While New Haven often takes the crown for best pizza in Connecticut (and even the country), there are a bevvy of fantastic choices in Hartford County to enjoy a slice or two for National Pizza Week.

Don’t believe us? We have gone ahead and collected a list of over 100 restaurants in 10 towns and cities that serve pizza. These restaurants all have at least a 4 stars on Google with at least 10 or more ratings.

The list is ordered alphabetically after Hartford, with each town’s restaurants then ordered by rating. This list is not all-inclusive, so let us know if we missed one!

Hartford

• Hartford Pizza Garden on 535 Farmington Ave (4.9 stars)
• Angelina’s Pizzeria on 41 Prospect Ave (4.7 stars)
• Salute on 100 Trumbull St (4.7 stars)
• The Brownstone on 114 Asylum St (4.5 stars)
• George’s Pizza Restaurant on 2027 Park St (4.5 stars)
• First and Last Tavern Hartford on 939 Maple Ave (4.5 stars)
• Al’s Pizza and Deli on 427 Main St (4.5 stars)
• Bro’s Dough Pizzeria on 448 New Britain Ave (4.4 stars)
• Sorella on 901 Main S (4.4 stars)
• Pietro’s Pizza on 942 Main St (4.3 stars)
• Sampizza Bar on 40 John St (4.3 stars)
• Pietro’s Pizza on 942 Main St (4.3 stars)
• City Pizza on 498 Farmington Ave (4.3 stars)
• Mr Pizza on 671 Blue Hills Ave (4.3 stars)
• NY – NY Pizza Restaurant on 547 Franklin Ave (4.3 stars)
• HFC Chicken & Pizza on 271 Farmington Ave (4.3 stars)
• A-1 Pizza on 306 Farmington Ave (4.1 stars)
• Sisson Avenue Pizza&Wings on 495 Farmington Ave (4.0 stars)
• Ranch House Pizza 17 Asylum St #1 (4.0 stars)
• Kinder Pizza and Ranch House on 2543 Main St (4.0 stars)

Bloomfield

• Carbone’s Kitchen on 6 Wintonbury Mall (4.5 stars)
• Bloomfield Village Pizza on 34 Tunxis Ave (4.4 stars)
• Pasticceria Italia on 10 Wintonbury Mall (4.4 stars)
• Gino’s Pizza & Ranch House on 407 Cottage Grove Rd (4.2 stars)
• Michael John’s Pizza on 1393 Blue Hills Ave (4.2 stars)
• Sarah’s On Park on 774 Park Ave (4.2 stars)

East Hartford

• Savvi’s Pizza Restaurant on 1555 Main St (4.6 stars)
• Carmine’s Bar • Grill • Stage on 389 Main St (4.5 stars)
• Queen Pizza on 310 Silver Ln (4.4 stars)
• Charlie’s Pizza on 386 Prospect St (4.3 stars)
• Burnside Roma Restaurant on 358 Burnside Ave (4.3 stars)
• C&E Pizza Restaurant on 1111 Burnside Ave (4.3 stars)
• Anna’s Restaurant & Pizza on 1489 Silver Ln (4.2 stars)
• Cavros Pizzeria on 184 Main St (4.2 stars)
• Villa Milano’s Pizza on 456 Main St (4.1 stars)
• East Hartford Pizza Restaurant on 1160 Burnside Ave (4.0 stars)
• Gino’s Original Pizzeria on 50 Main St (4.0 stars)

New all-day brunch spot coming to CT features creative comfort food and cocktails

Farmington

• Naples Pizza on 838 Farmington Ave (4.5 stars)
• Farmington Pizza + Kitchen on 1019 Farmington Ave (4.4 stars)
• Galleria Restaurant on 2 Spring Ln (4.4 stars)
• Mama Luke’s on 372 Scott Swamp Rd Route 6 (4.2 stars)
• Olee’s Pizza Farmington on 222 Main St (4.0 stars)

Manchester

• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on 221 Buckland Hills Dr (4.6 stars)
• CJ’s Pizza and Giant Grinders on 273 Broad St (4.6 stars)
• Al Madina Restaurant on 246 Broad St (4.6 stars)
• Andi’s Pizzeria on 290 Broad St (4.5 stars)
• Hartford Road Pizza on 250 Hartford Rd (4.5 stars)
• Pepe’s Restaurant & Lounge on 300 Middle Turnpike W (4.5 stars)
• Mulberry Street Pizza on 981 Main St (4.4 stars)
• Pizza Mia Restaurant, And Bar on 55 E Center St (4.3 stars)
• Filomena’s Pizzeria on 775 Main St (4.3 stars)
• Joey Garlics Manchester on 31 Redstone Rd (4.2 stars)
• Mike’s Pizzeria on 267 E Center St (4.2 stars)
• Husky Pizza on 46 W Center St (4.2 stars)
• Manchester Pizza & Grill on 316 Green Rd (4.1 stars)
• Maggie McFly’s | Manchester on 194 Buckland Hills Dr Suite 1023 (4.1 stars)
• Woodbridge Pizza Manchester on 489 Middle Tpke E (4.0 stars)
• Randy’s Wooster Street Pizza on 285 E Center S (4.0 stars)
• BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse on 320 Buckland Hills Dr (4.0 stars)

