TORRINGTON -- Shoppers and employees at discount retailer Target had to be evacuated for 10 to 15 minutes Tuesday following a report of a gas leak, fire officials said.
The fire department was called to the East Main Street store at 2:46 p.m., Fire Lt. David Casper said.
Yankee Gas workers responded and found that five rooftop heating units were not working efficiently, Casper said.
The gas company shut down those five units, and Target's contractor was notified to make any necessary repairs.
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Torrington Target store evacuated
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2012 voter turnout dipped a bit from 2008
HARTFORD -- Voter turnout dipped slightly this year from the last presidential election four years ago, but Connecticut still had one of the top showings in the nation.
Some 74 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the Nov. 6 elections for president, Congress and state legislature, Secretary of the State Denise Merrill reported Wednesday.
This is down from 78 percent in 2008.
Merrill speculated that Superstorm Sandy was partly responsible for the decline in voter turnout. She also questioned whether the negative tone of the campaign advertising possibly played a role, too.
Still, the state ranked seventh nationally in terms of voter turnout, Merrill said.
In Connecticut, the town of Bridgewater had the highest turnout, at 94.7 percent. The town of Washington ranked fourth, with 83.5 percent. The other top five included West Hartford, Ridgefield and Granby.
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Time for statements|Big East commissioner: 'committed to a vibrant and dynamic future' UConn president: 'tough moment for our fans'
Here is the statement out of the Big East office by commissioner Mike Aresco today:
We enjoyed having Louisville in the Big East conference and we wish them well.
The Big East has anticipated the continuing realignment that is reshaping college athletics and has already made important additions as part of our vision for the future. We will continue moving forward to fulfill that vision, which includes a strong national football conference and a strong and storied basketball conference. Big East teams will continue to compete and succeed at the highest level and, as always, will combine athletic and academic excellence. With schools stretching from coast to coast and in many of the top U.S. media markets, the Big East has become a truly national conference with outstanding young men and women competing across a full range of sports.
We are committed to a vibrant and dynamic future for the Big East conference.
- Here is what UConn president Susan Herbst and athletic director Warde Manuel said in prepared statements released by the school
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A-maizing treat|Popcorn an original U.S. snack food
Popcorn is one of America's great snack foods.
Delicious, aromatic and noisy, it is the perfect nosh for popping into the mouth, mindlessly, while watching Hollywood fluff, sporting events and circus clowns.
"Popcorn," writes food historian Betty Fussell in her book, "The Story of Corn," "is a truly indigenous fast finger-food that links all ages, places, races, classes and kinds in the continuing circus of American life." Moreover, Fussell says, popcorn is the "oldest known corn in the world." When heated, the moisture inside the tightfisted little grains expands, turning the kernel inside out - and into something, light, white, fluffy and magical.
If you only pop corn in the microwave, you are missing out on a one-of-a-kind sensory experience - pure, elemental, fun. You need nothing more than a few tablespoons of oil, a half-cup or so of popping corn and a heavy-bottomed pot with a lid.
First the oil sizzles. Then there's the surprise of the first few kernels exploding. Then the sound of the full-out pop-POP!-popping.
Then the muffled thud as the corn virtually inches its way up the side of the vessel.
Tell me you don't pop a few pieces of the fluffed maize into your mouth before you can reach for the salt shaker, and I'll say there's not a kernel of truth in your mouth! Of course, like so many homespun treats, from boiled peanuts to deviled eggs, popcorn in recent years has gotten all gourmet.
Truffle oil and rosemary. White cheddar and Parmesan. Chili and lime.
While you can munch on vinegar and salt popcorn at the Porter Beer Bar in Little Five Points, the latest popcorn trend calls for sweetening it with syrup and mixing it with - wait for it - bacon.
Talk about a-maize balls.
In Atlanta, Holeman & Finch puts out bacon-caramel popcorn, and Watershed executive chef Joe Truex does H&F one better, shaping popcorn into softball-size orbs like he remembers from his Louisiana childhood.
Truex favors dark-brown cane syrup - Steen's 100 percent Pure Cane Syrup, if you can find it - but you can make your popcorn balls with maple or corn syrup. For a total Cracker Jack experience, add peanuts. (Cashews and pecans are good, too.)
While experimenting with corny snacks, I heard The Branded Butcher in Athens, Ga., is serving fried hominy with salt and vinegar.
Though it's not technically popcorn, I'd say these corn nuts are a kissing cousin of popcorn. The kernels don't turn inside out, but they do puff up when fried. Plus, they are crunchy and wicked good.
Fishing around on the Internet, I found a New York Times recipe for Fried Hominy that suggests sprinkling the corn with a chili-spice mixture and serving with lime wedges.
This fried hominy is really good with kosher salt and malt vinegar, too. (And beer.) However you decide to dress your popcorn, I suggest you forget the microwave and try it the old-fashioned way. If you can find an iron skillet with a lid, that's perfect.
I use a heavy-bottom stockpot, shaking it around and holding it just above the flame to keep the popcorn from charring.
And when I do, it reminds me of the days before the microwave and before those '70s popcorn poppers with the little heating coil in the base, when my mother used to frenetically shake up a bowl of popcorn on top of the stove.
Sprinkled with salt and tossed with butter, there's nothing like it in the world.
Pop along now.
