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Researchers studying the health risks posed by gadolinium, a toxic rare earth metal used in MRI scans, have found that oxalic acid, a molecule found in many foods, can generate nanoparticles of the metal in human tissues. In a new paper, Brent Wagner, MD sought to explain the formation of the nanoparticles, which have been associated with serious health problems in the kidneys and other organs. "The worst disease caused by MRI contrast agents is nephrogenic systemic fibrosis," he said. "People have succumbed after just a single dose." The condition can cause a thickening and hardening of the skin, heart...

A man accused of cannibalism and murder has been granted conditional release, according to the Connecticut Psychiatric Security Review Board (PSRB). The board granted Tyree Smith's release after a careful review of his clinical progress, officials said. He's currently at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown. Smith is accused of hacking a man to death with an axe in Bridgeport and eating part of the victim's brain and an eyeball. The PSRB said Smith has demonstrated long-term stability, remained engaged in all recommended treatments and consistently followed his care. His conditional release requires that he remain under structured supervision and that...

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A 12-year-old boy was shot while throwing snowballs Wednesday evening in Hartford, according to police.

A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has delivered a critical decision affirming Fourth Amendment protections and the right to keep and bear arms.On November 12, 2018, Basel Soukaneh’s life was significantly disrupted. Soukaneh was looking for a house he was considering purchasing, but the GPS on his phone, held in a holder on the dash of his car, had frozen. He was unfamiliar with the area. Soukaneh pulled over to correct the problem, left the engine running, and had the interior lights on. A Waterbury police officer quickly knocked on his window and demanded...

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A five-day course of once-daily inorganic nitrate reduces the risk of a serious complication following a coronary angiogram, in which the dye used causes damage to the kidneys. The clinical trial also showed that the five-day course improves renal outcomes at three months and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at one year compared to placebo. Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN), also known as contrast associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI), is an uncommon but serious complication following coronary angiography. A special dye, which is visible on X-rays, is injected into the body and when the dye reaches the coronary arteries, an X-ray is...

On January 14, 2023, David J. Nastri, Esq. filed suit against Katie Dykes as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. Nastri challenged the constitutionality of Connecticut’s ban on the carrying of handguns in Connecticut state parks for the purpose of self-defense. From the complaint: This is an action for declaratory and injunctive relief that challenges the constitutionality of Connecticut’s state regulation that bans the carrying of handguns in Connecticut state parks for the purpose of self-defense. Connecticut’s ban on handguns in state parks cannot pass constitutional muster under the historical standard that the Supreme Court announced...

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Connecticut has passed a law allowing bears to be shot if they are or are about to injure people or pets or enter a building occupied by people. Florida is considering a similar but broader measure.As black bear populations have increased across the United States, more people and bear conflicts are occurring. Before 1960, bears had been considered a problem to be taken care of. In most states, they could be shot as pests. There was a legacy understanding – bears make for bad neighbors. Bears would kill your pigs, destroy your apple orchards, and your bee hives. Before 1950,...

Want to know how Republicans can win in 2024? By taking a few pages out of the Democrat playbook, that's how! You also need strong, principled and fearless leaders running your local Republican party. Not a bunch of spineless RINOs. But really courageous go-getters who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work that's required to take on the well-oiled democrat election machine. Here's some advice from the most unlikely of places, deep blue Connecticut, where Republicans did exactly that, and won. It started nearly two years ago when hundreds of energized Republicans from Greenwich, CT,...

A state judge has taken the unusual step of ordering a new Democratic mayoral primary in Connecticut’s largest city to be held after the Nov. 7 general election is completed. The decision comes after surveillance videos showed a woman stuffing what appeared to be absentee ballots into an outdoor ballot box days before the original primary. Superior Court Judge William Clark determined the allegations of possible malfeasance warrant throwing out the results of the Sept. 12 primary, which incumbent Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim won by 251 votes out of 8,173 cast. Absentee ballots secured his margin of victory. “The volume...

