Connecticut

Former UConn, Fairfield star Lou Lopez-Senechal has homecoming vs. Connecticut Sun with Dallas Wings

Published

1 year ago

May 31, 2024

Former UConn, Fairfield star Lou Lopez-Senechal has homecoming vs. Connecticut Sun with Dallas Wings

UNCASVILLE — The last time Lou Lopez-Senechal played a basketball game at Mohegan Sun Arena, on March 6, 2023, she scored 14 points on 62.5% shooting to help the UConn women’s basketball team win its 21st Big East championship and earn all-tournament honors.

On Friday, nearly 15 months later, Lopez-Senechal returned to the state she called home for five years in college to face the Connecticut Sun in what is her rookie WNBA season with the Dallas Wings. Dallas selected her with the No. 5 overall pick in 2023 but she underwent season-ending knee surgery shortly after the WNBA Draft to repair a lingering injury suffered at UConn.

“It took longer than we thought it would, but I also tried not to rush anything,” Lopez-Senechal said. “I knew that it was the beginning of my professional career, so I didn’t want to rush anything or take the wrong steps, so I really took it seriously … Even on the sideline (last year), I was trying to really be involved with the team as much as possible, listen to them, learn … and I think it made me feel a bit better now coming back to Dallas and knowing who I was surrounded with.”

Lopez-Senechal played for four years at Fairfield before transferring to UConn in 2022-23, and the 6-foot-1 guard made an immediate impact in her lone season with the Huskies. She earned first-team All-Big East honors averaging 15.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, also leading UConn in 3-point shooting, hitting 44%. But because recovery from surgery took longer than Lopez-Senechal expected, she wasn’t able to work out at full speed until early October.

Lopez-Senechal spent the last seven months playing overseas to ease back into the grind of competition, first with Zabiny Brno in the Czech Republic, then with Spanish squad Jairis. Her development showed over just 21 combined games in the international leagues. She averaged 9.8 points but hit just just 18.2% from 3-point range in eight games for Zabiny Brno, and that improved to 10.8 points on 44.2% outside shooting with Jairis.

“I went first to the Czech Republic, and then switched to a team in Spain, and that ended up being really good. I loved playing in Spain because it’s some of the best competition in Europe,” she said. “It was just trying to get my rhythm back and get playing again. This was the first time for me that I had that type of injury where I had to take a step back for a long time, so I was just grateful to be back on the court with new teammates, a new team. It was a great experience.”

Her biggest challenge returning to the Wings was a late start to training camp. Lopez-Senechal’s Jairis team was competing in the Spanish Liga Feminina playoffs until losing in the quarterfinals on April 28 — the same day WNBA teams reported to begin official practices. She joined Dallas on May 3 and made her first game appearance for the team in an 87-79 win over the Chicago Sky on May 15.

“Definitely the pace is so much faster; I noticed that last year already,” Lopez-Senechal said. “And then the experience of the players, you play against players that have been here for 10-plus years and know the game almost perfectly. There’s definitely an adjustment being new to all of that … but I think there’s always an adjustment for everyone. It takes some time, but those are definitely the biggest factors that I need to adjust to.”

Lou Lopez Senechal #11 of the UConn Huskies defends against Jacy Sheldon #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena on March 25, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

On a young Wings roster, Lopez-Senechal plays alongside several familiar faces from her college days: Big East rival Maddy Siegrist, the former Villanova star, was drafted alongside Lopez-Senechal at No. 3 last year. Also rookie guard Jacy Sheldon who helped upset her UConn team in the 2023 Sweet 16 to give the Huskies their earliest NCAA Tournament exit since 2005. Senechal said Siegrist has become a close friend since they were drafted together and described the second-year forward as one of her biggest supporters during her injury recovery.

“I had a feeling (playing with Siegrist) was going to go well, because she’s a really good competitor. She loves to win,” Lopez-Senechal said with a smile. “I saw that when we played against her at UConn, and she has a great personality. She’s so funny. It’s weird at first when you see players that you played against — even Jacy this year — but at the end of the day we all love the game, and I think it’s always cool and really fun to eventually be able to play together.”

