Connecticut
Police say drivers passing bus stop signs continues to be a hazard on the road
Police are reminding Connecticut drivers that you should be treating the stop sign you see on the school bus the same way you treat a stop sign in your neighborhood.
We spoke to people in North Haven who say it scares them to see more and more reports of drivers running through school buses’ stop signs.
“If that was your child, you wouldn’t want that happening,” Toni Martone, a North Haven parent, said. “I hope that they understand that it’s a little kid, and if you hit someone, you have to deal with the law.”
“I saw two times this week that they go right by the school buses,” Nick Grillo, of North Haven, said. “They don’t stop, they just keep going like it’s a racetrack.”
Connecticut law says it’s a $475 fine for your first offense of passing a bus, and repeat violations could result in arrest.
The North Haven Police Department shared a reminder on Thursday, but it’s a problem all throughout the state.
The Norwalk Police Department posted a reminder, too, as well as a video, where you can see a car blow through a bus stop sign.
The Waterbury Police Department said they’ve issued 97 infractions since the start of this school year, where people have illegally passed a bus.
In Bridgeport, over 10,000 citations have been issued for school bus passing from the start of this school year until February.
“I think the majority is inattentive driving, and everybody seems like they’re always in a rush. People are speeding. They’re not realizing it. They’re not paying attention what’s going on in front of them,” Lt. Joel Lenda, of Groton Town Police Department, said.
In Groton, Lenda said parents and bus drivers alike make reports in waves throughout the school year.
He said if police have the license plate, which school bus cameras help with, they can track down the driver in question.
A common error Lenda said he sees drivers make is not thinking the stop sign applies to them in a multiple lane road.
“Your typical two-lane, four-lane road with a double yellow down the middle, everybody in every direction is required to stop,” Lenda said.
A 2024 law allowed school buses to install cameras, with police retroactively able to review the footage. North Haven said they’re exploring automated enforcement.
Spring’s best blooms: 10 stunning flowering plants
Spring is almost upon us, and with that comes beautiful blossoming flowering plants and warmer weather.
unbranded – Lifestyle
Spring is finally here, and along with the season’s warmer weather, its blooming flowers are sure to brighten your day after a long, cold winter.
Luckily, Connecticut has plenty of parks, gardens and public spaces with beautiful blooms that make for the perfect spring day – and the perfect photo-op. Whether your favorite is daffodils, tulips or cherry blossoms, the state is sure to have a field of flowers for you.
Here are some of the best places to see flowers in Connecticut this spring.
Elizabeth Park
This historical Hartford park offers over 100 acres of gardens, green space, walking trails and recreational facilities. In early spring, the ten gardens of Elizabeth Park see daffodils and tulips, followed by irises and perennials in late May.
The center of Elizabeth Park is the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden, which sees its peak blooms in mid-June. With over 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of roses, the garden is the third largest rose garden in the country today.
Elizabeth Park is free and open to the public.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 1561 Asylum Ave., Hartford
Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens
The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens in Stamford has hundreds of species to explore across 20 gardens and collections, including a cottage garden, a tropical garden and a wildflower garden.
Spring blooms include bluebells, lilies and mountain laurels, Connecticut’s state flower, in over 150 forms. Admission to Bartlett is always free, but donations are welcome.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 151 Brookdale Road, Stamford
Wickham Park
With over 280 acres of gardens, Wickham Park has flowers like rhododendrons, azaleas, crocuses and lilacs separated into 10 unique themes, including a sensory garden, a lotus garden and a Scottish garden.
Along with the many beautiful flowers for viewing, the park has various woodlands, ponds, picnic areas, sports facilities and playgrounds.
Wickham Park charges entry fees by car, with prices at $7 on weekdays or $10 on weekends.
When: 9:30 a.m. until sunset starting April 5
Where: 1329 Middle Tpke. W., Manchester
Lavender Pond Farm
Killingworth’s Lavender Pond Farm is the largest lavender farm in New England, filled with over 10,000 lavender plants across 25 acres.