Newington

• Phoenix Pizzeria on Starbucks’s Plaza, 995 Main St (4.8 stars)
• Elm Hill Pizza on 625 Maple Hill Ave (4.7 stars)
• Turnpike Pizza on 2331 Berlin Tpke (4.7 stars)
• Bella Gourmet Pizzeria on 125 Fenn R (4.6 stars)
• Yannis Pizza Restaurant on 296 Main St (4.5 stars)
• Newington Pizza Restaurant on 75 Market Square (4.5 stars)
• Joey Garlic’s Newington on 150 Kitts Ln (4.5 stars)
• Town Line Pizza & Restaurant on 736 New Britain Ave (4.5 stars)
• TJ’s on Cedar on 14 E Cedar St (4.4 stars)
• Village Pizza & Halal Restaurant on 425 New Britain Ave Unit A (4.3 stars)
• Wood-n-Tap – Newington on 375 Berlin Tpke (4.3 stars)
• Best Pizza on 82 Pane Rd (4.2 stars)
• Nicolas Pizza & Mexican Eatery on 1125 Willard Ave (4.1 stars)

New Britain

• City Pizza Grill & Grocery on 662 East St (4.9 stars)
• South Main Pizzeria on 450 S Main St (4.8 stars)
• BYG DADDY’S PIZZA on 972 W Main St (4.6 stars)
• Marathon Pizza on 850 W Main St (4.6 stars)
• Adinas Pizzeria on 2012 Corbin Ave (4.5 stars)
• Brick Oven Pizza & Restaurant on 427 Osgood Ave (4.5 stars)
• New Britain House of Pizza on 952 Stanley St (4.4 stars)
• Town & Country Pizza Restaurant on 685 Farmington Ave (4.4 stars)
• Pizza Pal Restaurant on 264 S Main St (4.4 stars)
• Peppino’s Pizza on 10 Main St (4.3 stars)
• Express Ranch House & Pizzeria on 389 Allen St (4.3 stars)
• Paradise Pizza & Restaurant on 10 East St (4.2 stars)
• Tony’s Central Pizza on 1523 Stanley St Ste B (4.1 stars)
• Pizza Corner on 36 Broad St (4.1 stars)
• Elmer’s Place & Great Oak’s Restaurant on 1433 East St (4.0 stars)

West Hartford

• Dino’s Pizzeria West Hartford on 439 New Park Av (4.6 stars)
• Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana on 1148 New Britain Ave (4.5 stars)
• Savoy Pizzeria & Craft Bar on 32 LaSalle Rd (4.4 stars)
• Harry’s Bishops Corner Pizza Napoletana on 732 N Main St (4.4 stars)
• Joey’s Pizza Pie on 353 Park Rd (4.4 stars)
• Jimmie’s Pizza West Hartford on 765 Farmington Ave (4.4 stars)
• Bert’s Pizzeria and Mexican Cuisine on 264 Park Rd (4.4 stars)
• Sparrow Pizza Bar on 977 Farmington Ave (4.3 stars)
• Elmwood Pizza & Grinders on 1154 New Britain Ave (4.0 stars)

Wethersfield

• Stella’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant on 620 Silas Deane Hwy (4.8 stars)
• Lenoci’s Italian Kitchen on 285 Main St (4.8 stars)
• Sfizio Italian Kitchen on 70 Wolcott Hill R (4.8 stars)
• Wethersfield Pizza House on 955 Silas Deane Hwy (4.7 stars)
• Village Pizza Restaurant on 233 Main St (4.6 stars)
• Leo’s Pizza on 689 Wolcott Hill Rd (4.5 stars)
• Sora My Way on 446 Silas Deane Hwy (4.5 stars)
• Sofia’s Brick Oven Pizzeria on 1279 Silas Deane Hwy (4.3 stars)
• Vito’s Restaurant and Pizzaria on 673 Silas Deane Hwy (4.3 stars)
• Fratelli Pizzeria on 804 Silas Deane Hwy (4.3 stars)
• Sally’s Apizza on 1178 Silas Deane Hwy (4.2 stars)

Windsor

• Tunxis Grill & Pizzeria on 3 Tunxis St (4.5 stars)
• Wilson Pizza Palace on 340 Windsor Ave (4.4 stars)
• Jim’s Pizza on 124 Poquonock Ave (4.2 stars)
• Family Pizzeria on 181 Broad St (4.1 stars)
• Pizza Rama on 645 Poquonock Ave (4.0 stars)

But ask the Hartford Foundation For Public Giving leader about the organization’s Greater Together Community Funds, and he gets truly excited and doesn’t mind sharing why.

Through the Greater Together Community Funds program, which includes all 29 of the towns in the foundation’s area, $2.5 million in grants have been made since 2019, he said. That’s more than 650 grants, and every one of them was decided by a committee made up of volunteers from each of those towns.

Now, as part of marking the foundation’s centennial year in 2025, it will make another $2.9 million investment in the Greater Together Community Funds, Williams said.

In addition to support for all of its communities, the foundation wants all of them to “truly see us as their community foundation,” he said. “We couldn’t be more excited.

“For all of these communities, this is a permanent part of the foundation’s commitment to all 29 of our towns,” Williams said. “They are equally important.”

