Connecticut

UConn is the big favorite in East regional. Florida Atlantic could be best sleeper pick

Published

2 years ago

March 17, 2024

UConn is the big favorite in East regional. Florida Atlantic could be best sleeper pick

Connecticut is the latest defending national champion to make a run at the most elite list in college basketball.

The top-overall seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament is looking to become the eighth program in Division I and first since Florida in 2006-7 to go back-to-back in the tournament era. The others are Oklahoma State (1945-46), Kentucky (1948-49), San Francisco (1955-56), Cincinnati (1961-62), UCLA (1964-65, 1967-73) and Duke (1991-92).

The Huskies will try to do so coming out of the East Region, where the stiffest competition should come from No. 2 Iowa State, the Big 12 tournament champion; No. 3 Illinois, the second-place team from the Big Ten; and No. 4 Auburn, winners of the SEC tournament.

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It’s a strong region. But no team in the country has looked as strong as UConn, the prohibitive favorites to repeat.

USA TODAY Sports breaks down the men’s NCAA Tournament East Region:

Best first-round matchup: Washington State vs. Drake

No. 7 Washington State is back in the tournament for the first since 2008 after going 24-9 and finishing second in the Pac-12 under coach Kyle Smith. Drake had another outstanding regular season — the Bulldogs have won at least 25 games in each of the past four years — but won the Missouri Valley tournament championship to land the No. 10 seed. Drake’s offense is one of the highest-scoring in program history but will be challenged by a WSU defense that hasn’t given up 80 points since a win against Washington on Feb. 3.

Potential upset in first round: Auburn vs. Yale

No. 12 Alabama-Birmingham is hot enough to take down No. 5 San Diego State, though the Blazers’ play for the vast majority of the regular season doesn’t speak too well to their chances. Let’s go instead with No. 13 Yale finding a hot hand and taking down No. 4 Auburn, which had one of the cruelest tournament landing spots of any Power Six team. The Tigers were placed behind No. 3 Kentucky despite winning the SEC, for one, and worse yet will very likely have to tussle with one of the Huskies and Iowa State to get back to the Final Four behind coach Bruce Pearl.

The sleeper: Florida Atlantic

If for no other reason than the fact that FAU doesn’t lose NCAA Tournament games in New York. (If we’re counting all five boroughs, that is.) A year ago, the Owls punched their ticket to the Final Four out of Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. This time, the No. 8 Owls will get started at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center against No. 9 Northwestern before — gulp — taking on UConn. FAU struggled at times during the regular season as first-year members of the American but have the experienced roster and depth of production to make another March run in the Big Apple.

The winner: Connecticut

OK, so let’s get real: Anyone other than UConn winning the region and going to the Final Four would be a big surprise. (Anyone other than UConn winning the whole thing might be a big surprise, actually.) The Huskies are long, deep, explosive, dripping with athleticism and loaded with the sort of confidence you’d expect from the defending champs. The Huskies are built to handle the intensity of tournament play and will benefit from the depth developed while battling some injuries during the regular season.

NCAA Tournament East Region schedule

Thursday, March 21

Omaha, Neb.

No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Dakota StateNo. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead StateNo. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 DrakeNo. 6 Brigham Young vs. No. 11 Duquesne

Friday, March 22

Brooklyn, NY

No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 StetsonNo. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern

Spokane, Wash.

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 Alabama-BirminghamNo. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale

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Connecticut

Are You From a Connecticut Family That Eats Toad in the Hole?

Published

56 minutes ago

March 27, 2026

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Are You From a Connecticut Family That Eats Toad in the Hole?

Are you from a Connecticut family that grew up eating Toad in the Hole? If so, you probably know it as a quirky breakfast dish — an egg cooked right in a hole cut out of a slice of bread. Just to be clear, no toads were harmed — I simply couldn’t resist using an actual toad photo. But the story behind the name and the dish is a little stranger than you might think.

The original Toad in the Hole comes from England, where it’s a savory meal of sausages baked in Yorkshire pudding batter. No eggs, no toast, just sausages popping out of golden, fluffy batter — the name supposedly comes from the way the sausages peek out like toads in a pond.

