WATERBURY – When Carl Viarengo opened Model Garage in 1958, with his friend Frank Gross, he had no idea he was founding an institution that would live on beyond his retirement. Six decades later, the parking lot at 110 Thomaston…

KENT – Town officials declared a state of emergency Monday due to flooding and ice jams in the Housatonic River and they anticipated more problems in the coming days. The declaration is designed to “open an uninterrupted line of communication…

WATERBURY Pieces of the once-grand Howland-Hughes Department Store are finding their way into some of today’s most popular television productions, including one that just picked up two Golden Globes. In two decades since the closure of Howland-Hughes Department Store, Hank…

WATERBURY – An armed robber fired off a gunshot into a cooler near a store clerk during a holdup of a North Main Market on Sunday night. There were no injuries during the gunfire at Cindy’s Market in the 700…

WINSTED – A driver died of injuries he suffered after crashing in front of the Department of Motor Vehicles on Torrington Road Sunday evening. Police received a 911 call at 8:22 p.m. about the one-car accident. Police said the vehicle…

SOUTHBURY – A gray morph screech owl flew into a window to the right of the Loft entrance at Southbury Green shopping center on Dec. 18. Animal Control Officer Bob Harrison wrapped the injured bird in a towel, then met…

TORRINGTON – It has been four months since Torrington Health and Rehabilitation Center closed its doors following a bankruptcy but there could be new life for the building involving seniors. Commercial real estate agent Vance Taylor said there has been…

WINSTED – Recent standardized test scores for Gilbert School students indicate somewhat mixed results, but school officials are happy with the progress made in certain areas. Gilbert Director of Curriculum Debra Lewis made a presentation to the Board of Education…

WOLCOTT – The Town Council meeting tonight could feature discussion on two hot-button topics: the 2018-22 teachers contract and a possible 1.57 mill supplemented tax. The teachers contract, which pays out an average annual raise of 2.4 percent, was less…

WINSTED – The following are results for Gilbert School students who took the Smarter Balance Achievement Consortium (SBAC) test from 2014 to 2016. In 2014, 40 percent of seventh-graders met the state goal on the English test, 33 percent were…

WATERBURY – Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day program was an emotional roller coaster for many, with a rousing sermon, contemplative prayers, a bit of humor, and a tearful recognition of Vietnam veteran Samuel K. Beamon, who has been fighting…

Five state agencies with 24-hour operations typically account for more than 90 percent of overtime spending annually. The Department of Correction is consistently the overtime leader. The department spent $36 million on overtime in first six months of the 2018…

HARTFORD – Overtime spending spiked up in the first half of the 2018 fiscal year after the state government hit a six-year low of $204.4 million the previous year. The $115.3 million that was paid out between July 1 and…

FALLS VILLAGE – The Board of Finance voted down a request from interim recreation coordinator Michael DeMazza to enact a policy for dealing with enterprise income. DeMazza came before the board last week to present a proposal he’d made before…

CHESHIRE – The problem that brought ice on Saturday and Sunday and closed a stretch of Waterbury Road between Marion and Winslow roads should be less of an issue in the future. With the road, state Route 70, closed for…

KENT — Town officials have declared a state of emergency in Kent as of 12:30 p.m. Monday. The declaration is designed to “open an uninterrupted line of communication with federal, state, regional safety assets. This will also allow the town…

U.S. Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, is crisscrossing the state to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. today. The holiday commemorates the civil rights leader’s birthday. He would have been 89. Esty began in Meriden at…

MERIDEN (AP) — Connecticut Latinos are learning firsthand from the state’s congressional delegation about government and how the advocacy process works. Seventeen residents were selected to participate in second Latino Leadership Academy, organized by the delegation and the Connecticut Hispanic…

KENT – Route 7 remains closed due to flooding between Route 341 and Bulls Bridge Road, according to the state Department of Transportation. The state road was reported closed at 4:28 p.m. Saturday. As of 7:50 this morning, the DOT…

CANAAN – Rehabilitation of the historic Canaan Union Station is getting closer to completion. Heavily damaged in an arson fire in 2001, the structure has gone through a metamorphosis that townspeople hope will bring it, and the town center, back…