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Jodi Rell funeral: CT governor lies in state ahead of services

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Jodi Rell funeral: CT governor lies in state ahead of services


A lone bagpiper played an ancient Irish tune, The Minstrel Boy, as a hearse bearing the body of Connecticut’s 87th governor, M. Jodi Rell, glided to a stop by the broad brick walk leading to the north portico of the state Capitol.

On a summer’s day 20 years ago, Rell marched to the same spot to take the oath of office, succeeding a governor who had resigned in the face of an impeachment inquiry. She then welcomed the public in a receiving line.

There was one last receiving line Tuesday in the east atrium of the Capitol, hard by the statue of Nathan Hale. Rell would lie in state for four hours before her funeral, her coffin draped by the blue flag of the state she served as a state representative, lieutenant governor and governor from 1985 to 2011.

Foot guards pay their respects to former Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s casket as she lay in state at the state Capitol. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

As Lawrence F. Cafero, a former House Republican leader and one of the mourners in line Tuesday, recalled of her inaugural: It was cloudy at the start, but the sun eventually shone on the new governor.

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Rell, who finished the last six months of her predecessor’s third term and was elected in 2006 to a four-year term of her own, died in Florida on Nov. 20 after a brief illness.

She had a plane ticket and plans to come back for Thanksgiving to Connecticut, where her daughter and son, Meredith and Michael, and their spouses and Rell’s grandchildren live. Her usual routine was to stay through Christmas, then head south before the new year.

Lying in state denotes a certain formality, and there was that on Tuesday. 

A police and military honor guard awaited the hearse, which arrived as scheduled — a half hour before the 10 a.m. start, when her family would receive mourners. Six military men bore the coffin, climbing the steps to a called cadence.

“Ready! Step.”

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Honor guards stand beside former Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s casket as she lays in state at the State Capitol. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

They carried the coffin to a bier of cherry wood, on loan from a local funeral director, John C. Carmon. A legislative facilities manager said it was the same model the Reagan and Bush families chose when the former presidents lied in state at the U.S. Capitol.

A rotating honor guard, one Capitol police officer and one member of the military, stood at attention on either side. Her official portrait, borrowed from the Museum of Connecticut History on the other side of Capitol Avenue, faced the casket.

The family retired to a borrowed caucus room, where M. Lisa Moody, who served Rell as chief of staff for nearly all her 16 years as lieutenant and governor, waited to greet them. Moody was hobbled by recent foot surgery.

Paddi LeShane and Jackie Bernstein were there. Like Moody and Rell, they all were active in the Connecticut Women’s Council, a professional and social networking group.

The family held a private wake the previous day in Brookfield, the community Rell represented in the House. The home where Rell and her husband, Lou, raised their children is now owned by her daughter. 

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The former governor had kept a condo in town, though she was a snow bird, a retiree with a legal residence in Florida. Lou Rell died a decade ago at 73. Their daughter looks and sounds like the mother. The son favors the father.

The formality of a governor lying in state didn’t last long, as a line formed, nearly all of the early arrivals with some connection to Connecticut politics and its 87th governor.

“I had to sneak over and see my friend,” Paul Doyle said.

Doyle is a Superior Court judge who sits in criminal court, two blocks south of the Capitol. He was a House member during Rell’s 10 years in the House and later was elected to the Senate.

Terry Amann, wife of former Speaker of the House James Amann, reaches out to embrace the family of former Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Peter Nystrom, the mayor of Norwich and a former House member, was already there. Soon, others followed: James A. Amann, who became House speaker in 2005, sometimes clashing with Rell over issues — once drawing the ire of his wife, who admonished him to be nicer.

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Thomas D. Ritter, one of Amann’s predecessors as speaker, chatted with Jack Betkoski and Michael Caron, two former lawmakers now serving on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Herb Shepardson, the Republican chair when Rell was governor, was behind them.

At 10 a.m., the family emerged to greet Gov. Ned Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, the latter of whom had served in the House with Rell. Lamont and Bysiewicz were the first to pause by the casket, then chat with the family. Lying in state had become a wake.

House Speaker Matt Ritter, a Democrat, and House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora, a Republican, arrived together. Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, left the line to join them. Then he returned to his place in line, explaining that Rell, who held the House seat that Harding would occupy before going to the Senate, had a thing about not jumping lines.

Cafero, a Republican, stood in line in front of Tom Swan, the director of the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, a liberal activist in Democratic causes.

Swan was one of organizers behind an effort to pass campaign finance reform the year after Rell took office. Rell wanted bans on contributions from contractors and lobbyists, but not the public financing of campaigns sought by Swan and others.

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Ultimately, Rell accepted a version with public financing. On Tuesday, Swan said her initial reluctance was immaterial.

“She signed it,” Swan said.