Try the accompanying recipes for Nutty-Cheese Corn (with pistachios, cashews, Parmesan and lemon zest), Gladys' Popcorn Balls and Fried Hominy.
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NUTTY-CHEESE CORN
Hands on: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves 6-8
With chopped pistachios, cashews, Parmesan, chives and lemon zest, this olive-oil-popped corn has a slightly Mediterranean zing. If you run the cheese and nuts through the food processor until coarse, you get just the right mixture for clinging to the popcorn. If making ahead, get everything ready and toss just before serving.
½ cup popping corn
3 tablespoons olive oil (may use any kind of oil)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces good-quality Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup roasted, salted pistachios, finely chopped
1 cup roasted, salted cashews, finely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons fresh chives
chopped Zest of one lemon
Place popping corn and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or skillet with a lid, and cover. Heat over high heat. As soon as the corn begins to pop, reduce the heat to medium, and continue to pop until all the corn is popped, about 5 minutes, shaking regularly and lifting the pot an inch above the flame to keep the popcorn from burning. (Once you can no longer hear any pops, the corn is ready.) Dump into a large bowl, and toss with butter. Add Parmesan, pistachios and cashews, and mix well. Toss in salt; taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in chives and lemon zest. Serve immediately.
Per serving, based on 6: 443 calories (percent of calories from fat, 74), 15 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 38 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 25 milligrams cholesterol, 984 milligrams sodium.
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GLADYS'S POPCORN BALLS
Hands on: 20 min.
Total time: 20 min.
Makes: 8 to 10 balls
Atlanta's Watershed restaurant executive chef Joe Truex, a native of Mansura, La., credits this recipe to the woman who took care of him and his sisters while his parents worked. If this sounds like a lot of bacon grease, well, it is. But the fat really flavors the popcorn and gives it shelf life. You may cut back to as a little as 1 tablespoon if desired. Feel free to mix in peanuts, cashews or pecans, too.
1 cup sugar
1 cups cane syrup, preferably Steen's
cup water
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
4 quarts popped corn, preferably not microwave popcorn, lightly salted
12 ounces bacon, fried and chopped into crumbles (should have about 1 cup), fat reserved
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for coating hands while shaping balls
¼ teaspoon baking soda
In a saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, melt sugar, syrup, cup water, vinegar and salt over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 250 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully so mixture does not boil over.
In a very large bowl, toss popcorn and bacon. Cover a work surface or large baking tray with waxed paper. When syrup mixture is ready, turn off heat and stir in butter, reserved bacon fat and baking soda; it will foam up. Mix well.
Pour about of the syrup over popcorn and bacon. Working very quickly, mix well with a wooden spoon. Grease hands with butter. Being very careful not to burn your hands, shape the popcorn mixture into softball-size balls and place them on prepared surface to cool; this is best done by more than one person, so syrup does not have time to harden. As the mixture begins to dry, stir in the remaining syrup.
Cool and serve. Or wrap individually in waxed paper and store in an airtight container.
Per ball, based on 8: 575 calories (percent of calories from fat, 37), 15 grams protein, 77 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 24 grams fat (9 grams saturated), 44 milligrams cholesterol, 1,069 milligrams sodium.
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FRIED HOMINY
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 2 ½ hours (plus overnight soak time)
Serves 8-10
This recipe calls for soaking and boiling the hominy as you would with dried legumes. It's time consuming but well worth it. Just make sure the kernels are as dry as possible before frying, and have a lid handy to cover the pot and avoid splatters. Dried hominy can be found at Latin food markets; I like the large Peruvian variety labeled as "peeled mote corn." The next time I do this, I am going to add a hint of cinnamon to the spice mix.
1 pound dried hominy (pozole), soaked overnight
1 large white onion, cut in half
1 head garlic, cut in half
1 carrot, cut in half
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme (or about 15 sprigs fresh thyme)
1 tablespoon salt, divided
¼ cup paprika
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon ginger powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon chipotle or other chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ tablespoon sugar
Cooking oil for frying (canola, corn grape-seed or any flavorless oil)
Lime wedges
Drain hominy and combine in a stockpot with onion, garlic, carrot, bay leaves, thyme and water to cover. Cook 1 to 1 ½ hours, until kernels are tender and just beginning to split. Stir in 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste). Let sit for ½ hour, then strain and remove vegetables. Continue to strain as kernels cool; hominy can be refrigerated at this point for up to two days.
Mix paprika, mustard powder, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle or chili powder, cumin, coriander, sugar and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Taste to adjust seasonings. Set aside.
Make sure kernels are as dry as possible. (You may want to dab or roll them in paper towels or a dish towel). Pour about 2 inches of oil in a deep pot, and heat to 375 degrees. Pour hominy into pot, in batches if necessary. If oil spatters, partially cover pot. Fry, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with salt and spice mix. Serve with lime wedges.
Variation: Use sweet smoked paprika (pimenton) mixed with a little ancho chili powder and salt. Or sprinkle with salt and your favorite vinegar.
Per serving, based on 8: 140 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 2 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 926 milligrams sodium.
Adapted from a recipe in The New York Times.
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DON'T POP CORN IN A BROWN PAPER BAG
Ever wondered whether you can make popcorn in a paper bag in the microwave?
