Category: Christian Woodard

MONKTON — With four pressure-treated benches, some recycling bins and a creative scoring system on Bristol’s tennis courts, 16-year-old Justin Kimball recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout and fulfilled a family tradition.

Only about 5 percent of Boy Scouts receive the highest rank, but Justin follows three older brothers in the achievement. Justin’s cousin and grandfather are also Eagle Scouts.

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NEW HAVEN — When sculptor Dennis Sparling started work on his nine-foot-tall sculpture of Leonardo da Vinci, he didn’t expect that one day he’d have to load the 600-pound behemoth onto a trailer and cart it around on a world tour. But, starting next month, Sparling and “Leo” will hit the road for the first leg of their journey.

For the New Haven artist, creating Leonardo has been more than a technical feat — though it did present challenges. Fabricating the sculpture was almost a manifesto.

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MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury police investigated two suspected phone scams on Feb. 22. Police said a local woman reported receiving a call from a man alleging to be her grandson, who said he had been picked up for drunk driving and needed money. When the woman told the caller she did not sound like her grandson, he ended the call.

In the other case, a local man received a call from someone who alleged the man’s grandson had been involved in a car accident. When the man said he had no grandson, the caller hung up the phone.

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When my roommate, Nikhil, announced he was going to Mauritius for three months and asked if I could take care of his dog, I thought immediately of body heat. A 70-pound German shepherd throws off a lot of warmth, and I sleep in a poorly insulated room.

“Can he sleep in the bed?” I asked.

“He’s not really supposed to, but…”

“Done,” I said. “When do you leave?”

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