A slew of friends in Connecticut, including a former Fairfield teammates, are making the trip down to Uncasville to see Lopez-Senechal on Friday, though she said she’s not sure whether the UConn team will be able to attend amid the start of summer classes and practice in Storrs. It will be a week full of reunions for the former Husky, who will also get to see UConn classmate Dorka Juhasz on Sunday when the Wings face her Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. The pair have remained “like sisters” since graduating, and they met up in Italy during the WNBA offseason where Juhasz was playing for Schio in the Serie A1 league.

“She’s been my best friend since UConn, since the draft, and we’ve had a very similar journey, so I think that we really understand each other,” Lopez-Senechal said. “Even during the summer last year in the league, whenever we played each other it’s exciting to see each other and then overseas we saw each other a couple of times, so it’s been great. We’ve been helping each other through a lot of things, and she’s a great support, a great friend, so I’m so happy to see her again this summer soon.”

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Connecticut

Crews battle barn fire in East Windsor

Published

4 hours ago

November 21, 2025

Press Room

Multiple roads in East Windsor were closed for several hours as crews fought an early morning barn fire.

According to the Broad Brook Fire Department, a large barn fire broke out a 365 North Road around 1:30 Friday morning.

Mutual aid from multiple towns are assisting at the scene.

The fire department had route 140 shut down between Harrington Rd and the old Herb Holden Trucking on Broad Brook Rd. closed due to hydrant lines across the street. Main St at Wesley Rd was also blocked.

The fire was knocked down and roads reopened around 5 a.m.

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Connecticut

Hartford HealthCare could acquire 2 Prospect hospitals by year end

Published

23 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Press Room

Hartford HealthCare could acquire 2 Prospect hospitals by year end

After years of uncertainty regarding the future of the Connecticut hospitals owned by bankrupt operator Prospect Medical Holdings, two of the three facilities could have a new owner by the end of the year.

On Tuesday, Hartford HealthCare, one of Connecticut’s largest health systems, presented its case to the state’s Office of Health Strategy to purchase Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospitals. Under the new expedited approval timeline for hospitals in bankruptcy, state officials must issue a decision by Dec. 30.

During the public hearing, Hartford HealthCare CEO Jeffrey Flaks said the health system plans to bring all its expertise, resources and capabilities to Manchester, Rockville and the surrounding towns.

“The robust apparatus of Hartford HealthCare will be brought to these communities to make health care better. That’s why I’m so confident that we have this very unique opportunity to dramatically improve health care that will be here for generations going forward,” Flaks said.

Hartford HealthCare will spend $86.1 million to purchase the facilities and pledged to invest an additional $225.7 million towards capital improvements, like facility and IT upgrades, over the next three years.

Hartford HealthCare also plans to recruit new physicians to the Manchester and Rockville communities, as well as expand access to specialty care, like oncology, inpatient rehabilitation and vascular and orthopedic surgical services, according to the application submitted to the state.

If approved, the deal would serve as the first step towards concluding a lengthy search to find new buyers for Prospect’s Connecticut hospitals — a process that often seemed on the brink of failure.

In 2022, Prospect signed a deal to sell its three Connecticut hospitals — Manchester Memorial, Rockville General and Waterbury — to Yale New Haven Health for $435 million. But the deal was mired in setbacks and litigation.

In August 2023, a cyberattack crippled operations at Prospect’s facilities around the country. In 2024, Yale New Haven Health and Prospect Medical sued and countersued each other over the true value of the hospitals. In January 2025, Prospect filed for bankruptcy and, by the following month, Yale officials said a deal appeared “impossible.”

In September, Yale agreed to pay $45 million to Prospect to end all disputes over the hospitals’ sale.

