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HighBazaar In Hamden Cancels Planned Event After Injunction Threat

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HighBazaar In Hamden Cancels Planned Event After Injunction Threat


HAMDEN, CT — HighBazaar in Hamden canceled an event that had been planned for Sunday after the Attorney General’s Office sought a temporary injunction in Hartford Superior Court to block the “unlicensed, illegal cannabis market,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced.

The court filings detailed evidence of repeated violations of state law and included an affidavit from a legal investigator from the Office of the Attorney General who purchased “numerous illegal, untested, and potentially dangerous cannabis products” from HighBazaar markets on January 30, 2022, February 12, 2022, November 8, 2023, and January 13, 2024, according to a news release.

A status conference will be held on the application on Feb. 8, according to Tong.

“HighBazaar operates unlicensed, illegal cannabis markets where vendors peddle untested, illegal products,” Tong said in a statement. “We are pleased that HighBazaar canceled its latest illegal event in response to our court filing. Should HighBazaar resume its unlicensed events, we will not hesitate to use full weight of our enforcement authority to protect public health and safety.”

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On Jan. 4, Tong issued cease and desist letters to HighBazaar’s organizers and landlord, the Masonic Temple Day Spring Lodge in Hamden.

The cease and desist letters warned organizers that their events involved the “illegal marketing and sale of cannabis outside of the regulated market, and that the events were accessible to individuals under the age of 21.”

The letters further warned that the markets appeared to violate the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (“CUTPA”), General Statutes § 42-110a, et seq., the Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act, General Statutes § 21a-420, et seq., and/or other applicable laws and regulations, according to the news release.

In the letter, Tong requested that organizers cease holding the events immediately and warned that the Office of the Attorney General would “explore all legal options” should HighBazaar organizers fail to do so.

“Despite those warnings, HighBazaar continued to advertise bi-weekly events online at a new location in Hamden, including an event planned for Sunday, January 21,” the news release states. “The event was only canceled after HighBazaar received notice of the request for a temporary injunction.”

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Also on Friday, Tong sent a notice to Eventbrite, which HighBazaar has used to promote its markets. The letter warns that such posts violate Eventbrite’s own Community Guidelines and that the events they promoted also violate Connecticut law. The Office of the Attorney General further sent notice to landlord Dieter Hauser, whose property at 3714 Whitney Street has been used for several HighBazaar events.

The letter asks that Hauser cease making the property available for these events immediately. “If you do not do so, our office will explore all legal options,” the letter states.

Residents over age 21 can legally possess and consume cannabis in Connecticut. Cannabis products may only be sold in the regulated market and must meet rigorous testing and packaging requirements. Cannabis products sold outside of the regulated market continue to be illegal and may subject sellers to civil and criminal penalties.

HighBazaar is not licensed to sell cannabis in Connecticut.

HighBazaar organizer Joe Accetulo told CT Insider that Sunday’s event was a planned food drive and they canceled it “because it was apparent there was a misunderstanding” and said they would continue to do “work in the community.”

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Was Connecticut State Police short 300 troopers in 2025?

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Was Connecticut State Police short 300 troopers in 2025?


Yes.

As of early 2025, the Connecticut State Police was facing a staffing shortage of roughly 300 troopers compared to the more than 1,200 troopers the department had in its ranks over a decade ago. This is due largely to retirements, resignations and a shrinking applicant pool.

Recent academy classes are helping slowly rebuild staffing, but Gov. Ned Lamont and police leadership say Connecticut still needs substantially more troopers to meet public safety demands. More recently, news outlets reported the department had 938 troopers.

This spring, troopers negotiated a 4.5% wage hike with state officials. Troopers’ base pay is on average about $116,000 per year, but that rises to $175,000 per year once overtime is included. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

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CT Mirror partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims.

