DoingItLocal

Andy Rooney, whose prickly wit was long a mainstay of CBS News and whose homespun commentary on “60 Minutes,” delivered every week from 1978 until 2011, made him a household name, died on Friday in New York City.  CBS News said in a statement that Mr. Rooney died after complications following minor surgery.  Read full story….

Norwalk—At 1:20am a call came in of a structure fire at 105 South Main Street.  At 1:22am the first truck rolled up to the scene, confirmed a two and a half story structure fully involved on the first and second floor and called in a second alarm.  Fire fighters made a rear entry for primary searches for victims.  Three hoses were brought in to fight the blaze.  By 1:36am fire officials confirm the bulk of the fire on the first floor had been knocked down and they were advancing further into the structure.   At 1:44am fire department continued to battle the fire inside the walls on the front and right side of the structure.  They opened walls and continued the three hose attack.

 

At 1:53am they confirmed that all occupants were out of the building and the landlord was on the scene.  The front right side continued to give firefighters trouble now on the third floor; they opened three vent holes into the roof and then stripped the fascia off for line penetration.  Power was secured by 2:24am but three fire lines were still attacking hot spots.  New Canaan Fire provided mutual aid to Norwalk.  At 2:55 the fire chief called the scene under control.   Fire official suspect a damaged electrical service line is to blame.  Additional tenants from apartments located behind the burned out building also had to be relocated when power was turned off.

 

There are sixteen residents displaced, the Red Cross expected to be on the scene approximately by 3:30am to help them find shelter.

After a four-year battle with its biggest lender, Dippin’ Dots Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Paducah, Ky., to avoid foreclosure.  The manufacturer of the quirky and colorful ice cream beads, which are flash frozen using liquid nitrogen, owes $12 million, the bulk of it to a unit of Regions Financial Corp., which moved to foreclose on the loan this week.  Read full story here ….

[SlideDeck id=’494′ width=’100%’ height=’400px’]

1:46pm–Milford–I-95 northbound is closed due to an overturned boat at exit 41.   The motors on the boat have shifted and the firefighters are trying to figure how to upright the boat.  There is also a fuel leaking from the boat, DEP called to the scene.  Quarry Road (the overpass) is also closed.  Not a good start to the Friday commute.

 

12:07–New Haven– Police busy with a large crowd fighting at Chapel and Church Street. Large police presence in the area.

Shelton–Head on collisionRiver Road (Route 110) and Rocky Rest Road. Fire department extricated and two, three on the way to St. Vincent’s Hospital.

9:10pm–#Fairfield–Police, EMTs have their hands full with an guest at the Best Western on 100 Kings Highway Cutoff that has overdosed on heroin.

8:12pm–Bridgeport  — Fire department on the scene at 223 Iranistan Avenue for a car on fire under the building. All hands at work.

5:49pm–#Bridgeport–EMTs have their hands full with with a combative patient in the back of the ambulance at Boston Ave. and Asylum Ave. Patient was unresponsive, came to and started fight with EMTs. Police called to assist, now on scene.

The State Office of Policy and Management (OPM) has approved a $100,000 Small Town
Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant that will help the Town of Fairfield make needed
improvements at the downtown train station on Unquowa Road.

Grant funding will be used to install permanent canopy structures to cover the staircases on both
sides of the train tracks. Lighting will be provided under the canopies. In addition, the stairs,
which are badly worn and uneven, will be repaired. The adjacent landing and stairways leading
to the station platforms will also be restored.

First Selectman Mike Tetreau said, “This is an important project for the thousands of commuters
who have to use these stairs in inclement weather. This project will go a long way in ensuring
their safety and comfort throughout the year.”

Pending appropriate town bodies approval and weather permitting, the project is slated to begin
as early as January 2012.

The STEAP funds economic development, community conservation and quality of life projects
for localities. STEAP funds are issued by the State Bond Commission and can only be used for
capital projects.

Accused Fairfield serial arsonist Christopher Message was arrested Wednesday and charged with setting fire to three Monroe businesses last August.  Read full article here…..

Ever wished you were the blue-eyed boy? You soon could be, after a doctor revealed he can permanently change a person’s eye color in just 20 seconds.     Read full article here…..

Last week the City of Bridgeport launched it’s free app for smartphones called iWatchBridgeport.  It allows anyone with a smart phone to send tips to the police along with photos and video of  tips or crimes being committed anonymously .   The app is being used in many city across the country, Bridgeport is the first city in the northeast to use the application.   DoingItLocal.com provided video production for the promotion as well as photography for the billboard seen all over the city.

Discount clothing retailer Syms Corp famous for saying educated consumers were its best customers, filed for bankruptcy Wednesday along with its Filene’s Basement chain and both plan to go out of business.    There are 25 Syms and 21 Filene’s Basement stores, mostly in the eastern United States, and the two combined employ about 2,500, according to court documents.    The company said it expects both chains to complete going-out-of-business sales by the end of January.  Read the full story…..

BRIDGEPORT, CT (November 2, 2011) – City public works crews will travel to the town of Bethel today to assist workers in that town in clearing downed trees and debris from their roads in the wake of this past weekend’s autumn nor’easter.

“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.

Public Facilities Director Charles Carroll said the City is sending one payloader, two dump trucks, a 40-yard Dumpster and a two-person chainsaw crew, for a total of six crew members.  Carroll said he expects the crew to stay in Bethel through the end of the week.