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Alyssa Thomas breaks WNBA triple-double record in 96-72 win for Connecticut Sun over Chicago Sky

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Alyssa Thomas breaks WNBA triple-double record in 96-72 win for Connecticut Sun over Chicago Sky


UNCASVILLE — On Saturday, the Connecticut Sun announced that two-time All-Star Brionna Jones had suffered a torn Achilles and would be out for the remainder on the season, leaving the team without its starting center and pivotal piece to its success in recent years.

A day later, the Sun rallied behind their other star, Alyssa Thomas, to notch a 96-72 victory over the Chicago Sky to add to the celebration in their annual Pride Game at Mohegan Sun Arena.

On the same day she was snubbed as an All-Star Game starter, Thomas recorded a triple-double with 14 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds, along with two steals. It was the fourth triple-double of her career in the regular season, breaking the all-time WNBA record.

“With what she’s doing on the court, she should have been an All- Star starter — simple,” DeWanna Bonner said. “Man, there’s just no one like her in the world. … And now she’s the all time leader in triple-doubles, it’s kind of like, what you’re gonna do next? But it’s just, I’m honored to be playing alongside of her.

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“To witness that tonight was special. I kind of looked up and I already knew that she was going to get there. They don’t put the assists on the board here, but when I saw the rebounds, I’m like, ‘Yeah, this is gonna be a triple-double type of night.’”

In the win, Thomas also moved into first all-time in Sun franchise history in career rebounding with 1,822 rebounds. She passed Taj McWilliams-Franklin (1,814), who held the record for 17 years. Bonner  also moved into ninth all-time in scoring in WNBA history, passing Katie Smith. She now has 6,454 all time career points.

Bonner led Connecticut in scoring with 26 points and also added eight rebounds. DiJonai Carrington added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Natisha Hiedeman had 14 points and five assists, and Tiffany Hayes notched 11 points and three assists.

Courtney Williams, who played for the Sun last season as well as from 2016 to 2019,  finished with 11 points, five assists and five rebounds. Kahleah Copper led the Sky with 29 points and seven rebounds.

With less than six minutes left in the first quarter, Hayes appeared to get hit in the face and went down on the court. She was helped up by team trainer Nicole Alexander and walked back to the locker room with an ice back on her face, leaving the Sun without another starter. Connecticut trailed 14-11 at that point, with all of the Sky’s points coming by way of the paint.

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The Sun trailed the Sky 27-26 at the end of the first quarter. They gave up 22 points in the paint and allowed Chicago to shoot 75% inside of the arc, the loss of Jones very much felt on the defensive end of the floor.

“A lot of it was just us not getting through screens, not being in the right positions,” Thomas said. “At the same time, we’re still learning this lineup, we’re still still learning the post, we’re working on the fly, not too much practice. So yeah, we’re gonna have some some bumps as we’re working this out. But we talked through it and worked with each other and and we just go from there.”

Luckily for the Sun, Hayes rejoined the team on the bench toward the end of the first quarter and re-entered the game shortly into the second.

Midway through the quarter, fellow former UConn star Olivia Nelson-Ododa grabbed an offensive board off a miss from Thomas and put it back up for the score. Thomas flexed and let out a celebratory shout, hyping up the second year player, who is expected to play a much bigger role with Jones’ injury.

“Everyone has to come in and and do more,” Thomas said. “Liv coming in and doing the little things with offensive rebounding and putbacks, I mean, that’s what we need. And we lost a huge piece, so it’s going to take a team effort. Not one person can do it by themselves. And as you can see, little by little, everyone is adding more.”

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Thomas came up with a steal on the ensuing defensive possession and passed it to Hiedeman, who hit midrange jumper. Thomas and Hiedeman connected for another big shot on the next possession as well as the Sun strung together a run. Thomas grabbed an offensive rebound and found Hiedeman, who splashed home a triple from the corner to give the Sun a 42-33 lead with 4:28 left in the second.