How it started

The program, Williams said, grew from a 29-town series of listening session during which the foundation learned that “these are needs that may have not been met that were important to these communities.”

So in 2019, the Hartford Foundation launched an initial investment of $2.9 million to create what was dubbed the Greater Together Community Funds.

The key, he said, is that community volunteers in each of the towns make the decisions (with foundation guidance) on how the money is going to be spent. “They know the needs,” he said.

“We heard from … hundreds and hundreds of resident in these towns,” Williams said.

Under this parameter of a committee of local volunteers making the decisions, an example of 2023 grants in Farmington included, among many others, $5,000 to Interval House to support Farmington victims of domestic violence; $4,250 to Services for the Elderly of Farmington to purchase wheelchairs and walkers for the Farmington community to borrow; and $5,000 to Greystone Foundation to provide short-term financial assistance to individuals and families who have unexpected events disruptive to household finances.

In Marlborough, among many others, grants were made to Marlborough Arts Center for $4,600 for a sustainable Art Trail; $4,842 to the Marlborough Education Association to make the Elementary School Library adaptive and inclusive; and $4,500 to the Marlborough Food Bank to establish a fund for a Fuel Bank, according to the foundation.

Williams said the committees in the towns receive support from the foundation staff, but there are also hundreds of volunteers helping when considering all of the communities.

He noted that “many of these towns have decided to collaborate with neighbors in some regional” ventures, and “not only did we say yes, it is ok it exactly what we hoped would come out of it.

“We learned over the past four or five years how to tweak it, how to make it more collaborative,” he said. “We wanted to make is a flexible as possible. …”

Williams said the foundation staff did basic grant training for the committees, which do not include any elected officials and reflect the diversity of the towns. Each town has a different way of soliciting or generating ideas, he said.

“Part of the excitement is actually getting to see, to watch every one of these grants as the towns make them,” Williams said.

“Being a part of the Bolton Greater Together Community Fund effort has been such a rewarding experience,” said Bolton committee member Shandra Scott-Brown.

“It is a way for me to really connect to the community that I live in, and it was an opportunity for me to just get involved and help others. Who doesn’t like having the opportunity to meet with other people in town and give away money to service people that live in your community? It’s a win-win for everyone.”

Avon committee member and Avon High School student Panya Khattar said, “Inspiring people I work alongside dedicate their time and effort because they genuinely believe in the betterment of our community, they show that when larger, more powerful institutions fall short, smaller, passionate groups can step up to create real, meaningful change. It’s truly ‘the people doing for the people.’ As a high school representative, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a dedicated force, one that uplifts and empowers our community in profound ways. “

The initiative created separate funds in each of the towns in the foundation’s region, including Andover, Avon, Bloomfield, Bolton, Canton, East Granby, East Hartford, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Hebron, Manchester, Marlborough, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Suffield, Tolland, Vernon, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor and Windsor Locks.

Williams said the foundation plans more major project during its centennial year, which will be announced as they are launched. “This is the first of several significant announcements that are going to abe associated with our centennial year,” he said.

He said future grants also will go to the Greater Together Community Funds, but the amount hasn’t been determined yet.

“I never fail to appreciate and just smile when you go through that (grants) list,” he said. “To me that means just that much more activity and engagement.”

There was history made: a woman coached a boys basketball team in a state championship for the first time – and she was coaching against a 21-year-old in his first season as a head coach.

One school won a state title in the final second of a game in soccer; the school’s basketball team had pulled off a similarly improbable state championship win 11 years earlier.

Successful coaches in Southington (softball) and Glastonbury (track) retired. For the first time since 2007, a Greater Hartford area boys tennis player won the State Open title. Bloomfield girls track kept winning. A hockey team celebrated its 50th season with a state title.

There were many highlights in the 2024 high school sports season. Here’s a recap:

Fall sports

Football: After the Windsor football team beat Darien, even with key players missing, in late September, the question was: What can’t the Warriors do? They were elevated to the No. 1 spot in the Courant’s state coaches poll and stayed there until the end of the season, when they fell to Masuk, 24-21, in the Class MM championship game on a last-second field goal. The Warriors finished 12-1.Windsor’s last title was in 2014. … After a rough start, Bloomfield advanced to its sixth straight state championship game, where the Warhawks lost to Ansonia 58-12 in the Class S final. It was the eighth time Ansonia and Bloomfield had faced each other in the championship game, and Ansonia has won five of those. … Sheehan, which last won a state title in 2019, had another shot this season after beating Granby/Canton and Windham in the Class SS playoffs but Killingly, which had defeated Sheehan earlier in the season, won the title 48-33. … Buoyed by a group of seniors who didn’t give up, including UConn-baseball commit and quarterback Cam Righi, Wethersfield did not win a game in 2023 but went 9-1 this fall before losing to Newington in the Class MM quarterfinals. The Eagles had beaten Newington the week before to make it into the playoffs. Newington rebounded from a two-win season a year ago to advance to the Class MM semifinals, where the Nor’easters lost to Windsor.

Boys soccer

The Farmington boys won their first state title since 2021 after exiting the state tournament in the first round the last two years. Farmington had 16 seniors and that experience helped the River Hawks beat Xavier 3-1 for the Class LL championship. Senior Logan Drozd was named MVP of the game. … Sophomore Jon Adadjo took a pass from his older brother Chris and scored the game-winner as Tolland rallied to beat Weston 2-1 in the Class M championship, Tolland’s first title since 2015.

