Word On The Street: Callaghan Suits Up
by | Jan 5, 2023 2:36 pm | Comments (2)
Paul Bass Photo
Legal Writes
Officer McKernan Refuels For Double Duty
by | Jan 4, 2023 12:57 pm | Comments (4)
Paul Bass Photo
Officer Ashley McKernan was two hours into her second consecutive shift Wednesday morning when she finally found a moment to fuel back up for the next hours on the beat.
Mandy Leads Pack In Eviction Filings
by and | Jan 3, 2023 2:20 pm | Comments (12)
Thomas Breen file photo
Mandy Management principal Menachem Gurevitch with attorney Ari Hoffman in housing court.
A review of 2022 eviction lawsuits reveals that affiliates of Mandy Management moved to boot 261 New Haven rental households — making the local megalandlord by far the busiest property owner in housing court in a year that saw eviction filings surge statewide.
Vigil Remembers Year's 1st Murder Victim
by | Jan 3, 2023 9:50 am | Comments (7)
Nora Grace-Flood photos
LaJamia Banks, right, says a prayer while her sister, Laquvia Jones, mourns the death of her son, Dontae Myers.
Mourners at Monday's Fair Haven vigil for Dontae Myers.
Over 100 New Haveners gripping red and black balloons packed Poplar Street to mourn the New Year’s Day murder of a soft-spoken 23-year-old — and to decry a deadly pattern of gun violence that also saw the victim’s younger brother killed in tragically similar circumstances just three years earlier.
2023 Bets: Green Buzz, Slowed Boom, Scrambled Politics
by | Jan 3, 2023 9:07 am | Comments (10)
Prognostication time.
(Opinion) Like broken grandfather clocks, rusty old reporters who dare to make predictions occasionally get it right.
Or do we? The next 12 months will offer proof.
Continue reading ‘2023 Bets: Green Buzz, Slowed Boom, Scrambled Politics’
Probate Judge Torch Passed At Carchia's Swearing In Ceremony
by | Jan 2, 2023 3:43 pm | Comments (3)
Thomas Breen photo
U.S. Sen. Blumenthal, Judge-elect Carchia, retiring Judge Graves at swearing-in ceremony.
Surrounded by family, friends, fellow Democratic politicos, and his two probate court predecessors, Americo Carchia took the oath of office as New Haven’s new probate judge during a lunchtime celebration at a waterfront Morris Cove restaurant.
Continue reading ‘Probate Judge Torch Passed At Carchia's Swearing In Ceremony’
Final Tally: Homicides Dropped 46% In 2022
by | Jan 2, 2023 3:00 pm | Comments (5)
Paul Bass Photo
Detectives at the scene of the 2021 Winthrop Avenue double murder.
New Haven ended 2022 with a run of fatal shootings, but still with significantly fewer overall than over the past two years.
Continue reading ‘Final Tally: Homicides Dropped 46% In 2022’
Mom Loses 2nd Son To Street Violence
by | Jan 2, 2023 12:38 pm | Comments (5)
Dontae Myers with mom Laquvia Jones.
New Haven’s first homicide victim of 2023 was the brother of New Haven’s first homicide victim of 2020 — killed less than two months after his mother pleaded with a room full of potential shooters to stop the cycle of deadly violence.
Eviction "Answers" Reveal Renters' Struggles
by and | Jan 2, 2023 11:02 am | Comments (15)
Laura Glesby File Photo
Luis Ramos-Cruz in the Fair Haven home from which he was evicted.
State court online records
One of of the many "answer" filings recently submitted by tenants to New Haven's housing court in response to a spike in eviction lawsuits.
“We were jobless for about a year.”
“Stage 4 cirrhosis requiring liver transplant and I am ineligible.”
“It rains inside my sons room and I use my mop bucket to catch the water.”
“I lost my mother and had to use money for funeral.”
Those are just a few of the explanations that New Haven tenants offered in response to a surge in eviction lawsuits — revealing a year marked by lost jobs, lost loved ones, surprise illnesses, and maintenance requests gone unheard, all as the city’s housing court kicked back into high gear.