“She’s like a coach on the floor,” Sun head coach Stephanie White said of Thomas. “She’s an incredibly high IQ player. And when you have a player that has that will to win, that has that competitive fire, that just plays their ass off all the time, that knows how to play too, I mean that’s that’s what you get. It’s really incredible that she’s accomplished what she’s accomplished with this triple double record already, and she’s really young in her career.”

The Sun led the Sky 54-42 at halftime after holding their opponent to only six points in the paint and 35% shooting in the second quarter.

Following a layup from Thomas to open the frame, the Sky went on a 10-0 run in a little over two minutes early into the third quarter to cut the Sun’s lead to single digits. The run was sparked by the play of Copper as the home team struggled to get shots to fall. Bonner then responded with a layup to get Connecticut’s lead back up to 10 with a little over six minutes left.

With a little over a minute and a half left in the third, Thomas grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw from Copper. Then on the other end of the floor, she passed the ball to to Carrington on the wing, who then drove inside for the layup. The sequence gave Thomas the last rebound and assist she needed to notch the triple-double and ink her name into the WNBA history books.

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“I mean, I’ve been doing this since college, so is this isn’t new,” Thomas said. “But it just comes to who you’re playing with. I said to them, none of this possible without them. So my name might be on it, but a lot of credit goes to my teammates and so far this year for me I feel like it’s been the easiest for me with the way that they’re knocking down shots.”

By the end of the quarter, Connecticut held a firm 77-63 lead over Chicago.

Scoring was sparse for both teams to start the fourth quarter, until Hayes made a layup with a little over six minutes left. Carrington made a layup off a steal from Nelson-Ododa after that to extend the Sun’s lead to 15 points.

Later in the quarter, Bonner hit a jumper to kickstart a 12-0 run that would extend Connecticut’s lead to 94-70 with 2:11 left.

Following a timeout in which Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” played to celebrate Thomas’ historic feat, the Sun coasted to victory from as they continued to build their advantage.

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“It’s special,” White said of the moment. “Players, when you’re in it, you don’t always understand how special it is. I think it takes time, when you’ve been away from the game for a while to really reflect on on how incredible some of the milestones are. But those of us who are watching, we know, right. And so, AT probably doesn’t like all that attention and all and all that celebration for her, but for us just to appreciate what she has brought and what she continues to bring to the table and to celebrate her greatness is important. And you can see her teammates loved it, it was a great moment.”





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Connecticut

These New CT Laws That Can Change Your Life Go Into Effect July 1

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These New CT Laws That Can Change Your Life Go Into Effect July 1


CONNECTICUT — Social media, school buses, the Freedom of Information Act, and hair strand thickness have all been under the microscope in Hartford recently. These are a few of the laws that resulted, new to the books as of July 1.

The complete list covering 95 pieces of new legislation is on the state’s website.

State law now requires children to be 5 years old by Sept. 1 of the year they start kindergarten in Connecticut. The previous date was Jan. 1. Parents may obtain an exception for their child following a written request and an assessment completed by the school that determines admitting the child to kindergarten would be developmentally appropriate.

When parents pick their children up from kindergarten after their first day of school, they will find a new emphasis has been placed on “play-based learning.” This is an approach to teaching that includes developmentally appropriate strategies that can be integrated with existing learning standards. It does not mean time spent in recess or as part of a physical education course or instruction, according to the definitions in the legislation.

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Legislators hope that a new law cracking down on motorists illegally passing school buses will make the roads safer before and after school. The new legislation allows municipalities or districts to install “school bus violation detection monitoring systems,” surveillance technology designed to make collection of newly ramped-up penalties from scofflaw motorists a bit easier. Roadway work zones will also be under enhanced video surveillance, as the results of last year’s Transportation Department trial program convinced lawmakers to make the monitoring permanent.

When school’s not in session, state inspectors will be doubling down on summer camps, according to new legislation in effect July 1. “An Act Concerning Youth Camps” details the infractions and penalties, which can include license revocation, included in the new scrutiny.