Hartford HealthCare stepped in and its acquisitions of the Manchester and Rockville facilities could be finalized by the end of the year. Connecticut’s flagship academic medical institution, UConn Health, seems poised to acquire Waterbury Hospital. A judge for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Northern Texas approved the UConn deal earlier this week, and now the transaction must obtain state approval.

It’s a speedy transition for the three hospitals, whose ownership had languished in uncertainty for years.

While the Yale deal was pending, Lamont and OHS received broad criticism for the lengthy approval process. That led state legislators to approve a measure earlier this year that allows for an expedited timeline for the acquisition of hospitals that have filed for bankruptcy.

Under the emergency certificate of need timeline, OHS must issue a final decision within 60 days from when the application is deemed complete.

In an emailed statement, Lamont’s spokesperson Rob Blanchard said OHS “met all statutory timelines in the Yale-Prospect [certificate of need review]” and that the legal disputes between the two companies illustrate the transaction’s complexity.

“Yale’s decision to file suit against Prospect less than two months after the agreed settlement raised clear concerns about the parties’ readiness to close the deal. The disputes that prolonged the CON process are now evident in the lawsuit, countersuit, and resulting $45 million settlement,” Blanchard stated in emailed comments.

Erosion of services at Rockville

Despite the promise of new ownership for Prospect’s Connecticut hospitals, the formerly private equity-backed operator will leave a lasting imprint on the state’s hospital system — perhaps most notably in the erosion of services at Rockville General.

When Prospect acquired Eastern Connecticut Health Network, which includes Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospitals, both facilities were full-service acute care hospitals. Today, Rockville — which serves a geographic region that’s largely rural — functions as a satellite campus of Manchester, with only an emergency room and behavioral health unit.

A spokesperson for Prospect did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Rep. Tammy Nuccio, R-Tolland, lays the blame for the diminishment of the hospital directly with the state.

“That’s OHS’s failure,” Nuccio said. “They allowed this to happen.”

A 2023 investigation by The Connecticut Mirror found that Prospect began cutting services during the early days of the pandemic, eventually shuttering most of Rockville’s inpatient units without obtaining the required state approvals. Records and employee testimony submitted to the state show that officials were aware of the unauthorized cuts going back as far as 2021.

In February 2022, OHS fined Prospect for some of the service cuts at Rockville, but the operator appealed the penalty. The agency ultimately found it did not have substantial evidence to penalize Prospect, and waived the fine.

In October 2024, OHS launched another investigation into the service cuts. In May of this year, Connecticut officials reached a settlement with Prospect Medical Holdings. OHS fined the operator $300,000, but the agreement also allowed Prospect to shutter all services at Rockville aside from the emergency room and behavioral health, officially making the facility a satellite campus of Manchester.

At the time, then-OHS commissioner Deidre Gifford issued a statement saying the agreement “protects critical resources” for patients and families in the area.

“The agreement also holds the Prospect applicants accountable to the community, requiring public notice of past terminations and development of a strategic plan for the consolidated hospital. The plan must be developed with community input and presented to the community in a public forum,” Gifford’s statement read.

Hartford HealthCare has said as of now they don’t expect service cuts at either Manchester or Rockville. But Nuccio said she’s suspicious based on the company’s history with Windham Hospital, which HHC acquired in 2009.

In 2015, Hartford HealthCare announced the conversion of Windham’s critical care unit to what’s known as a progressive care unit, which can’t handle the same complexity of care. Most recently, the company received strong pushback from the local community over the system’s decision to shutter Windham’s labor and delivery unit, which stopped performing births in 2020.

During the hearing on Tuesday, executives with HHC stated that the system improves the quality of care at all of the hospitals that join its system and that they are proud of the work done with former acquisitions. The company’s certificate of need application states that HHC invested hundreds of millions of dollars in facilities it acquired in the past, resulting in drastically improved quality of care for patients.

Tina Varona, a spokesperson for Hartford HealthCare, declined to make Flaks available for an interview after he testified in Tuesday’s hearing, saying he had to leave immediately.

