Middlesex and New London Region

Nuclear-armed U.S. submarines that went more than a decade without calling on foreign ports in part because of post-Sept. 11 security concerns are once again visiting other countries, a shift intended to underscore their global presence and lift sailor morale.

Vin Baker, who grew up in Old Saybrook, was a four-time NBA All-Star player. He attended the University of Hartford and eventually became an Olympian. He went from relative obscurity to the big time in a flash. 

Naval Submarine Base New London has a new leader. U.S. Navy Captain Paul Whitescarver, formerly of Norfolk, Virginia, is the SUBASE's new commanding officer.

United Technologies said it wants to save $1.5 billion through closures and layoffs. But CEO Greg Hayes told The Hartford Courant that Connecticut is likely to be spared the worst of the cuts. 

Inspired by the age-old Delta blues, Noah Preminger and his delta force quartet create a 21st century re-imagining of two soul-drenched songs by legendary blues singer Bukka White on the young tenor saxophonist's dynamic, new album, Pivot: Live at the 55 Bar, a jazz bistro in Greenwich Village.

The Norwich courthouse is improving its security following the escape of a prisoner from the building last month.

A former Wesleyan University student has pleaded guilty to distributing drugs involved in a rash of overdoses on the campus of the Connecticut school earlier this year.

Bassist/composer Joe Fonda, long an irrepressible, dynamic force in the world of cutting-edge music, outdoes himself as a bold impresario/producer with his Tenth Annual Connecticut Composers Festival, a combustible mix whose catalytic elements start crackling on Saturday, November 14 at 7:30 pm at Middletown's Buttonwood Tree.

Following a recount, officials in Clinton have determined the outcome of the coastal Connecticut town's first selectman vote by the slimmest of possible margins.

Officials said the mast of a sailboat struck part of the Connecticut River Railroad Bridge as it was closing, causing delays on Amtrak's Northeast Regional line.

An alchemist/anarchist who blends jazz with gritty grunge rock, classical chops, turbo-powered passages, funky backbeats and sweet, salon-like moods, Michael Gallant and his trio celebrate his new release with a surprise-packed performance on Friday, November 6, at 8:00 pm at Middletown's The Buttonwood Tree.

Just a short time after the polls closed, incumbent First Selectman of Stonington, George Crouse, conceded to his Republican challenger, Rob Simmons. Simmons claimed the First Selectman position handily, polling 2,893 to Crouse's 2,093. 

It's not a conventional political career path, but then the man who's forging it is hardly known for following conventions.

Rob Simmons, former Second District Representative in the U.S. House, is standing for First Selectman in his home town of Stonington (population 18,000 or so).

Members of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which owns Foxwoods Resort Casino, have re-elected its chairman and treasurer.

Just 40 minutes after polls closed in Connecticut, Democrat Michael Passero was giving his victory speech.

A judge has tossed out a Chicago educator's lawsuit against New London's board of education and its chairwoman.

Funding for Wesleyan University's school newspaper has been slashed by the student government. 

A Massachusetts man has been sentenced to three years in prison for importing counterfeit electronic components from China and Hong Kong for use by American customers, including builders of the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarines. 

A new play premieres this weekend as part of a gala event celebrating the hundredth anniversary of a synagogue in Chester, Connecticut called Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek.

The play is called “100 Years in 36 Minutes.” Its co-writer, Lary Bloom, came to the WNPR studios earlier this week to talk about it.

At Wesleyan University, known for its liberal culture, a campaign to shut down the campus newspaper is coming from an unlikely source: its students. 

City councilor Michael Passero will be New London’s Democratic candidate for mayor, after defeating the incumbent, Daryl Justin Finizio. 

Violet Thomas came out as a transgender woman three months before high school graduation in 2013. She found some respite in her guidance counselor’s office, but things went from bad to worse at home.

So Thomas left, and began moving from couch to couch among friends. But she stayed nowhere very long.