Connecticut
Woman beaten, bound, held at knifepoint in Connecticut woods
Connecticut State Police arrested a man Wednesday morning who allegedly assaulted a woman, bound her with rope and held a knife to her throat when she tried to leave his campsite in Willington.
The victim told police she visited Jonathan Yokabaskas Tuesday night in a wooded area where he lives in a tent. An argument ensued and the 29-year-old suspect physically forced the woman to the ground and threatened to kill her, the accuser claimed.
Things got worse when she made a second attempt to get away.
“Yokabaskas struck her in the face, again forced her to the ground, and bound her wrists with rope, which she later convinced Yokabaskas to remove,” police said Thursday. “The victim further alleged that in the hours that followed, Yokabaskas threatened to kill her and held a knife against her throat several times.”
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, the victim said she convinced Yokabaskas to let her drive to an area business where she could use the bathroom. Once inside, she phoned a relative who notified authorities.
State police arrived to find Yokabaskas waiting in his alleged victim’s car. Cops also found a 6-inch knife in the vehicle’s passenger compartment.
Authorities said that based on their initial findings, “the incident met the criteria of a family violence crime,” though the suspect’s relationship with his accuser is unclear. He told police he and the victim were involved in a fight.
The victim was taken to an area hospital for observation. Police said they spotted “visible injuries to her face and hands.”
Yokabaskas was taken into custody and charged with assault, kidnapping, threatening, unlawful restrain and possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.
He was held on $250,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at Rockville Superior Court.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (WTNH) — Aaliyah Edwards came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points as the Connecticut Sun defeated the Portland Fire, 90-87, during Camp Day on Tuesday morning at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Thousands of kids were in attendance to watch the Sun hold on to a fourth-quarter lead as the Fire attempted to rally. Connecticut led by 10 at halftime and saw its lead cut to one in the final period.
Brittney Griner added 20 points for the Sun, who ended their three-game homestand with a victory. Olivia Nelson-Ododa went 8-for-8 from the foul line en route to 16 points and Leila Lacan chipped in 14.
Carla Leite led the Fire with 18 points.
The Sun visit Phoenix on Friday for the first of two games with the Mercury.
Florida’s tallest flag pole raises new Stars and Stripes on Independence Day
Florida’s tallest free-standing American flagpole now stands 250 feet tall at Bernice Braden Park in Cape Coral
You might have seen Connecticut’s state flag in government buildings and schools and wondered what the meaning was behind its design.
Adopted by the General Assembly in 1897, the Flag of Connecticut features a navy blue background with a white shield. Three grapevines with purple grapes are on the shield and oak leaves and acorns can be found on the shield’s edge.
Below the shield is a banner which features the phrase “Qui Transtulit Sustinet” written in Latin. According to ConnecticutHistory.org, that phrase translates to “He who transplanted still sustains,” which honors the colonists who moved to the state from England.
Per Encyclopedia Britannica, the three grapevines have two competing interpretations: they represent either the three oldest settlements in the state (Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor) or the three colonies that merged to form Connecticut (Connecticut Colony, Saybrook Colony and New Haven Colony).
Why is the Connecticut flag blue?
According to ConnecticutHistory.org, the blue comes from Connecticut’s Civil War military flags. During the Civil War, Connecticut regiments had flags featuring blue backgrounds. ConnecticutHistory.org reports that when the legislature adopted an official flag in 1897, they kept the color that military tradition had already established.
Origins of Connecticut’s state flag
Per ConnecticutHistory.org, Connecticut did not have an official state flag until 1897. The site reports that in 1895, the Anna Warner Bailey Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Groton pushed for an official flag to display in their new meeting room.
Governor Owen Vincent Coffin introduced a bill on May 29, 1895, which ConnecticutHistory.org says caused the legislature to subsequently form a committee. After several designs were submitted, the Connecticut General Assembly adopted the flag in 1897.
Connecticut’s coat of arms, which includes the shield, grapevines and banner featured on the state flag, was not formally standardized until 1931, according to USASymbol.com. The website also says color standards for the flag came in 1956, when the Secretary of the State’s office developed uniform specifications.
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