When English families settled in New England, they brought culinary traditions with them, and over time, the dish evolved. In the U.S., particularly in some Connecticut households, Toad in the Hole became the breakfast version we know today: an egg nestled in bread, sometimes cooked in a skillet or baked. It’s a far cry from the original sausages-and-batter dish, but it kept the playful name and sense of whimsy.

Read More: Connecticut Zookeeper Explains the Secret Lives of Skunks

What’s fun is that the U.S. version is sometimes called “egg in a basket” or “egg in a hole” in other parts of the country, but in many Connecticut homes, it proudly keeps the Toad in the Hole moniker. For families with multi-generational ties to the state, this little breakfast dish is a taste of history, a nod to old English roots, and a perfect reminder of just how weird and wonderful Connecticut’s food traditions can be.

Before researching this, I’d never heard of it, but you’d better believe I’m making one of these this weekend — both the UK and U.S. versions.

Sources: Wikipedia & Food Science Institute

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Luxury Meets Privacy: Discover Old Greenwich’s Exclusive Peninsula

28 East Point Lane is a luxury address in Old Greenwich, CT that happens to rest on a peninsula. If you have a metric f— ton of money I have good news, It recently hit the market for $12.5 Million.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods, in Connecticut’s Highest Crime City

Those of us who live in Connecticut know, this place is NOT what the rest of the country thinks it is. We have folks struggling to get by, we have crime, drugs and very dangerous neighborhoods. Recently, I set out to find the most dangerous city in Connecticut and I got a lot more detail than I bargained for. After determining Hartford was the city with the most violent crime, I was able to find the specific places that are the most dangerous within the city. These are the 10 Most Dangerous Places in Hartford according to the Connecticut Bail Bonds Group.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

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Connecticut

Connecticut Gas Tax Holiday Proposal Stalls – We-Ha | West Hartford News

Published

13 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Connecticut Gas Tax Holiday Proposal Stalls – We-Ha | West Hartford News

A spokesperson for the governor said the gas tax holiday remains an option ‘should gas prices continue to climb,’ but Lamont is not actively pursuing it due to lack of support from the legislature.

By Karla Ciaglo, CTNewsJunkie.com

On March 10, Gov. Ned Lamont proposed a temporary gas tax holiday to help Connecticut drivers amid rising fuel costs tied to global conflict, but the plan was met with mixed reviews and now appears to be in limbo.

While top Democrats urged immediate action using emergency authority, other legislative leaders and Republicans expressed concerns over timing, fiscal impact, and whether the savings would actually reach Connecticut residents.

Lamont’s proposal would suspend the state’s 25-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax — and potentially the roughly 49-cent diesel tax — as prices climbed following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and the resulting disruption to global oil markets. Despite the urgency, it lost traction among legislators.

Click here to read the rest of the article on CTNewsJunkie.com.

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Connecticut

Here are 8 Connecticut Easter egg hunts to bring the kids to this year

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Here are 8 Connecticut Easter egg hunts to bring the kids to this year

The arrival of spring means Easter is almost here – it falls on Sunday, April 5, this year.

With the holiday only two weeks away, Christians all over New England are preparing to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. However, for children, the holiday is significant for another reason: candy.

All across the country on Easter Sunday, children will hunt for hidden Easter eggs in hopes of finding a sweet treasure inside. Wondering where they can do so in Connecticut?

Here are eight Easter celebrations and egg hunts in Connecticut to bring the kids to this year.

Easter Egg Hunt at Olde Mistick Village

Head to Olde Mistick Village for its annual Easter egg hunt full of springtime fun. After hunting for eggs in the orchard, children can enjoy face painting at the duck pond, a petting zoo at Center Island and a meet-and-greet with the Easter Bunny in the Gazebo. Olde Mistick Village will also host a sensory easter egg handout in the Meeting House.

The entire free event will last from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, with designated egg hunt time slots for each age group. Be sure to check the times on Olde Mistick Village’s website. The outdoor shopping mall is located at 27 Coogan Blvd. in Mystic.

