Connecticut
Democrat-led Connecticut town council refuses to fly ‘thin blue line’ flag for trooper killed in line of duty
A largely Democratic Connecticut town council has sparked controversy after it refused to fly the “thin blue line” flag for a state trooper killed in the line of duty last week.
The Wethersfield Town Council voted down the request to raise the flag — traditionally flown to support police — claiming that to some people, it represents divisiveness and racism.
Council Member Rich Bailey (R) suggested the town raise the “thin blue line” flag over town hall in honor of Connecticut State Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, 34, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver during a traffic stop last week.
But the measure did not get enough votes to pass at Tuesday’s council meeting — with three in favor, five against, and one abstention.
The council is made up of six Democrats and three Republicans.
Instead, the LGBTQ pride flag, which was already raised for pride month, the month of June, and other flags like the American flag and the state flag were flown at half-mast.
“All we are doing is trying to respect a fallen police officer,” Bailey told WTNH News 8.
“In my home, [the “thin blue line” flag] means police, and they protect us, and they are our first line of defense,” he added. “They always are, and they’re always here, and they’re always for us.”
But other council members said the flag has taken on new meaning in recent years.
“It represents racism and antagonism to many, many people,” Emily Zambrello (D) told the local news station. “And if you don’t personally believe that, and you fly at your own house and you think it means something to you, that is much more positive — it’s just not how many people feel about it.
“It’s not appropriate to raise it over our town hall, especially when our flag policy prohibits us from doing anything associated with hate.”
Wethersfield Mayor Ken Lesser, who was among the no votes, said that they offered an alternative option to the “thing blue line” flag, the first responders’ flag, in order to honor the fallen trooper.
“The first responders’ flag recognizes all the first responders — police, fire, emergency management. The ‘blue line’ flag was designed for police officers and it goes back over 100 years, but now it has been used by white supremacists and many police groups have disavowed that flag.”
Bailey — who is a retired fire chief and whose father was a police officer — wouldn’t accept the first responders’ flag as a replacement.
Pelletier, the trooper who was killed by an allegedly drugged-up driver, was laid to rest Wednesday with thousands in attendance at his funeral service.
His widow and the mother of his two young sons gave a tearful tribute to her husband at the ceremony.
“To my honey, you weren’t just my husband,” his wife Dominique said. “You were my home. You were my heart. You were my safe place and my provider. My best friend. My secret keeper. My favorite gossiper.
“The light in our smiles will be forever dimmed and the thought of this world without that laugh seems unimaginable but has already become real,” she said. “I promise to keep you alive in our home, in our heart and in our boys’ memories forever. I love you, and I miss you.”
With Post wires
VESTAL, NY (WBNG) — In a second straight doubleheader Saturday following up a Bearcats women’s win, the Bearcats men’s team dropped their second consecutive home game, 84-67 to Central Connecticut State.
In a closely contested matchup early on, the Bearcats stayed in it heading into the break only trailing by seven points.
In the second half, Binghamton brought it to within four points before the Blue Devils pulled away once again and went on an 11-0 run and went up by as much as 20 points.
Darin Smith Jr. finished with a game high, 23 points for the Blue Devils.
The Bearcats were without center, Demetrius Lilley which led to junior forward, Zyier Beverly, having an increased role.
Beverly led Binghamton with 21 points and five rebounds.
After back-to-back losses at home, the Bearcats now go on the road for a three game road stretch starting on Wednesday, Dec. 17 against Pittsburgh at 7p.m.
Copyright 2025 WBNG. All rights reserved.
New Canaan faces Cheshire in the 2025 Connecticut high school Class L football state championship on Saturday afternoon.
The game begins at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 13, at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network.
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What: Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Class L football championship
Who: New Canaan vs. Cheshire
When: Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025
Where: Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut
Time: 4 p.m. EST
Stream: NFHS Network
Tickets: $11,50
Record, MaxPrep state rankings: New Canaan 12-0, No. 1; Cheshire 9-3, No. 11
Here’s more information about the game from the Hartford Courant, via the Tribune News Service:
New Canaan is going for its 16th state title and fourth straight under veteran coach Lou Marinelli and New Canaan outscored its playoff opponents, 85-13. Cheshire’s last finals appearance was 2009, when coach Don Drust was an assistant for the Rams’ team, which beat Staples in overtime to win a Class LL title. Cheshire rallied from a 19-point deficit against Fairfield Ludlowe to win the Class L quarterfinal game and beat Ridgefield 21-0 in the semifinals. QB Aiden Gregorich’s pass to Liam Suomala proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 10 seconds left in the quarterfinal.
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Have you still seen a lot of mini-liquor bottles, littering the streets in Connecticut?
Members of one environmental group said they still see them, and believe a ban is the best way to solve a multi-tiered problem.
State data shows in the past 12 months, ending September 30, there were more than 93 million mini-liquor bottles sold in our state.
The group supporting local bans says it’s not just the litter, but also the fact mini-liquor bottles are easy to conceal and consume on the job, in the car, or at school.
The group “Connecticut Towns Nixing the Nip” met this week, working on strategies to get a legislative hearing on the issue in the upcoming 2026 session.
Right now, stores collect a 5-cent surcharge for every mini-liquor bottle sold, resulting in about $5 million annually for town and city environmental cleanup efforts.
Town funding from nip sales
Average revenue per year 2021 to 2025.
“Having talked to a number of towns, well a few towns, they like the money, said Tom Metzner, a member of the group. “It’s fairly broad in how it can be used. It’s environmental. It doesn’t have to be used for cleaning up nips. And so the towns have become somewhat silent on the issue of banning nips.”
The group cited Chelsea, Massachusetts, where minis are banned, both litter and alcohol related EMS calls decreased.
The Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of Connecticut, which devised the “nickel per nip” program, said banning the mini-liquor bottles would be unprecedented.
Instead, it said the environmental group should be challenging municipalities to prove they actually use the money for cleanup.
Legislative leaders suggested several years ago the way to really do this is to have a redemption program for mini liquor bottles, and now, that could be possible.
At least one state with the Clynk bottle collection program has redeemed mini-liquor bottles for cash.
The company just announced a major expansion in our state, but it told us it is not aware of a redemption program for mini-liquor bottles here any time soon.
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