In short, the answer to your question is this: Experts don't recommend it, but magazines and websites reference it plenty.
In the past several months or so, I've seen mentions of the method in magazines. The most recent was in the September issue of Everyday Food magazine. And, of course, you can find just about anything online.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (( www.fsis.usda.gov ) says never use brown paper bags in the microwave.
Kathy Bernard, technical information specialist for the USDA's Meat and Poultry Hotline, says it's because they "don't know what (the bags) are made of, what can cook out of them and many are made from recycling."
The Popcorn Board supports the USDA stance. The board suggests that folks use a pan with a lid on the stovetop.
Other items not to use in the microwave, according to the USDA, are thin plastic storage bags, grocery bags, newspaper and aluminum foil.
Popcorn is a great source of whole grain, because it is an entire kernel that contains the brain, germ and endosperm. It's a great whole grain snack.
When not doused with butter or cooked in oil, air popped popcorn has about 31 calories per cup, the Popcorn Board says. If you pop it in oil, it's 55 calories per cup. And if you really can't go without butter, lightly buttered popcorn has about 133 calories per cup.
Being able to control the popcorn seasoning is a huge benefit to making your own popcorn safely.
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WHITE-CHOCOLATE CARAMEL CORN WITH CASHEWS
Makes: 12 cups / Preparation time: 25 minutes / Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
12 cups popped popcorn (from ½ cup kernels)
1 ½ cups roughly chopped cashews
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
cup light corn syrup
1 ¼ cups packed light-brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, divided
¼ teaspoon baking soda
5 ounces white chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn and nuts in a large bowl. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in corn syrup, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until sugar dissolves, stirring once or twice. Raise heat to high, and bring to a boil (do not stir). Boil, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 248 degrees, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in baking soda.
Pour caramel over popcorn mixture, stirring to coat thoroughly. Transfer to 2 rimmed baking sheets, spreading in a single layer. Bake 45 minutes, stirring twice. Test doneness by removing a few pieces of popcorn from oven; if they crisp within 1 minute, popcorn is ready. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle with remaining salt. Let cool completely.
Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and completely smooth. Fill a small resealable plastic bag with chocolate, and snip a tiny hole in 1 corner. Drizzle chocolate over caramel corn. Refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 10 minutes, before breaking up.
Store caramel corn in an airtight container up to 1 week.
From Martha Stewart Living, October 2012 issue. Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Analysis per 1 cup.
409 calories (52 percent from fat), 25 grams fat (9 grams sat. fat), 45 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams protein, 453 mg sodium, 26 mg cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.
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Lupus disproportionately strikes African-American women
Kim Schofield is passionate about educating college students about lupus, a debilitating disease that disproportionately affects young women, particularly African-Americans.
Such an event was held earlier this year on the campus of Clark Atlanta University, shortly after the deaths of two young women who had the disease. Now, the goal of Schofield, who participated in the event, is to make sure the campaign continues by holding similar events on other college campuses and in the community.
"Greater understanding reduces the level of fear," said Schofield, a 50-year-old Atlanta resident, who was diagnosed with lupus in 2000. "We're really trying to flesh things out and give people the tools and resources to ask the right questions."
The event was one of nine statewide symposiums presented by the Georgia Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. This event, targeting young women who need to know the signs and symptoms of lupus, has led to requests for more programs on other college campuses. The campuses are key targets simply because of the disease's demographics.
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 1.5 million U.S. residents. The disease, which has no cure, mostly strikes women of childbearing age, roughly 15 through 44, and can affect any part of the body - skin, organs, blood and joints. Black women are two to three times more likely to develop lupus although males and females of all ages can develop it as well.
Fifteen percent of all new cases are people younger than 18, said Maria Myler, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter. She said most patients live well with lupus, and the survival rates are far higher than they were one or two decades ago.
"These are relatively young people in their 20s and 30s who are just hitting the prime of their lives when they get this devastating disease," said Dr. Sam Lim, associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, and chief of service for rheumatology at Grady Memorial Hospital. "They're starting families and careers. These are the faces of the disease."
Schofield had everything working in her favor before she was diagnosed with lupus. She was a leader in the community and in her church.
"I didn't look sick," said Schofield, who works in lupus research in the division of rheumatology at Emory University's School of Medicine. "I was thin, young and healthy."
She had a stable job, had moved into a new house a couple of years earlier and was a single parent of a young daughter, but she noticed she was always tired and was sensitive to sunlight.
She was stunned when she found out she might have lupus.
"I had never heard that word in my life," said Schofield. "I have to be honest, I went to my car and prayed and got a sense of overwhelming peace." Schofield said she knew then that she wanted to advocate for others with lupus.
But she still felt isolated.
With lupus, the immune system shifts into overdrive, attacking healthy tissue as well as invading viruses, bacteria and germs.
And it's not easy to diagnose. Symptoms - such as fatigue and joint pain - can mimic other conditions. Conditions range from mild to life-threatening, but most people with treatment can lead normal lives, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Lupus Foundation of America.
The cause of lupus is unclear, although many suspect genes might play a role and that there might be environmental or hormonal triggers.
Simone Watson, an accounting major at Clark Atlanta University, was diagnosed with lupus when she was 16, said her mother, Cassandra Watson of Chicago. She complained that her feet were swollen and hurt. Her physician advised them to see a rheumatologist, who diagnosed her with lupus.
