YOUR SHORT-TERM FORECAST – TONIGHT: INCREASING CLOUDS, LIGHT SNOW LATE – A COATING TO 1” BY DAWN. LOWS 15-20. SATURDAY (VALENTINE’S DAY): A SLICK START? PARTLY SUNNY, A NICE AFTERNOON. HIGHS 35-40. SUNDAY: A SUNNY START, THEN INCREASING CLOUDS, LIGHT WIND. HIGHS 35-40. MONDAY (PRESIDENT’S DAY): SNOW SHOWERS EARLY, THEN A STORM MISSES US OUT TO SEA TO OUR SOUTH. MOSTLY CLOUDY, LIGHT WIND. HIGHS 30-35. TUESDAY: MILDER! PARTLY SUNNY. HIGHS 40-45!
AS THE FRIDAY MORNING COMMUTE BEGAN TO ZIP ALONG ON CONNECTICUT’S HIGHWAYS, ONE SOUTH WINDSOR NATIVE BEGAN ACCELERATING TO 17,500 MILES PER HOUR. SPACE-X AND NASA’S CREW-12 MISSION LAUNCHED AT 5:15AM ABOARD A SPACE-X FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL IN FLORIDA. FOUR PEOPLE WERE ABOARD THE SPACE-X DRAGON CAPSULE AS IT MADE THE TRIP INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT, EVENTUALLY LINKING UP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR AN 8-MONTH STAY. THE MISSION’S PILOT IS SOUTH WINDSOR NATIVE JACK HATHAWAY, WHO’S RESUME IS AS IMPRESSIVE AS YOU’D IMAGINE FOR A NASA ASTRONAUT. AFTER GRADUATING SOUTH WINDSOR HIGH SCHOOL IN 2000, HE EARNED MULTIPLE BACHELOR’S DEGREES FROM THE U.S. NAVAL ACADEMY ON HIS WAY TO BECOMING A DISTINGUISHED NAVAL AVIATOR. ACCORDING TO NASA, HE HAS ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 2,500 FLIGHT HOURS IN 30 DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT, INCLUDING MORE THAN 500 CARRIER LANDINGS AND 39 COMBAT MISSIONS. HATHAWAY WAS CHOSEN FOR THE 2021 ASTRONAUT CLASS AND REPORTED FOR DUTY IN JANUARY 2022. THIS IS HIS FIRST TIME IN SPACE.
THE CAUSE OF A HOUSE FIRE ON BREEZY HILL ROAD IN HARWINTON, FROM WHICH TWO RESIDENTS WERE ABLE TO SAFELY ESCAPE, REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION. CREWS WERE SENT TO THE HOME AROUND 9:10PM WEDNESDAY. DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS TOLD CT-INSIDER THAT BOTH RESIDENTS WERE TAKEN TO CHARLOTTE HUNGERFORD HOSPITAL AS A PRECAUTION AFTER BREATHING IN SMOKE. THE TORRINGTON FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS REQUESTED TO PROVIDE A ‘RAPID INTERVENTION TEAM.’ THAT’S A TEAM OF FIRE-FIGHTERS WHO STAND BY ON SCENE READY TO ASSIST FIREFIGHTERS IF THEY ENCOUNTER A ‘MAY-DAY’ SITUATION INSIDE THE BUILDING. IN ALL, 21 HARWINTON FIREFIGHTERS RESPONDED TO THE SCENE. THE HOME SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO ITS ROOF AND ATTIC, AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE CONTINUES.
STATE POLICE ARRESTED TWO TORRINGTON MEN IN LITCHFIELD LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AFTER A DISTURBANCE THEY SAY INVOLVED A STABBING AT A BANTAM ROAD PIZZA SHOP. POLICE WERE CALLED TO BOHEMIAN PIZZA AT 342 BANTAM ROAD JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT ON A REPORT OF AN ACTIVE DISTURBANCE. POLICE ARRESTED 22-YEAR OLD ALEXANDER ABELING AND 22-YEAR OLD MARCUS HUDSON, EACH ON 1-COUNT OF 3RD DEGREE ASSAULT AND BREACH OF PEACE. POLICE OFFERED NO FURTHER DETAILS OF THE DISTURBANCE OR THE STABBING, EXCEPT TO SAY THAT BOTH MEN SUFFERED NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. BOTH ABELING AND HUDSON WERE RELEASED ON BOND FOR ARRAIGNMENT IN TORRINGTON SUPERIOR COURT FEBRUARY 26.