It’s now easier to erase your child’s online life, for whatever reason. New regulations require social media platforms to unpublish a minor’s social media account within 15 business days, and generally delete the account within 45 business days, after receiving an authenticated request. The new law also sets tighter standards for the sharing of personal health and medical data, and requires online dating services to adopt a policy for handling harassment.

Connecticut residents can only hope that a reduction in social media usage will result in head-healthier kids. In the high likelihood that it does not, the state is prepared with an expansion of preschool and mental and behavioral services for children, as detailed in the new legislation here.

Three years after Connecticut made recreational cannabis use legal, new legislation drills a little deeper and tidies up a number of the provisions. Among these, the sale of THC-laced beverages will be limited to licensed package stores and hybrid distributors, federally-recognized Indian tribes can expand their growing operations, and other growers approved for large-scale operations will have the option to scale down and cut costs.

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A new law places certain restrictions on exactly what kind of law enforcement records can be released through a Freedom of Information Act request. For example, the identity of certain informants, the identity of witnesses whose safety would be endangered, and the arrest records of juveniles will no longer be disclosed.

It will be a little easier to pay for and get into state universities as of July 1. Under a new law, a minimum unweighted grade point average, and not a student’s class rank, will determine acceptance under the Connecticut Automatic Admissions Program. More new legislation permits minors to directly sign for a loan with the Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority.

Public Act No. 24-27 establishes a fund providing health insurance to survivors of a police officer killed in the line of duty. Another new law plugs a loophole in existing firearms background check regulations which limited the access to the juvenile records of people involved in the proposed transfer of a gun.

Finally, and in the category of “you-know-there’s-a-good-story-behind-this-one,” Public Act No. 24-53 caught our eye. Drafted in consultation with the Connecticut Examining Board for Barbers, Hairdressers and Cosmeticians, the new legislation expands the curriculum requirements for barber schools and hairdressing and cosmetology schools to include education and training in providing services to “individuals with textured hair, including, but not limited to, working with various curl and wave patterns, hair strand thicknesses and volumes of hair.”



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Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Already Issued For Parts Of CT: Live Updates

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Severe Thunderstorm Warnings Already Issued For Parts Of CT: Live Updates


Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

(Editor’s note: All information is via the National Weather Service and all updates are posted as they come in with the most recent alerts on top.)


…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM EDT
FOR SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW HAVEN COUNTIES…

At 233 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over North Haven, or
near New Haven, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

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SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Minor hail damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind
damage to trees and power lines.

This severe storm will be near…
Wallingford and Guilford around 240 PM EDT.
Killingworth and North Madison around 250 PM EDT.
Clinton around 255 PM EDT.
Westbrook around 300 PM EDT.


UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for Northwestern New Haven County until 5:15 p.m.

“At 214 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 1.5 inches are
possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

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Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: Waterbury, Wolcott, Cheshire and Middlebury.


UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for northern New London County Until 315 PM EDT.

“At 213 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Hebron, or near Colchester, moving east at 45 mph. HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail….IMPACT…Minor hail damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines.”

This severe thunderstorm will be near:
Lebanon and Bozrah around 220 PM EDT.
Norwich and Sprague around 225 PM EDT.
Jewett City and Griswold around 230 PM EDT.
Voluntown around 240 PM EDT.


UPDATE: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for parts of Fairfield, Middlesex and New Haven counties until 3 p.m.

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“At 215 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Seymour, or near Naugatuck, moving east at 40 mph. HAZARD…Golf ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

This severe storm will be near…
Naugatuck and Hamden around 220 PM EDT.
New Haven and North Haven around 225 PM EDT.
Wallingford around 230 PM EDT.
North Branford around 235 PM EDT.
Guilford and Branford around 240 PM EDT.
Killingworth and North Madison around 250 PM EDT.
Clinton around 255 PM EDT.
Westbrook around 300 PM EDT.


UPDATE: A flood advisory is in effect until 4:15 p.m. for New Haven, Middlesex and New London counties.