"As a young person, you don't want to believe that you're ill," said her mother, "but it didn't stop her from pursuing her dreams and goals. She pushed forward."
She was leading a pretty good college life, but she was still occasionally plagued by flare-ups. In May, she called her mother and sister in tears because of intense pain.
"There was a lot of water retention in her feet and legs," her mother said. "She said she was tired all the time, and it was difficult to walk. She said it's like she was carrying a house."
She went to the hospital emergency room and was admitted, then released. Her mother said it seemed like everything was getting back on track when she took a turn for the worse and died.
"It's not cancer, but lupus is dangerous, too," said Vanessa Loiseau, whose 19-year-old sister, Ashmith, died in May one week after being diagnosed with lupus. "It can sneak up on you, and you don't even know you have it."
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Malloy orders cuts of $170 million
HARTFORD -- Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is ordering $170.6 million in spending cuts to help close a projected $365 million shortfall in this year's $20.5 billion budget.
Malloy is cutting nearly $161.7 million from executive branch agencies. The legislature and the Judicial Department agreed to make the remaining cuts from their budgets.
The administration is going to present a plan to lawmakers next month for closing the remaining shortfall of $194.6 million.
State law gives the governor limited authority to reduce spending to keep the state budget in balance.
Malloy is cutting $32.2 million from the Department of Social Services, $33.4 million from fringe benefits for state employees, and $21.3 million from the Department of Social Services.
The governor is also cutting more than $40 million from the higher education system.
"Many of these cuts are very difficult to make, especially now when so many residents continue to struggle in a tough economy," said Benjamin Barnes, the governor's budget director. "But as painful as they are, cuts are necessary to keep this year's budget in balance. State government needs to live within its means."
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Donor provides new Jesus for Christmas Village|Torrington police still seek tips on theft
TORRINGTON -- A woman who heard that baby Jesus had been stolen from the Christmas Village Nativity set has donated her own for the city's beloved holiday landmark.
Several people offered to donate a baby Jesus to the city, but Parks and Recreation officials looked at them all and chose one that fit with the rest of the Nativity pieces, the city announced this afternoon.
Carl Bozenski's Christmas Village, a seasonal park devoted to preserving a non-commercial Christmas, each year transforms Alvord Park into a spectacular holiday event. Generations of families return each year to visit with Santa, marvel at his workshop, and feed the live reindeer. This year, the village opens Dec. 9, and city workers discovered the theft when they opened up a storage shed in preparation of setting it up.
Several donors contributed money toward buying a new baby Jesus, and when told one had been donated, offered to put their money toward other uses at the Village, according to the city's news release.
The annual Toy Shower, which raises money for Christmas Village, will be at the Yankee Pedlar Inn from 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 7 and broadcast live on WZBG all that day. For information, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 860-489-2274.
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Waterbury Hospital suitor also targeting Bristol Hospital|Vanguard Health Systems signs another letter of intent
Vanguard Health Systems Inc., the Nashville, Tenn.-based health care group that signed a letter of intent earlier this month to develop a joint venture with Waterbury Hospital, has struck again.
The company Wednesday said it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Bristol Hospital and Health Care Group Inc. As was the case with the announcement of the Waterbury Hospital deal, financial deals of the transaction were not disclosed.
Bristol Hospital is a 93-year-old non-profit acute-care hospital with about 134 licensed beds.The hospital and its affiliated network employ about 1,500 people, said hospital spokesman Chris Boyle.
Vanguard, a company which generated about $5.95 billion in revenue last year, is a publicly traded, Fortune 500 company that owns and operates 28 acute care and specialty hospitals in Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Texas and Massachusetts, where it runs three hospitals in Worcester and metropolitan Boston.
The two prospective partners will work over the next 60 days on completing a definitive purchase agreement, Marie O'Brien, the chairman of the hospital's board of directors, said in a statement Wednesday.
Read more about this story in Thursday's Republican-American.
-- Republican-American staff
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UConn remains stuck in Big East|Louisville jumps to ACC while Huskies left behind
STORRS – UConn's desirable television market, rapid ascent up the national academic rankings and athletic successes were believed to be enough to sway the ACC to extend an invitation to replace Maryland.
Louisville trumped the Huskies on Wednesday based primarily on one thing: football superiority.
ACC presidents voted unanimously Wednesday morning to bring Louisville into the fold, taking a spot most figured would go to UConn based on its television market and much higher academic standing, among other things. However, Louisville administrators staged a successful coup with a strong presentation that leaves UConn standing in the purgatory that is the revamped Big East.
In the short term, it is a potentially a huge blow to UConn, which is the last remaining FBS-playing founding Big East school to still be a member of the league. The Huskies were a Big East newcomer in football in 2004. Today, they are the longest-tenured member of a football league that started in 1991.
Conference realignment, a massive shuffling of schools designed to produce the greatest football revenue possible, has once again left UConn behind, at least for the moment. Sources at UConn said they believe realignment is far from finished and that the Huskies will find a viable home in the future.
For now, they are in a Big East that is unrecognizable from the league Dave Gavitt founded in the late 1970s.
“I know this may seem like a tough moment for our fans, but we need to focus on the fundamentals of academic success across the university and in our athletic program as well,” UConn President Susan Herbst said in a statement. “We are winners -- we win, we like to win and we will continue to play the best possible opponents.
