Newington News

A Plainville man who drove the car in a 2006 botched Plymouth robbery that ended with a fatal shooting entered a plea of guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery.

John Martin, 21, will be sentenced on Sept. 4 in Superior Court in New Britain, the same day that co-defendant Walter Smylka is to be sentenced on a similar charge.

Both men initially faced more serious charges, but prosecutors substituted the lesser charge because the two helped the state prosecute Sean Bodamer, the gunman, and Krista LaFountain, the ringleader.

You know those fireworks for sale at roadside stands across the state? Be careful. They might be illegal, and consumers caught with them could get arrested.

'They could be arrested, absolutely,' said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman.

State police say they have found illegal fireworks -- including sparklers -- in at least five roadside locations throughout the state, and they are looking for more.

No arrests have been made as of yet, but investigations are continuing and state police detectives expect to make some arrests in the cases.

William Darby said. The robbers scoured the house and stole cash and other items.

Though Beth Smith is coming to her new position as Shelton High School headmaster from an administrative post at Newington High School, she already knows the hallways of Shelton High well.

Since Jennifer Walker moved to her Fisk Drive home in 1999, speeders have demolished a garbage can sitting at her curb and knocked the back bumper off her Honda Accord as it was parked on the street.

The damage to the car cost Walker $5,000. But the real estate agent and mother of two fears a more grievous price.

Her 11-year-old son, Eric, rides his bike to Martin Kellogg Middle School during the academic year. The flow of drivers ignoring the 25 mph speed limit seems heaviest between 7 and 8 a.m., when students are walking or pedaling to class, Walker said. Fisk Drive has no sidewalks, so the kids travel along the street.

By JOI LOUVIERE Courier Press staff writer 464-7419 or louvierej@courierpress.com Monday, June 23, 2008 In an emergency when televisions won't work, radio stations tune out and phone lines are flooded, amateur ...

When most companies decide to move, they do so to get more space or to reduce their rent bill.

For almost 11 weeks, Gladys Davila of Hartford got the runaround from West Hartford and Hartford police and the state motor vehicle department while her 1995 Nissan, which had been towed, sat locked away by ...

Molly is the love of my life. We met at the Connecticut Humane Society in Newington, and she made it known that she wanted to come home with me, and home she came four years ago.

Hartford's police chief vents his frustration with his community. A Bloomfield boy recovers from a freak accident as another child in Hartford dies.

The fake chicken, made from a yellow plastic cup decorated with feathers and plastic eyes, is silly to look at and makes you either cringe or laugh. Mary Ellen Welsh was one of those people who laughed at the fake chicken. She got a huge kick out of it, Carol Reed, a longtime friend of Welsh, recalled during a recent gathering to prepare for an event they hope will memorialize Welsh and raise money for a cause that was close to her heart.

With Welsh, who was brutally killed following a home invasion in New Britain on March 30, foremost in their minds, the chicken is one of the items the team of 19 will be selling at a Relay for Life event this weekend in Southington. Team Mary Ellen will also participate in the walk, which will raise money for cancer research. Welsh, who was 62, was a cancer patient. Leslie Williams, a convicted sex offender, is accused of abducting Welsh from a friend's house in New Britain, raping and killing her, and leaving her body in a sand pit in Bristol. Williams, 31, is facing murder and other charges in Welsh's death that could put him on death row. Police said he barged into the home of Welsh's friend, Carol Larese, shot her, and then kidnapped Welsh. In addition to the fake chicken, participants at this weekend's walk can also buy more conventional items, such as pins with Welsh's picture and hats. But the plastic chicken is special, Reed said, because the pleasure Welsh got out of the silly toy represents the fun-loving person she was. 'Mary Ellen was our party in a box,' said Reed, of New Britain. The plastic chicken is also a way of remembering Welsh as the happy, caring woman who was always ready to help someone or make them laugh, rather than the way she died.

A Newington teen accused of being an accessory in the 2006 slaying of a youth killed by a bullet fired into an apartment waived a hearing Wednesday that would have tested the strength of the state's evidence ...

Food booths and games will also be featured at the event, which will be held behind the school from 6:30 p.m. until dusk.

Newington Submitted by Vicki Rosenkrantz, 06-06-2008   Adam M. Rosenkrantz, a freshman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, has been named to the School of Engineering Dean's List for the ...

In an unusual display of public anger, Hartford's police chief Wednesday gave vent to his feelings about the recent violence afflicting his city and the lack of decency among residents.

The event, which includes a plant sale, will be held rain or shine and begins at the Senior and Disabled Center, 120 Cedar St.

A 15-year-old boy was hit by a pickup truck this morning while trying to cross the street, police said.

A construction crane collapsed Friday on New York 's Upper East Side , smashing into a 23-story apartment building as it fell to the ground, killing one construction worker and seriously injuring two others.

The free event is from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and will feature the Mayor's Trophy for "Best in Show," judging in several car categories, oldies music and a commemorative dash plaque for the first 200 cars to enter ...

Ellsworth will talk about creating the communications museum in Windsor . The museum's grand opening was in October 2007.Admission to Ellsworth's talk is free.