Connecticut

Dom Amore: Connecticut Sun season sets, but leaves fierce pride behind

Published

9 months ago

October 1, 2023

Dom Amore: Connecticut Sun season sets, but leaves fierce pride behind

UNCASVILLE – Alyssa Thomas hit the floor hard under the New York basket, writhing and twisting in pain as play went on – too long, actually – with her down.

Eventually, athletic trainer Nicole Alexander, Brionna Jones, in civilian clothes, and teammates Natisha Heideman and DeWanner Bonner came out to help her up, and she was helped off the court, cringing and wincing.

“You want to go to war for someone like that,” Dijonai Carrington said. “She’s put us on her back all year.”

Alyssa Thomas, in the midst of yet another triple-double, being Alyssa Thomas, was back on the bench a few minutes later and, with less than three minutes off the clock, she was back on the floor to complete the game, which the Liberty won 87-84 to clinch a spot in the WNBA Finals.

“Before I knew it she was back on the bench,” White said, “and I got her back in there.”

Despite the loss, Alyssa Thomas left it all on the floor with her third career playoff triple-double in Game 4 😤 @athomas_25
▫️17 PTS
▫️15 REB
▫️11 AST
▫️2 STL pic.twitter.com/sydviz2D67
— espnW (@espnW) October 1, 2023

So ended A.T.’s remarkable season, 23 media voters would say it was an MVP season, and so went the Connecticut Sun. So much grit and toughness. Just fierce. Thomas didn’t want to talk about whatever her injury was, just the season she and her team just completed.

Thomas had 17 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists, her 11th career triple double, seventh this season, counting regular season and playoffs.

“I had a season you’ve never seen in this league and probably won’t see again – unless I do it,” Thomas said. “Let’s be reasonable. Triple-doubles. Most double-doubles in league history. Nobody can take away the fact I’ll always be in the record books.”

Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: Andre Jackson’s voice can’t be replaced, but his voice still echoes for UConn men

She was just as fiercely, and unabashedly proud of the Sun.

“Preseason, we were picked seventh or eighth,” Thomas said. “And to finish third, losing a huge piece on Bri Jones (to an Achilles injury), to fight like we did in the semis, we have a ton to be proud of. We could have easily given up. … I love playing with people that everyone counts out. These are the people I would go to war with every single night.”

The Liberty (32-8) were built to go to the Finals, and they were too much, earning the flagship franchise’s first trip since 2002, but not by too much. Game 4 was a thriller, decided by fouls and free throws at the buzzer. The Sun had a chance to tie on the last possession, but couldn’t get off a quality shot.

Breanna Stewart had 27 points, nine rebounds, Betnijah Laney had 21 points and Jonquel Jones had 25 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks, a key block late in the first half as New York erased a 10-point Sun lead, and a steal late in the game to help ice it.

The super teams assembled were all they were built and cracked up to be, which is not always the case. New York’s combination of UConn’s Stewart, the MVP, who scored 25 on Sunday, Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot and the very underrated Laney was too much. They beat the Sun four times in the regular season, and after a slip-up in Game 1 of the semis, steamrolled to the Finals.

The Liberty had too many weapons, but the rebuilding, retooling, re-loading year for the Connecticut Sun was pretty darn good. The little franchise that could, still can.

“This is a group that coming into the year, with Jones, was counted out,” White said. Then Breezy goes down. How do we regroup, reorganize? … They competed at a high level, just willed themselves and our team to do things I’ve never seen.”

The championship window former coach Curt Miller often talked about may have closed, as far as the departing players and coaches were concerned, but combination of new and old players forced it back open.

And if an era of super teams is upon the WNBA, the Sun established they still have a place in the league’s future.

So much of this was in doubt a year ago, when the Sun lost to Vegas in the Finals and then broke up, with Miller and Jasmine Thomas heading to Los Angeles, Jonquel Jones to New York.

Few observers saw White, the consensus coach of the year, and the new-look Sun so far down the path to upsetting the New York-Vegas narrative. Around Thomas and Bonner, players acquired to complement them, like Rebecca Allen, Ty Harris and UConn’s Tiffany Hayes and Olivia Nelson-Ododa. White and her staffed developed players and molded a team from the talent GM Darius Taylor astutely provided.

Sun season on the brink, Breanna Stewart, Liberty poised to deliver final blow

“We had a lot of pieces that proved why they are in this league and a lot of names people don’t talk about,” Thomas said. “And look what we accomplished.”

Maybe the best players, the most desired free agents are apt to look to bigger markets, more glamorous settings and skylines, but Connecticut showed with knowledgeable, efficient team building, the Sun could remain competitive.

“We’re just a tough team,” Thomas said. “No matter what, I think it’s our identity, we don’t care what people are talking about or who we’re playing against. We’re going to play our basketball, no matter what. We do us, and we have fun doing it.”

The Sun, 27-13, were the third best team in the league, made it to the playoffs for the seventh year in a row, the 18th time in their history. The long-held franchise dream of bring the trophy back to the Mohegan Sun remains elusive, but it hasn’t disappeared from view.

The Liberty’s elite players, perhaps, get the benefits that go with it. They went to the line for 25 free throws to Connecticut’s eight, as Thomas pointed out. The Sun, with their own unique, elite player, grinded to the very end. White said maybe Thomas just doesn’t look the part of a superstar, unless you look at the stuffed stat sheet. Every night.

“At the end of the day it’s about what you get done, and the way you get it done,” White said. “And she gets all those specialty stats, scoring, rebounding and assists, every night, all of them. You wouldn’t ask a player about her not getting respect, because they respect her. I still believe she is the most underrated super star in our game.”

The mic drop that Alyssa Thomas deserves. There will never be another.#CTSun | #ForgedByFire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oev7NmXXBG
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) October 1, 2023

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Connecticut

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

Published

6 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

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.

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.

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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Connecticut

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

Published

14 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

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.

(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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.”

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Published

21 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

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.

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.

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.”

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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