“We will be athletically successful, regardless of our conference, because of our successes in NCAA competition. We will keep building our winning record through the lens of a great university, that focuses on academics, not on the fluid and unpredictable nature of conference realignment. Again, I realize this is a difficult day, but when we focus on research, discovery, and student success, we'll never go wrong."
UConn apparently went wrong somewhere in its push to join the ACC, an effort that has been going on for some time. Herbst, a Duke graduate, and Manuel have spent plenty of hours wooing ACC officials but couldn't overcome what the ACC saw in Louisville.
Louisville recently took up residence in a new basketball arena, the KFC Yum! Center that might be the best college basketball arena in the country. It has poured millions into improving its athletic facilities, has a growing football fan base and arguably the most rabid college basketball following in the country.
UConn has suffered through dwindling attendance at football and men's and women's basketball games. Fundraising for a needed basketball practice facility proceeded at a snail's pace – ground hasn't even been broken on the project yet – the football team's stumbles the last two years have been an issue and the academic problems surrounding the men's basketball program haven't helped matters.
Louisville is viewed as having a higher football ceiling – Florida State and Clemson pushed hard for Louisville, according to reports -- and its men's basketball program is undoubtedly stronger at present. That trumped the fact that UConn's academic standing is much better than Louisville's (UConn ranks No. 63 and Louisville No. 160, according to U.S. News & World Report).
North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp, chair of the ACC Council of Presidents who will resign at the end of the year because of an academic scandal at UNC, put the oft-touted academic claims aside Wednesday and went right to the crux of the matter.
“What the ACC needed most was to add the most exciting sports program that we could,” Thorp said on a conference call. “We feel very good about the addition of Louisville in every respect but our logic was that we wanted to make the ACC as exciting a sports conference as we possibly could and we felt that Louisville unambiguously did that for us the best."
Sources said there was more at play than that logic. Louisville openly wooed the Big 12 about 14 months ago, at the time when UConn was lobbying for ACC inclusion that eventually went to Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Sources believe Louisville will still jump at a Big 12 invitation, something that gave the Cardinals leverage over UConn and Cincinnati.
Louisville officials refuted those claims Wednesday. UConn sources believe the ACC chose Louisville because it can pluck UConn and/or Cincinnati at any point in time. That is not without merit.
“This is not an obituary,” a UConn source said. “The feeling is all this movement is not done and we will eventually find ourselves in a good situation. This is not the end of UConn athletics.”
ACC commissioner John Swofford said he sees no reason why the league would expand to 16 teams, which is what would have to happen for UConn to be invited if the league has no other defections. But he also stated in the past that the conference was happy with 12 teams.
Realignment and the chase for football money, mostly in television deals and the impending BCS playoff, is a fluid situation that UConn has to continually monitor. It has played its hand before, however, and come up empty.
“We have and will continue to monitor the situation regarding conference realignment and work to ensure that UConn is in the best position for the continued success of our athletic programs,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “We are proud of the success of our coaches and student-athletes and the tradition that has been established of winning conference and national championships.”
UConn has won 10 combined national titles in men's and women's basketball in the last 17 years. It has won three men's titles in the last 13 years. The football program has shared two Big East titles in its short history and it commands a good part of the New York-Boston television market.
Still, the Huskies sit in a home that is crumbling around them. Optimism remains but UConn is stuck for the foreseeable future.
“I don't pay attention to it too much,” men's basketball coach Kevin Ollie said. “You definitely care but I don't worry about it. I'm going to coach my team. We're going to try to win conference tournaments and conference titles. I just really believe and have faith in Susan and Warde that they'll make the best decision for this university.”
Unfortunately for UConn, the decision is not theirs.
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LIVE UPDATES: State football playoffs
We have you covered with tonight's delayed state football quarterfinal action. All you have to do to get live updates is click the link below and then refresh to your heart's content:
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Charlotte Hungerford Hospital decides to move emergency services from Winsted to Barkhamsted
TORRINGTON - Charlotte Hungerford Hospital has decided to move its emergency services from the Winsted Health Center to a new medical facility to be built off of Route 44 in Barkhamsted.
The hospital's Board of Governors made the decision this morning after three years of deliberation, said Brian E. Mattiello, the hospital's vice president for organizational development. He said in a statement that the board feels the new 19,000- square-foot, "easily accessible" facility will best meet the needs of patients, staff, doctors and the public. It is just a mile away from the Winsted Health Center.
Plans call for the new facility to be built within the next two years and accommodate the relocation of existing services, including the emergency department, cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, blood drawing, laboratory, X-ray, digital mammography services, a sleep center, and physician offices. These services will remain at the Winsted Health Center until the new facility is built.
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Kevin Ollie speaks about ACC
Here is what UConn basketba, coach Kevin Ollie said Wednesday about the ACC.
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Huskies to host New Hampshire|Game preview
UConn will plays the Wildcats in Hartford Thursday night.
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Watertown police investigate armed robbery at package store|Man displayed handgun; fled on foot
WATERTOWN -- The Davis Street Package Store was robbed by a gunman Wednesday evening.
Officers responded to the store, at 197 Davis St. in Oakville, at 6:01 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery in progress, police said.
