A Danbury man has accepted a plea deal with prosecutors in the case of a shooting a little more than three years ago that left two people injured. 32 year old Andrew Fermin is accused of shooting of two people at Castello Restaurant back in January 2020, will be sentenced at state Superior Court in Danbury in April. Fermin pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm and two counts of second-degree assault, after being originally charged with first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, unlawful discharge of a firearm, first-degree reckless endangerment and carrying a pistol without a permit. When he is sentenced on April 5th, he is now looking at 14 years in prison, suspended after six years, followed by five years of probation.

In Danbury, Habitat for Humanity and Ability Beyond have joined forces to renovate a group home. The two local nonprofit organizations share a common goal of helping to ensure everyone has a safe place to call home. Housatonic Habitat for Humanity is providing volunteers two days a week to work on renovations and upgrades at one of the group homes operated in Danbury by Ability Beyond… a non profit based in Bethel which already serves hundreds of people living in more than 100 such homes in Connecticut and New York State. Construction work began in early January and it is no track now to be wrapped up by sometime in April.

A transit cable company in New Milford has been so successful that they have outgrown the location that they have called home for the past 20 years, Now, Eastern Connector Specialty Corporation has gotten approval to build a brand new building as they look forward to expanding their business even further with an eye on the next two decades and beyond. Eastern Connector Specialty Corporation now plans to build at 248 Kent Road in New Milford after the Zoning Commission approved a special permit and site plan application for a new two-story, 80 by 100-foot building. The company assembles electrical cables to interconnect railway cars.

Housing opportunities will soon become more abundant in New Milford, where dozens of new apartments are planned. New Milford Mayor Pete Bass reports that 27 housing units on Lanesville Road have been built and they are now taking applications. Hundreds more planned too. In fact, about 17 affordable housing units are under construction on Boardman Road and they are expected to be completed by summer. The Mayor also said that an additional 300 units “have been approved but haven’t been built yet in all different areas of town.”

Newtown Public Schools is hiring. There are now more than 30 jobs open, including jobs in IT, a position for a behavioral therapist, a color guard director, a boys tennis coach, and custodial positions. Other jobs are also available in Newtown, and to find out more, contact the office at Newtown Public Schools. You might be surprised!

Newtown High School closed early Monday due to flooding caused by a frozen pipel. Now, the high school will remain closed again today. School officials say the flooding caused “extensive damage” on all three floors of one of the school’s wings. They sent an email to affected families Monday, saying the school will remain closed today to continue to address the damage and all the cleaning that is now necessary because of it. School officials said that after they take a closer look today, they will update their information to reflect any possible additional schedule changes.

Parents of students in Ridgefield are asking for more art instruction in the schools there. Some of those parents say they are more than a little frustrated that a town like Ridgefield, which claims to pride itself for its arts and culture, is not doing more to offer students in its schools better arts instruction. In fact, they claim that the school system in Ridgefield has been downsizing the arts curriculum at all grade levels. Superintendent Susie Da Silva though, defends the district’s art program… saying it does a good job. Da Silva said there will be no reductions in art this coming year.

Voters in Bethel go to the polls today in a special election for a new first selectman. They will have a choice between Democrat and acting first selectman Rich Straiton and Republican Dan Carter. Today’s special election comes five months after the resignation of Bethel’s former first selectman, Matt Knickerbocker, who left after accepting a new job as town administrator in Wilton.

Under the terms of a plan outlined by Governor Ned Lamont, state income taxes for some Connecticut residents would be lowered. For others, it would disappear all together. If the plan is enacted, it would mark the first reduction of the state income tax since 1996 and the largest since its adoption in 1991. The governor wants to see the 5 percent rate rolled back to 4.5 percent. On top of that, for anyone who makes less than $50,000 a year, no income taxes would be due at all. Governor Lamont will formally make the proposal tomorrow (Wednesday), when he introduces his two-year spending plan to the General Assembly.

A renewed push is underway to electrify the Danbury train lines, and extend rail service north to New Milford… all with the ultimate goal of giving many folks a faster commute. State Representative Bill Buckbee of New Milford, is proposing a study of the use of hybrid trains on the Metro-North, which would include the feasibility of operating hybrid trains on the Danbury line, which is currently diesel-powered. State Representative Bob Godfrey of Danbury agrees, and is now one of the co-sponsors of Buckbee’s proposed bill.