Connecticut

The Houston Comets are back as the Sun sets on the WNBA’s time in Connecticut, where fans face unfortunate reality

Published

3 months ago

March 27, 2026

The Houston Comets are back as the Sun sets on the WNBA’s time in Connecticut, where fans face unfortunate reality

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Houston Comets’ four WNBA championship banners and the jerseys of their icons have a rightful home again. If only it didn’t come at the expense of another.

The news of the Connecticut Sun selling to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and relocating to the Lone Star state as the Comets is a zero-sum game, transporting heartache elsewhere.

Sure, it’s a long-awaited victory for Houston and its fans, who were many and only grew in number as vintage became trendy. This city deserved the return of a team ripped from its clutches at the start of the Great Recession, and despite decent attendance throughout its success.

Yet, the basketball-crazed state of Connecticut will now feel that same void. It’s hard to overlook that the final report of the sale dropped while 12-time national champion UConn actively extended its winning streak to 53 with a victory in the Sweet 16 here in Fort Worth, Texas. Four hours from Houston.

Hey, the move screamed, look over there instead. The epitome of a Friday night news dump that everyone involved with hoped wouldn’t sting quite so much.

“The people at Mohegan Sun, they stepped up when they were needed and brought a team to Connecticut,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma told ESPN. “…We’re a proven [place] where people would support women’s basketball. Now [with them] moving, I think it leaves a void.”

The Mohegan Sun Tribe entered into the WNBA at a time when the NBA stepped out. It became the first Native American tribe to own a professional sports team when it purchased the Orlando Miracle franchise for $5 million in 2003 and brought it to UConn’s backyard to play at their casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

The move marked a historic first for the six-year-old league. That previous October, the WNBA’s Board of Governors changed its bylaws so that teams did not have to be located in NBA cities, play in NBA arenas and be owned by the league in conjunction with the NBA. The decision was sparked by declining attendance and falling TV ratings. Teams in Miami and Portland folded that same offseason.

As attendance booms and TV ratings explode nearly 25 years later, the Sun franchise’s sale for a reported $300 million is another screaming example that NBAers want back into the lucrative fold. All three incoming expansion teams that will join the W beginning in 2027 are connected to the NBA. So, too, are the Golden State Valkyries and Toronto Tempo. Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Seattle, Dallas and the incoming Portland Fire, which also took its folded name, are not associated by ownership with NBA teams.

The writing was scribbled on the Mohegan Sun’s yellowed walls long before news became public of a potential sale. Their arena holds 10,000, more than a couple of unfortunate WNBA stragglers, but nowhere close to the 15,000-plus atmosphere for which the league yearns. Though they maintained healthy attendance, the Sun never won a WNBA championship despite a run of success in the early 2010s that was hampered by health.

That player core departed for greener pastures, trading New England summers for sweltering hot desert heat kept at bay by sparkling, state-of-the-art practice facilities. Transportation was always a headache with the closest airport nearly an hour away. Players voiced displeasure at the overall location, desiring a city instead of an arena dropped inside a casino in the countryside.

The new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) passed by both the players union and WNBA Board of Governors this week wrote it all in permanent marker. The Sun can’t meet the new facilities, staff and financial standards set forth in it, a key bargaining chip pushed by the players themselves. The jump in salary cap alone, from $1.5M to $7M, is difficult to meet.

The unfortunate reality is the league outgrew the market and what it could offer, even if that contribution was a healthy women’s basketball base fed by the Huskies’ success. A team will be ripped from its home again, leaving behind fans who will hand down this hurt for generations. The women’s game is old enough to be shared that way now.

The Comets are finally back. And the Sun will become a vintage symbol of loss.

Source link

Click to comment

Connecticut

Lifeguards rescue driver who crashed car into pool in Connecticut

Published

6 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

Lifeguards rescue driver who crashed car into pool in Connecticut

NEW CANAAN, Conn. — An elderly driver was rescued from his vehicle after he accidentally crashed into a swimming pool in on Tuesday.

It happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut.

The Tesla plowed through a fence and set of trees before plunging into the water. Police say he was trying to park at the time.

The community pool was closed when it happened, so no one was swimming or in the path of the vehicle.

Lifeguards and first responders entered the pool to help the driver out of the vehicle.

Lifeguard Mike D’Urso, 18, described what happened.

“Me and my coworker were setting up the umbrellas when we heard a loud crash and we turned around and there was a car right in the middle of the pool,” D’Urso said.

D’Urso said the man was conscious and alert, but the vehicle began to take on water.

“The car began to sink a couple minutes in, and my concern was that the water would rise above his head and wouldn’t be able to breathe,” D’Urso said.

D’Urso and EMS workers pulled the victim out through the passenger side window. The driver said he wasn’t injured, but he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

The pool will have to be drained, cleaned and refilled. Officials hope to have it reopened by the weekend.

Source link

Connecticut

1 dead in Hartford double shooting

Published

16 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Press Room

One person is dead after a double shooting in Hartford, police said.

ShotSpotter notified police of shots fired around 7 p.m. on Magnolia Street.

When officers got to the scene, they found a woman unresponsive in the driver’s seat of a vehicle.

Police identified the victim as 46-year-old Diana Tirado of New Britain. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was another woman in her 30s with a gunshot wound on the sidewalk. She was taken to the hospital, where she is listed in stable condition. Her identity has not been released.

Police have not identified a suspect at this time.

Source link

Connecticut

Taste of SoNo Supports Connecticut Foodshare » CBIA

Published

1 day ago

June 17, 2026

Press Room

Taste of SoNo Supports Connecticut Foodshare » CBIA

More than 200 people gathered May 28 in Norwalk for a night of food and entertainment supporting Connecticut Foodshare’s mission to fight food insecurity.

The second annual Taste of SoNo brought together local restaurants, business leaders, community partners, volunteers, donors, and supporters to celebrate Fairfield County’s vibrant culinary community.

The event took place in The Magnificent Room at the SoNo Collection.

Guests sampled offerings from more than a dozen local restaurants, distilleries, breweries, and other exhibitors.

They also learned more about Connecticut Foodshare’s work through its network of community partners, mobile pantries, and other hunger-relief programs.

Community Impact

The evening featured live music and a silent auction with dining, music, and sports experiences, along with artwork and sports memorabilia.

“We are extremely thankful to everyone who attended and supported Connecticut Foodshare through this event,” said Connecticut Foodshare president and CEO Jason Jakubowski.

“The generosity of our restaurant partners, sponsors, volunteers, and guests helps us continue our mission.”
Connecticut Foodshare’s Jason Jakubowski

“The generosity of our restaurant partners, sponsors, volunteers, and guests helps us continue our mission to end hunger in Connecticut and ensure that families facing food insecurity have access to the nutritious food they need.”

Connecticut Foodshare hosted the event for the second year and has already started planning next year’s Taste of SoNo.

Source link