A hit and run accident is being investigated in Bethel.  Police say a car sideswiped an unoccupied vehicle parked along the side of Linda Lane.  The driver was headed southbound in the area of number 31 on Wednesday, around 5pm.  Police say it was later determined that the black 2018-2020 Nissan Murano SUV/Crossover was driven by a woman and has noticeable damage to its front end passenger side. Any person with information regarding this impact, including the involved party, is asked to contact Officer Fekieta at 203-744-7900 ext 691.

In order to celebrate the New Fairfield Class of 2021, a senior car parade is being held around town tomorrow night.  The car parade is at 7pm and motorist are advised to expect heavier than normal volume in the center of town.  Residents are encouraged to decorate the town in Red and Blue. 

Danbury High School graduation has been held.  Citations were presented by the state legislative delegation to the Valedictorian and a surprise citation for retiring Superintendent Dr. Sal Pascarella. 

Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company is honoring the 2021 graduating class of Brookfield High School.  During the graduation parade along Route 25 on Saturday a banner was flown between two apparatus to “salute” the graduates.

The Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department Candlewood Company truck committee is doing a ‘virtual final inspection’ of the new engine.  Pierce has turned the drawings into reality, but COVID has restricted traveling, so the company has been offering virtual inspections for fire departments to do their final inspections. Pierce has sent numerous pictures and videos of all the parts and functions of the truck which can be reviewed as a group against specifications and drawings. The truck will be delivered to Brookfield soon so the firefighters can start tool mounting and compartment configurations before putting the new E-21 into service.

The Newtown state legislative delegation held a collection in recent weeks for residents to dispose of their worn American flags in a dignified and respectful way.  The U.S. Flag Code specifies that old American flags no longer in service must be properly disposed, and the collection was done in conjunction with VFW Post #308.  The collection leading up to Flag Day was done at the library and municipal center, but residents can drop flags in any condition off at the VFW Post on Tinkerfield Road throughout the year.  Newtown Representatives Mitch Bolinsky and Tony Scott co-hosted an in-person collection of flags for retirement Saturday, with the Scouts of Troop 270 , in front of the Library.

The Federal Road access point to the Still River Greenway in Brookfield is closed for 4 weeks due to nearby construction.  The Brookfield Parks and Recreation Department says the Greenway can still be accessed at either the Silvermine Road Trailhead next to the Police Department or via the Town Hall Trailhead, behind the Kids Kingdom Playground.  If the Still River Greenway lot is full, there is parking in the Public Area of the Police Department or in the Town Hall Parking Lot.  But residents are asked not to park blocking in other parking spaces.  Pedestrians are encouraged to use the sidewalks in the parking lots.

The arrest warrant for a Danbury woman charged in the death of her grandson has been unsealed. 60-year old Cora Brandon was arrested at the end of last month for the March 17th untimely death of the 1-year-old.  An autopsy found nothing suspicious, but toxicology results later revealed he had fentanyl and xylazine in his blood. Xylazine can be used as a sedative, among other uses.  According to the warrant, Five milligrams of undigested fentanyl had also been found in the baby’s stomach.  Arresting documents revealed that the boy's mother dropped her son off before work after he got vaccines earlier that morning.  When her mother said the boy was unresponsive, she picked him up and went to the hospital.  Police seized a glassine bag from a vacuum dust collection canister.  A cut straw found in the sofa where the baby had been sleeping tested positive for fentanyl.

The bodies of two fishermen reported missing on the Housatonic River have been recovered in New Milford. Police say 23-year-old Johnny Sanchez and 35-year-old Wilson Pacheco were fishing on Bleachery Dam on Wednesday night when one of the men fell into the river. The other man tried to rescue him, but both were swept away by the current. 

The search was temporarily suspended Wednesday night and was unsuccessful on Thursday. 

Sanchez’s body was found Friday morning in the river between the dam and Addis Park,about a mile south of where the men were reported to have gone in the river.  A boater discovered Pacheco’s body on Saturday morning and it was retrieved by police. 