Continue reading ‘Eviction "Answers" Reveal Renters' Struggles’
6 Months In, Chief Sees Progress
by | Dec 22, 2022 9:39 am | Comments (5)
Paul Bass Photo
Jacobson offering homicide investigation update at the Shack in West Hills.
Six months into his tenure as New Haven’s police chief, Karl Jacobson has seen deadly violence plummet — and an updated community policing approach begin to take hold.
Driver Shot, Crashes, Flees
by | Dec 20, 2022 6:30 pm | Comments (2)
Paul Bass Photo
Detectives finding shell casings at the blocked-off intersection of Maple and Brownell.
An exchange of gunfire in the Edgewood neighborhood Tuesday afternoon ended with a driver getting hit by a bullet, crashing his car, then fleeing.
Progress Reported In Teen-Murder Investigation
by | Dec 20, 2022 6:17 pm | Comments (33)
Maya McFadden File Photo
Joshua Vazquez, second from right, with other West Hills teen "ambassadors" involved in a summer neighborhood clean-up program.
Paul Bass Photo
Remembering a neighbor: Housing authority chief Karen DuBois-Walton with Shelly Holness and Jordan Cunningham at Tuesday press conference.
(Updated) Police have “good leads” and video in their investigation into the shooting death of 16-year-old Joshua Vazquez and are working with his former schools to try to prevent a retaliatory attack.
Continue reading ‘Progress Reported In Teen-Murder Investigation’
Branford Man Killed In Downtown Car Crash
by | Dec 19, 2022 1:00 pm | Comments (1)
A 25-year-old Branford man named Max Peters died following a two-car crash at a notorious highway-adjacent downtown intersection.
Continue reading ‘Branford Man Killed In Downtown Car Crash’
“Every Day Is An Anniversary of a Gun Death”
by | Dec 15, 2022 3:24 pm | Comments (2)
Allan Appel photo
Sean Reeves at Wednesday's vigil at St. James Episcopal Church.
Dozens of advocates against gun violence gathered in Fair Haven Heights to mourn the 26 young people murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School — as well as the hundreds of fellow Connecticut residents shot to death each year — in a solemn ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of a preventable tragedy.
Continue reading ‘“Every Day Is An Anniversary of a Gun Death”’
Adam Carmon Walks Free From Prison
by | Dec 12, 2022 9:33 pm | Comments (0)
Laura Glesby photos
Father and son, reunited.
Adam Carmon, right, hugs his son outside of prison for the first time.
After 29 years in prison, Adam Carmon walked out of the Church Street courthouse handcuff-free on Monday. His son, Najee, ran out after him. They hugged for a minute, tears streaming down their faces.
“You’re here. You’re here. You’re here,” murmured Najee, who had only ever seen his father in prison or in court.
Disability Advocate Pounds Pavement For Safer Sidewalks
by | Dec 9, 2022 2:21 pm | Comments (48)
Laura Glesby Photos
Tripping hazards on Audubon St.
Dave Agosta: "It is not possible for people with disabilities to 'travel' in New Haven. They can only 'navigate hazards.'"
Spotting a loose brick on the Audubon Street walkway, David Agosta nudged it with the tip of his toe — then reached down and handily uprooted the cube.
That block could have caused a twisted ankle or worse, the downtown disability rights advocate said, especially for pedestrians who get around using walkers or crutches or canes.
Mobility hazards like these have led him to ramp up his broader critique of New Haven’s accessibility by filing a formal complaint with the federal Department of Justice.
Continue reading ‘Disability Advocate Pounds Pavement For Safer Sidewalks’
5 Arrested City Cops Appear In Court
by | Dec 8, 2022 1:53 pm | Comments (8)
Nora Grace-Flood photo
Sgt. Betsy Segui with lawyer Greg Cerritelli in court Thursday.
Nora Grace-Flood file photo
Officer Luis Rivera.
Five arrested city cops showed up in state court for the first time Thursday for ongoing criminal cases stemming from their respective roles in the June 19 incident that left 36-year-old New Havener Richard “Randy” Cox injured and paralyzed while in police custody.