A SCHOOL BUS WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH IN WATERTOWN THURSDAY MORNING, BUT NO CHILDREN ON THE BUS WERE HURT. WATERTOWN DISPATCHERS SAID THE CRASH OCCURRED AROUND 8:20AM ON GUERNSEYTOWN ROAD. POLICE SAY THE BUS DRIVER HAD STOPPED FOR TRAFFIC FACING SOUTH WHEN THE BUS WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BY AN S-U-V. THAT S-U-V WAS THEN STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A THIRD VEHICLE. THE SCHOOL BUS, HEADED TO JOHN TRUMBULL PRIMARY SCHOOL, HAD 10 CHILDREN ON IT. WATERTOWN POLICE SAY NO ONE ON THE BUS WAS HURT, BUT OCCUPANTS OF THE OTHER VEHICLES SUSTAINED NON-LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES. POLICE SAY “THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION,” BUT ADDED “SUN GLARE MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.”
AS WE HIT MID-FEBRUARY, METEOROLOGIST JOE FUREY SAYS THE MONTH IS SHAPING UP SO FAR TO BE ABOUT 10-DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE, WHILE OUT IN THE PLAINS AND ROCKIES THEY’RE 12 TO 18 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, AND WE MAY FEEL SOME OF THAT EARLY NEXT WEEK. JOE ALSO FOCUSES TODAY ON THE MANY STORMS THAT HAVE MISSED SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING DECEMBER AND JANUARY. YES, ONE BIG ONE MADE IT HERE LATE LAST MONTH, BUT MANY HAVE NOT, AND THAT’S KEEPING OUR SNOWFALL CLOSE TO AVERAGE. ANOTHER STORM HEADING OUR WAY FROM THE SOUTHWEST SHOULD ALSO JUST MISS US OUT TO THE SOUTH AND EAST SUNDAY NIGHT AND PRESIDENT’S DAY. BUT FIRST – JOE SAYS ANYONE WITH PLANS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY SHOULD BE FINE. DESPITE A COATING TO AN INCH OF SNOW BY SATURDAY MORNING, JOE SAYS VALENTINE’S DAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ARE FINE, IN HIS WORDS “IT’S A GO! NO PROBLEM!” THEN AFTER PRESIDENT’S DAY, IT WARMS UP SIGNIFICANTLY, INTO THE LOW TO MID 40’S FOR TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, WITH RAIN SHOWERS THURSDAY.
IN TORRINGTON, A DREAM OF HUNDREDS OF JOBS HAS ENDED IN ASHES & FORECLOSURE. IN THE FALL OF 2020, WEI WANG OF FLUSHING, NEW YORK, BOUGHT THE FORMER HENDY MACHINE COMPANY PROPERTIES ON SUMMER STREET FOR $700,000, PLANNING TO LAUNCH A MANUFACTURING PLANT FOR BIO-DEGRADABLE TAKEOUT CONTAINERS. HE TOLD A REPORTER HE EXPECTED TO HIRE HUNDREDS. BUT WITHIN MONTHS, WANG DISAPPEARED AND WORK STOPPED. TOWN OFFICIALS SAY THEY NEVER HEARD FROM HIM AGAIN. CT-INSIDER REPORTS THE VACANT BUILDINGS SAT UNTOUCHED UNTIL A MASSIVE FIRE LAST SEPTEMBER 28 DESTROYED THE FACTORY COMPLEX IN THE 100 BLOCK OF SUMMER STREET. OVER 100 FIREFIGHTERS FROM ACROSS NORTHWEST CONNECTICUT RESPONDED, AND THE FIRE’S CAUSE HAS YET TO BE SOLVED. NOW, MORE THAN 5 YEARS AFTER THE SALE, A SUPERIOR COURT HAS ORDERED FORECLOSURE ON THE 9-ACRE SITE. THE OWNER OWES OVER $1.4 MILLION IN BLIGHT FINES — MORE THAN THE PROPERTY’S $1.08 MILLION MARKET VALUE — PLUS $166,000 IN BACK TAXES. WANG FAILED TO APPEAR IN COURT. IF THE DEBT ISN’T PAID BY MARCH 30, THE CITY TAKES TITLE THE NEXT DAY. OFFICIALS SAY THEY WANT CONTROL OF THE PROPERTY TO PURSUE ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP FUNDING.
