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CT Man Assaulted Motel Clerk At Gunpoint During Violent Robbery: Police CT Man Assaulted Motel Clerk At Gunpoint During Violent Robbery: Police CT Man Assaulted Motel Clerk At Gunpoint During Violent Robbery: Police
CT Man Assaulted Motel Clerk At Gunpoint During Violent Robbery: Police A Connecticut man faces kidnapping and robbery charges after two armed men forced a clerk into an office during a robbery at a Wethersfield motel, police said. Francisco Perez, 45, of Enfield, was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 22, in connection with the July 28 robbery at the Motel 6 on Silas Deane Highway, Wethersfield police said.  Officers went to the motel around 10:16 p.m. after someone reported that two masked men entered the lobby, jumped the counter, and demanded cash from the clerk, police said.  The men forced the clerk into a back office at gunpoint and assaulted them, autho…

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Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To CT: Feds Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To CT: Feds Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To CT: Feds
Texas Man Convicted In $1.4M Drug Scheme Tied To CT: Feds A Texas man has been convicted in a nationwide prescription drug scheme he ran with a former Glastonbury resident in an operation that sent more than 10,000 parcels to customers and earned them over $1.4 million, prosecutors said. Ryan Fields, 52, of Port Neches, Texas, was found guilty on Friday, Sept. 18, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut. The jury convicted him of two conspiracy charges involving illegal drug sales, smuggling, and money laundering. From September 2021 to June 2023, Fields and Lisa Mahan, who once lived in Glastonbury, sold …
CT Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal CT Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal CT Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal
CT Funeral Director Accused Of Gambling Away 170 People's Money Accepts Prison Deal A former Connecticut funeral director accused of using families’ prepaid funeral money to bankroll casino trips has agreed to a deal that calls for seven-and-a-half years in prison. Phillip Pietras, 51, accepted the terms Friday, Sept. 18, in Rockville Superior Court before Judge Christopher Griffin. His formal guilty plea is scheduled for Oct. 23, with sentencing set for Jan. 22, authorities said.  The deal calls for a 15-year sentence, suspended after seven-and-a-half years. It covers one count of first-degree larceny and four counts of intent to defraud through a funeral contract. …
Suspended Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges Suspended Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges Suspended Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges
Suspended Officer, Husband Indicted On Child Rape, Physical Abuse Charges A Plymouth police officer and her husband face new charges after a grand jury indicted both on allegations of child rape late last week.  Samantha Pelrine, 31, and Daniel Forand, 37, remain free on bail following their March arraignments in Plymouth District Court, according to court records. The case stems from a March 17 restraining order request that alleged the couple sexually and physically abused their adopted son.  Pelrine faces three counts of aggravated child rape and two counts of child rape, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz’s office. Forand f…
Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment, Surrounded By Signs Of Struggle Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment, Surrounded By Signs Of Struggle Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment, Surrounded By Signs Of Struggle
Woman Charged With Murder After Man Found Dead In Apartment, Surrounded By Signs Of Struggle A Connecticut woman faces a murder charge after police said they found a man dead inside an apartment with serious injuries and signs of a struggle. Guadalupe Ojeda, 39, of Waterbury, was arrested following the discovery at 13 Cherry Ave. in Waterbury shortly after 8:20 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 21, police said.  Waterbury officers said they found an unresponsive man on the floor. He was not breathing and had several serious injuries. Emergency medical workers pronounced him dead at the scene. Police described him as an unidentified adult. Investigators identified Ojeda as the main suspe…

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New No. 1 Crowned In Best Colleges Rankings: 2 CT Schools Make Top 100 New No. 1 Crowned In Best Colleges Rankings: 2 CT Schools Make Top 100 New No. 1 Crowned In Best Colleges Rankings: 2 CT Schools Make Top 100
New No. 1 Crowned In Best Colleges Rankings: 2 CT Schools Make Top 100 Nearly 50 colleges across the Northeast have been recognized as some of the best in the nation. U.S. News released its 2027 Best Colleges rankings on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Massachusetts Institute of Technology took the No. 1 position on the national list, followed by Princeton University and Harvard University. MIT replaced Princeton at the top after the New Jersey university held the No. 1 spot for 15 straight editions beginning in 2012. The 42nd edition of the rankings evaluates nearly 1,700 colleges using up to 17 measures of academic quality and success. Student outcomes make up more…

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Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take
Rare 2-Headed Turtle Hatches On Cape Cod — Talk About A Double Take Wanted: Judo rat to train a pre-teen mutant turtle recently hatched on Cape Cod, but crime-fighting can wait — for now.  Wildlife experts are caring for the diamondback terrapin that hatched with two heads at a protected nesting site in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Both heads are alert and showing interest in food — encouraging signs for the tiny turtle.  “We are monitoring and making sure they’re bright and alert; they’re reactive. We’re making sure that we’re offering food and that both heads are active and looking around and trying to eat. So far they are, which is awesome,” Zak M…

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Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify
Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Millions of iPhone buyers can now file claims from a $250 million settlement over claims of misleading advertising from Apple. The claims process has opened for consumers who bought certain iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models between Monday, June 10, 2024, and Saturday, March 29, 2025, according to the settlement website. The settlement follows a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of misleading customers with ads for new AI-powered features, including an enhanced Siri personal digital assistant, that weren't available as expected. Apple denied wrongdoing but agreed in May to pay $250 million t…

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Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify
Apple To Pay iPhone Buyers Up To $95 In Major Settlement: See If You Qualify Millions of iPhone buyers can now file claims from a $250 million settlement over claims of misleading advertising from Apple. The claims process has opened for consumers who bought certain iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models between Monday, June 10, 2024, and Saturday, March 29, 2025, according to the settlement website. The settlement follows a class action lawsuit accusing Apple of misleading customers with ads for new AI-powered features, including an enhanced Siri personal digital assistant, that weren't available as expected. Apple denied wrongdoing but agreed in May to pay $250 million t…

National Interest

$167.5 Million Visa, Mastercard Settlement Could Mean Money For You: What To Know $167.5 Million Visa, Mastercard Settlement Could Mean Money For You: What To Know $167.5 Million Visa, Mastercard Settlement Could Mean Money For You: What To Know
$167.5 Million Visa, Mastercard Settlement Could Mean Money For You: What To Know A multimillion-dollar settlement involving two of the world's biggest payment networks could put money back in consumers' pockets. Visa and Mastercard have agreed to a proposed $167.5 million class-action settlement covering certain ATM transactions dating back nearly two decades, according to the court-authorized settlement website. The case involves people who paid an access fee to withdraw cash from an independent ATM between Oct. 24, 2007, and Aug. 14, 2026, and were not fully reimbursed by their bank. Independent ATMs are machines not owned by Visa, Mastercard, a bank, or another fina…