A man entered the store, displayed a handgun, and demanded money from the clerk, police said.
The clerk gave the man an undetermined amount of cash, and the man fled on foot.
He has not been found.
Police said there were three employees and at least two customers in the store when the man entered. No one was injured.
The man was black, between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall, about 180 pounds, and wore a two-toned hoodie, police said. He had khaki pants on.
The handgun was dark, and possibly a semi-automatic pistol, police said.
Police have obtained video surveillance from the store. The video shows the man going around the counter near the cash register, police said.
Sgt. Todd Robinson supervised the scene. The case is being investigated by Detectives Mark Conway and Chris Marciano.
Waterbury police were notified because the package store is near the Waterbury city line.
Waterbury police brought a K9 tracking team to the scene, but the dog was unable to follow the robber's scent.
Anyone with information is asked to call Watertown police at 860-945-5200 or Water-Oak CrimeStoppers at 860-945-9940. All calls will be kept confidential.
The package store holdup is the second armed robbery of a Greater Waterbury business in 48 hours.
A man robbed the Sovereign Bank branch on Meriden Road in Waterbury on Monday. The man was black, and believed to be about 5 feet, 6 inches tall. He was wearing a mask, black jacket and blue denim jeans.
Police said he walked up to a teller, flashed a handgun, then fled the bank on foot at about 12:15 p.m.
No one was injured.
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The Best of Girls Basketball
The Best of Girls Basketball
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After Rondo ejected, Nets beat Celtics 95-83
BOSTON (AP) — Doc Rivers wants the Boston Celtics to be tough — not violent.
The message came too late for Rajon Rondo.
The Celtics point guard was ejected from Wednesday night's game against the Nets when he retaliated for a hard foul against Kevin Garnett by shoving Brooklyn forward Kris Humphries into the courtside seats. Rondo, Humphries and Nets forward Gerald Wallace were ejected, and Brooklyn held on to win 95-83.
"All that stuff, that's not toughness," Rivers told reporters, calling his team soft. "That foul was a hard foul. It was an unnecessary foul. The play was over and then he pushed him down in the air. But I think that's what they think of us: They think they can push you around."
Joe Johnson scored 18 points and Andray Blatche had 17 points and 13 rebounds as the Nets opened up a 21-point, first-half lead and took advantage of the loss of the Celtics' All-Star to win for the ninth time in 11 games.
Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston. Rondo had three assists before he was kicked out, ending his streak at 37 games with double-digits — tied for second-longest in NBA history.
The Nets led by eight after one quarter and scored 19 of the first 25 points in the second to make it 47-26. Boston cut the deficit to 14 points and trailed by 16 when Garnett took an off-balance jumper from the right baseline and Humphries leveraged him to the floor with his left arm.
Rondo trailed the play with a two-handed shove that sent Humphries into the courtside seats.
"Kevin could have gotten hurt. He's in the air. He took a bad fall. And so Rondo saw that and probably reacted, and over-reacted, obviously," Rivers said. "I can't get in anybody's head. But at that point we're getting our tails kicked and we're probably frustrated."
Wallace soon entered the fray by shoving Garnett. Nets point guard Deron Williams said Humphries, who did not speak to reporters after the game, had scratches on his head and neck.
After the game, Humphries posted a picture of his scratched left shoulder with the comment: "Anyone know where I can quick get a Tetnis shot in Boston?"
While the rest of the players remained by their benches, coaches and officials tried to break up the skirmish.
"I think guys just try to defend themselves," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "I think the league should really take that into account. Because I don't know if guys can just walk away all the time. They've got to kind of protect themselves."
The referees went to the scorer's table to watch the incident on replay, and their verdict was announced over the public address system: Two technical fouls for Humphries, one for Wallace — his second of the game, ending his night — and one for Garnett.
Rondo was simply ejected.
"Rondo initiated everything that proceeded after the foul," crew chief James Capers said in a pool report provided to reporters. "And when he and Humphries go into the stands, they are involved in a fight. Fighting is an automatic ejection."
Rondo left the Celtics locker room before it was opened to reporters, and was unavailable for comment.
"We all back each other," Garnett said. "We take a lot of pride in putting on this jersey. I know I do. This ain't the Girl Scouts or the Boy Scouts. That's what it is. It's the NBA. You've got to get used to it."
When the free throws were done, Boston trailed 51-38, and the Celtics never got closer than nine points after that.
Rondo has had a history of petulance, including a one-game suspension during the opening round of last year's playoff series against Atlanta after he chest-bumped referee Marc Davis while complaining about a call in the final minute of a Boston loss.
During the 2011-12 regular season, he was suspended for two games for throwing a ball at an official.
"Usually he goes after the refs," Rivers said. "This was another guy, so this was better."
He has also come under criticism for selfishness this season for re-entering a 20-point loss to Detroit in the fourth quarter to keep his streak alive.
Notes: Rondo's streak of 10 or more assists dated to March 11 of last season. That ties John Stockton for second-longest in NBA history. Magic Johnson holds the record at 46 consecutive games in the 1983-84 season. ... U.S. Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman was in attendance. ... Rivers said Johnson is one of his best friends. The two had dinner together on Tuesday night. ... Garnett tied John Havlicek for 18th on the NBA career list with 1,270 games played. ... Pierce passed Bob Pettit for 13th on the NBA's all-time list for free throws made with 6,183. ... Celtics F Jeff Green sprained his right knee in the second half but was able to return. Boston F Chris Wilcox left the game due to illness. ... The teams next meet on Christmas Day in Brooklyn. ... The Nets were playing their third game in four days.
