RepublicanAmerican

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 FINAL 75

WWW.REP-AM.COM

IN THE ELITE
BRANDON TRICHE, SYRACUSE IN ELITE EIGHT AFTER THRILLING 64-63 WIN OVER WISCONSIN, PAGE 6C

Worker killed on Route 8

DOT supervisor hit by truck; accident investigated
BY MICHAEL PUFFER
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WATERBURY A 41-yearold State Department of Transportation worker was struck and killed on Route 8 northbound in Waterbury around 2:45 p.m. Thursday. Maintenance supervisor Daniel Dinardi of Rocky Hill

was struck by a tractor trailer after getting out of his DOT vehicle on the side of Route 8 between exits 29 and 30, at the Naugatuck line, according to state authorities. He had activated the trucks flashing warning lights. There was no construction project in the vicinity, according to Judd Everhart, a

spokesman for the Department of Transportation. Everhart speculated that Dinardi may have attempted to remove an obstruction from the roadway. Waterbury, Naugatuck and state police responded. Waterbury firefighters attempted CPR before Dinardi was taken by ambulance to Waterbury Hospital, where he was shortly

pronounced dead. Dinardi spent 21 years working for the state agency. His job included plowing, trimming trees and generally keeping the roadways safe, Everhart said. As word spread around the building, people were crying and asking each other how it

See KILLED, Page 11A

FACING FAMILIAR FOE?

UCONN WOMEN COULD FACE REMATCH WITH FORMER PLAYER SAMARIE WALKER, WHO LEFT FOR KENTUCKY, PAGE 1C

Chase Avenue work begins

The construction project to widen Homer Street and Chase Avenue in Waterbury has begun. The $5.45 million job is expected to be finished in August 2013. PAGE 1B

AH-CHOOOO!!!!
THE PRICE OF AN EARLY SPRING

Santorum toys with Romney

GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum compared his chief rival to an Etch A Sketch toy and said President Obama might as well stay in office if Mitt Romney is the Republican candidate. PAGE 8A

Ex-butler convicted of home invasion

BY ALIA MALIK
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Jury deliberates 5 hours before guilty verdict

AP

Task force to watch trees, lines

The states Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will form a task force to keep an eye on tree maintenance along the states power grid. PAGE 8C

Sharpton leads Florida rally

The Rev. Al Sharpton joined thousands of people at a Florida park to call attention to the shooting death of a teen by a volunteer on a neighborhood watch. PAGE 4A

OPINION OF THE DAY: The license issued by the state Department of Public Health verifies barbers and hairstylists are educated, trained, skill-certified and qualified to serve the public. All barbers and hairstylists need to be held to the same professional standards, regardless of culture, language, sex or age. Joe Coulson, Waterbury
READ THE FULL LETTER ON PAGE 10A

WEB EXTRAS
TO DAY AT R E P -A M .CO M >> THE BIG DANCE Look in the Time Out sports blog for a recap of Thursdays NCAA mens tournament action, at left >> DEAL OF THE DAY Pay just $30 for a $60 prom special at Q-Hair AP Designs in Waterbury. >> UPWARDLY MOBILE Renowned adventure climber to appear at event in Wallingford next month. Read more in the Outsider blog. >> TELL YOUR FRIENDS Look for the Share button on stories at rep-am.com to send them to friends via Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Digg, and more services.

CHRISTOPHER MASSA REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Dr. Christopher Randolph, director of the pollen count center at Waterbury Hospital, shows a bottle of nasal spray used to alleviate symptoms of allergies. Randolph expects to be busy treating patients this year due to an expected early and severe allergy season.

Allergy season will be longer, harder this year

BY PENELOPE OVERTON
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WHAT ALLERGY SUFFERERS CAN DO

>> Talk to your doctor to find out if you need an allergists evaluation. If so, make sure to book a board-certified allergist. >> If using nasal steroids or eye drops, take it when you know pollen counts are high, before symptoms begin. When the sneezes hit, its already too late. >> Limit your outdoor activities in the morning, when there is more pollen in the air. Keep the doors and windows shut until about 2 p.m. >> Keep allergens out of your house by taking off your shoes and changing your clothes when coming in from outside. >> Wash your hair, which can attract and hold pollen for hours, before you go to bed at night. You dont want the pollen to end up on your pillow.
Sources: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and area allergists Christopher Randolph and Melvyn Ranish

NEW HAVEN Emanuel Nicolescu dropped his head into his hands and wept Thursday as a jury pronounced him guilty of federal crimes related to the 2007 invasion of the home of multimillionaire Anne H. Bass, his former employer. After more than five hours of deliberations, a jury of seven women and five men convicted the 31-year-old former butler of attempting to interfere with commerce by extortion, conspiracy to do the same and possession of a stolen vehicle. He faces up to AP 50 years in Bass prison and will be sentenced June 14 in U.S. District Court. Nicolescu, handcuffed after the verdict was read, returned to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island. Were disappointed in the verdict, defense attorney Audrey A. Felsen said. Nicolescus mother, who sat through all seven days of the trial, was not in court Thursday. Prosecutors accused Nicolescu of invading Bass four-story farmhouse, along with at least two other men, the night of April 15, 2007. The masked and gloved intruders, brandishing knives and guns, tied Bass, now 70, and her boyfriend, Julian Lethbridge, to chairs in the bathroom. The two were blindfolded and injected with something which they were told was

74 Low 47
High

Mostly sunny with some clouds moving in later in the day. Page 8D

See GUILTY, Page 11A

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Editorials 10A Horoscope 5D Jumble 7D Lottery 2A Movie times 8D Obituaries 6-7B

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SOUTHBURY As an allergist, Dr. Christopher Randolph doesnt usually need a calendar to tell him when spring has arrived. The first wave of seasonal allergy sufferers, with their sneezing fits, itchy eyes and runny noses, usually hits him every April. This year, the wave hit a month early. The mild winter and warm spring prompted the trees to open and begin to release pollen weeks ago, he said. His spring patients started calling in early March. This is going to be a very tough season, he said. It is starting earlier and will last longer and will probably be more severe. Were going to be very busy. Doctors in Torrington, Meriden, Farmington and New Haven are reporting a surge in patients experiencing hay fever symptoms weeks earlier than usual. See SNEEZE, Page 11A

AP

Emanuel Nicolescu faces up to 50 years in prison.

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Landscaping/lawns
MULCH 3 yards delivered, all colors. $150-$200. 203-509-4478. SPRING CLEANUPS Lawns mowed, miscellaneous jobs. Reasonable rates. Very reliable. Call Bob at 203-206-4959.

Roofing
PAOLINO ROOFING Spring Rates Now! Established in 1990. Res/Com. CT# 0631168. Call 203-721-1442. PROMASTER ROOFING Affordable, res/com, excellent quality. CT 617410. 203-528-2075.

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