WITH GROCERY PRICES SURGING NEARLY 30% SINCE 2019 ACCORDING TO THE USDA, INCOME GROWTH HAS NOT KEPT PACE. THAT’S WHY THE PERSONAL FINANCE WEBSITE WALLETHUB.COM SAID IT EXAMINED THE PRICES OF 26 COMMONLY PURCHASED GROCERY ITEMS ACROSS ALL 50 STATES. RESEARCHERS SAID THEY THEN TOTALED THE COSTS AND COMPARED THEM WITH EACH STATE’S MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME TO IDENTIFY WHERE RESIDENTS DEVOTE THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF THEIR INCOME TO GROCERIES. THURSDAY, WALLETHUB RELEASED ITS LIST THAT RANKED THE STATES FROM WHERE PEOPLE SPENT THE MOST TO WHERE THEY SPENT THE LEAST. THEY DETERMINED THAT PEOPLE IN CONNECTICUT SPENT AMONG THE LEAST ON GROCERIES. THE STATE RANKED 45TH OUT OF 50. THEY SAID CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS SPENT 1.61% OF THEIR INCOME ON GROCERIES. THAT WAS COMPARED TO PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI WHO SPENT THE MOST – 2.60%, WEST VIRGINIA CAME 2ND AT 2.54%, AND ARKANSAS 3RD AT 2.44%.THE STATES WHERE PEOPLE SPENT LESS THAN CONNECTICUT WERE UTAH, NEW HAMPSHIRE, MARYLAND, NEW JERSEY, AND MASSACHUSETTS.
FORTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO, TIM DRISCOLL WANTED TO RAISE MONEY FOR A PLACE THAT TREATED SICK CHILDREN FREE OF CHARGE. HE SETTLED ON ST. JUDE HOSPITAL, FOUNDED BY DANNY THOMAS IN MEMPHIS IN 1962 AND IMMEDIATELY LAUNCHED A LITCHFIELD COUNTY TELETHON TO SUPPORT THE HOSPITAL’S WORK IN TREATING CHILDHOOD CANCER. NOW, 11-YEARS AFTER DRISCOLL’S PASSING, HIS FAMILY RUNS THE EVENT, SCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, MARCH 1ST, 9AM TO 9PM AT TORRINGTON INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL, THE FORMER MIDDLE SCHOOL ON TORRINGFORD STREET/ROUTE 183. IT’LL FEATURE LIVE, LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT, A HUGE FOOD & BAKE SALE AND AMAZING DOOR PRIZES. WHILE THE TELETHON WILL NOT BE CARRIED ON CABLE 5 THIS YEAR. YOU CAN ATTEND IN PERSON AT THE SCHOOL TO MAKE A DONATION, OR SCAN THE Q-R CODE ON CABLE 5 AND WATCH THE LIVE-STREAM AT WWW.STJUDE.ORG/DRISCOLLTELETHON. THE TELETHON NEVER SETS A GOAL BUT LAST YEAR, COMMUNITY’S GENEROSITY HELPED RAISE AN ALL-TIME HIGH $85,205, AND ORGANIZERS HOPE TO BEAT THAT THIS YEAR!
THE CITY OF TORRINGTON WILL UPDATE THE ‘VETERANS MEMORIAL WALL’ IN CITY HALL THIS SUMMER. HUNDREDS OF NAMES WILL BE ADDED, AND THE CITY CLERK IS LOOKING FOR MORE WHO MAY BE ELIGIBLE. NAMES CAN BE ADDED IF A VETERAN WAS A TORRINGTON RESIDENT AT THE TIME THEY ENTERED THE SERVICE, COMPLETED AT LEAST 90 DAYS OF ACTIVE DUTY DURING A WARTIME ERA, AND WERE HONORABLY DISCHARGED. THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE HAS PUBLISHED THE LIST OF VETERANS WHOSE NAMES ARE DUE TO BE ADDED TO THE MEMORIAL THIS SUMMER. REVIEW IT ON THE CITY CLERK’S PAGE OF THE CITY WEBSITE, WWW.TORRINGTONCT.ORG. IF AN ELIGIBLE VETERAN’S NAME ISN’T THERE, THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE SHOULD BE CONTACTED NO LATER THAN MARCH 31ST FOR CONSIDERATION. A DD-214 DISCHARGE DOCUMENT IS REQUIRED. FOR DETAILS, CALL (860)489-2236 OR VISIT WWW.CITY_CLERK@TORRINGTONCT.ORG.