Here are the top girls soccer performances from last week. Email nominations each week to joseph.morelli@hearstmediact.com.
Connecticut
A CT woman’s husband drank contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. Now she’s fighting for justice.
Matthew Mildrum loved serving his country as a Marine lance corporal, but his 156 days at Camp Lejeune, N.C., cost him his life.
Now his widow, Kimberly Jensen of Berlin, is fighting for justice for her husband and other victims of the contaminated water at the Marine base, and raising awareness of the issue.
Too few people are aware they might be victims themselves, Jensen said.
She and five others recently took their case to the streets of Washington, D.C., staging a small demonstration at the United States Navy Memorial and the Department of Justice.
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
A group of four Camp Lejeune widows and two victims demonstrated outside the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on June 2. Kimberly Jensen is second from right.
Mildrum died in January 2020 of lung and bone cancer, which the Navy acknowledged were service related. Jensen said he was a Marine till the end.
“When he said this to me, I knew how much pain he was in. He said, I wish I’d died in the Marines as a hero versus a victim of the country I loved,” she said.
As many as 1 million Marines, staff and family members may have been exposed to Camp Lejeune’s toxic chemicals, found in water, including benzene, which have been shown to cause cancer and birth defects, among other health issues.
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Mildrum
The contamination began in the 1950s and the poisoned wells were shut down in 1985, three years after the problems were discovered, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Seven cancers and Parkinson’s disease are considered “presumptive conditions,” meaning the Department of Veterans Affairs will grant benefits to those suffering from them if they served at least 30 days at Camp Lejeune between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987.
In August 2022, the Camp Lejeune Justice Act allowed for tort claims to be filed against the Navy. (The Marines are a part of the Navy.) The day after the law passed, Jensen’s lawyer filed 2,500 claims.
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
Kimberly Jensen and Matthew Mildrum
After his discharge, Mildrum was a mail carrier in Plainville for 32 years, retiring at 56, Jensen said. “Then he got the job he loved, which was an armed security guard for federal judges. And then all sudden, he’s not feeling good,” she said.
“He was diagnosed with lung cancer in January (2020),” she said. “He had radiation, he had immunotherapy and chemotherapy. And he did not respond favorably to any of it because apparently it was in his bones.”
Mildrum died in August 2020, “four days after our 17th wedding anniversary and a day after his grandson’s second birthday. It was pretty traumatic,” Jensen, 57, said. She spent the next year fighting for her husband’s VA benefits, which she ultimately received. And she has filed a notice of intent to sue.
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
A photo of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Mildrum with a sign his widow carried to Washington
“He was drinking approximately 380 parts per billion of benzene,” which has an allowable limit of five parts per billion, Jensen said.
“When you put the toxic cocktail together, they shouldn’t be denying anything at all,” she said. “So I helped advocate. Since his passing, I had a lot of people help me get through the VA. And with that, I in turn decided to pay it forward. And I’ve done research on all these horrible toxins. And an important part of my life now is to create awareness for Camp Lejeune.”
Jensen and Mildrum’s blended family includes five children and three grandchildren. Jensen now cares for her mother-in-law.
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
Matthew Mildrum and Kimberly Jensen
“I cry every time I cut the lawn because he loved cutting the lawn, and when he got sick, he tried,” but was unable to do the chore, Jensen said. “Every time I cut the lawn, I just see him so sick and so helpless. I mean, it’s the guy who walked 12 miles a day on his route, and then to lose the ability to walk, it was devastating.”
While the Navy is taking claims from survivors, many have been denied simply because the Navy did not respond within the required six months, Jensen said. All the claims must be filed with four federal judges in the Eastern District of North Carolina, who have received 45,000 notices, she said. The deadline for claims is Aug. 10, 2024.
“There’s never been any Camp Lejeune awareness campaigns in New England,” Jensen said. “I’m with the American Legion Auxiliary in Berlin and I’m meeting people every day that still don’t know that they could file a lawsuit or that they could fight the VA for their denials.”
On June 2, Jensen’s group of four widows and two victims met in Washington with signs and T-shirts. Her T-shirt read “D.O.J. Another Camp Lejeune victim died today!”
Courtesy of Kimberly Jensen
Kimberly Jensen with a photo of her late husband, Matthew Mildrum, during a trip to Washington, D.C.
Jensen’s friend, Tara Craver, who organized the group, called Catherine Herridge of CBS News, who came out to interview them.