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Reginald David is the Community Engagement Reporter for CT Mirror. He builds relationships across Connecticut to elevate community voices and deepen public dialogue around local issues. Previously, he was a producer at KCUR 89.3, Kansas City’s NPR station, where he created community-centered programming, led live event coverage for major events like the NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, and Royals Opening Day, and launched KC Soundcheck, a music series spotlighting local and national artists. Reginald has also hosted special segments, including an in-depth interview with civil rights leader Alvin Brooks and live community coverage on issues like racial segregation and neighborhood development. He began his public media career as an ‘Integrity in News’ intern at WNPR in Hartford.

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CT Weather: Initial Snow Accumulation Estimates Released: Here’s When, How Much To Expect

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CT Weather: Initial Snow Accumulation Estimates Released: Here’s When, How Much To Expect


Meteorologists are predicting the next storm system in Connecticut could bring a couple inches of snow this weekend.

WTNH reports snow will start late Saturday night and continue into Sunday morning.

“There is pretty good agreement with light snow amounts statewide with up to around 2″ expected,” WTNH says.

Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

WFSB reports long-range models have been “all over the place with the development of a coastal storm.”

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According to WFSB, some show the system moving to the south of Connecticut, which would make the impact on weekend plans “minimal.” Another model, however, shows a greater impact on Connecticut, which could mean a “coating to an inch” of snow, WFSB reports.

Find out what’s happening in Across Connecticutfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

WFSB as of Thursday also predicts the timing would be late Saturday night through Sunday morning.

The National Weather Service as of Thursday has increased the odds of snow in this weekend timeframe to 50 percent, up from 30 percent.

In the short term, it is going to be very windy today.

The National Weather Service has advisories for northern and southern parts of Connecticut due to high winds, with possible gusts of up to 50 miles per hour.

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Today, Friday and daytime Saturday will be clear and dry, according to the National Weather Service, with high temperatures starting in the low to mid-30s and gradually warming.

“Saturday is the pick of the weekend, as it will be dry and relatively milder,” WFSB reports. “While we could start bright, cloud cover will be on the increase with temps that peak between 35 and 40. Sunday will be colder as temps only reach the upper 20s and lower 30s.”

The National Weather Service indicates the chance for snow begins around midnight Saturday.

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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

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Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 31. Breezy, with a west wind 18 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.

Friday: Sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light southwest in the evening.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 36. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

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Saturday Night: A chance of snow, mainly after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday: A chance of snow before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Northwest wind 5 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Here are the forecast details for southern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 16 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 43 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. West wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph.

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Friday: Sunny, with a high near 34. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. West wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm after midnight.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Light west wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Saturday Night: Snow likely after 1 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 26. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 33.

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Connecticut doctor back home after running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents

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Connecticut doctor back home after running 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents


NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) — An emergency room doctor at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain just returned to Connecticut after running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents — including Antarctica.

Dr. Lisa Bienia Kenton just finished running 183.4 miles in seven days to raise money for her niece and nephew who have a chromosomal disorder. Covering that much ground in just a week doesn’t allow for much time to sleep.

“We average about three hours a night,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So, 21 hours we slept total for the seven days.”

It’s called the Great World Race. 60 runners started in Antarctica, then South Africa, then Australia, then the United Arab Emirates, then Portugal, then Colombia and finished in Miami.

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“In Antarctica, it was -30°C with a 30 mile an hour wind chill,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “So that was by far the most grueling and kind of gnarly things we experienced. Like, sometimes you don’t even know if you’re moving forward.”

Dr. Bienia Kenton is part of an elite group of female runners — only 166 have run a marathon on every continent and only a fraction of them have done it in seven days.

“I met a lot of great, strong women,” Dr. Bienia Kenton said. “A lot of moms, same demographic as me, and we kind of just powered each other through.”

She had support from her husband and sons, who encouraged her to do the race. She trained by running to her son’s baseball games and around the field before returning home. She said her husband got her time off work to run the race after talking to her boss, who met her in Miami and ran the last marathon with her.

She said the experience of running the Great World Race left her body bruised, but it changed her life.

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“I left there with this life, inner self or inner feeling of confidence, like I can tackle the world,” she said. “And maybe that’s going to wear off over time, but right now I’m riding that high.”



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