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On CT Adoption Day, 40 children find their forever homes

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On CT Adoption Day, 40 children find their forever homes


Judge Matthew Larock asked Ryan Soto if he had a statement to make. Soto was sitting next to 11-year-old Gabriel in a Torrington court room on Friday, finalizing his adoption.

Soto stood up and turned toward the gallery. The courtroom benches were filled with family members and case workers from the state Department of Children and Families, wearing proud smiles. This was a good day.

First, Soto thanked the many people who had helped make the adoption a reality. Then, he looked at his son.

“Gabe, I am honored that you came into my life. You are such an intelligent, kind kid. Thank you for making room in your heart for me as your dad, because we all have options here,” Soto said. Then, Soto addressed the rest of the room, and even the imagined audience that might be listening beyond:

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“There’s so many kids out there and a lot of older youth, they need help, and oftentimes we forget that they are still kids. They still yearn for love and family. So, we can make a difference. I didn’t do this alone — we made a difference in Gabe’s life.”

Ryan Soto addresses the courtroom gallery on Friday during his son Gabriel’s adoption ceremony in Torrington. Credit: Laura Tillman / CT Mirror

Soto gave Gabriel a kiss on the forehead and took a seat.

Gabriel was one of 40 children who were adopted across Connecticut on Friday, CT Adoption Day. DCF spokesman Peter Yazbak said that around 350 children are expected to be adopted this year in Connecticut.

DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly joined the ceremonies in Torrington on Friday, with balloons, toys and cake to celebrate. Once Soto finished his comments, Hill-Lilly said a few words.

“What a tribute. I just personally want to say thank you for stepping up and doing what I consider to be God’s work,” Hill-Lilly said. Hill-Lilly urged other families to consider taking on a fostering role.

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“I would be remiss if I didn’t say you too can be an adoptive or a foster parent,” Hill-Lilly said.

After the ceremony ended, Soto shared a little more of his journey to adopting Gabriel. As a gay man who wanted to be a dad, “for obvious reasons it wasn’t happening naturally.” So, he started considering fostering a child to adopt, and imagined a kid under 5 years old.

But then, DCF sent him Gabriel’s profile, a 9-year-old looking for a forever home. “I said why not? Let me give him a chance.”

There were challenges. Gabriel had a hard time building trust with Soto, and sometimes grated against his rules. Those, Soto said, are typical challenges with older kids. “But when that wall comes down, it’s a big wall.”

That wall started to come down when Soto attended an awards ceremony at Gabriel’s school. “He was able to count on someone to be there, and I think from there he started trusting — trusting that somebody could care,” Soto said.

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Gabriel is still in contact with his biological family. His 4-year-old half-sibling, Elias, who had been adopted by another family, was also present at the event.

DCF has made a major effort in recent years to place children with relatives if they can’t remain with their birth parents. That means the number of children eligible for adoption to non-biological families has gone down. But there remains a bigger need for foster parents who are willing to serve as temporary placements for children who may need a home until they can return to their families.

DCF Commissioner Jodi Hill-Lilly speaks to the gathering at an adoption ceremony on Friday in Torrington as little Corrina explores the courtroom. Credit: Laura Tillman / CT Mirror

Natalia Liriano, the director of foster care for DCF, said that many of the children who do need adoptive homes may be older children, or children with significant health issues. People can learn more about those kids by visiting the DCF Heart Gallery page.

“We’re talking about teenagers who can give you a run for your money but they still need love and they still are deserving of being in relationships, children with medically complex needs who need to be in longstanding relationships,” Liriano said.

Earlier on Friday, 1-year-old Corrina was adopted by mom Michelle Gonzalez. Corrina, dressed in a pink tutu, took to the courtroom like a massive play area. She batted at the heart-shaped balloons, smiled at reporters, enjoyed bites of cake, and hugged her mom when it all got to be too much.

When the ceremony was over, Richard Federico, a judicial marshall walked through the court room, taking in the happy faces and tutu-clad toddler.

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“This is probably the best thing to happen here,” he said.



