Connecticut
Final Nine Award Recipients Announced For Prestigious Gold Key Dinner
CONNECTICUT — Since 1940, the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (formerly the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance) has presented Gold Keys to deserving individuals who had made a considerable impact on the state’s sports landscape. In addition to the Gold Keys, other awards are meted out in various categories, and the CSMA has named the final nine recipients who will be honored at the 82nd annual dinner this fall.
Receiving accolades at the dinner will be:
- Hal Levy High School Achievement Award – Paula Fitzgerald, Westbrook High School. Athletic director for 33 years, longtime varsity girls’ tennis coach with more than 500 career victories, assistant girls’ basketball coach for eight state championships, 2024 inductee into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Bo Kolinsky Memorial Special Recognition Award – Rick Leddy, North Haven. Worked for 36 years at his alma mater, Southern Connecticut State College/University, as sports information director and then associate director of athletics. Member of the SCSU Athletics and New England Basketball halls of fame.
- Bob Casey Courage Award – the family of Charlie Capalbo, Fairfield. Charlie, a standout ice hockey goalie, fought non-Hodgkins lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia for five years before passing away at 23 in 2022. His family has since worked tirelessly to raise funds for AML research and create awareness of childhood cancers.
- John Wentworth Good Sport Awards – Marc Forster, Ledyard, a history professor at Connecticut College who has been an unpaid volunteer assistant softball coach at Ledyard High School since 2011; Mary-Jane Hussey, Windsor Locks, volunteer in the Suffield Special Olympics program from high school through 1991, co-founded what became the Windsor Locks Special Olympics program in 1996, overseeing its growth from four special needs athletes to more than 40; Bob Rafferty, Trumbull, facility manager at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven since 2002, Hillhouse Football Booster Club president since 2006, longtime volunteer with New Haven Gridiron Club, National Football Foundation Casey/O’Brien New Haven County Chapter, North Haven youth basketball and Trumbull youth softball; Jim Reynolds, East Haven, began working at Farnam Neighborhood House in New Haven in 1986, started seventh- and eighth-grade travel basketball program.
- Art McGinley Media Award – George Albano, Norwalk. Began sportswriting career in Nov. 1974, celebrating 50 years this fall. Spent 42 years with the Norwalk Hour; the George Albano Press Box at Jack Casagrande Field at Brien McMahon High School was dedicated in 2019. Member of the FCIAC and McMahon halls of fame.
- Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship – Casey O’Brien, Ridgefield High School. Lead sports writer and social media manager for school newspaper, The Ridgefielder, and broadcast girls basketball games via livestreaming on RHS YouTube channel. Will be majoring in sports communications at Clemson University.
Gold Key Award recipients for 2024, announced in the spring, are former Daniel Hand High School and Yale University football coach Larry Ciotti, longtime Windham High School wrestling and football coach Brian Crudden, retired Pomperaug High School field hockey coach Linda Dirga, award-winning sportscaster George Grande and Wesleyan University women’s basketball coach Kate Mullen.
Proceeds support the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship, a $3,000 annual award named in memory of the noted high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant and past CSMA president, who passed away in 2003 at age 49.
Connecticut
Canadian aerospace company Bombardier launching new ‘fast track’ training program in Connecticut
WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. (WTNH) — Bombardier, a Canadian company, is launching a new “fast track” training program in Connecticut.
The new program will expand Connecticut’s aerospace industry by creating an accelerated pathway for experienced aircraft maintenance technicians to receive new certifications and enter high-demand careers quickly.
“We know the demand for aviation technicians far exceeds the number of students we can currently prepare throughout our traditional programing alone,” Dr. Alice Pritchard, executive director of Connecticut technical education and career system, said. “Our goal is to create a sustainable workforce solution that can continue producing skilled aviation technicians for years to come.”
The program is set to start soon at the company’s service center at Bradley International Airport.
Connecticut
Injuries reported in multi-vehicle crash on I-91 South in Hartford
Injuries were reported in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 91 South in Hartford on Wednesday morning.
State police said the four-vehicle crash happened around 5:55 a.m.
The highway was briefly closed between exits 30 and 29A. It has since reopened.
According to state police, injuries were reported, but the extent is unknown.
The crash remains under investigation.
Connecticut
Avon daycare releases dates, times that former employee accused of sex assault worked at other Connecticut locations
AVON, Conn. (WTNH) — In light of recent information that a now-former Avon daycare employee accused of sexually assaulting children had filled in at multiple Connecticut locations, the company has released a timeline of when and where he had worked.
Jan Carlos Berrios Otero’s employment with BrightPath Early Learning began in January 2022, according to a letter sent out to families. Within the last four years, he had filled in at daycare locations in Simsbury, Windsor and West Hartford.
According to BrightPath, Berrios Otero had covered partial shifts at the following locations on the following days:
- Simsbury, Jan. 20, 2026: Berrios Otero covered a shift for about four hours and 20 minutes
- Windsor, Sept. 16, 2025: Berrios Otero covered a shift for about six hours at the 555 Day Hill Road location.
- West Hartford, Sept. 24, 2025: Berrios Otero covered a shift for about three hours at the Park Road location
BrightPath stated that to its knowledge, there are no known allegations, complaints or incidents that occurred during these time frames.
Berrios Otero, 29, is facing six counts of risk of injury to a minor, six counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, and two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor for allegedly sexually assaulting five boys ages 3 to 5 during the month of March.
BrightPath is working to identify all students who were in attendance in Berrios Otero’s classroom during the partial shifts that he had covered, and will communicate with the families directly as soon as possible, the letter stated.
“Please know, we also understand our review is taking a considerable amount of time; however, the time we take to ensure we are supplying the most accurate information is critical,” the letter said. “We are working diligently to get information to law enforcement and the appropriate governing agencies to support their investigations, and of course to all our families.”
According to BrightPath, Berrios Otero underwent a state and federal background check, which includes state and national criminal records searches and a review of the sex offender registry.
During the background check, which is renewed every five years, Berrios Otero had no prior convictions and was thoroughly vetted through the company’s hiring requirements. He additionally complied with staff qualifications and training.
The daycare says it is conducting a review of all of its records for the past four years across all of its Connecticut centers.
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