Connecticut
Democrat-led Connecticut town council refuses to fly ‘thin blue line’ flag for trooper killed in line of duty
![Democrat-led Connecticut town council refuses to fly ‘thin blue line’ flag for trooper killed in line of duty](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/democrat-town-council-refuses-fly-83377499.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024)
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
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Connecticut
Wildlife Watch: Efforts to protect sea lamprey in Connecticut River
![Wildlife Watch: Efforts to protect sea lamprey in Connecticut River](https://gray-wcax-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/H6QZI3WBWVEP5GN3BIDSFN3SBM.png?auth=4883ff28c3854b41b5efd67cd5300a47e24cc272cf7e27b899cf499f54834241&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
WESTMINSTER, Vt. (WCAX) – They may be considered a pest in Lake Champlain, but state wildlife officials say sea lamprey call the Connecticut River home.
While the population in Lake Champlain is controlled as a nuisance species, lampreys make up an important part of the Connecticut River ecosystem. Every year, sea lampreys spawn in the river as far upstream as Wilder Dam in the Upper Valley, and in many of the tributaries including the West, Williams, Black, and White Rivers.
In this week’s Wildlife Watch, Ike Bendavid traveled to Westminster, where Vermont Fish and Wildlife biologists are working to protect spawning habitat on the Saxtons River.
Copyright 2024 WCAX. All rights reserved.
Connecticut
Man spends $20K to transform his Connecticut home into fun, color-filled ‘dollhouse’
![Man spends $20K to transform his Connecticut home into fun, color-filled ‘dollhouse’](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/06/0/0/pink-split-copy.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com
A New Yorker has turned his new home in Connecticut into a pop-of-color “dollhouse” after dreaming of such a space ever since he was a child.
Jonny Carmack, 31, bought his Danbury, Connecticut, home in 2020 after needing to escape Manhattan during the pandemic.
He said that this particular three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom home was the first space he toured — and that it was the perfect size but didn’t have the perfect look, SWNS reported.
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However, he’d been dreaming of turning a property into his personal “dollhouse” ever since he was a kid, he said.
“When I bought this house, I knew I wanted to use it as a landing pad for my creativity,” he said.
Jonny Carmack, pictured here, told Fox News Digital he’s grateful for the supportive online community that’s been weighing in on his colorful home. (Jonny Carmack / Fox News)
Today, after spending roughly $20,000 on renovations, Carmack has a color-filled space that is hard to miss.
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Thanks to some help from Facebook Marketplace and HomeGoods, Carmack bought unique secondhand items to turn his new space into something special.
![Sitting room](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/06/931/523/man-spends-20k-1204371.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Carmack has multiple rooms in his home that are full of colorful items. (SWNS / SWNS)
“I knew what I wanted the themes of my home to be, and now I have been finetuning them to push my personality out there more,” he told SWNS.
MICHIGAN HOMEOWNERS PAINT THEIR FRONT DOOR PINK, SPARKING VIRAL REACTION FROM US POSTAL WORKER
Carmack has a fruit room, a bakery dining room, a blue lounge, a pink parlor, a pop art bathroom, an ice cream bathroom and more themed spaces within his Connecticut home.
The homeowner said he added over $100,000 in value to his home thanks to the colorful renovations and decorative items.
![Dining room](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/06/931/523/man-spends-20k-1204380.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
The dining room of the home features shades of green, pink and blue throughout. (SWNS / SWNS)
Carmack noted that his favorite space in the home is his kitchen.
He said it has the best lighting, and that he loves to use it for cooking and hosting.
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Carmack told Fox News Digital that his rooms were inspired by special people and places he idolized.
“Each room is designed around the vintage 1980s furniture I curated over the last 3 to 4 years,” he said. “And my biggest inspirations have been Dolly Parton, Barbie and colorful Floridian tack.”
![house kitchen](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/06/931/523/man-spends-20k-1205220.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Carmack, who moved to Connecticut a few years ago, said he’s dreamed of creating a real-life dollhouse for as long as he can remember. (SWNS / SWNS)
He also told Fox News Digital that he’d always been drawn to “dollhouse aesthetics” as a child and would often imagine himself living in such a place.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews/lifestyle
He said, “I tried to force myself into the more tame and modern stylings as an adult and decorated many spaces in various shades of beige and white before being brave enough to go bold!”
![Pink house and man](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/06/931/523/pink-split-copy.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A man has added $100,000 worth of value to his Connecticut home thanks to renovations and items he bought secondhand. (SWNS/Jonny Carmack / SWNS)
Carmack has posted about his unique space on Instagram, where he has over 177,000 followers.
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He told Fox News Digital he’s grateful to the creative community online that loves his home space as much as he does.
Connecticut
Best and Worst Connecticut Travel Times for Independence Day
![Best and Worst Connecticut Travel Times for Independence Day](https://townsquare.media/site/677/files/2024/06/attachment-Untitled-3.jpeg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
AAA just released their annual report on 4th of July travel. The goal of the information dump is to make folks aware of the peak (worst) travel times for holidays. Some of this is common sense and other time periods may surprise you.
Connecticut has its own quirks that need to be accounted for but the national guidelines are pretty standard across the board. Here are the Best and Worst Travel times for this coming (2024) 4th of July holiday.
Best Travel Times By Car:
- Monday July 1 – Minimal Traffic Expected All Day
- Tuesday, July 2 – Before Noon
- Wednesday, July 3 – Before Noon
- Thursday, July 4 – Before Noon
- Friday, July 5 – Before 10am
- Saturday, July 6 – Before 10am
- Sunday, July 7 – Before 11am
- Monday, July 8 – After 7pm
Worst Travel Times By Car:
- Tuesday, July 2 – 2-6pm
- Wednesday, July 3 – 2-7pm
- Thursday, July 4 – 2-7pm
- Friday, July 5 – 11am-4pm
- Saturday, July 6 – 10:30am-2:30pm
- Sunday, July 7 – 2-8pm
- Monday, July 8 – 1-5pm
I have done the 4th of July road trip so many times I can tell you horror stories that would melt your face. For many years I went to Florida for the week of the 4th of July. We would leave in the middle of the night, 2am, 3am, 4am. The years we fooled ourselves into thinking any kind of day driving would be OK, became a nightmare. Even if you leave at 6am, you hit monstrous traffic in the Washington D.C. area that brings you to a standstill for hours.
Crowded vehicle traffic and the only motorcycle in America
Do yourself a favor, no matter which direction you are headed, take the AAA numbers and get even more extreme. If you can embark at 2am, you should. Happy 4th of July in advance, it is the single-greatest holiday we all celebrate.
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Gallery Credit: Getty Images
Rolling Stones Live Albums Ranked
Many of the band’s concert records can seem like quick cash grabs or stop-gaps between studio LPs, but there are gems to uncover.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
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