Both men had lived at the same address in Danbury.

A Danbury woman has been arrested for allegedly illegally selling cigarettes without a license.  A search warrant was obtained about 66-year old Vera Lucia Ribeiro-Menezes operating an illegal business from her Foster Street apartment. 

A lot of foot and vehicle traffic attracted the attention of police.  The apartment is directly across the street from Head Start of Northern Fairfield County, an elderly housing complex and is part of a neighborhood comprised of multifamily dwellings. 

Over the past three years, including this incident, Ribeiro-Menezes has been arrested six different times for illegally selling cigarettes and/or alcohol.  She was also charged Friday with criminal attempt to Dispense Alcohol without a Permit.

In 2018, police seized thousands of dollars in U.S. currency and a large quantity of alcohol and cigarettes.  A 2020 seizure resulted in several thousand dollars, a large quantity of alcohol, cigarettes and a small quantity of marijuana.  Friday's seizure was consistent with past findings, as alcohol, cigarettes and thousands of dollars were seized.

Newtown's Police Chief is explaining why a Code Red was sent out last week about attempted car thefts. Chief James Viadero says the issuance of the code red was not a common practice, but done in this case because of the brazenness of the attempts, and out of concern for public safety involving similar incidents that had transpired in adjoining communities. 

There were three attempts to enter cars parked in private driveways, during daylight hours, and similar to incidents in Easton, Weston, and Bethel.  All 4 911 dispatch centers received similar information about the suspected individuals. 

Viadero says there was the potential of violence if confronted, so the alert was issued.  He acknowledged that the text of the alert needed to be more defined, giving particular locations of the attempts, not just limiting the information to the descriptors of the parties and vehicle.

Eversource Gas will be replacing a segment of the old gas main in Danbury.  The work starts today on West Street between New Street and Harmony Street. To minimize the impact to traffic, the City has limited the hours of construction work to 6pm through 6am.  West Street will be reopened to four travel lanes at 6 each morning.  During the nighttime work, one travel lane in each direction will be open and Danbury Police will direct traffic. On street parking will be limited during construction but Eversource will provide access to all adjacent properties at all times.

Saturday marked the 209th birthday of Putnam County.  The theme of celebrations focused on the presence of the American Flag in local history.   The outdoor exhibit on the steps of the Historic Courthouse includes images from county-wide collections.  Panels feature images from every town and village thanks to the Historian’s Collection, Putnam History Museum, Southeast Museum, as well as the Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Putnam Valley historical societies. People were then encouraged to walk down to Lake Gleneida and see the Row of Honor.  The twice-yearly Row of Honor is a salute to veterans on Memorial Day and Veterans Day.  There are at least 550 flags, representing memorials to veterans. This is the largest number of flags since the tradition was started nearly a decade ago.  They are sold for $100 to those who want to recognize a veteran. Putnam County Day is an annual event that typically includes a ceremony, historic presentations, and awards for outstanding people, projects and publications that enrich and record Putnam County’s history.  Next weekend is New York State’s Path Through History weekend.

PFAS continues to be used in class B firefighting foam, but Connecticut lawmakers are looking to reduce the use of this chemical.  The Senate and House have approved a bill phasing it out, but the House made changes and sent it back to the Senate on the final day of the legislative session.  It was approved later in the Senate again.

Brookfield Representative Steve Harding and Senator Craig Miner introduced the amendment to note that "intentionally introduced" means deliberately utilized regulated metal or PFAS in the formulation of a package or packaging component.

PFAS is used in nonstick cookware, water-repellent clothing, stain resistant fabrics and carpets, some cosmetics, products that resist grease, water and oil, food packaging and food service ware. According to the Center for Disease Control, PFAS are strongly linked to certain forms of cancer, liver damage, hormone disruption, increases in cholesterol, thyroid disruption, asthma, reproductive disorders including infertility, low birth weight, and decreased response to vaccines. 

In terms of the firefighting foam, DEEP will provide takeback for municipalities.