U.S. Census Data Reveals the Most Miserable Cities In AmericaSeptember 14, 2023 | Jessica Bedewi Share in Facebook Miami Gardens, FloridaWhen you hear Miami, you automatically think of sun, sand, and party vibes. Miami Gardens, however, is a little different. The water in the city is supplied by a plant owned by the City of North Miami Beach, which pushes water prices in Miami Gardens through the roof. Subsequently, the entire cost of living in the city is sky-high. Getty Images Photo by Olga Kaya The city also implemented a stop and frisk policy that led to about 57,000 people...

The attorneys for John Gomes, who is challenging the results of Bridgeport’s recent Democratic mayoral primary, called two key witnesses to the stand on Friday in court, but both declined to answer questions, exerting their Fifth Amendment right against potential self-incrimination. William Bloss, Gomes’ lawyer in the high-profile election lawsuit, spent 37 minutes questioning Wanda Geter-Pataky, who sat mostly silent on the witness stand as she watched video clips that apparently feature herself placing absentee ballots into a drop box. [snip] The only questions Geter-Pataky did answer involved her job at City Hall. She was recently placed on paid administrative...

The state Department of Public Health is encouraging residents to order free at-home COVID-19 test kits when the federal government makes them available again next week. This comes after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that households will be able to order up to four free tests through COVIDTests.gov starting on Monday, Sept. 25. The state Department of Public Health said the tests are intended to be used through the end of the year and will detect the variants that are currently circulating. They are also urging residents to use the COVIDTests.gov site to see if...

GRAPHIC WARNING: Video included in this story includes content that some may find disturbing. WESTPORT, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A Westport man had his Aston Martin carjacked from inside his garage over the weekend, police said. The attack was caught on surveillance video in the garage. Police said they responded to a residence on Bayberry Lane at 3:50 p.m. Sunday for a report of a burglary and carjacking. “It is believed that the suspects arrived at the residence in a dark blue BMW, as this vehicle was seen fleeing with the stolen vehicle,” police said. The victim suffered minor injuries...

Hours after John Gomes’ campaign released a video Saturday which he alleges shows evidence of election tampering in the Bridgeport primary by a supporter of Mayor Joe Ganim, the city’s Police Department confirmed it was investigating the actions in the footage. Gomes challenged Ganim in the Sept. 12th Democratic primary, losing by 251 votes, according to the most recent preliminary count posted on the Secretary of the State’s website. The video, which was posted to the Gomes campaign Facebook page, shows a woman dropping stacks of papers into an absentee ballot box outside the government center in Bridgeport, where the...

On August 3, 2023, Judge Janet Bond Arterton of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut ruled on whether the recent Connecticut law banning the possession of common semi-automatic rifles and pistols under the appellation of “assault weapons” and of standard capacity magazines which hold more than ten rounds. Judge Arterton ruled the law is not prohibited by the Second Amendment. She does not see it as an infringement because, she claims, “assault weapons” and magazines over ten rounds are not arms protected by the Second Amendment. Magazines that hold more than ten rounds are referred to...

Former President Bill Clinton was spotted grabbing a bite to eat at Papa Al's Pizza in Newtown on Sunday. According to Dritan Hodza, a chef at Papa Al's, the former president came into the restaurant with a security detail and ordered a couple of slices of pizza and garlic knots. Hodza said that Clinton was kind and had a "smiley face" during his visit.

LEDYARD, Conn. (WTNH) — A Ledyard man is accused of assaulting a woman with a gallon milk jug and then pouring the milk on her. Responding officers said they saw milk covering the entire dining room area in the home. Gregory Startz, 39, was taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct. He is set to appear in New London Superior Court on Monday.

On May 18, 2023, the Connecticut Senate voted to rectify a defect in their state law. The new law would allow people whose lives and/or pets were threatened by bears to kill the animal. If a bear attempts to enter a building occupied by a person, the person can kill the bear. These commonsense reforms were likely prompted by the experience of Sgt. Lawrence Clarke. Clarke’s situation occurred a year previous to the vote in the Connecticut Senate.On May 12, 2022, Sgt. Clarke killed an aggressive black bear that had damaged his property, killed his livestock, seemed unafraid of people,...