Connecticut
House of Heroes CT fixes home for 2 veterans in West Haven
Thanking veterans for their sacrifice and service – that’s the mission behind the non-profit, House of Heroes Connecticut.
The organization has helped hundreds of vets over the years both in and out of state.
On Saturday, they were out helping four more veterans by the shoreline. Two of them were from West Haven and were family members.
“I feel very honored that they’re doing this,” said Mark Turner.
Mark Turner served in the US Army and Army Reserves from 1993 to 2001. His stepfather, Robert Levy, fought in World War II during the invasion of Normandy. Levy was also a bronze star honoree.
“He did a couple months in combat and then he did nine months in a prisoner of war camp,” said Turner. “He gave everything, you know.”
Turner says he had a very close relationship with his stepfather and wanted to follow his footsteps.
“I always considered him to be my real dad. He married my mom in 1979. I was about 4 years old. I just wanted to serve my country, and I just wanted to be like Pop,” said Turner.
To thank them both for their service, dozens of people volunteered their time to repair the front porch, clean up the back yard, and fix the side of the house along 2nd Avenue, where Turner and his mother live.
“You know, we learned about Mr. Levy’s story, and we said ‘look, we get to help two veterans in one go here,” said Dennis Buden, senior consultant and former executive director of House of Heroes CT.
Dennis Buden has been working with the organization for 10 years and says it feels good to give back to those who put our country first.
After Saturday, House of Heroes Connecticut will have served 239 veterans since the organization started in 2012.
Connecticut
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Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Connecticut
Strong Storm Emerges For Northern Connecticut: Here’s When, What To Know
Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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