There were other things about Rell that Swan admired, including signing a law that gave early marriage rights to same-sex couples under a civil unions law. She later signed a gay marriage bill enacting a court order. Medicaid expanded under Rell, and the tax code got more progressive, even if it was through a budget Rell allowed to take effect without her signature.

“She was a good governor,” Swan said, his voice low as he approached the casket and Rell’s family. 

An initial rush subsided after 45 minutes, but a stream of others continued into the afternoon. Liz Kurantowicz, a former Rell aide, wore a scarf, a tribute to her former boss’s fashion signature.

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“This is a Rell scarf,” Kurantowicz, pointing to a state seal.

Donald E. Williams Jr., the former Senate president pro tem, is a Democrat who led the opposition to the Republican governor but noted it was an opposition without rancor. 

Williams moved up the pecking order at the Capitol the same time as Rell. When Gov. John G. Rowland resigned and Rell became governor, William’s predecessor as Senate leader, Kevin B. Sullivan, automatically succeeded Rell as lieutenant governor. Williams was then chosen as the new Senate leader. 

After greeting the family, the mourners paused to sign a guest book that sat on a lectern by three easels hold photos.

The National Guard had brought pictures of Rell at events for Operation ELF, the guard’s annual toy drive. It was a pet cause of Rell’s. The photos were displayed on easels off to the side, near an illuminated Christmas tree.

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Body recovered after Bloomfield house fire and explosion

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Body recovered after Bloomfield house fire and explosion


A body was recovered after a house explosion resulting in a house fire in the area of Banbury Lane on Monday night.

Fire Marshal Roger Nelson says they recovered a body around 1:15 on Tuesday morning. The identity of the body found will not be released at this time.

When officers arrived around 6:11 p.m. they encountered the house fully in flames, police said.

According to police, the fire department was able to extinguish the fire, but the house sustained devastating damage.

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There are no criminal aspects related to this incident at this time.

The incident was contained to the one house.



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Exclusive | Ex-CBS anchor Josh Elliott back on Connecticut dating scene after ugly Liz Cho split

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Exclusive | Ex-CBS anchor Josh Elliott back on Connecticut dating scene after ugly Liz Cho split


Ex-CBS host Josh Elliott is looking for love eight months after he filed for divorce from “Eyewitness News” anchor Liz Cho.

“Josh is out and about on the dating scene in Fairfield County,” a spy exclusively tells Page Six. “He’s been seen at the bars in the area where middle-aged singles congregate.” 

A second source tells Page Six, “Josh isn’t dating anyone, but he is open to meeting people. His daughter is his priority.”

Page Six can also reveal that Elliott moved out of his and Cho’s estimated $4.2 million Connecticut marital home in January.

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Josh Elliott (pictured above back in July) is “open” to dating eight months after filing for divorce from Liz Cho. FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
The former CBS anchor (seen here in 2016 with his estranged wife) has been on the dating scene in Connecticut. Kristina Bumphrey/Starpix / Shutterstock

In court papers dated Jan. 29 and obtained by Page Six, Cho revealed Elliott moved out of their home and into a new residence without her knowledge.

Cho claimed she was notified by Optimum on Jan. 21, regarding her ex installing internet at his new home.

“The Defendant learned for the first time from said communication that on or about January 15, 2026, the Plaintiff secured an unfurnished rental residence located in Southport, Connecticut,” the filing read.

“It is now clear that the Plaintiff surreptitiously entered a new lease…” the court papers continued.

A rep for Elliott did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment.

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Elliott moved out of the Connecticut home he shared with Cho earlier this year. Getty Images
The former “Good Morning America” anchor divorced from Cho in June after a decade of marriage. Getty Images

Page Six broke the ousted CBS anchor filed for divorce from Cho after a decade of marriage on June 20, 2025.

“The marriage of the parties has broken down irretrievably,” the court papers read. Elliott asked for a “dissolution of the marriage” and for “an equitable distribution of all property, both real and personal.”

Cho responded to her estranged husband’s complaint on Nov. 6 and filed a cross-complaint against him. She also stated their marriage “has broken down irretrievably.”

The divorce became messy when Cho requested “copies of written correspondence, emails, cards, WeChat messages, Facebook messages, social media messaging, instant messaging, telephonic text messages, transcribed voicemail messages or any written forms of communication” between Elliott and “any person, other than the defendant, with whom [Elliott] have or have had a romantic and/or sexual relationship, from July 11, 2015, to the present.”

Elliott objected the request on the “grounds that the time frame of the request for production is unreasonable, unnecessary, harassing and not likely to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.”