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Huskies look for help from bigs
STORRS — Shabazz Napier will do his thing. Ryan Boatright will do his thing. So will Omar Calhoun.
They are the three leading scorers for the UConn men's basketball team. Two of them — Napier and Boatright — stand in the 6-foot range. Calhoun checks in at 6-5.
The point? The Huskies (5-1) need something, anything from their big men on the offensive end of the floor. It is a point of emphasis as UConn prepares to play host tonight to New Hampshire (2-3) at the XL Center.
"I need my bigs to step up," coach Kevin Ollie said. "We're not going to keep winning with just our guard play. We're going to need to have somebody down there to score, getting us a double-double. All our big men have that potential."
Nobody on the roster has recorded a double-double this year, not even the guards. The Huskies have just three double-figure scoring games from their big men, two of them from lanky forward DeAndre Daniels. The Huskies have yet to get more than more than eight rebounds in a game from any of their interior guys.
Of course, rebounding has been a problem thus far. UConn has been bettered on the backboards in all six of its games. That was not unexpected, but it is highly unusual for the Huskies.
So unusual that Ollie can't get through a practice without harping on rebounding.
"Coach Ollie emphasizes it so much during practice that it gets annoying sometimes," Boatright said. "We understand that. We know for us to win games we're going to have to rebound. We escaped that in the first four games but against New Mexico it bit us in the butt. We know we have to rebound."
The Huskies have a chance to finally win a rebounding battle tonight.
New Hampshire isn't particularly big. UConn should be able to ease past the Wildcats without having to rebound. The Huskies should have no problems with relying on their guards.
But before too long, the Huskies will be into Big East play. Before that, they take on North Carolina State next week in New York. Bad rebounding within the league is a recipe for disaster, and getting minimal offense from the guys up front will only exacerbate the issue.
In short, the big guys have to get involved and they have to do it soon.
"I'm going to keep demanding that from them," Ollie said. "They're getting better. I'm not going to stop believing in them. I'm going to keep running plays for them. That's how I do it. They're the only big bodies I've got.
"They're getting better. They're not discouraged. I believe in these guys. The bigs are going to rebound for us. One day, it's going to happen and it's going to happen soon."
Even marginally effective big men will have an impact. Nobody is going to rely on Tyler Olander to put up huge numbers, but just decent numbers will allow Napier and Boatright, the obvious focal points of the offense, a bit more room to do what they do.
Look closely enough and you can see the guards intentionally going to the big guys early. They have to make themselves a reasonable option soon.
"We're just trying to get them going," Boatright said. "Me and Shabazz can get ourselves going.
"We try to get them going and get them some confidence early in the game because we're going to need them through the rest of the season."
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NHL, union get back to bargaining with mediators
Whether federal mediators will provide enough help to end the NHL lockout in time to save the hockey season is still unknown.
At least they had a good first day.
Negotiators from the NHL and the players' association returned to the bargaining table Wednesday for the first time in a week and the first time with outside voices contributing to the talks.
The location was secret, and so was what was discussed, but the talks went well enough that the sides will be back at the negotiating table Thursday.
"No comments," was all NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly would say Wednesday night in an email to The Associated Press.
NHLPA executive director Don Fehr issued a short statement, saying: "A small group of NHLPA staff and players met today with two experienced FMCS mediators. We expect that these discussions will resume on Thursday."
It was the first meeting between the sides since a get-together that lasted just over two hours last week in New York after the locked-out players' association made a new comprehensive proposal that was quickly rejected by the NHL.
The sides agreed Monday to use the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. George Cohen, the service's director, assigned deputy director Scot Beckenbaugh and director of mediation services John Sweeney to the negotiations. Beckenbaugh and Sweeney met separately with the two sides before talks began in full Wednesday.
It wasn't immediately known how long negotiations went on before they ended in the early evening.
In the previous meeting last week, Fehr said the sides were $182 million apart in a five-year deal, which comes to $1.2 million annually for each of the 30 teams.
The NHL wants to increase eligibility for free agency to 28 years of age or eight seasons of service, up from 27 years or seven seasons. The league has also proposed adding a year of service for salary arbitration eligibility, hiking it from 1-4 to 2-5 years of service, depending on the age a player signs.
On Oct. 16, the NHL proposed a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue, down from the players' 57 percent portion of $3.3 billion last season. With guaranteed contracts likely to push the players' share over the halfway mark at the start of the next deal, management wants that money to come out of future years to bring the overall percentage down to an even split over the length of an agreement.
Players previously had proposed they receive a guaranteed amount of income each year.
Fehr said players proposed they get $393 million over the length of the deal, while the NHL is at $211 million. Owners want a seven-year deal, which the union says is too long because less than half the current players will be active by the last season.
This is the league's third lockout since 1994. The first was settled on Jan. 11 and the last one led to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing the cancellation of the 2004-05 season on Feb. 15. That marked the only time a major professional North American sports league lost an entire season because of a labor dispute.