The bridge carrying Route 7 northbound over Grays Bridge Road and the Still River in Brookfield is being renamed.  The infrastructure will be designated as the "Governor M. Jodi Rell Bridge" under a transportation bill approved in the final hours of the General Assembly session this week.  Brookfield Representative Steve Harding noted that the former 107th District House member is still a resident of the town and worked tirelessly to make something happen that many people didn't think was possible.  He notes that she was able to cut the ribbon the Super 7 expansion northbound into New Milford.  Harding called it fitting that the bridge going northbound will be named in her honor.

The Danbury Department of Public Health is reporting very low numbers of positive COVID-19 tests.  Last Saturday there were no reported cases.  For June, through Wednesday, the City reported just 23 positive cases. 

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has released its weekly COVID-19 Alert Map. No municipalities are in the red zone, the highest of the state’s four levels for community spread.  Most have fewer than 5 cases in the last two weeks reported, but 5 municipalities had between 5 and 9 cases during that time.

The Department has identified new COVID-19 variants among Connecticut residents.  The variant first detected in India has been reported in 35 cases in Connecticut.  The most prominent remains the U.K. variant, with a total of nearly 3,200 cases detected to date.  About 1,200 cases of the New York variant have been identified among Connecticut residents.

1.9 million Connecticut residents are fully vaccinated.  94-percent of those over the age of 65 have received at least one dose.  16 and 17 year olds continue to have higher vaccination rates than 18 to 34 year olds.  About 38-percent of 12 to 15 year olds, the latest group eligible to receive a shot, have received at least one dose of a vaccine to date.

New Milford Mayor Pete Bass says the town will host a proper Flag Retirement Ceremony for worn and tattered US Flags.  Anyone with a Flag that needs to be disposed of can drop it off at Town Hall across from the Mayor's office or at the VFW.  The ceremony is set for June 18th at 6pm at Clatter Valley Park.

Members of the Bethel Fire Department hosted a special training this week put on by the Metro North Railroad Fire Department to learn about how to handle emergencies safely on the tracks.  Of all of the MTA rail lines in Connecticut, the Danbury extension has the most roadway crossings at 36.  Firefighters from nearby departments and agencies also attended the training session to learn this safety information.

Today marks the 209th birthday of Putnam County.  The annual observation of Putnam County Day at the Historic Courthouse has been canceled again this year due to COVID-related restrictions.  A virtual celebration and outdoor exhibit on the steps of the Historic Courthouse has been put on display for the occasion. The Historian’s Office has been working with museums, schools and Carmel’s Boy and Girl Scouts to assemble a video program and an outdoor exhibit which focus on the presence of the American Flag in local history.

The state Department of Public Health has issued a warning about several cases of lead poisoning from ceramicware pots sold at CTown Supermarkets.  Two children and an adult have gotten lead poisoning.  There are CTowns in Danbury, Stratford, Meriden, New Haven, South Norwalk, Hartford, East Hartford and New Britain.  The products are not intended to be used for food contact and cooking and are only to be used for decorative purposes--and must be labeled as being only for decorative use.

A proposal to demolish an existing firehouse and construct a new on in Redding has been tabled by the Zoning Commission.  They met this week for a public hearing about the site plan approval for Black Rock Turnpike, but put the discussion on hold until their next meeting. 

The Conservation Commission has signed off on plans. 

The current firehouse was built in 1927 for a horse-drawn wagon fire company, with additions and renovations over the decades.  A structural engineer has determined that the foundation is falling apart and it would have cost more to renovate the existing facility than to build from new. 

Plans call for 15,000 square feet in a farmhouse-style building with modern amenities.  Larger training and administrative spaces would be located on the second floor, along with overnight suites.  The lower level would serve as a storage area  and supplementary training section.

A New Fairfield Police Officer has rescued a child from a car after her parent accidentally locked the key inside.  The officer was called to the scene around noon on Wednesday and arrived within minutes.  He was able to safely open the vehicle. The mother expressed her gratitude for getting the child out safely and, afterward, the officer showed off his police cruiser for the child.