“We started at the Navy Memorial,” Jensen said. ‘We walked past the FBI, we went to the Department of Justice, and just kind of hung out there. … And we made a very quiet statement: ‘We’re tired. Stop the delay. It’s been 45 years in the making. Do something.’
“We weren’t obnoxious,” she said. “We were just making statements and taking pictures. Not shouting. And we wanted it to be small, because as far as I’m concerned, sometimes a whisper is received a lot better than a scream.”
Jensen found Craver through Craver’s Facebook group, “Camp Lejeune Victims: ‘The Faces.’” Craver, who lives in Sebring, Fla., lost her husband in 2014 to esophageal cancer.
Craver said she is proud of Jensen and her efforts.
“I’ve been in this just under 10 years since I lost my husband, and I met Kim about a year and a half ago,” she said. “After losing her husband, she was devastated. She didn’t know where to go, what to do, nothing.”
But after Jensen fought for her husband’s death benefits and having his death ruled as service connected, “The student has now become the teacher,” Craver said. “And now she’s paying it forward and I couldn’t be more proud of her if I wanted to be. She’s really a smart cookie.”
The two women talk almost every night.
“I think it’s great what she’s done and what she’s doing,” Craver said. “So many people, they don’t want to get up and do anything. They want you to do it for them.”
Craver said she was most angered by the Navy’s response to the lawsuits, which put the responsibility on the victims. It claimed the Navy is not responsible if the plaintiffs voluntarily assumed the risk, negligently contributed to the injury or “failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence to avoid or lessen the consequences of any injury loss or damage.”
Maj. Jim Stenger, Marine Corps spokesman, issued a statement, saying, “The Marine Corps cares deeply about our service members, veterans, civilian workforce, and families — including those who have experienced health issues they believe are related to their time in service.”
Jensen said she is getting impatient with the Navy’s delay tactics.
“By no means is it our fault that this happened,” she said. “They need to stop stalling. They’ve ruined so many lives. They continue to ruin lives. We don’t even have any idea what the biological effects of it (are) genetically. And it’s still so new that they don’t know.”
While Mildrum’s spirits were good until his death, “the strong, burly 6-foot-4 Marine dwindled down to nothing,” Jensen said.
“He was so disillusioned when this happened,” she said. “He just couldn’t believe they hid it for so long.”
Ed Stannard can be reached at estannard@courant.com.
A Middletown fire engine found an unusual surprise while responding to a home in town on Tuesday.
It came as a shock to the crew when they arrived and found a cat with its head stuck in a chair.
The cat, named Ozzy, was carefully set free by crew members.
The cat refused further medical evaluation, but is expected to be just fine.
Housatonic’s Madeline Mechare (14) and Terryville’s Taylor Freimuth (13) collide while both trying to get control of the ball during their Berkshire League game Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at Terryville High School.
Taylor Allan, North Branford, Soph.: Had two goals and four assists in North Branford’s 11-3 win over Platt Tech.
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Sophia Bianco, Barlow, Jr.: Goalkeeper shut out New Fairfield 1-0, Bianco’s ninth shutout of the season.
Sydney Bronk and Ella Santoro, New Britain, Srs.: Santoro tied the school record with four goals scored in a single game and Bronk also tied a school record with four assists in a game, both accomplishing the feats against New Britain, an 8-0 win.
Sophia Brown, Holy Cross, Sr.: Had two goals and an assist in a 7-0 win for the Crusaders over Wolcott.
Gabby Butler, Middletown, Sr.: Scored four goals in a 5-0 win for the Blue Dragons over New Britain.
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Mia Cunningham, Seymour, Soph.: Made 15 saves to help the Wildcats edge Haddam-Killingworth 2-1.
Gianna Desjardins, Nonnewaug, Jr.: Assisted on two goals in Nonnewaug’s 4-0 victory over Thomaston.
Charlotte Diviney, Simsbury, Jr.: Scored two goals against Farmington in a 4-0 victory.
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East Hampton: The Bellringers finished the regular season at 13-0-2. They are just one of two remaining unbeatens, Bacon Academy is the other.
Taylor Freimuth, Terryville, Sr.: Scored four goals in Terryville’s 5-0 win over Shepaug.
Trocari Griffith-McCalop, HMTCA, Jr.: Scored both goals, including a penalty kick, as HMTCA handed International/Aerospace its first loss 2-1.
