A Vernon public works employee was honored for saving a toddler’s life at a town council meeting Tuesday night.

In the middle of his trash route last Thursday morning, Doug Haiko saw a car on the side of the road and a mom in distress.

He said her 18-month-old boy was choking. Using the EMT training he learned years ago, he did the Heimlich maneuver, and after a while, the boy started breathing again.

“Really, wasn’t a lot of thinking involved,” said Haiko. “It was just get in and try to help.”

Haiko’s wife, Brianna, was on the phone with him when he went to help the boy.

“I was just on the phone with him, talking with him, and all of a sudden, I heard, ‘Do you need help?’ Didn’t really hear what was going on in the background,” she said. “And all I heard was him trying to call for an ambulance, calling for help.”

Haiko later explained what had happened to his wife. She said she wasn’t shocked her husband would be so quick to act.

“I’m very proud of him, it’s the kind of person he is,” she said. “I know he’s very low-key about it, but as a mom, I had a little more emotion. But I was very proud of him for stepping up and doing the right thing.”

The mayor and town council thanked Haiko for his willingness to jump in and help.

Connecticut State Police are searching for a driver who they say repeatedly switches license plates and cars and drives recklessly through Washington and New Milford.

The driver travels westbound on Route 109 every day around 6:45 a.m., police said.

While passing from Washington to New Milford, the driver is seen operating in a “reckless manner” and passing cars and school buses, according to a Facebook post from the Washington Resident Trooper Office.

Troopers tried to stop the driver on Route 8, but the person sped away so fast that police ended the chase, police said.

The two vehicles that police say the person drives are a green Subaru Legacy with Florida license plate 61931X and a red Jeep with an unknown New York license plate and plastic on the driver’s side window. Photos of the vehicles were shared in the Facebook post.

Police said they believe the driver works somewhere in New Milford.

Anyone with information should contact the Connecticut State Police.

Is your car taking a little longer to start or not starting at all? The cold weather may be a major reason.

“The cold air always affects everything,” Aquaysha Johnson of New Haven said.

Everything that involves using your car. For drivers in Hamden, the recent freezing cold spell is doing a number on their vehicles.

“It seems like the battery, the gas, it’s always something,” she said.

Something electric car drivers are dealing with, especially when it comes to their batteries. One driver says his car batteries aren’t working as well, making it harder when he’s out and about.

“You can notice it for sure. You can notice the range drop. Even your car will tell you its range is 20 to 30 miles less than normal,” Pedram Motevalli of Hamden said.

AAA says it’s seeing more battery issues for drivers in Connecticut.  Last week, there were 8,000 roadside assistance calls, with 3,000 for battery issues. AAA says that’s a 50% jump from the week before.

“It’s a lot of calls for jumpstart, lockout, tow, RV extraction,” Jose Alvarez, a tow truck driver, said.

He responds to AAA calls and has seen the uptick firsthand.

“Probably in the three weeks before, we got a lot of jumpstarts,” Alvarez said.

AAA says to keep your car battery in the best shape, park in garages away from the elements if possible, and keep terminals clean.  It also says electric cars should have their batteries preconditioned while plugged in to charge. Drivers say they’ll do whatever they can to weather this latest cold spell.

“Do whatever you can. Wrap up tight. It’s way too much,” Johnson said.

AAA says if you do have an old battery that’s close to needing to be replaced, it may be a good idea to get it done sooner or later, with the cold temps sticking around for a bit.