A smoke scare on a Delta Airlines flight from Boston caused it to turn around.

The flight, with more than 250 people on board, was headed to Nice, France, when the pilots reported smoke in the cockpit.

As a precaution, the flight was treated as an emergency and was given priority once it returned to Logan Airport.

The plane landed safely and the passengers were reaccommodated.

(Copyright (c) 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

A woman from Armstrong County is accused of stealing nearly $300,000 from the Penn Hills refrigeration company that she used to work for. 

The Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that Ashley Apperson, 34, of Leechburg is facing multiple charges after police she say she stole nearly $300,000 from Ventec Refrigeration.

According to the criminal complaint filed by police, detectives said that Apperson worked for the company from nearly four years and was responsible for things like processing payroll and other accounting duties and was terminated last month for performance issues.

Investigators said that the alleged thefts were discovered shortly after Apperson was terminated when an employee was looking up a check in the company’s computer system when a typo led to the discovery of a non-payroll check made out to Apperson in a large amount.

A further search of the computer system, according to police, showed that between January 2025 and last month, approximately 88 non-payroll checks were issued to Apperson. None of these checks were authorized by the business, police said. 

Police said they obtained a search warrant for the bank account where the unauthorized checks were deposited and learned it belonged to Apperson.

In addition to the unauthorized checks allegedly being deposited into Apperson’s account, police said purchases were made by Apperson on a company credit card at places like Dave and Buster’s, PayPal, and Amazon. 

Police said that when they questioned Apperson about the alleged thefts, she admitted to using funds for online gambling and that she wanted to take responsibility for wheat was stolen.

Investigators said they determined that the approximately amount of money stolen from the company by Apperson came to just shy of $300,000.

According to online court records, Apperson was arraigned and released on nonmonetary bail and is set to face a preliminary hearing early next month on charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, access device fraud, among others.

by Earl Bloodworth, CT Mirror
June 26, 2026

When we talk about gun violence in Connecticut, we often talk about it in numbers.

We count the shell casings left on a New Haven street corner, the number of illegal firearms recovered by police, or the roll-call votes in the General Assembly.

But gun violence does not exist in a vacuum. Like a rock thrown into a pond, its ripples reverberate far beyond a single tragic night. While a headline captures the finality of a death, the living are left to carry a trauma that is constant, heavy, and deeply unfair.

That is why the passage of House Bill 5043 — now signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont — is a profound victory for public safety, but also a moment that requires us to look more closely at what it actually takes to heal communities facing this ongoing public health crisis.

At its core, HB 5043 closes a dangerous gap by targeting “convertible pistols” and the illegal conversion switches that transform standard handguns into fully automatic weapons in seconds. By making the importation and sale of these convertible handguns a Class D felony, Connecticut is refusing to let the gun industry outpace our commitment to keeping families safe.

While critics argue federal laws already cover these devices, the reality on the ground is that criminals actively exploit these specific pistol designs. Ignoring this flood of easily altered firearms into our neighborhoods is like acknowledging a flood but refusing to patch the hole in the levee.

But as the Executive Director of CT Against Gun Violence, I know that legislation alone cannot be the silver bullet. Passing a law stops a specific product; it does not automatically heal a neighborhood. We need to get to the root of the problem.

Before leading CAGV, my career was rooted deeply in reentry services in New Haven and Bridgeport. I spent years working alongside justice-impacted individuals who were trying to rebuild their lives. I saw firsthand how systemic disinvestment, poverty, and a lack of baseline economic opportunity fuel the precise conditions where illegal gun markets and interpersonal violence thrive.

When returning citizens face hundreds of legal barriers to housing, employment, and basic stability, we are failing to address the root causes of the trauma that spills onto our streets.

True violence prevention requires a dual approach. We must advocate fiercely for common-sense, life-saving policies like HB 5043 in the halls of the General Assembly. But we must match that advocacy with unprecedented, sustained investments in community-based programs, street-level violence interrupters, and robust reentry support.

Connecticut has taken a powerful step in this direction by committing $4 million in state investment to gun violence prevention infrastructure, alongside the creation of the state’s Office of Firearm Injury Prevention. This allows us to view gun violence not just as a criminal issue but through a dedicated public health lens as an epidemic that demands deep community resources.

The passage of HB 5043 is an essential shield. It disrupts the pipeline of rapidly militarized firearms and keeps high-velocity danger out of circulation. But a shield only protects you from the blow; it doesn’t cure the underlying illness.

As this new law takes effect, let’s celebrate the political courage it took to pass it. But let’s also let it serve as a reminder of the work that remains. We must continue to build bridges, fund grassroots community intervention, and ensure that every resident in every Connecticut zip code has the safety, dignity, and opportunity they deserve. Only then will the ripples of trauma finally begin to recede.

Earl Bloodworth is the Executive Director of CT Against Gun Violence (CAGV).

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