Scarlette Gutierrez, Stratford, Jr.: Scored twice against New Milford (5-2 loss) and another against Immaculate (2-1 loss).
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Dylan Hall, Branford, Sr.: Goalkeeper made 25 saves in a 6-0 loss to Lauralton Hall. She now has a school-record 526 saves for the Hornets.
Anna Henry, Lewis Mills, Sr.: Goalkeeper made 17 saves as Lewis Mills knocked off previously-unbeaten Farmington 2-1.
Amiyah Jones, West Haven, Jr.: Scored twice in the Westies’ 5-2 win against Branford.
Bianca Maciel, Sacred Heart Academy, Sr.: Had two goals and three assists in a 9-0 win over Law and scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Cheshire.
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Emily McKelvey, Lyman Memorial, Sr.: Scored five goals in two games against Hale-Ray (6-3 victory) and Westbrook (5-1).
Hannah Milne, Weston, Jr., GK: Posted shutouts over New Milford (3-0) and Kolbe Cathedral (6-0) last week and has seven overall.
Sadie Passante, Morgan, Sr.: Had a hat trick in a 5-0 victory over East Lyme.
Mackenzie Pierce, Holy Cross, Jr.: Had two goals and three assists in the Crusaders’ 7-0 victory against Wolcott.
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Siya Rajesh, International/Aerospace, Soph.: Had a hat trick in a 6-0 victory over Comp Sci.
Hayle Rosado, North Branford, Jr.: Had four goals and two assists in the Thunderbirds’ 11-3 win against Platt Tech.
Bria Rossi, Bristol Central, Fr.: Scored both goals in a 2-2 tie with Avon.
Ava Segalla, Housatonic Regional, Sr.: Scored four goals to become the school’s all-time leading scorer with 122 goals, passing her sister Lauren, who had 120. Housatonic beat Monument Mountain (Mass.) 6-1.
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Samantha Selig, Staples, Jr.: Had three assists in a 5-2 win against Westhill.
Amelia Stephens, Masuk, Sr.: Scored the go-ahead goal in the second half to help the Panthers beat Barlow 2-1.
Marleigh Stewart, Seymour, Soph.: Scored both goals in the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory against Haddam-Killingworth.
Talia Tamsin, Branford, Soph.: Came through with a hat trick in the Hornets’ 4-1 win over East Haven.
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Shae Tiven, Waterford, Soph.: Scored the game’s only goal against Morgan.
Alexa Van Aken, Staples, Soph.: Assisted on both of the Wreckers’ goals in a 2-0 win over Fairfield Ludlowe.
Games to watch
FCIAC tournament quarterfinals, Tuesday, at site of higher seed: Is this a wide open FCIAC Tournament? Indeed it is. Top seed Greenwich has had a great season, its lone loss to St. Joseph. The Cardinals are looking for their first league championship since 2012 (shared title with St. Joseph). New Canaan is the defending champion and is the No. 2 seed here with a potential semifinal-round matchup with St. Joseph.
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SWC tournament quarterfinals, Tuesday, at site of higher seed: Notre Dame Prep is the top seed and Brookfield, the defending champion, could get the Lancers in the semifinals, but would have to win at Masuk in the opener. Newtown and Pomperaug are on the other side of the bracket and would meet in the semis at Newtown if seeding holds to form.
SCC tournament quarterfinals, Thursday, at site of higher seed: Mercy has won the last two titles. Can Amity, last year’s other finalist, dethrone the Tigers? The Spartans snapped Mercy’s 51-game regular season unbeaten streak earlier this month.
CCC tournament quarterfinals, Thursday, at site of higher seed: Farmington is the defending champion, but Simsbury (the 2023 winner), Lewis Mills and East Catholic are all contenders.
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Connecticut
Connecticut child’s death that went unnoticed for a year renews debate on homeschooling regulations
Investigators are still trying to determine precisely when Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia was killed, police say. The 11-year-old’s remains were found in a bin behind an abandoned house in New Britain. Jacqueline’s mother, Karla Garcia, and her boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, have been charged with murder. Garcia’s sister, Jackelyn Garcia, faces charges that include cruelty to a child under 19.
The death of an 11-year-old girl whose remains were found this month — about a year after police believe she was killed — has renewed a debate over Connecticut homeschooling regulations.