Easter Bunny Express

Looking for a unique way to celebrate Easter? Hop on the Railroad Museum of New England’s Easter Bunny Express for a fun celebration on wheels. Passengers will take a scenic train ride through the Litchfield Hills, stopping at the Bunny Patch for children to meet the Easter Bunny, hunt for rubber ducks and receive a chocolate-filled egg.

The 80-minute excursion aboard the Easter Bunny Express costs $25 for coach seats, $30 for premium coach seats or $39 for Governor’s Lounge seats, which include complementary snacks. Be sure to make reservations online in advance, as tickets usually sell out.

Trains will depart from 242 E Main St. in Thomaston at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on March 28-29 and April 3-4.

Dino Easter Egg Hunt

Nature’s Art Village is back with its 15th annual Dino Easter Egg Hunt at The Dinosaur Place. Children can explore the dinosaur trails as they hunt for colorful dinosaur eggs, which can be exchanged for a special goodie bag. Food trucks and the Easter Bunny will also be onsite.

Tickets, which include all-day access to the Dinosaur Park after the hunt, cost $28 for adults, $36 for children ages 2-12 or $20 for children under 2. The event will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 4, but be sure to check the website for the time slot for your child’s hunt.

Nature’s Art Village is located at 1650 Hartford-New London Tpke. in Montville.

Forest Egg Hunt Adventure

Adventurous children can gather eggs in the woods at Stamford Museum & Nature Center’s Forest Egg Hunt Adventure. Afterwards, kids can exchange their eggs for prizes, meet live animals and make crafts.

Member-only admission costs $22 per child, with free admission for two non-member adults included with the purchase of each ticket. The Forest Egg Hunt Adventure has 19 different sessions across March 27-29 and April 3-4, with a special glow in the dark egg hunt at night on Friday, April 3.

Stamford Museum & Nature Center is located at 39 Scofieldtown Road in Stamford.

Easter Egg-Roll at Roller Magic

Need to get the kids’ energy out? Take them to Roller Magic in Waterbury for a special Easter skate, complete with an Easter egg-roll and pictures with the Easter Bunny. Admission costs $13 per person, with skate rentals available for an additional $5.50.

Roller Magic’s Easter Egg-Roll Skate will take place from 12:30-6 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, and the skating rink will also host a Good Friday skate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 3. Roller Magic is located at 60 Harvester Road in Waterbury.

Easter Egg Festival at Westbrook Outlets

Westbrook Outlets’ 28th annual Easter Egg Festival will not only include an egg hunt, but also a scavenger hunt, a bounce house, face painting, cake decorating and a wide selection of food and craft vendors. The free event will last from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, with egg hunts at noon for ages 1-3, 1 p.m. for ages 4-6 and 2 p.m. for ages 7-10.

The Easter Egg Festival will happen inside Suite D130 at Westbrook Outlets, located at 314 Flat Rock Place in Westbrook.

Goat Egg Hunt at March Farm

You’ve heard of goat yoga, but what about goat egg hunts? Got Your Goat is hosting its fourth annual “Got Your Goat?” Egg Hunt, this year at Bethlehem’s March Farm. Guests can arrive at any time during the egg hunt window to hunt for eggs alongside goats frolicking through the field. Once the children have collected up to 12 eggs, they can exchange them for prizes and spend quality time with baby goats.

Got Your Goat will host three specialty egg hunts this year: Saturday, March 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 29 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; and Friday, April 3 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The goat egg hunt costs $42 per person, though adults and non-hunting babies enter for free.

March Farm can be found at 160 Munger Lane in Bethlehem.

EverWonder Egg Scramble

Join EverWonder Children’s Museum for a re-imagined egg hunt full of golden eggs, an optional live animal experience, museum play and sensory-friendly options. EverWonder will host three different egg hunts: an Easter Egg Hunt for $10-20 at 9 a.m, 10:30 a.m. and noon on April 4; a flashlight egg hunt for $30 at 6:30 p.m. on March 27; and a sensory egg hunt for $13-15 at 9 a.m. on March 28.

All tickets for the 2026 Egg Scramble can be purchased online. EverWonder Children’s Museum is located at 11 Mile Hill Road Suite 1 in Newtown.

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