Conn. School Gets A+ for Reducing Amount of Food Waste Going to Landfills: 'It's Helping to Save the Planet'

Beecher Road Elementary School students sorting their lunchtime garbage.Photo: Lana MarcucioReducingfood wasteis easy — just ask the students at Beecher Road Elementary School in Woodbridge, Connecticut, who have become pint-sized pros at sorting their lunchtime trash.Since the fall of 2019, students have been taking part in a successful food-waste diversion program that’s saving money and helping others.The program is also reducing the amount of trash that heads to landfills, where festering waste decomposes and emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that heats the planet, making the already dire climate crisis even worse.

Conn. Teen Hopes to Help Buy a Car and Wheelchair Lift for Her Best Friend: 'The Light of My Life'

Photo: GoFundMeA 15-year-old Connecticut student is hoping to raise enough money to buy her best friend a new wheelchair lift and vehicle so he can be “as happy and successful as possible.“Lily Gardiner recently created aGoFundMecampaign to benefit her friend, 14-year-old Chad Chlebowski.“I had a very tough time going to school and an even harder time staying happy while I was there,” Gardiner toldPatchabout her time in school before meeting Chlebowski.

Conn. Volunteer Firefighter Saves 4 People, 3 Dogs from Garage Fire While Driving Snow Plow

Long Hill Volunteer Fire Co. A volunteer firefighter from Connecticut is being credited for saving the lives of several people and animals inside a home that was catching fire. Shaun Bogen was plowing snow on his route Sunday when he saw a fire near a home, which had four adults and three dogs inside, according to theLong Hill Fire Company. The 31-year-old, who also works as a maintainer for the Trumbull Highway Department, had just turned onto Haviland Drive around 4 a.

Conn. Woman Allegedly Drove Drunk — After Drinking Vanilla Extract

Photo: GettyPolice in Connecticut arrested a woman who was allegedly driving drunk after consuming vanilla extract, PEOPLE confirms.On Wednesday afternoon, New Canaan police found Stefanie Warner-Grise, 50, asleep at the wheel of her car that was stopped in an intersection, according toa police arrest log.Officers detected the smell of vanilla coming from her breath and allegedly noticed several empty bottles of pure vanilla extract inside the car. She was unable to answer basic questions and her speech was slurred, the arrest log alleges.

Conn. Woman, 74, Hospitalized After 12-Year-Old Black Bear Attacked Her While She Walked Her Dog

Photo: File: Cheryl Senter/AP/Shutterstock The 74-year-old woman was walking on Berkshire Crossing Road in Avon when the female bear “approached her and bit her,” according to a news release from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP). At a news conference, DEEP officials said the woman returned home after the attack and called for help, according toCBS News. The woman was then transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, DEEP said.