Jacqueline “Mimi” Torres-Garcia’s remains were found behind an abandoned New Britain home on Oct. 8 after police say her family hid her decomposing body for about a year. The girl’s death went unnoticed because she was no longer enrolled in school and the state Department of Children and Families said her mother had another child pose as her during a virtual visit months after she is believed to have died.
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The girl’s mother, Karla Garcia, and the woman’s boyfriend, Jonatan Nanita, have each been charged with murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit murder, intentional cruelty to a child under age 19, unlawful restraint and risk of injury. Garcia also is charged with tampering with physical evidence and illegal disposal of a body. The woman’s sister, Jackelyn Garcia, is charged with intentional cruelty to a child, first-degree unlawful restraint and risk of injury to a minor.
Connecticut officials who oversee agencies connected with child protection and safety say the 11-year-old’s death is the latest example of why they believe the state needs regulations on homeschooling.
“The Center for Children’s Advocacy strongly supports parents’ constitutionally protected right to direct the education of their child, including the right to provide a home-based education,” said Sarah Eagan, the agency’s executive director. “In Connecticut, despite our compulsory education and attendance laws, school districts do not engage in any inquiry or follow up on children that are permanently removed from school for the stated purpose of homeschooling. Most states have follow-up, record keeping, or other requirements related to withdrawn and homeschooled children. CCA strongly recommends that lawmakers urgently address this public policy matter as it directly impacts the safety and wellbeing of certain children.”
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An online petition started by Bridgeport resident Los Fidel is lobbying for the creation of “Mimi’s Law” to ensure “no child disappears unnoticed again.” As of Monday morning, the petition on change.org had gathered more than 13,000 signatures.
However, the leader of a homeschooling advocacy organization said in a news release that the “offense date” of June 21, 2024 listed in Connecticut court records for Karla Garcia indicates the child was killed more than a month before her mother withdrew her from public school.
Attorney Deborah G. Stevenson, founder of National Home Education Legal Defense LLC, said that means complaints about homeschooling and the child being out of the public eye when she was allegedly abused and killed are baseless.
Farmington police said the June offense dates listed for Karla Garcia and her two co-defendants reflect only the start of a time range for the crimes because investigators are still trying to determine precisely when the girl was killed. Arrest warrants in the case have been sealed until next week.
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Search warrants that were obtained by Farmington police indicate they believe the child’s alleged abuse was witnessed by Jackelyn Garcia between June and August 2024 when she was living with the family for periods of time. Karla Garcia told her sister that the girl died on Sept. 19, 2024, weeks after she filed to have the child homeschooled, according to the documents.
Police say the girl suffered “prolonged physical abuse” and “malnourishment.” In the search warrants, police said Karla Garcia “stopped feeding” the child in the weeks before she died and that the girl was restrained with zip ties.
The offense dates for all of Jackelyn Garcia’s charges are listed in court records as June 1, 2024. Offense dates for all charges against Karla Garcia and Nanita are listed as June 21, 2024.
Jacqueline attended New Britain schools from kindergarten through fifth grade, according to New Britain Superintendent of Schools Tony Gasper. On Aug. 26, 2024, which would have been Jacqueline’s first day of sixth grade, Karla Garcia filed an official Notification of Withdrawal from the school district, stating her daughter’s new address would be in Farmington, Gasper said. On that same day, Garcia filed a Notice of Intent: Instruction of Student at Home form with the district, he said.
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Stevenson said the outcry about homeschooling after crimes against children, including a Waterbury man who says he was held captive in his home since he was removed from school as a child, “is nothing new” and is an excuse to force more regulation of at-home education.
Connecticut’s homeschooling laws are looser than in neighboring states. A recent report by the Office of Legislative Research says Connecticut’s homeschooling framework largely relies on voluntary guidelines rather than on state statute — making it an outlier compared to nearby states that solidify rules around notice and record-keeping under the law.
Although there are rules around withdrawing children from school, Connecticut does not legally require any notification from parents before homeschooling their children, according to the report. There are also no state laws around required home record-keeping, annual assessments or enforcement or intervention mechanisms if homeschooling requirements are not met, the report noted.
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Advocates say this lack of regulation has allowed some parents to withdraw their children from school, isolate their children, shield themselves from reports to the state’s child welfare agency and neglect or abuse their children. State guidelines recommend parents file notice of intent to homeschool with the local board of education, but it is not mandated by law, according to the report.
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