A Tale of Three Cities

A weekly roundup of events from the surrounding area.

MIDDLETOWN:
– Undercover officers caught an alleged drug dealer after a foot chase. A Middletown Police Sergeant who is a member of the department’s Street Crime Unit was approached at approximately 10 p.m. by an unknown suspect who tried to sell him narcotics. Additional officers arrived on the scene to identify suspects who then proceeded to flee. Detectives chased and captured 33 year-old Andre Allen and charged him with possession of crack/cocaine, possession with intent to sell, possession of marijuana, possession within 1,500 feet of a school zone, tampering with evidence and interfering with an officer. His bail is set at $300,000 with a court hearing scheduled for Oct. 8. (The Middletown Press)

-Middletown’s probate court judge is spearheading an initiative to start a new regional children’s court, only the fifth in Connecticut. Funded by the state, The Central Connecticut Regional Children’s Probate Court will focus on issues like guardianship, custody, termination of parental rights, and adoptions. The court, located on 1501 E. Main St. between the Meriden-Middlefield town line, will serve Meriden, Middletown, Wallingford, East Hampton and Portland. (The Middletown Press)

– TowerCo, a company owning and operating a 150-foot cell phone tower behind Town Hall, has offered to buy the land around its tower for $375,000. The Middlefield Board of Selectmen will meet to discuss the proposal and weigh the benefits of continuing to lease the land or sell it to the company. Presently three carriers are located on the tower, including Verizon, Cingular and Nextel. The tower is one of five located within the town. (The Middletown Press)

HARTFORD:
-Twenty-seven year-old wife, mother, and aspiring fashion designer Danielle Martin has found a way out of her $40,000 debt. Martin’s mom and stepdad moved in and helped to straighten out her financial woes on a new episode of SOAPnet’s “Bank of Mom & Dad.” Money coach Farnoosh Torabi advised Martin during the episode. “A problem with lots of young adults, men and women, is that while the cost of living has gone up, incomes have been stagnant,” she said. The show originally aired on Wednesday at 10 p.m., but can be seen again in re-runs or online. (The Hartford Courant)

-The Greater Hartford Marathon will take place Saturday, causing traffic delays and road and ramp closures from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Motorists should expect delays on I-91, I-84, Route 2, and Route 15. Founders Bridge will also be shut down. (The Hartford Courant)

-Eighteen middle school students were taken to the hospital on Thursday after their school bus was rear-ended while exiting I-9. The students were all checked at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and were sent home with no injuries reported. (The Hartford Courant)

NEW HAVEN:
-Domestic Violence Services of Greater New Haven held its 10th annual Sound of Hope event last Wednesday. Over 70 people, victims, women’s advocates, the state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, clergy, legislators, and residents walked to the end of Long Wharf pier together and cast purple mums into the harbor to symbolize lives lost to domestic violence. (The Middletown Press)

-Two men were sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday after an ongoing trial for a 2008 accident. The men are accused of fleeing the scene and leaving a woman to die on the side of the road after a motorcycle crash. The motorcycle had been loaded into the back of a pick-up truck, along with the injured woman, who was then taken out of the truck and placed back on the ground where she died a day later. No one called 911. A third defendant awaits hearing on Oct. 27. (The New Haven Register)

-Police discovered the body of a motorcyclist involved in a sideswiping accident Saturday on I-91. A teenager found the motorcyclist next to the Amtrak railroad after sunrise. The man is thought to have hit a freeway barricade and been launched over the side, although the official cause of death has not yet been released. (The New Haven Register)