Train; Memorial Planned Social Media Trend Honors High School Student Killed By Train; Memorial Planned
Social Media Trend Honors High School Student Killed By Train; Memorial Planned A Connecticut town is going "sticks out" for Elliott Kropf, a high school senior who died unexpectedly over the weekend. His family has set a funeral and memorial service for him next week.  A Fairfield County resident, 16-year-old Elliott's life hinged on hockey. He was a star forward for the New  Canaan High School Rams in the No. 22 jersey. It was his passion.   Related: Details Into Death Of New Canaan High's Elliott Kropf Released To honor that love, his friends started a hashtag on social media for people to post photos of their hockey sticks outside their ho…

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by Josh Lanier
Sports
ESPN Loses Another One: Longtime NBA Analyst, CT Native Leaving 'Worldwide Leader' ESPN Loses Another One: Longtime NBA Analyst, CT Native Leaving 'Worldwide Leader'
ESPN Loses Another One: Longtime NBA Analyst, CT Native Leaving 'Worldwide Leader' Adrian Wojnarowski saved his biggest Woj Bomb for last. The Glen Rock, NJ resident, known for setting social media afire with his basketball scoops, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 18, that he is leaving ESPN.  And in classic "Woj Bomb" style, nobody saw it coming, sharing it on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he has 6.5 million followers. "I grew up the son of a factory worker two miles from ESPN's campus and only ever dreamed of making a living as a sportswriter," Wojnarowski said.  "Thirty-seven years ago, the Hartford Courant gave me my first byline and I nev…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents'
Sweeping Change: Instagram Moves Teens Into Private Accounts 'Guided By Parents' Millions of teenage Instagram users are being forced into private accounts with enhanced security features aimed at limiting their exposure to harmful content. Meta, the social media platform’s parent company, unveiled its “Teen Accounts” feature on Tuesday, Sept. 17, automatically placing anyone under the age of 18 into a default private account. Teens with a private account must accept new followers and people who don’t follow them can’t see their contact or interact with them. It also comes with strict messaging settings, making it so they can only receive messages from people they foll…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Victim Killed In CT Shooting Mourned As 'Admirable Man With Aspirations' Victim Killed In CT Shooting Mourned As 'Admirable Man With Aspirations'
Victim Killed In CT Shooting Mourned As 'Admirable Man With Aspirations' Family and friends of a Connecticut man who was killed last week in a shooting have rallied to help pay for his funeral.  Dante Sprouse, 25, of East Hartford, was shot and killed following reports of a burglary on Kelsey Street and a crash on Thursday morning, Sept. 12, NBC Connecticut reports.  Calls to numbers linked to Sprouse's family were not immediately returned.  More than 130 people have given to a GoFundMe to pay for Sprouse's funeral created by Sprouse's father, Douglas Sprouse.  On September 12, 2024, Dante Sprouse also known as Dee to family and friends was killed by a sensele…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Shooting Threats Made Against 2 CT High Schools Shooting Threats Made Against 2 CT High Schools
Shooting Threats Made Against 2 CT High Schools Shortly after police in Connecticut arrested a 15-year-old after accusing him of making a hoax shooting threat against a high school in New Haven County, officers received another message of violence, authorities said.  The teenager is accused of making a social media post around 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11, that claimed there would be a shooting at Crosby High School in Waterbury, police said.  The threat was determined to be a hoax, and authorities charged the 15-year-old with disturbing the peace in the second degree and second-degree threatening, Waterbury Police said.&…

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by Josh Lanier