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Connecticut

Connecticut man dies after being struck by SUV while crossing busy N.J. highway, police say

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Connecticut man dies after being struck by SUV while crossing busy N.J. highway, police say


A 64-year-old Connecticut man died this week after he was struck by a car while crossing a busy Monmouth County roadway earlier this month, authorities said.

The man, identified Friday as Niantic resident Michael Losacano, was hit shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 on State Highway 35 in Wall Township near Wall Church Road, according to a statement from the Wall Township Police Department.

Losacano was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center by local EMS where he died on Monday, the department said.



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Tractor-trailer carrying thousands of gallons of fuel catches fire on I-91 in Wethersfield

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Tractor-trailer carrying thousands of gallons of fuel catches fire on I-91 in Wethersfield


A tractor-trailer hauling thousands of gallons of fuel caught fire on Interstate 91 North in Wethersfield on Friday morning.

State police said state troopers responded to I-91 North near exit 24 around 7:42 a.m. and found the cab of a tractor- trailer carrying 7,500 gallons of fuel on fire.

The driver was able to get out of the truck and was not injured, according to state police.

The fire departments from Wethersfield and Rocky Hill responded to the scene to extinguish the fire and troopers shut down I-91 North and South as well as oncoming traffic from Route 3 to I-91 South.

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Because the truck was hauling fuel, troopers worked to move drivers who were nearby, state police said.

I-91 South reopened shortly after the fire was out.

The left two lanes of I-91 North have been reopened and the state police Fire & Explosives Investigation Unit is also responding to assist with the investigation.

State police said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection later responded to the scene.

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Connecticut couple charged in alleged Lululemon theft spree that netted up to $1 million

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Connecticut couple charged in alleged Lululemon theft spree that netted up to  million


A Connecticut couple has been charged in connection with an elaborate two-month theft spree at Lululemon stores across the country that an investigator with the retailer estimates netted about $1 million worth of product.

Jadion Richards, 44, and Akwele Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested on Nov. 14 in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota suburb of Woodbury. The couple, from Danbury, Connecticut, were charged with organized retail theft after a Lululemon retail crime investigator contacted local authorities in Minnesota.

But Lululemon’s investigator said evidence shows their crimes go back to September and took place in states like Utah, Colorado, New York and Connecticut, according to the criminal complaint.

Attorneys representing Richards and Lawes-Richards did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment Thursday.

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Richards claimed he was racially profiled, complaint says

Richards and Lawes-Richards were stopped after exiting the Lululemon store in Roseville, Minnesota, on Nov. 14 when the security alarm went off, according to the criminal complaint. Richards allegedly claimed store employees racially profiled him and the two were allowed to leave afterward.

The Lululemon investigator later alleged the two visited the store the day before on Nov. 13 with an unidentified man and stole 45 item valued at nearly $5,000. That same day, the pair had allegedly conducted four other thefts in Minneapolis, Edina and Minnetonka.

Officers arrested the couple at the Lululemon in Woodbury. The two denied any involvement in the theft, with Lawes-Richards allegedly claiming they were staying with her aunt and had only been in Minnesota for a day.

Officers found several credit and debit cards on the couple, as well as an access card to a Marriott hotel room. Using a search warrant, officers found 12 suitcases in their room, including three filled with Lululemon clothing with tags attached worth over $50,000, according to the complaint.

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In all, the company investigator estimated the couple has taken up to $1 million in stolen product, according to the complaint, which does not detail how he arrived at the high figure.

Couple blocked cameras among other tactics: Investigator

The Lululemon investigator said one of the couple’s alleged tactics was for one of them to distract associates while another stuffed product in the clothes they were wearing, according to the complaint.

Another technique involved the two strategically exiting the store, with one of them holding a cheap item they had bought and the other carrying more expensive products that had sensors, according to the complaint. When the alarm would sound off, only the person with the cheap, purchased item would stay behind and show a receipt, while the other would keep walking with the stolen product, the complaint says.

The pair are accused in eight Colorado theft incidents between Oct. 29 and 30, and seven thefts in Utah on Nov. 6 and 7, according to the complaint.

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The pair are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in Minnesota, court records show. Their next court appearance is set for Dec. 16.



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