Girls soccer

In 2013, the Mercy girls basketball team won the state championship, 54-53, over Lauralton Hall on an improbable buzzer-beater by Maria Weselyj, a play that became part of Connecticut high school sports lore. In 2024, here was Mercy again, this time in soccer, winning on a buzzer-beating goal 2-1 over three-time defending state champion St. Joseph, which had lost only one game on penalty kicks this season. When probably everybody else was thinking the game was going to overtime, Mercy sophomore Molly Benson brought the ball downfield with 10 seconds left. The ball went to her sister Kaylee, who headed it to Molly, who scored as time ran out and the St. Joseph players crumpled to the field in shock. The play made it on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day. … Coginchaug had lost to Shoreline Conference opponent Morgan twice during the regular season by a total of nine goals but beat Morgan on penalty kicks, 2-1, to win its first state title in the Class S final. … Lewis Mills beat Northwest Catholic, who had a number of girls on the team from its two-time state basketball championship team (including UConn-soccer-bound Maeve Staunton), 2-1, for the Class M championship. Junior Lily Castle scored both goals for Lewis Mills.

Volleyball

There were more improbable comebacks in the state tournament, this time in the Class L volleyball championship. Farmington was two points away from losing the title it had won the previous year to Bristol Central, a team the River Hawks had beaten twice earlier in the season. Farmington senior libero Jamie Zadrozny served eight straight points but Bristol Central scored a point and it was match point. Farmington rallied again to win the set and then cruised in the fifth set to win its second straight title 3-2 (18-25, 24-26, 25-23, 27-25,15-4). “Some of the adjectives I saw were: ‘Preposterous. Insane. Wild. Unimaginable,’” Farmington coach Laura Arena said. “We pulled it off. I was so proud of the girls.” … In another crazy game, Darien rallied to beat Glastonbury in the Class LL championship, (19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22. 15-12). … Valley Regional won its first championship in 35 years, beating defending champion Coventry 3-1, for the Class S title. … Granby advanced to the Class M final but lost to Joel Barlow 3-0.

Other sports

Glastonbury senior Brooke Strauss, who will run at UConn, swept the CCC, Class L, State Open and New England championships, all at Wickham Park, and her team won the State Open title, while her heir apparent, Old Lyme junior Chase Gilbert, finished second at New Englands, third at the State Open and won the Class S title. The Xavier boys won the Class L title. … Riley Anderson, a junior at Bacon Academy who swims with Manchester, won two State Open titles in 50 and 100 free and set a State Open record in the 100 (49.66). Anderson has committed to swim at Duke. … Glastonbury field hockey, led by UConn-bound midfielder Addie Infante, advanced to the Class L quarterfinals, where the Guardians lost to Wilton 2-0. Simsbury advanced to the Class M semifinals.

Spring sports

Lacrosse

Notre Dame lacrosse commit Matt Jeffrey played football for Cheshire in the fall, then led the lacrosse team to a Class L state championship 13-12 over St. Joseph. Cheshire had won the Class M title the previous year. … The Somers boys, with only one senior, advanced to the Class S state championship, where they lost to New Fairfield, 7-0.

Baseball

Coventry had advanced to the Class S state final a year earlier, but coach Ryan Giberson thought his team was maybe a little too young and the Patriots lost. This spring, nine seniors returned, and the Patriots went back to the state championship game, where they beat Oxford 5-2. … RHAM advanced to the Class M final, where the Raptors lost to Woodstock Academy 5-2.

Softball

Southington coach Davina Hernandez stepped down after winning five state titles and 228 games in the last 10 years. Southington advanced to the Class LL semifinals, where the Knights lost to Cheshire. … Ellington advanced to the Class L state final, losing to defending champion and unbeaten Masuk, 4-0. … Coventry won its second straight title in Class S, beating Holy Cross 16-3 behind a 4-for-4, three-RBI and three-run performance from junior shortstop Sarah Miller. … Cheshire advanced to the Class LL final where the Rams lost to Fairfield Ludlowe 3-2 in 10 innings despite a 16-strikeout performance from sophomore Jenica Matos, and Sheehan advanced to the Class M championship, losing to Woodland, 7-1.

Other sports

Enfield senior Lukas Phimvongsa, now playing at Brown University, won the State Open boys tennis title, the first boys player from the Greater Hartford area to win a State Open championship since 2007. Cheshire’s Alex Orlins won her second straight State Open girls tennis title, beating Branford’s Peyton Gaudreau, 6-4, 6-3. … The Windsor boys track team won the State Open outdoor title, beating Xavier, after Xavier beat Windsor at the Class L championship a week earlier. Windsor also won the indoor State Open title. … The Bloomfield girls won the State Open outdoor title as Jahniya Barclay won the 200- and 400-meter races and won the Class M title, their 15th outdoor class title since 2008. … The Windsor girls won their sixth straight Class L title. … Glastonbury girls track and cross country coach Brian Collins announced he was stepping down as the outdoor and indoor track coach after 25 years, after his Guardians won their fifth straight Class LL outdoor title. … Newington’s Katie Bohlke, who is running at Virginia Tech now, won the State Open 3,200 title and set a meet record while winning the 1,600 championship. … Xavier (Div. I), Tolland (Div. II) and East Catholic (Div. III) won the boys golf championships.

