Top Ten Connecticut News Stories of 2004
2004 is winding down, which means it's that time of year again, time to start making top ten lists. You see them everywhere, top ten celebrities of the year, person of the year, now Associated Press have compiled the list of Top Ten Connecticut News Stories of 2004. No surprises as to which story was most dominant this year.
1. Resignation of Gov. John G. Rowland. J-Ro resigned on July 1 during legislative hearings about his possible impeachment which dominated headlines locally from January until July. Rowland pleaded guilty to one felony charge last week, and is now facing possible jail time.
2. The national championships of the University of Connecticut's men's and women's teams. It was the first time in NCAA Division I history that a university won both the men's and women's basketball championships in the same season. The UConn men won their second national title, and the women collected their third straight championship.
3. The inauguration of Rowland's former running mate and lieutenant governor, Republican M. Jodi Rell, ranked as the year's third most important news story. Rell became Connecticut's second female governor, after Democrat Ella Grasso, when she was sworn into office July 1. Since taking office, Rell has enjoyed tremendous popularity, getting as much as 80 percent approval ratings in statewide polls.
4. Occasional Westport resident Martha Stewart's prison sentence..Stewart was convicted in March of lying to investigators about why she sold ImClone Systems Inc. stock in 2001. Domestic Diva Martha is currently serving a five-month sentence at a minimum-security federal prison for women in Alderson, W.Va. She'll be released in March.
5. The federal indictments of a former top Rowland aide, the aide's son and a major state construction contractor. The 15-count indictment accused Rowland's former co-chief of staff, Peter N. Ellef, and contractor William Tomasso of conspiring to steer state contracts from 1997 to 2003. It also named Ellef's son, Peter N. Ellef II. All three have pleaded not guilty.
6. News that a Superior Court judge had finally set an execution date for serial killer Michael Ross. Ross, admitted killing eight women, and raping most of them, in eastern CT and New York in the early 1980s, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection on Jan. 26 2005, would become the first person executed in New England since 1960.
7. The spate of Connecticut deaths in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Since March 2002, 22 servicemen and civilians with Connecticut ties have died in the wars in both countries. Thirteen of those deaths occurred in 2004.
8. The fiery tanker truck crash that melted a bridge on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport in March and forced officials to close the highway. The fire started when a truck carrying thousands of gallons of home heating oil was struck by a car in the southbound lanes.
9. U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Lieberman ended his bid for the White House in February, announcing he will seek re-election to the Senate in 2006.
10. Federal recognition of the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe ranked No. 10. The Kent-based tribe received its federal status on Jan. 29. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has appealed the recognition.
For the full story see: Newsday.com
1. Resignation of Gov. John G. Rowland. J-Ro resigned on July 1 during legislative hearings about his possible impeachment which dominated headlines locally from January until July. Rowland pleaded guilty to one felony charge last week, and is now facing possible jail time.2. The national championships of the University of Connecticut's men's and women's teams. It was the first time in NCAA Division I history that a university won both the men's and women's basketball championships in the same season. The UConn men won their second national title, and the women collected their third straight championship.
3. The inauguration of Rowland's former running mate and lieutenant governor, Republican M. Jodi Rell, ranked as the year's third most important news story. Rell became Connecticut's second female governor, after Democrat Ella Grasso, when she was sworn into office July 1. Since taking office, Rell has enjoyed tremendous popularity, getting as much as 80 percent approval ratings in statewide polls. 4. Occasional Westport resident Martha Stewart's prison sentence..Stewart was convicted in March of lying to investigators about why she sold ImClone Systems Inc. stock in 2001. Domestic Diva Martha is currently serving a five-month sentence at a minimum-security federal prison for women in Alderson, W.Va. She'll be released in March. 5. The federal indictments of a former top Rowland aide, the aide's son and a major state construction contractor. The 15-count indictment accused Rowland's former co-chief of staff, Peter N. Ellef, and contractor William Tomasso of conspiring to steer state contracts from 1997 to 2003. It also named Ellef's son, Peter N. Ellef II. All three have pleaded not guilty.
6. News that a Superior Court judge had finally set an execution date for serial killer Michael Ross. Ross, admitted killing eight women, and raping most of them, in eastern CT and New York in the early 1980s, is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection on Jan. 26 2005, would become the first person executed in New England since 1960. 7. The spate of Connecticut deaths in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Since March 2002, 22 servicemen and civilians with Connecticut ties have died in the wars in both countries. Thirteen of those deaths occurred in 2004.
8. The fiery tanker truck crash that melted a bridge on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport in March and forced officials to close the highway. The fire started when a truck carrying thousands of gallons of home heating oil was struck by a car in the southbound lanes. 9. U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Lieberman ended his bid for the White House in February, announcing he will seek re-election to the Senate in 2006.10. Federal recognition of the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe ranked No. 10. The Kent-based tribe received its federal status on Jan. 29. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has appealed the recognition.
For the full story see: Newsday.com
posted by LGS at 7:30 PM
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