With no entry fee, guests can wander through the lavender fields, ride around the farm on the Lavender Express, play yard games and look through tons of lavender goods in the gift shop.
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday starting in spring; date TBA on Facebook
Where: 318 Roast Meat Hill Road, Killingworth
Mill River Park
Fans of cherry blossoms can head to Mill River Park in Stamford for the famous cherry tree grove, which happens to be the largest one in New England. The park is also home to over 400 other trees and wildflowers, along with bike paths, a carousel, a playground and a discovery center.
Mill River Park is free to the public.
When: 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily
Where: 1040 Washington Blvd., Stamford
Hollister House Garden
Situated in the Litchfield hills, Hollister House Garden is an American interpretation of classic English gardens which unfolds in successive layers of space and color.
In April, Hollister house has lots of daffodils, bluebells and magnolias, and in May, forget-me-nots and tulips start to bloom. Admission to Hollister House Garden costs $10 per person.
When: 1-4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday starting April 16
Where: 300 Nettleton Hollow Road, Washington
Hubbard Park
Each spring, Hubbard Park erupts in a vibrant display of over 600,000 daffodils of 60 different varieties. The park is the site of the annual Meriden Daffodil Festival, where the town celebrates the colorful arrival of spring with food, crafts, live music, carnival rides, a daffodil market and a giant daffodil parade.
A full schedule for this year’s festival can be found on the Daffodil Festival website.
When: May 3 from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. and May 4 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 999 W. Main St., Meriden
Colorblends House & Spring Garden
Outside a 1903 Colonial Revival mansion in Bridgeport’s Historic District is Colorblends Spring Garden, a garden bursting with snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, tulips and various perrennials.
Though Colorblends is small at a quarter of an acre, the Dutch-designed garden is jam-packed with color and charm in creative designs. Both the house and the garden are free to visit.
When: Dawn to dusk daily from March 29 through May 11
Where: 893 Clinton Ave., Bridgeport
Harkness Memorial State Park
Stretching over 230 acres, this scenic park has beautiful views of Long Island Sound, an elegant summer mansion, picnic tables, hiking trails and multiple formal gardens.
Each of the estate’s six gardens has its own theme, from a formal Italian garden to an Alpine rock garden. Colorful blooms like daffodils and heliotropes bring the lush green space to life.
Harkness is free to enter for Connecticut residents with in-state registered vehicles. For out-of-state vehicles, admission costs $10 on weekdays or $15 on weekends. Guests can choose to wander the property on their own or join a guided tour of the mansion and formal gardens.
When: 8 a.m. to sunset daily; tours from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on summer weekends
Where: 275 Great Neck Road, Waterford
Lee Memorial Garden
This small garden in New Canaan is packed with an expansive variety of spring flowers. Azaleas, rhododendrons, bluebells, lilies, irises, hyacinths are just a few of the spring blooms that can be found in this wooded garden escape under a canopy of oak, maple and tulip trees.
Admission to the Lee Memorial Garden is always free.
When: Dawn to dusk daily
Where: 89 Chichester Road, New Canaan
A driver has been arrested for allegedly crashing into five vehicles along Main Street in Farmington Wednesday afternoon.
Farmington police said they responded to Main Street, also known as Route 10, after getting multiple reports of crashes. Authorities determined that a person was driving recklessly and separately struck five cars.
The driver continued on from each accident before finally crashing near Hawthorne Lane, according to police.
A Southington man in his 50s has been arrested for allegedly driving erratically and creating a disturbance.
Several drivers were evaluated for minor injuries at the scene. An investigation remains ongoing.
No additional information was immediately available.
Bodycam footage from the Waterbury Police Department shows suspected Connecticut child abuser Kimberly Sullivan denying that her stepson, who was allegedly locked in a storage closet in their home for 20 years, was imprisoned in the house.