Judge Accelerates Adam Carmon's Likely Release
by | Dec 8, 2022 12:09 pm | Comments (3)
Youtube image
Clockwise from top left: Judge Jon Alander, attorney Doug Lieb, victim's advocate Christia Ciancola, attorney Ken Rosenthal, prosecutor Craig Nowak, and attorney David Keenan.
It took nearly 29 years for a court to decide that Adam Carmon’s murder conviction was illegitimate — and under five minutes for a judge to rule that his release from prison should occur as soon as possible.
Continue reading ‘Judge Accelerates Adam Carmon's Likely Release’
3rd Arrest Prompts Prisoner-Release Debate
by | Dec 7, 2022 4:35 pm | Comments (28)
A 37-year-old man was out on probation when he had a third armed confrontation with New Haven police.
That led New Haven’s police chief to question why he was out on the street in the first place.
Continue reading ‘3rd Arrest Prompts Prisoner-Release Debate’
Clean Slate Backers Brace For Delays
by | Dec 7, 2022 2:32 pm | Comments (12)
Thomas Breen photo
Mark Douglas: Delayed conviction erasure is "definitely a big disappointment."
Disappointed and resolved, Mark Douglas spoke out about about how years-old misdemeanor convictions still haunt his bid for gainful employment — as he and other statewide criminal justice reform advocates pressed to keep a spotlight on Connecticut’s “clean slate” bill even if its rollout is slower than expected.
Despite $2M Offer, Pan Denied Lowered Bail
by | Dec 7, 2022 12:49 pm | Comments (1)
Nora Grace-Flood photo
Defense attorneys Norm Pattis and Kevin Smith with Qinxuan Pan Wednesday.
Alleged killer Qinxuan Pan had enough cash in the family to get out of prison and potentially run a second time in the opposite direction of an impending murder trial — but a state judge wouldn’t accept the $2 million check.
Continue reading ‘Despite $2M Offer, Pan Denied Lowered Bail’
First Official Tenants Union Recognized
by | Dec 7, 2022 12:21 pm | Comments (15)
Contributed photo
Blake St. tenants union members winning official recognition from Fair Rent Commission Executive Director Wildaliz Bermudez (center).
A group of Blake Street renters delivered a 31-name petition to City Hall — and officially became New Haven’s first legally recognized tenants union.
The Justice System After Randy Cox
by | Dec 7, 2022 12:09 pm | Comments (11)
NHPD image
Ofc. Diaz, Sgt. Segui, and Ofc. Pressley lifting Cox into wheelchair on June 19.
Thomas Breen file photo
Liam Brennan: "We can make the promise of equal protection under the law a promise fulfilled."
The following op-ed was written by Liam Brennan, a New Haven resident who is a former federal corruption prosecutor and legal aid attorney. He currently serves as the Inspector General in Hartford.
Judge Fines Megalandlord $6,250
by | Dec 7, 2022 9:00 am | Comments (13)
Thomas Breen photo
Ocean Principal Shmuel Aizenberg, landlord attorney Ian Gottlieb, and state prosecutor Donna Parker (right) Tuesday.
One of New Haven’s largest landlords was hit with another $6,250 in court-ordered fines for 25 more now-fixed housing code violations — marking the third time this year that he’s been financially penalized for delaying to address livability concerns at his company’s local rental properties.
Judge Finds Probable Cause In Yale Murder Case
by | Dec 6, 2022 8:59 pm | Comments (1)
Nora Grace-Flood photo
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Stacey Miranda and Assistant State’s Attorney Kelly Davis make their case while defense attorney Kevin Smith sits with suspect Qinxuan Pan Tuesday.
A state judge signed off on Qinxuan Pan’s murder case moving ahead to a trial by jury — after a second day of courtroom testimony shone a light on key evidence involving slain Yale grad student Kevin Jiang’s blood and body tissue.
Continue reading ‘Judge Finds Probable Cause In Yale Murder Case’