“We are unable to comment outside of the testimony at this time due to the NDA and pending regulatory review,” Varona stated in an email follow-up after the hearing.

Following Tuesday’s hearing, Attorney General William Tong issued a statement saying he expected Hartford HealthCare to maintain services, including labor and delivery, intensive care and behavioral health. But he called on OHS to hold Hartford HealthCare to its promises.

“Expectations must be matched by accountability: Absent other legal impediments, I would urge the Office of Health Strategy to seek firm commitments to continue these vital services,” Tong said.

Vernon mayor Dan Champagne shared Nuccio’s sentiments in holding the state accountable for what happened to Rockville Hospital, particularly for how long officials took to approve the failed 2022 deal with Yale. But, he said, he’s grateful Rockville has not suffered the same fate as Prospect hospitals in Pennsylvania, which had to close because they couldn’t find a viable buyer.

Champagne said he understands skepticism of what an acquisition by a big hospital system could mean for Manchester and Rockville. But for him, Hartford HealthCare’s bid will guard against the most damaging result: closure of the hospitals and the flight of medical professionals from the communities.

“There are a lot of people who say, ‘big systems can sometimes lead to increased prices or closure of services,’” Champagne said. “We need to go back to what we’re facing here. I’m watching other hospital systems close from Prospect. We have an opportunity to keep this open. That’s the most important thing.”

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Connecticut

Connecticut police warn parents about new e-bike laws ahead of holiday shopping

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2025

Press Room

Connecticut police warn parents about new e-bike laws ahead of holiday shopping

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – As e-bikes top many teenagers’ holiday wish lists, Connecticut police are reminding parents about new state laws that went into effect October 1 that classify some models as motor vehicles requiring a driver’s license.

More than a million e-bikes were sold in the United States last year, and the devices continue growing in popularity among teenagers and older adults who want to stay active.

“So many kids are buying e-bikes or getting them as gifts, and they can be very powerful,” Chief Joshua Bernegger of the Watertown Police Department said.

The new Connecticut law creates three different classes of e-bikes based on speed and power. All riders must wear helmets regardless of the class.

If the e-bike’s motor is less than 750 watts, there is no age restriction and riders only need to wear a helmet. However, if the motor is 750 watts or more, Connecticut no longer considers it an e-bike but classifies it as a “motor driven cycle.” These require riders to be at least 16 years old and have a driver’s license.

E-bikes with top speeds exceeding 28 miles per hour are not classified as e-bikes under state law.

Bernegger said the new laws address rising safety concerns about e-bike accidents.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of serious accidents in CT over the past year,” Bernegger said. “The number of fatal accidents involving bicycles has risen more than 300% over the prior year, and our emergency rooms are seeing dramatic increase in significant injuries for children and adolescents riding e-bikes.”

The police chief said some e-bikes may be too powerful for young teenagers to handle safely.

“It’s often more of a bike than a young teen, 13, 14, 15-years-old can really handle,” Bernegger said.

Eric Otero, lead salesman at Bikers Edge in Bristol, said e-bikes have transformed his sales floor in recent years.

“Teenagers are kind of taking over the streets on them,” Otero said. “I get calls everyday about them.”

Otero said he sells a couple e-bikes each week, usually to teenagers eager to ride on city streets.

Bernegger advised parents to research their purchases carefully, especially when buying online.

“It’s often more of a bike than a young teen, 13, 14, 15 years old, can really handle,” Bernegger said.

The new law includes specific penalties for violations. Riding without a helmet results in a $90 fine. Riding a modified e-bike costs $100. Riding a motor driven cycle under age 16 or without a driver’s license can result in the bike being impounded.

Otero advised parents to act quickly if they plan to purchase an e-bike for the holidays.

“I’d call now because they’re going faster than you think,” Otero said.

As e-bikes top many teenagers’ holiday wish lists, Connecticut police are reminding parents about new state laws that went into effect October 1.

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