According to the footage obtained by Fox News Digital, one of Sullivan’s two daughters arrived at the scene shortly after authorities on Feb. 17, when police said her 32-year-old stepson set fire in the house to escape decades of captivity and abuse.
Sullivan’s daughter picked her up in a black Acura, where they waited nearby as firefighters extinguished the blaze, and as Sullivan’s unnamed stepson was rescued from the home.
In the footage, which is partially redacted, Sullivan, 56, explains to an officer what happened after the fire started.
‘MALNOURISHED’ MAN HELD CAPTIVE BY STEPMOM FOR DECADES SET FIRE TO HOME TO ESCAPE: ‘I WANTED MY FREEDOM’
Kimberly Sullivan was arrested after allegedly abusing her stepson in their Waterbury, Connecticut home. (Jim Shannon/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP)
She said that she thought the fire started from a TV her stepson plugged into the wall, and said that she came out of her bedroom when she smelled smoke and called out for him.
“I was trying to go into the room but it was just – there were just flames – he came out of the room, eventually woke up and came out of the room,” she said.
Sullivan said that her son couldn’t escape the room because there were flames, but that he must have walked through them eventually.
“Was the door locked on his room, or no?” the officer asked.
“No,” Sullivan replied.
“OK, is it normally locked?” he asked.
“No,” she answered.
“And he has free rein to go out of there whenever he wants?” the detective asked.
“Yeah,” Sullivan said.
But police allege that Sullivan was lying during that exchange.
MAN DESCRIBES SHOCKING LIVING CONDITIONS HE ENDURED DURING 20-YEAR HOME CAPTIVITY: ‘UNIMAGINABLE’
This photo provided by the Waterbury Police Department shows Kimberly Sullivan, who was charged Wednesday, March 12, 2025, with kidnapping and cruelty for allegedly holding her 32-year-old stepson captive for more than 20 years. (Waterbury Police Department via AP)
Sullivan was arrested on March 12 and charged with first-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment. She is free on $300,000 bond, and pleaded not guilty to all charges on Friday.
According to an arrest warrant for Sullivan, the victim, identified as “Male Victim 1,” was held in a windowless 8-foot by 9-foot storage closet with no air conditioning or heat and without access to a bathroom for 20 years. He was kept inside the closet 22-24 hours per day.
He was allowed two sandwiches and two small water bottles each day, one of which he would use for bathing. He disposed of his waste using water bottles and newspaper. The man weighed less than 70 pounds when first responders found him after the fire.
That warrant also says that Sullivan’s stepson told them he set the fire on purpose, because he wanted his freedom.
“A CHILD CALLED ‘IT’” AUTHOR SAYS CONNECTICUT HOUSE OF HORRORS CASE IS ‘ATTEMPTED MURDER’
Kimberly Sullivan is taken into custody by the Waterbury Police Department on March 12. (Waterbury Police Department)
Fox News Digital also obtained Sullivan’s distraught 911 call reporting that her house was on fire.
LISTEN: Kimberly Sullivan calls 911 to report house fire
More bodycam footage shows a police officer arriving to the scene and yelling at an unidentified person through a window, telling the person to exit the home.
WATCH: Waterbury officer yells at person to exit burning home
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In a heavily redacted portion of the bodycam footage, police officers can be seen standing outside the ambulance looking in at the victim, who is blurred and being tended to by a paramedic. When audio reemerges from the redaction, one officer tells another that the victim said he hadn’t showered in a year.
WATCH: Kimberly Sullivan’s stepson interviewed by police in ambulance
Another video shows a frantic Sullivan asking to go back into the house to retrieve her purse and her keys, so she can put her dog inside her car.
WATCH: Kimberly Sullivan frantically asks to retrieve purse from burning home
Police previously released footage showing Sullivan’s stepson being carried out of the home and into an ambulance.
Fox News Digital reached out to Sullivan’s attorney Ioannis Kaloidis through a spokesperson.
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