“At 222 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. Minor flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the advisory area,” the weather service said.

Some locations that will experience flooding include: Jewett City, Meriden, Middletown, Wallingford, Norwich, Colchester, East Hampton, Durham, Salem, Hamden, Cheshire,
Cromwell, Griswold, Portland, Prospect, East Haddam, Haddam, Lebanon, Bethany and Preston.

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UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Tolland and Windham counties until 2:45 p.m.

“At 217 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Willimantic, or near Windham, moving east at 35 mph….HAZARD…Tennis ball size hail.

Locations impacted include: Mansfield, Windham, Plainfield, Willimantic, Coventry, Brooklyn,
Columbia, Canterbury, Chaplin, Hampton, and Scotland.


UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for parts of Fairfield, New Haven and Middlesex counties until 3 p.m.

“At 156 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Brookfield, or near Newtown, moving east at 40 mph. HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail….IMPACT…Minor hail damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines.”

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This severe thunderstorm will be near:
Southbury and Newtown around 200 PM EDT.
Monroe and Seymour around 210 PM EDT.
Naugatuck and Woodbridge around 215 PM EDT.
New Haven and Hamden around 225 PM EDT.
North Haven around 230 PM EDT.
Wallingford and Branford around 235 PM EDT.
Guilford around 240 PM EDT.
Killingworth and North Madison around 250 PM EDT.
Clinton around 255 PM EDT.


UPDATE: The National Weather Service in Norton has issued a Flash Flood Warning for Hartford County until 5:45 p.m.

“At 145 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly. HAZARD…Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms….IMPACT…Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Bristol, Manchester, East Hartford, Southington, Glastonbury, Newington, Vernon, Windsor, Wethersfield, South Windsor, Farmington, Simsbury, Bloomfield, Berlin, Rocky Hill, Avon and Plainville.


UPDATE: A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for southern Litchfield County until 5 p.m.

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“At 147 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 1.5 and 2.5 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 2 inches in 1
hour. Additional rainfall amounts up to 2 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.”

Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: New Milford, Thomaston, Woodbury Center, Oakville, New Preston, Northwest Harwinton, Terryville, Watertown, Plymouth, Woodbury, Bethlehem, Washington, Morris, Roxbury, Bridgewater, Gulls Hollow, Bethlehem Village, Hotchkissville, Lakeside and Horse Heaven.


UPDATE: The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for central Fairfield County and south central New Haven County until 2:30 p.m.

“At 138 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Brewster, moving southeast at 40 mph. HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail….IMPACT…Minor hail damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines.”

This severe thunderstorm will be near:
Danbury and Ridgefield around 145 PM EDT.
Newtown around 150 PM EDT.
Monroe and Weston around 155 PM EDT.
Fairfield and Trumbull around 200 PM EDT.
Bridgeport around 205 PM EDT.
Stratford around 210 PM EDT.
Milford around 215 PM EDT.

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UPDATE: The National Weather Service has a severe thunderstorm warning for north central Fairfield County until 2:30 p.m.

“At 128 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Pawling, moving east at 25 mph,” the weather service said. “HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail…IMPACT…Minor hail damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage to trees and power lines.”

This severe thunderstorm will be near: Sherman and New Fairfield around 135 PM EDT.


UPDATE: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Hartford and Tolland County until 2:30 p.m.

“At 129 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Suffield to near Hartford to Southington, moving east at 40 mph…HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail,” the weather service said. “…IMPACT…Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

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Locations impacted include: Springfield, Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Manchester, East
Hartford, Enfield, Southington, Glastonbury, Newington, Vernon, Windsor, Agawam, West Springfield, Wethersfield, Mansfield, South Windsor, Farmington, Bloomfield, and Berlin.


UPDATE: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Hartford County in northern Connecticut until 1:45 p.m.

“At 1238 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Norfolk to near Dover Plains, moving east at 45 mph….HAZARD…60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail,” said the National Weather Service.