This lockout, which reached its 74th day Wednesday, has already forced the cancellation of all games through Dec. 14, the New Year's Day Winter Classic, and All-Star Weekend that was slated for Columbus, Ohio, in January.
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RG3 is Redskins' most accurate passer since Sammy Baugh
ASHBURN, Va. — With all the focus on Robert Griffin III's running ability, it can be easy to forget that he's having the most accurate season for a Washington Redskins quarterback since Sammy Baugh.
In this case, speed and precision go hand in hand.
"Sometimes I think the play's over," said offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who calls the plays, "and I'm ready to look down for my next call — and he's still making it happen, still running around doing stuff. I'm learning from that. I think the receivers are learning from that, just knowing that whatever happens, you've always got a chance."
Through his first 11 NFL games, Griffin has completed 67.5 percent of his passes, trailing only Alex Smith (70), Matt Ryan (68.5) and Peyton Manning (67.7) among regular starters. The only Redskins quarterback with a better percentage for an entire season is the legendary Baugh, who hit 70.3 percent in 1945.
In the two games since the bye week, Griffin has the same number of incompletions as touchdowns (8). He also had one interception to bring his season's tally to four, a turnover-stinginess rate exceeded only by Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
Coaches say Griffin's ability to buy time under pressure gives his receivers more time to get open. Also, the threat of him running the option sometimes freezes defensive backs, leading to blown coverages.
"I think whenever you can make a lot of plays with your legs, you don't feel the pressure that you have to make some bad throws," Shanahan said. "Some guys who can't make plays with their legs, if it's not there, they don't have much other option." than to take a sack, so some guys will just let it go and throw it away.
"Robert, if the play's not there and it doesn't work, there's another option —and that option is him running and making a play."
Or, as head coach Mike Shanahan put it: "You've got to be able to make plays off-schedule."
The return of Pierre Garcon from a foot injury and the overall development of the receiving corps have also helped. One of Griffin's passes to Garcon in the 38-31 Thanksgiving win over the Dallas Cowboys probably shouldn't have been thrown — but Garcon reached backward to snag the ball and ran for a 59-yard score.
Garcon is one of six players to catch a touchdown pass from Griffin during the two-game winning streak that has Washington (5-6) back in the hunt for the NFC East title heading into Monday night's game against the New York Giants (7-4).
"After the bye, I just told myself I have to trust these guys out there," Griffin said.
Griffin has also developed a solid rapport with Kyle Shanahan. They talk on Saturdays to discuss Griffin's comfort level with the week's playbook and will throw a play out if the rookie isn't comfortable with it — although Griffin says he tries not to make such a request very often.
On game days, Griffin frequently knows what play is coming before Kyle Shanahan calls it.
"It's getting that way," Griffin said, "where I can take the words out of his mouth."
RG3 also remains spot-on in front of a camera. His weekly appearance before reporters Wednesday was its usual treat of laugh-lines and anecdotes.
— On having numerous endorsements despite not having a "Madison Avenue look": "It could be a changing of the tide, you never know. Of course, I'm not `clean-cut,' `fade,' `bald-head' — I got hair. I mean, that's just what it is, and it shows people that maybe there is a changing of the guard. It's not always about what you look like, it's about what you represent."
— On having to be politically correct in politically charged Washington, D.C.: "My politically correct answer is `no comment' a lot of times."
— On hobbled left tackle Trent Williams: "If he needs me in the training room with him, I'll be there. I'll rub on his leg, whatever he needs me to do. ... On the field, during the game, he'll get up and he'll start grabbing something, and I'll look at him, and I'll go back to the huddle because I know he'd better get his butt in the huddle because we've got to go to the next play."
— On a conversation he had with linebacker London Fletcher on the sideline following a big drive during the fourth quarter of the win over the Cowboys: "It's gut-check time — and we definitely checked their gut."
That one caused a hearty round of laughter. After it died down, he smiled and said: "I'm good for one every time."
Notes: Williams did not practice due to a deep left thigh bruise, the result of being kneed by teammate Kory Lichtensteiger against the Cowboys. Williams doesn't usually wear thigh pads, but now: "I'm definitely going to have something protecting my thighs this game." ... Fletcher (left ankle) also did not practice and was wearing a brace and limping noticeably as he left the locker room. ... Mike Shanahan said he didn't have to speak to Brandon Banks about Banks' decision to return a punt from the end zone against Dallas. "Obviously, he made a bad decision ... My wife told me that wasn't a good decision," Shanahan said. ... The Redskins released LB Darryl Gamble from the practice squad.
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Pettitte staying with Yanks for 1 more year, $12 million
NEW YORK — Andy Pettitte is staying with the New York Yankees next season.
The left-hander signed a one-year deal with the Yankees worth $12 million on Wednesday, putting baseball's biggest postseason winner back in pinstripes.
Pettitte turns 41 in June. He retired after the 2010 season, then decided to come back this year and signed a contract guaranteeing $2.5 million.
Pettitte went 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 12 starts. He missed almost three months because of a broken lower left leg, sustained when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Cleveland's Casey Kotchman on June 27.
The AL East champions have a projected rotation of CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Pettitte for next year.
Pettitte is 245-142 lifetime with the Yankees and Houston in 17 seasons. He is 19-11 in the postseason.
The Yankees designated catcher Eli Whiteside for assignment.
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