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Cho also requested “monies spent for the benefit of any person with whom you have had a romantic and/or sexual relationship, other than the defendant,” “property given or transferred by you to any person with whom you have had a romantic and/or sexual relationship, other than the defendant,” “monies spent for your benefit by any person with whom you have had a romantic and/or sexual relationship with, other than the defendant.”

The TV personality in addition requested financial records, documentation proving Elliott’s search for employment — as he was ousted from CBS in 2017 — travel invoices, and more. Elliott objected to the requests.

A source close to the couple previously told Page Six, “This is standard in a divorce. Her lawyer is doing a thorough document request. The documents she is requesting are standard.” The insider also insisted there is no evidence Elliott had a relationship with anyone outside the marriage.

As Page Six reported, Cho requested documentation from Elliott, including financial. Kristina Bumphrey/Starpix / Shutterstock
He objected her requests, as their divorce proceedings have turned nasty. Cindy Ord

Also in the Jan. 29 court filing, Cho filed a motion for contempt against Elliott regarding their jointly owned marital Connecticut mansion.

Cho claimed Elliott arranged for a moving truck to come to the marital residence while she was on vacation with her daughter on Jan. 19.

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Cho claimed Elliott moved a “significant amount of furniture and furnishings from the marital residence,” and their “two Portuguese water dogs,” which she alleged at the time of the filing were not returned.

The court docs continued to allege, “On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, [Cho] realized that she was missing a valuable watch and earrings from her jewelry bag. As [Elliott] is the only other person who had access to the missing watch and jewelry, [Cho] believes [Elliott] is in possession of such personal property.”

She claimed his alleged actions are a “willful violation” of the court’s orders.

The insider alleged Elliott was the one to take care of the dogs and that he took “a small amount of furniture.”

In Elliott’s response to her filing, he objected to her request and claimed her allegations are “false and inflammatory.”

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He claimed in court papers, “[Cho] alleges [Elliott] ‘ransacked’ and ‘abandoned’ the marital residence — claims that are patently false and intended to annoy, harass and intimidate [Elliott].

“[Elliott] did not ransack the marital home. He did not damage the property. He did not render the residence uninhabitable. He removed limited personal property and furnishings so he would have a safe haven from [Cho’s] escalating and erratic behavior direct at not only [Elliott], but his minor child as well.”

Cho accused Elliott (seen in 2019) of taking their two dogs. Getty Images
She also accused him of taking her earrings — claims he denied in court papers. GC Images

In a separate filing, he continued to defend his actions by alleging, “[Elliott] removed only limited furniture items and furnishings, many from the basement, solely to furnish a new residence after removing himself and his child from a hostile environment created by [Cho]. All property remains intact and subject to equitable distribution.”

In regard to the jewelry claim, Elliott said, “Perhaps most egregious is [Cho’s] baseless accusation that [Elliott] stole her jewelry. This allegation is made without evidence, without corroboration and without even a good-faith attempt to verify the truth.”

He then accused her of “monitoring and listening to [Elliott’s] private phone calls; rifling through [Elliott’s] personal belongings and closet; leaving the marital residence for extended periods without communication despite the presence of two dogs requiring daily care” and more claims.

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He is requesting that the court deny her motion for contempt and they are due in court on March 20.

Lawyers for Cho and Elliott did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment regarding the divorce.

Elliott accused his estranged wife of escalating and erratic behavior. Lawyers for Cho did not respond to Page Six’s request for comment. Jamie McCarthy
Elliott is in talks to return to television to join Gayle King and Nate Burleson on “CBS Mornings.” Brian Ach

Elliott, 54, and Cho, 55, met while working for ABC and got married in July 2015.

This was the second marriage for both, as they each share a daughter from their previous relationships.

Cho has been with ABC on “Eyewitness News” since 2003, while Elliott was with ABC’s “Good Morning America” from 2011 to 2014.

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After a brief stint with NBC, he joined CBSN as lead daytime anchor in March 2016. Nearly a year later, he was let go from the company.

Elliott has been out of the spotlight in recent years, but is now in talks to join Gayle King and Nate Burleson on “CBS Mornings,” Awful Announcing reported.



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Man charged with murder in Hartford

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Man charged with murder in Hartford


A man was charged with murder and interfering with police on Sunday night.

According to police, officers were dispatched to an apartment on Washington Street for a wellness check of a woman who was reportedly unconscious and not breathing.

When officers arrived, they made contact with a man in the apartment who refused to cooperate and would not allow officers access. They then had to force entry into the apartment where they located the victim suffering from severe head trauma as well as the aggressive male, police said.

The man was secured and transported to the Hartford Police Detention Facility and is being held on a million-dollar bond.

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The victim was revealed to be 76-year-old Linda Anthony and was pronounced deceased on scene.

The Hartford Police Major Crimes and Crime Scene Divisions responded to the scene and assumed the investigation.  



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