Winter sports

Boys basketball

Windsor won its fifth state championship with a 59-57 overtime victory over West Haven in Division II. … There were compelling storylines on both sides of the Division V championship: Coventry was coached by a woman, the first to do so in state boys basketball history, and Old Lyme was coached by a 21-year-old in his first season. Old Lyme and Brady Sheffield won the school’s first title, beating Coventry and its coach Lois Hasty, 55-42. … Innovation won its first title since 2019 with a 55-48 win over Cheney Tech in the Division IV championship game. Cheney Tech was looking to be the first tech school to win a state title since 1967. … Lewis Mills advanced to the Division III final where it lost to Bunnell, 45-40.

Girls basketball

The Simsbury girls won their first title, 55-40, in Class L over top-seeded Holy Cross. It was an emotional time for coach Sam Zullo, who resigned after the season was over, after his mother died in January and his father coached his team to the state finals in upstate New York. … Northwest Catholic, powered by Maeve Staunton’s 16 points, beat Sheehan in Class MM for its second straight championship. … Somers won its first state title in 47 years in Class S, beating Thomaston 56-43. … St. Paul beat a feisty Windham team for its first state title since 2010, 49-42 in Class M. Windham had stopped East Hampton’s 46-game win streak in the semifinals.

Other sports

Cheshire capped its 50th season of boys ice hockey with a state championship, beating the East Haven co-op 6-3 for the Division II title. It was the Rams’ first title since 2011. … Conard won its first hockey title since 1996, 4-1, over the Brookfield-Bethel-Danbury-Immaculate co-op in the Division III championship game. … Xavier won the State Open wrestling title for the third straight year and had 14 wrestlers, one in each weight class, compete at the State Open.

Liberty Bank on Dec. 18 alerted detectives from the Connecticut State Police Statewide Organized Crime Investigative Task Force that there was a skimming crew that had hit several ATMs throughout Connecticut after multiple victims reported fraudulent charges on their debit cards., according to the Connecticut State Police.

Liberty Bank told state police two alleged victims had multiple uses on their debit accounts coming from the same location in Newington with several attempted and completed ATM transactions. Additional incidents also allegedly occurred in Berlin and West Hartford, state police said.

During the investigation, detectives from the Connecticut State Police, the New Haven Police Department and the Southington Police Department developed suspect profiles as well as a suspect vehicle from surveillance footage recorded at financial institutions and businesses with third-party ATMs, according to state police.

“From this footage, detectives ascertained that the suspect vehicle was a BMW X5 SUV with CA registration plates,” state police said. “It was learned that the vehicle was a rental, having been rented from Los Angeles International Airport. Detectives learned that the rental was nine days overdue from being returned.”

Detectives started conducting surveillance in the greater Hartford area based on GPS location information provided by the auto manufacturer of the suspect vehicle, according to state police.

On Friday around 7:30 p.m., the suspect vehicle was located at the valet entrance of a luxury apartment building in Hartford. State police said surveillance continued as the vehicle traveled from Hartford into Wethersfield.

“The vehicle was observed to be stationary at various financial institution ATM’s for a period of time longer than the standard ATM transaction, to which a skimming device was later located and seized as evidence in this investigation,” state police said.

The vehicle pulled into a bank on the Silas Deane Highway in Wethersfield just after 9 p.m. that night, according to state police. “Based upon the information developed to this point, detectives reasonably believed that the occupants of the vehicle were engaged in fraudulent ATM activity,” state police said.

Detectives from the task force boxed in the suspect vehicle at the bank’s ATM. Two of the individuals, identified as 22-year-old Tom Uzan of France and 23-year-old Ioan Kanalos of Romania, were arrested without incident, according to state police.

The driver of the vehicle, 26-year-old Tsounis Panagiotis of France, fled on foot, state police said. He was located a short time later behind a nearby strip mall and arrested with the assistance of the Wethersfield Police Department and Troop H in Hartford, according to state police.

All three were determined to be citizens of foreign nations, state police said.

During a search of the rental vehicle, state police reportedly located and seized a keypad overlay device that captures PIN code inputs; tools known to be used by skimmers, including adhesive, scissors and several long and flat metal objects used to insert devices into a reader; a shaped plastic object with a battery and a pinhole camera with an SD card attached; various sizes of spare SD cards; payment cards and gift cards with magnetic strips; cards containing the names of individuals not matching the three suspects; and a thin object containing a microchip processor believed to be a deep-insert skimming device.

As detectives retraced the path Panagiotis took when he fled on foot, they reportedly found more bank cards with magnetic strips which were found to contain financial information. State police also seized over $1,000 in cash found in the vehicle and on Panagiotis.

“The investigating detective later utilized a magnetic strip on the cards seized as evidence. All of the cards were found to contain financial data consistent with stolen debit/credit card numbers,” state police said.

All three men were transported to Troop H where they were processed, according to state police.

Panagiotis is facing charges of third-degree identity theft, third-degree computer crime, fourth-degree larceny, illegal use of a scanning device, fraudulent use of an ATM, illegal use of a payment card, illegal reproduction of a payment card, illegal possession of personal identifying information access device and interfering with an officer.

