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Bus Crash, Blast Of Snow & Cold Top The Week's News In Newtown

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. — This past week marked the first week of 2018, and it was a busy one across Fairfield County. It began with the birth of the first babies of the year and ended with a powerful nor'easter that carried a blast of arctic air. 

Route 34 is closed in Monroe near the Stevenson Dam after a crash involving an empty school bus.

Route 34 is closed in Monroe near the Stevenson Dam after a crash involving an empty school bus.

Photo Credit: Monroe Police Department
Lynette Wagner

Lynette Wagner

Photo Credit: Contributed
Elizabeth Bragdon Hole snapped this snowy scene in Darien.

Elizabeth Bragdon Hole snapped this snowy scene in Darien.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Bragdon Hole
Bridgeport Hospital’s first baby of 2018 is Nico Anthony Mastronardi, with parents Lisa and Michael.

Bridgeport Hospital’s first baby of 2018 is Nico Anthony Mastronardi, with parents Lisa and Michael.

Photo Credit: Bridgeport Hospital
Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their sons, Matthew, William and Zachary of Scarsdale

Bruce and Irene Steinberg and their sons, Matthew, William and Zachary of Scarsdale

Photo Credit: Facebook
PizzaCo even has a vintage truck parked outside its Stratford Avenue site.

PizzaCo even has a vintage truck parked outside its Stratford Avenue site.

Photo Credit: Meredith Guinness
Anthony Packes died of a brain tumor nine days after his son was born.

Anthony Packes died of a brain tumor nine days after his son was born.

Photo Credit: Contributed
Danbury firefighters tackle a burning home on Fleetwood Drive on Sunday evening.

Danbury firefighters tackle a burning home on Fleetwood Drive on Sunday evening.

Photo Credit: Mayor Mark Boughton via Twitter @MayorMark
I-95 southbound is closed between Exits 10 and 9 because of a tractor-trailer accident.

I-95 southbound is closed between Exits 10 and 9 because of a tractor-trailer accident.

Photo Credit: Connecticut Department of Transportation
Derrick Gonzalez

Derrick Gonzalez

Photo Credit: Darien Police Department

Here are some of the top stories of the first week of the year, as reported by Daily Voice: 

Fairfield resident Lynette Wagner, 59, was struck and killed by a car as she walked to work Tuesday morning at the new Henkel corporate headquarters in Stamford. Police are investigating to determine exactly what happened when she was struck by a 2016 Dodge Ram van driven by a 38-year-old Stamford man.

It's a boy! Lisa and Michael Mastronardi of Shelton welcomed Nico Anthony  Mastronardi at 8:30 a.m. Monday. He is the first baby born at Bridgeport Hospital in 2018. 

At Greenwich Hospital, the first baby of 2018 arrived just after midnight. Baby boy Mason Raphael Mederos made his debut Jan. 1 at 12:08 a.m. Mom Emily and dad TJ, a New York City police officer, live in Port Chester, N.Y.

A powerful nor'easter was even stronger than expected when it hit Fairfield County on Thursday. It dumped up to 13 inches of snow on towns in the area. Click here to see the total from your town. During the storm, a jackknifed tractor-trailer closed I-95 near the Darien rest area. 

Bruce Steinberg, a 50-year-old man who died in a plane crash with his family on New Year's Eve in Costa Rica, was a senior executive at Bridgewater Associates, a Westport hedge fund. He and his wife, Irene, and their teenage sons, Matthew, William, and Zachary, all of Scarsdale, N.Y., were among 10 Americans killed when a charter plane crashed into a mountain.

A GoFundMe was launched to benefit Paulie Packes, who was only 9 days old when his father, Anthony, a Stamford resident, died last month of a brain tumor at the age of 36. Money raised will help pay for diapers, food, clothes, toys, childcare, activities, and an education for Paulie. Click here for the GoFundMe page.

The home of Danbury City Councilman Mike Esposito, a retired Danbury Fire Department EMS coordinator, was destroyed by fire. Flames burned through the roof of the Cape-style home at 12 Fleetwood Drive in a two-alarm fire. 

Derrick Gonzalez, a 27-year-old Stamford man who works at the Whole Foods Market in Darien, was arrested on multiple charges after attacking and beating a co-worker and a customer in the store parking lot while high on drugs, police said.

From long dogs to Latin American, Stratford was well represented in Connecticut Magazine's poll of the Best Restaurants of 2018. The reimagined Cricket Car Hop made the cut for Best New Restaurant, joining the ranks with Westport’s Amis Trattoria. Cibus of Stratford was named one of nine Best Latin American/Spanish spots. In the Best Pizza category, newcomer PizzaCo of Stratford ranked up with Brick + Wood of Fairfield, Colony Grill, Letizia’s Pizza and Fat Cat Pie Co. of Norwalk and perennial favorite Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana. Always busy Gaetano’s took top honors for Best Deli, along with A&S Italian Fine Foods of Fairfield, Harbor Harvest and Sierra Delicatessen of Norwalk and Wilton Deli.

The driver of a van suffered serious injuries when his vehicle crashed head-on into a school bus on Route 34 near the Stevenson Dam in Monroe. Route 34 was closed for about four hours after the crash. No children were on the bus at the time. 

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