DoingItLocal

Police are investigating an accident between a pickup truck and First Student school bus on the Black Rock Turnpike southbound near the Merritt Parkway entrance/exit area shortly before 11:15am Monday morning.  One student was on board but there appeared to be no injuries.   No ambulance was on scene nor was one called.  We will update if any further  information becomes available.

 

ON SATRUDAY December 5, 2011 AT 7:19 PM the Fairfield 911 received a request from a homeowner on Congress Street to check on a roof fire that had been extinguished by her friends.  Jody Hoffman, of 3590 Congress Street noticed a small fire on a second floor porch roof while showing some friends the upstairs of her home.  According to the homeowner sparks and embers from a fire in the fireplace had gone up the chimney and landed on the flat roof of a second floor porch, starting a small fire.  The fire was extinguished by her friends who formed a “bucket brigade” and poured water out the window.  Mrs. Hoffman contacted the fire department “just to be sure” the fire was out.  Lt. Bullard of Engine Company 5, located on Congress Street, arrived on scene and verified that the fire on the second floor porch roof was extinguished. However, the wooden roof and the soffit area near the chimney was on fire.  Lt. Bullard requested a full structure alarm assignment.  The occupants and guests were evacuated from the building.  Firefighters used 35’ground ladders to access the roof and special ventilation saws to open it and expose the fire.  Tarps and fans were used inside to minimize smoke and water damage. Thermal imaging cameras were used to check for extension on exterior walls and extinguish hidden fire.  Engine 5, Engine 4, Engine 2, Engine 1, Ladder 1, Ladder 2, and Car 3 worked together and quickly extinguished the fire before it spread through out the attic.  Chief Felner responded to the scene.  Mutual aid assistance was provided by the Westport Fire Dept. to provide coverage at Station 1 during the incident. The last fire unit left the scene at 9:00 PM.

Shortly after 7pm Saturday night firefighters responded to an apartment fire on the third floor of 223 Washington Avenue.   Firefighters rescued many from the four story Iroquois Apartments.  The fire broke out on the third floor on the left side of the building.  Assistant Fire Chief Ivan Fossesigurani tells us that the tennant of the apartment was in the bedroom with his girlfriend when his son was in a another  bedroom said there was a large pop and the apartment  filled with smoke.  One man on the fire floor suffered a hand burn but refused treatment at the scene.  No firefighter were hurt batteling the blaze.  The fire marshal is on the scene investigating.

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12:39pm–State Police Divers locate the body of missing boater found–Richard Fiske, the 75 man who went missing in the Housatonic River last week in a boating mishap has been found according to State Police.

5:15am–#New Haven–Grinch arrested–Police recieved a telephone call at approximately 5:15 am reporting that a black male was stealing Christmas ornaments and bows from the city of new havens xmas tree on Church and Chapel at the New Haven Green. Several minutes later a police stopped a subject fitting the man’s desription at the intersection of Chapel and York where the suspect was taken into custody

5:48pm–#Fairfield–EMTs and fire department on the way to Chipotle Mexican Grill at 340
Grasmere Ave (next to Home Depot).  A female teen waiting in line passed out and hit her head.

4:30pm–Bridgeport–Shortly after 4:30pm fire rescue boats scrambled off Battery Road near the lighthouse of St. Mary’s By The Sea. A caller saw people on the breakers and thought they saw one of the people fall in.   After an extensive search turned up nothing and the call taker said they could have been mistaken.

3:26pm–#Fairfield–Heroin problem in town? The other day a mother turned her daughter in to police on Wilson Street; She caught her daughter shooting up.  Now we two people  unresponsive on Euclid Avenue after taking heroin. AMR on the way.    One male in and out of consciousness and one female unresponsive.

10:17pm–#Fairfeild–Customer locked in the CVS Pharmacy at 961 Black Rock Turnpike after the store closed.

10:12pm–#Fairfield–Fairfield University has a maroon Ford Bronco stopped and he claims to be with Fairfield Cab even though he has no meter, lights or license.  

 

Article by the Bridgeport News Video-DoingItLocal.com Photography Catherine Krauchick

Governor Dannel P. Malloy today joined state and local officials to mark the opening of the Fairfield Metro railroad station. The $90 million station, which will open for commuter service on Monday, Dec. 5, also includes 1,400 parking spaces.

Located midway between the Fairfield and Bridgeport stations, Fairfield Metro was built by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Town of Fairfield. The DOT owns the entire station facility, while the station and parking lot will be operated and maintained by Fusco Management Company.

Connecticut train service is provided by Metro-North under contract to the DOT.

“This project will be an enormous advantage for Connecticut commuters — and state and local leaders should be congratulated for their efforts here,” said Malloy. “I have been clear that we need to continue to invest in our transit infrastructure — it is one way we strengthen our economy and improve regional competitiveness. This new station demonstrates the power of partnerships to benefit the town and the state.”

DOT Commissioner James P. Redeker noted that Fairfield Metro is fully ADA accessible with elevators on each platform. In addition, the station has two high-level platforms with full-length canopies that can accommodate 12 rail cars each.

Other station amenities include ticket vending machines, benches, shelters and a fully enclosed pedestrian overpass for easy passage between platforms. Recycling centers also are available on the platforms.

Beginning in January, bus service to and from the station will be provided by Greater Bridgeport Transit. Taxi service will be available at the station, which is located at 61 Constant Comment Way in Fairfield.

The New Haven Line, the busiest single rail line in the United States, carried 37.3 million people in 2010, a 2.8% increase over the previous year.

NEW HAVEN — Several upside-down American flags are flying over the Occupy New Haven encampment on the city Green, a move activists say symbolizes “a nation in distress.”  Read full story….

BRIDGEPORT — A man was found dead in a house on Columbia Street Wednesday morning from an apparent gunshot wound, police said.    Read more……

In order to include a toy with a meal, restaurants must now comply with city-generated nutritional standards. Those are standards that even the “healthier” Happy Meals McDonald’s introduced earlier this year don’t come close to meeting.  Yet it seems McDonald’s has turned lemons into lemonade — and is selling the sugary drink to San Francisco’s children. Local McDonald’s employees tell SF Weekly the company has devised a solution that appears to comply with San Francisco’s “Healthy Meal Incentive Ordinance” that could actually make the company more money — and necessitate toy-happy youngsters to buy more Happy Meals.  Read full story…..

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The doctor convicted in the overdose death of Michael Jackson was sentenced to the maximum four years behind bars Tuesday by a judge who denounced him as a reckless physician whose actions were a “disgrace to the medical profession.”  Read full article….

I had a personal appointment in Brookfield today and my GPS took me there the way of Route 58 through Redding and Bethel.  Cleaning up the debris of fallen tree branches from the ice storm last month is still a reality for these towns.    On November 2nd Bridgeport sent mutual aid support to Bethel providing one payloader, two dump trucks, a 40-yard dumpster and a two-person chainsaw crew, for a total of six crew members who spent the week clearing roads.   “While the City of Bridgeport was spared the brunt of this weekend’s nor’easter, some of our neighboring towns, like Bethel, were not so fortunate. We’re happy to lend a hand and provide their town with resources to aid in their clean-up. In the days following the tornado last year, and more recently, after Hurricane Irene, our neighbors were kind enough to help us, so we’re happy to return the favor,” said Mayor Bill Finch.

What is a distant bad memory for many in our area is still very real for many in Bethel and Redding.  The roads are lined with these reminders of branches at the side of the road waiting to be collected.

I encountered one minor delay as road crews worked a portion of the road.  Although the power has been restored downed telephone lines were still seen, probably forgotten land lines no longer used.