Kanalos was booked on charges of third-degree identity theft, third-degree computer crime, fourth-degree larceny, illegal use of a scanning device, fraudulent use of an ATM, illegal use of a payment card, illegal reproduction of a payment card and illegal possession of personal identifying information access device.

Uzan was also charged with third-degree identity theft, third-degree computer crime, fourth-degree larceny, illegal use of a scanning device, fraudulent use of an ATM, illegal use of a payment card, illegal reproduction of a payment card and illegal possession of personal identifying information access device.

All three men were each being held on a $500,000 bond and were scheduled to appear at New Britain Superior Court on Monday.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Det. Michael Grabowski via email at michael.grabowski@ct.gov.

The roughly 50-acre property along Patricia Genova Drive had been administrative space for Hartford HealthCare as well as undeveloped woodlands, is just across Constance Leigh Drive from Newington’s village center.

Decisions about how to redevelop parts of the Hartford HealthCare campus — and whether woodlands should be kept intact — will play a big role in how the town itself develops in the decades ahead.

“With the departure of Hartford Health, there’s a new opportunity to begin thinking about what the future of that site should or could be,” consultant Kimberly Baptiste told a recent public information meeting about the town center planning process.

Baptiste, a senior planner with New Jersey-based Colliers Engineering & Design, is working with officials to come up with a plan for what kinds of new development, preservation or conservation Newington should encourage in the center of town. It will be a roughly six- to eight-month process with a goal of putting together a draft development plan by late spring.

“There aren’t any plans that have been drawn up to say ‘this is exactly how the area will be developed,’ ” Town Planner Paul Dickson emphasized. “The key part is to get the vision in place before — what the community is really looking for at the town center as it is now and also at the Hartford HealthCare property.”

Commercial real estate listings describe the Hartford HealthCare property as “ideal for single- or multi-family residential, senior living, retail, healthcare or mixed-use development.”

Local zoning as well as a long-term development plan can help guide what potential developers pursue for the property.

At the same time, Newington wants to chart a direction for its existing center, including Constitution Square and properties along Market Square, Main Street, Lowrey Place and south of Cedar Street. Numerous small businesses line those streets, but downtown remains a smaller retail hub than the Berlin Turnpike or Fenn Road near Route 9 and Central Connecticut State University, according to information from the consultants.

Baptiste noted that Newington has also hired Camoin Associates to do a commercial market analysis of the town as well as the region, which should give useful information for the eventual town center plan.

“We can identify trends and make sure any of the recommendations in the planning process are also based on economic and market reality,” she said.

Through an online survey as well as by having staff at community events, planners have already heard a number of ideas from residents. People like the parking and walkability of the town center; would like more retail, particularly a grocery store; and would like to see additional restaurants, planners said.

“Everyone is very happy with the amount of parking. Usually in a town the first thing I hear is ‘there’s not enough parking,’ so I was very pleasantly surprised,” Baptiste said. “Everyone really sees the accessibility and volume of parking in the town center is really an asset.”

Some residents recommended the Hartford HealthCare site would be good for additional housing, but others stressed that the town must carefully manage any increase in traffic.

On average, Newington’s population is older and slightly wealthier than in the Greater Hartford region, and a far higher percentage of its residents own their homes rather than rent, according to planners.

“Home ownership is Newington is very high and the vacancy rates are very low, indicating a very strong demand for housing within the town,” Baptiste said.

The trooper spotted the driver around 2:15 a.m. on I-91 North in the area of Exit 25 while conducting traffic enforcement as part of the Fatal Accident Mitigation Initiative, according to Connecticut State Police.

State police alleged that the motorist, driving a silver Toyota Camry, was initially behind the trooper before passing the cruiser going 101 mph in a 55 mph zone. The trooper then caught up to the Camry and flipped on the cruiser’s lights and siren to initiate a stop.

State police said the driver allegedly refused to stop before the traffic stop was abandoned due to safety concerns. The vehicle was last seen exiting the highway using the Exit 29 off-ramp and heading toward the Charter Oak Bridge.

The trooper used the vehicle’s license plate information to find the registered owner’s address. After going to the residence, the trooper spoke to a family member of the vehicle’s owner who said they no longer lived there, according to state police.

A trooper then went to the East Hartford residence where the owner reportedly resides and found the Toyota parked near the home, state police said. While speaking to the car’s owner, state police said a man approached the door and admitted to driving the vehicle earlier. He was identified as 31-year-old Javier Enrique Guadalupe of Windsor, state police said.

Guadalupe told the trooper he did not stop because he had never been pulled over before and was frightened by the tractor-trailers on the highway, according to state police. The trooper later learned his driver’s license was suspended.

Guadalupe was arrested and taken to Troop H in Hartford. He faces charges of illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under suspension, speeding, reckless driving and disobeying signal of an officer. He was released on a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 27 in New Britain Superior Court.

Residents rejected that plan by a stronger than 5-1 ratio, one of the most resoundingly one-sided referendum outcomes in recent years.

The decision means that concerns over the town’s few athletic fields — largely in disrepair — will remain unanswered, at least in the short term.

