Fairfield County | featured news

HARTFORD — Gov. Dannel P., Malloy on Monday nominated a former Stamford corporation council to be Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Justice Andrew J. McDonald, a current Supreme Court Associate Justice and former state representative from Stamford, was placed on the court in 2013. "Justice McDonald has proven himself to be a consummate, revered jurist who has an exceptional ability to understand, analyze, research, and evaluate legal issues," Malloy said.

STAMFORD-Police say a car left to warm up in the frigid cold outside a Bulls Head home Monday morning was stolen along with $2,400 in cash.

Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said a resident of Fieldstone Terrace reported to police that he had left his black 2017 Volvo to warm up in his driveway at about 5 a.m. Monday. The man said after leaving the vehicle idling for five minutes, he returned to discover the car was gone.

The man said he did not see anyone in the car or around the area before it was stolen.

STAMFORD-Witnesses helped police find a man who struck a pedestrian in a Long Ridge Road crosswalk and allegedly fled the scene.

The accident came four days after 58-year-old Lynette Wagner was struck and killed by a driver as she was walking across Elm Street next to Interstate-95. Police have not yet filed charges against the drive in that crash.

Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said a 53-year-old man was crossing Long Ridge Road at Square Acre Drive on Saturday afternoon when he was struck by a vehicle as he was crossing the busy road.

STAMFORD-A Pennsylvania man was charged with drunk driving and leaving the scene of an accident Monday morning after a motorist followed the man home after seeing him allegedly crash into a median and flatten a traffic sign.

Sgt. Robert Shawinsky said a motorist was stopped at the light near Glenbrook Road at 12:30 a.m. Monday when he saw a car driving at a high rate of speed hit the median on East Main Street and ran over a traffic sign. The driver of the vehicle continued heading westbound on East Main but was driving in the eastbound lanes.

HARTFORD - The General Assembly on Monday easily passed a temporary fix to restore full Medicare benefits for more than 90,000 elderly and disabled residents who rely on the money for office visits and other procedures.

The House first passed the bill by a veto-proof margin on 130-3 and the Senate followed with a resounding vote of 32-1

"Our seniors are just too critical a part of our population or us to turn our backs on them," said state Sen. Carlos Leone, D-Stamford.

RIGEFIELD - Police are looking for a man who authorities say passed several counterfeit $100 bills at retail establishments over the weekend.

Police said there were five separate incidents recently of counterfeit bills being passed at businesses located on Main Street, Governor Street, Bailey Avenue and Catoonah Street. All of the incidents took place on Friday, Jan. 5 between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

Police said the suspect used counterfeit $100 bills to purchase items that cost around $30 on average.

RIDGEFIELD — The Planning and Zoning Commission made slight changes to its “accessory apartment” regulation this week, with the hope the revisions will allow more properties to take advantage of the option.

Officials decided to remove the minimum half-acre requirement for properties served by the town sewer line and clarify that detached accessory apartments do not need to mimic the exterior style of the main house.

Candlewood Lake officials are reminding residents to watch out for ice on the lake during the winter.

The Candlewood Lake Authority, FirstLight Power Resources and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection offered tips for staying safe when using the lake in the cold weather.

Officials said to remember that no ice is 100 percent safe and that ice conditions can significantly change the strength of ice from one spot to another. Ice on Candlewood does not freeze in uniform thickness and can vary drastically in as little as a few feet of distance, the tips said.

DANBURY — The National Weather Service confirmed that weather conditions on Thursday amounted to a blizzard in Danbury and two other southwestern Connecticut cities.

In Danbury, conditions were measured at the Danbury Municipal Airport and were reported to reach blizzard criteria from 10:53 a.m. to 3:53 a.m. The NWS said the weather sensor at the airport failed, but snow was verified by radar.

The official definition of a blizzard includes sustained winds 35 miles per hour or faster, considerable falling or blowing snow and visibility reduced to less than a quarter of a mile.

STAMFORD-Stamford Fire Department is asking residents to take precautions against fires during the freezing weather over the next few days.

Fire Marshal Charles Spaulding is encouraging residents to check their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes to make sure they are working properly.