Valley Independent Sentinel

SPRING FIRE SAFETY TIPS

2010-03-20T01:37:15Z

Spring and summertime present the return of several seasonal fire hazards with activities shifting outdoors.

Among the most common involve cooking grills, wooden decks, and use of gasoline and other flammable liquids.

Ted Pisciotta, Assistant Chief, Fire Prevention encourages everyone to consider the following:

Old Band Learns New Tricks

2010-03-20T01:09:19Z

Editors Note: On the eve of their first gig as a reunited band, Old Man Noises band member David Broder of Shelton sent out this press release detailing how the band reconnected. Old Man Noises will play at the Huntington Street Cafe at 8 p.m. March 26.

It took 21st century innovation to reconnect four friends from the 1970s so that they could reform a band from the1980s and play music from as far back as the1950s and 60s.

And now, thanks to Facebook, that band, Old Man Noises, is rocking Southern Connecticut with its unique brand of vintage rock and roll.

Sylvester Testifies On $30K Cash Snatch

2010-03-19T21:57:36Z

As Leon Sylvester took the stand for the first time Friday, he gave new testimony about how Mayor Mark A. Lauretti allegedly took cash from James Botti’s safe.

Sylvester, a former Planning and Zoning commissioner, wasn’t there. He learned about the alleged transaction from Botti, in a conversation sometime between 2005 and 2008, Sylvester testified during Botti’s federal corruption trial at U.S. District Court in New Haven Friday.

“He described that in one of his offices, he and the mayor were talking and the safe was open and there were bundles of cash in the safe,” Sylvester testified. “And the mayor saw them, looked at them, and helped himself to three.”

Fight Hunger Campaign

2010-03-19T21:21:36Z

The drive to stamp out hunger is in full force from now through April 30 during the 13th annual Alan Shawn Feinstein $1 Million Giveaway to Fight Hunger campaign.

Budget Woes Puts Seymour ESU On Hiatus

2010-03-19T04:40:32Z

On Tuesday, First Selectman Paul Roy recommended the Board of Selectmen endorse a spending freeze to stop a widening budget deficit.

“The letter went out this morning, and (the various boards and commissions) have been abiding,” Roy said Thursday.

The first board to have its regular meeting since the decree was the Board of Police Commissioners. Through them came down the hammer: no more spending on training, classes, events or anything else for the police department’s Emergency Services Unit (ESU).

Gridlock On Shelton School Budget

2010-03-19T03:45:16Z

The Board of Apportionment and Taxation was deadlocked Wednesday over the passage of the Board of Education’s proposed $64.6 million budget.

Go Oxford!

2010-03-19T03:28:02Z

The Oxford cheerleading team is making its third trip to the New England championships in only its third year of existence on Saturday.

ON TAP FRIDAY: BOTTI, LAURETTI

2010-03-18T22:34:07Z

For the past two weeks, Mayor Mark A. Lauretti’s name has been thrown around a lot during the federal corruption trial of Shelton developer James Botti, as government attorneys argue the two conspired to defraud the citizens of Shelton.

Friday, jurors will get to hear Lauretti’s voice, too — via wiretapped conversations he had with Botti during 2005.

Ansonia NAACP Wants Department Of Justice To Investigate Police Department

2010-03-18T21:40:33Z

The president of the Ansonia NAACP called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the handling of the Mustafa Salahuddin investigation.

Chief Hale Reacts To Not Guilty Verdict

2010-03-18T14:57:21Z

When a case goes to a jury — it’s in their hands and it’s their decision.

So said police Chief Kevin Hale Thursday morning, when asked to react to yesterday’s not guilty verdict in the larceny case against Officer Mustafa Salahuddin.

“I wasn’t surprised by it. I’m not an attorney, but if you ask a prosecutor or an attorney, when you get in front of a jury, you just don’t know what’s going to happen,” Hale said.