Last year, Wethersfield tried to put an artificial turf field at town-owned Kycia Farm, but neighbors protested so strongly that the plan was put aside. The newer proposal to build at Mill Woods Park was intended as a way to use existing town-owned recreation land, but opposition formed almost immediately and has steadily grown in the past two months.

In both cases, nearby neighbors were worried about overflow parking and excessive traffic. But there has also been a steady resistance to installing artificial turf, with some taxpayers saying it’s too expensive and others warning that it can lead to more injuries to players and potentially pollute the environment.

The referendum outcome Tuesday night was 2,566 votes against the plan, and just 461 in favor. Mayor Ken Lesser said afterward that the decision is solid evidence that a synthetic turf field isn’t going to be in Wethersfield’s future.

“The people have spoken clearly, this is our democratic process,” he said. “It’s clear they did not want the turf field. The message was that Wethersfield does not want turf.”

The town advanced the project with the understanding that it would use about $1.6 million in leftover American Rescue Plan Act funding to pay for it. Lesser said officials will seek out another way to use that money so it is not forfeited.

“We will pivot. It’s important now that we try to determine the best uses for that money. We have a lot of community needs,” he said.

Local youth athletic leagues have been pressing the town to improve field space for years, and most residents appear to agree that Wethersfield needs more fields.

With too few facilities, existing fields have been over-scheduled for games and practices, some residents argue. In recent social media debates, one contingent of voters has said the town most urgently needs to do a better job maintaining the fields it already has.

Lawn signs sprung up all over town urging a “no” vote in Tuesday’s referendum, and town-related Facebook pages have been overrun with posts criticizing the Mill Woods plan. Many of those have cited studies cautioning that the chemicals used in artificial turf may be a risk to groundwater, and may create a higher risk of heat exhaustion for players.

Data is mixed about the health risk of artificial turf, although an NFL players’ union study found that non-contact injuries to players were more common on synthetic turf compared to grass fields.

Shortly before the referendum, opponents posted an advisory sheet from the Region 19 school system with precautions for spectators and players using synthetic turf.

One section of that reads “Brush hair thoroughly and wash hands and exposed body parts aggressively after playing on this field. Clean cuts and abrasions immediately. Remove and turn clothes inside out as soon as possible after playing on this field to avoid tracking dust to other locations.”

The advisory continues: “Shake out clothes, shoes, and gear outside before entering car and home.  Vacuum any dust/infill that comes into your home.”

Critics of the field plan gathered as many as 2,000 petition signatures last month to force a referendum, and have launched the Friends of Mill Woods Park webpage as well as a Facebook page to rally the opposition.

“Every single vote counts, and with your help we can ensure our park remains a park and that playing fields are safe and open to all,” the group says.

Amidst Christmas lights and holiday ornaments, lawn signs urging either “yes” or “no” votes have popped up around town in advance of the Dec. 10 referendum.

Opponents say the plan is too expensive, Mill Woods Park is the wrong site, and artificial turf causes too many injuries and may be environmentally dangerous as well.

Advocates contend that Wethersfield is badly short of athletic fields and that local youth leagues have gone far too long with inadequate facilities. They argue that much of the expense of a new artificial turf field can be covered by leftover American Rescue Plan Act funding, and that Wethersfield doesn’t have many options for where to build.

“If you want young families to move into town you have to be comparable to surrounding towns. Sports fields are usually an asset,” Diane Harris Crean wrote in the midst of a lengthy social media debate about the matter. “I grew up in town and moved away, and whenever I returned to town to play Wethersfield sports the fields were always below par compared to other towns.”

Sports leagues in town have generally been supportive of an artificial turf field, saying it will require less maintenance that the lawn fields in town that have fallen into disrepair.

The referendum came up after the town council authorized the town manager to solicit bids for designing and building a multi-use synthetic turf field at Mill Woods Park, which is about a half-mile west of the Silas Deane Highway.

Mill Woods is the town’s largest park, but referendum opponents say its remaining natural land should be left as is and that parking is inadequate to handle the players and families that would show up for games.

Despite an outcry from some of the public, the council declined to reverse its decision. But the referendum takes the matter out of its hands: Voters will decide whether to proceed or stop progress.

A “yes” vote will allow Town Manager Fred Presley to continue seeking design and construction bids. But a “no” vote would mean he has to stop that process.

Some council members last month emphasized that a “no” vote wouldn’t automatically cancel the Mill Woods Park plan, but would just stop Presley from proceeding now.

The two referendums that were rejected last month — for a new pool at Mill Pond Park in Newington and for a massive school expansion and renovation in Portland — had strong opposition from residents who insisted their town governments were trying to force through bad proposals with little information. In Newington, social media debate grew heated and opponents appeared to get fired up when one advocate referred to them as “fringe radicals” in a post.

And in the Wethersfield vote, one resident has turned to Newington people to to steer some of that energy to the local opposition.

“For all you ‘fringe radicals’ with family in Wethersfield, we could use your help,” Wethersfield resident Claudia Longmore wrote recently on the Facebook page run by Newington’s opposition group.  “(Wethersfield’s) town council tried to push through the concept of a plan for a turf field at Mill Woods Park. No finalized budget, environmental study, or even a vote.”

The Wethersfield referendum is Dec. 10 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pitkin Community Center on Greenfield Street.