* Locations impacted include: Hartford, New Britain, West Hartford, Bristol, Enfield,
Southington, Newington, Windsor, Agawam, Wethersfield, Farmington, Simsbury, Bloomfield, Berlin, Rocky Hill, Avon, Plainville, Longmeadow, Suffield, and Windsor Locks.


Original post: CONNECTICUT — A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 7 p.m. Sunday for the entire state of Connecticut.

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The National Weather Service said wind gusts up to 75 mph are possible, along with hail and frequent lightning.

“After a mainly benign and muggy morning, things dramatically change this PM,” said WFSB 3 TV meteorologists. “An approaching cold front kicks off a couple rounds of rain and storms. Be ready between 1-10pm from northwest to southeast. Some storms in the afternoon and again early this evening will likely be strong to severe, and that’s why we have declared it a FIRST ALERT WEATHER DAY. The greatest impact will likely be frequent lightning, followed by downpours and strong and damaging wind gusts. Large hail is possible if we get a few supercells to develop, and even an isolated tornado is possible, but not the primary threat. Prepare for possible tree damage, power outages, etc. We’re now in the level 3 of 5 risk category for receiving severe wind producing storms! Take this seriously folks! (Read/watch more at WFSB 3 TV).


See also: Another Prominent Bank Closing 2 More Locations: Here’s Where, When


Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1pm and 3pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 3pm. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. High near 85. Southwest wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

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Tonight: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and midnight. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Southwest wind around 8 mph becoming north in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 79. North wind 10 to 13 mph.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 83. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 82.

Independence Day: Partly sunny, with a high near 85.

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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. High near 89. Southwest wind 11 to 14 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 10pm. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall. Cloudy during the early evening, then gradual clearing, with a low around 61. Northwest wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Monday: A slight chance of showers between 10am and 11am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. North wind 10 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 84. North wind 3 to 5 mph.

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Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.

Independence Day: A chance of showers before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 87. South wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.


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Father accused of trying to drown his twins at beach

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Father accused of trying to drown his twins at beach


A New York man was in custody after police say he tried to drown his twins at a beach in Connecticut over the weekend.

At 2:30 a.m. Saturday, patrol officers approached a parked SUV at the beach in West Haven and, shortly afterward, heard screaming coming from the water, authorities said. 

The patrol officers followed the screams and found an “adult male and two small children” in the water. As the officers entered the water, police say, the adult male yelled, “Stay back.” Officials said that is when it was clear the male was “deliberately drowning his children.”

Additional officers and rescue boats arrived and entered the water almost 100 yards away from shore. A human chain was formed to get the children to shore, and life-saving measures were performed.

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Dawson Avenue Beach in West Haven. (WTNH)

The children, who are under 3 years old, were at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital in critical condition in the intensive care unit, but said to be improving. Authorities say the children are twins — a boy and a girl.

Later Sunday evening, Borer posted on Facebook that the kids were both under pediatric critical care and making slight progress, with one of the twins taken off intubation.

Three police officers were also treated for minor injuries.

Romney Desronvil, 41, of New York, was taken into custody and charged with two counts each of attempted homicide and risk of injury.

The children’s mother was in New York at the time of the incident but has since arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, to be with her children.

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At a press conference Saturday evening, West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer praised the officers and fire department members for their quick action. 

“The seconds and the timing of the police officers that just happened to be driving by when this incident was occurring, it’s really remarkable,” she said. 

Borer said when she met with the mother at the hospital to provide any support she needed.

West Shore Fire Chief Stephen Scafariello said first responders are getting peer support and help from the employee assistance program to deal with trauma after the incident. 

“Years ago, we had to keep everything bottled up inside,” he said. “It didn’t work very well for all of us, so we’re encouraging them to talk to someone, share your emotions.” 

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This particular case hits home even harder, he said, seeing as it concerned children so young.

“All of our police officers, our firefighters, they’re dedicated,” he said. “To have that helpless feeling, to not be able to help a child is terrible.” 



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