The smart meters, known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure, are designed as part of a two-way communication system that enables electric utilities to monitor customer energy consumption, resulting ideally in reductions in bills when power is used in off peak hours. They also notify utilities immediately of power outages.

The cost of installation, now projected at $855 million, would apply only to the 1.3 million electric customers of Eversource. United Illuminating, with its smaller customer base, began smart meter installation about two decades ago and has nearly completed the work.

Utility and regulatory officials were unable to say how much the metering program would increase customer bills, in part because the plan, which has been under development for months, has not been finalized.

Eversource and United illuminating parent company Avangrid have been battling with PURA for months over what they claim are unfair changes in the state regulatory scheme that have denied them the ability to recover what they invest in utility infrastructure. Over the same period, the utilities have been the subjects of a series of negative credit forecasts or downgrades.

An Eversource spokeswoman stopped short of committing the company to the smart meter plan outlined in PURA’s decision Wednesday.

“We are currently reviewing the changes made in the final decision, along with all of the associated detail to understand what has changed from the draft decision,” spokeswoman Tricia Taskey Modifica said. “We need to have assurance that there will be a sufficiently balanced, predictable and transparent platform on which we can launch this complex project.”

PURA is requiring the electric utilities to install the new, hi-tech meters as part of its plan to develop an “equitable modern electric grid,” something it says supports a green and carbon free economy, results in a more resilient energy grid and promotes “the ongoing energy affordability dialogue in the state, particularly in underserved communities.”

The regulators said they recognize that the meter replacement program will require “significant capital investments” by the utilities.

As has been the case with United Illuminating, Eversource is required to cover the up-front costs of the meter transition and petition the regulators at a later date for permission to recover those costs through customer billing. But because of the significant costs of the smart meter transition and the need to “accelerate” the program, PURA said it has taken the unusual step of allowing Eversource to recover what it invests in metering annually through rates.

“Eversource contends that, if the Authority does not adopt a cost recovery mechanism, the Company cannot fund the deployment of (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) on the accelerated timeline and, instead, will extend the implementation timeline by 10 years, or longer, to ‘mitigate financial impacts and cash flow considerations,’” the PURA decision said.

According to the decision, Eversource estimated that it will have to spend $855 million over the replacement program’s first five years to cover incremental capital and operating and maintenance costs. That represents an increase of 31 percent a year in capital spending and 4 percent over operating and maintenance spending.

Eversource said, according to the decision, that it could not finance the metering program through debt and investment without being allowed annual recovery of costs.

The meter replacement program is similar to other green energy and social welfare programs that the state requires the utilities to carry out and that appear under the public benefit portion of customer bills.

A utility industry official familiar with the smart meter plan said its costs should appear as a separate line item in customer bills. And he said, unlike the public benefit program, Eversource will be able to profit from the meter replacement program.

Morello Realty LLC wants to put up a 3.5-story building that would be the centerpiece of its Hopewell Crossing housing complex. Morello would build at 36 Hopewell Road in South Glastonbury, and would simultaneously renovate a small six-unit apartment house that stands there now.

In all, Hopewell Crossing would have 44 apartments, with the new building holding a mix of one- and two-bedroom units. The existing building has three one-bedrooms, a two-bedroom, a three-bedroom and a four-bedroom unit, and all will remain in that configuration, the company said.

To meet the 8-30g law, Morello is proposing that 14 apartments be rent-restricted at state-defined “affordable” levels for 40 years.

The company said seven would be restricted to individuals or families earning no more than 80% of the area’s median income, and another seven would be set aside for families making less than 60.

“The monthly rental price for an affordable or ‘Housing Opportunity Unit’ will be between $1,245 and $2,403, depending on bedroom count,” Morello said in its application to the town. “The proposed development will address Glastonbury’s need for affordable housing and meet the goals of both the Glastonbury Affordable Housing Plan 2022-27 and the town plan of conservation and development.”

During meetings in the early fall with the town committee that reviews architectural and site designs, Morello agreed to cut back its initial proposal for 42 new units and instead build only 38. The company is now on track to present its updated plan to the public and the Town Plan & Zoning Commission at a hearing Dec. 17.

Glastonbury is in court defending its decision to reject an 8-30g application from Vessel Technologies. The New York-based developer wanted to put up 48 apartments with 30% set aside as affordable; the company contends that all of its other units will be priced to be “attainable” to people who are shut out of the luxury complexes that currently dominate the market.

Vessel specializes in largely prefabricated buildings that are largely identical except for some design details and the number of floors and apartments. It has built in New London, is nearing completion in Cheshire and is approved for projects in Rocky Hill, Simsbury and Avon. The company is seeking to build in West Hartford, and has said it is considering other Connecticut towns as well.

Vessel’s site on Keiger Lane is more than 3 miles north of the Morello property, a 2.3-acre tract near the corner of Main Street and Hopewell Road in the southern end of town.

Glastonbury argued that the Vessel site isn’t suitable for housing; a judge’s rulings so far have sided mostly with Vessel, but the case is still pending in Superior Court.

Morello and its legal firm, Alter & Pearson, argue that the Hopewell Road property is ideal for apartments.

“The site is surrounded by residential uses and is in very close proximity to residential services and amenities located in the South Glastonbury Village, including a grocery store, bank, post office, coffee shop, hair salon, barber shop, bakery, churches and restaurants,” the company said.