Several local banks have been hit with attempted robberies over the past few months in a possible sign that the local economy is taking its toll, or that drug addiction can make some people desperate enough for money that they would try something as stupid as robbing a bank.

Times are tougher than we thought, apparently, as even celebrities are breaking into local banks now.

For officials at Litchfield Bancorp, legendary actor "Rip" Torn's alleged drunken episode on Friday night was the second completely bizarre incident of crime they've had to deal with.

Exactly one month ago, one of their branches was robbed by a man, who became an Internet sensation and was known as the "big-nosed bank robber" after remarking (without admitting he did it) when police showed him surveillance video of a masked robber, "Wow, I have a big nose."

Our Baseball Haven will host its first Hot Stove event tonight from 5-7 p.m. featuring a Q&A with Torrington Titans General Manager Brian Leighton at the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce office at 333 Kennedy Drive in Torrington.

Every OBH member and members of the media are invited to the first of the team's three winter events at the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce to discuss the upcoming season. Through an open dialogue, OBH members will share concepts and ideas about players, voting and, of course, baseball at this early-winter event with Leighton.

Our Baseball Haven will resume the voting process again next week for its members as they choose team logo and colors. In December, members voted Gregg Hunt as the manager for the 2010 season. Our Baseball Haven's first vote officially named the first community-operated baseball team in the United States.

The Titans will play their inaugural season this summer in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.

For more information, please contact the partners of Our Baseball Haven at info@ourbaseballhaven.com.

If you were moved by our story this morning about the 3-year-old Torrington girl who lost her battle with cancer, take time to check out the family's blog, http://100strongforadrianna.blogspot.com/, to get a real, and heartbreaking, sense of what it is like to face cancer in a child, and what you can do to help other families who are struggling with this.

Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele, state Rep. John Rigby, Mayor Candy Perez, the Winsted Board of Selectmen, Town Manager Wayne Dove, Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce President JoAnn Ryan and others will be on hand at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow to celebrate the new location of E and E Tool Co., which recently relocated from Harwinton to the 100 International Way building in the Winchester Business Park.

According to Northwest Connecticut Economic Development Commission member Vance Taylor, E and E Tool was founded in 1972 in Thomaston and was located in Harwinton for 30 years.

It is moving into larger space in Winchester, having purchased the 14,600 square foot building in late December.

Yesterday we reported that the Torrington Rotary Club had raised $3,000 to support relief efforts in Haiti, including sending two "Shelter Boxes" to the earthquake-devastated nation.

Well, at today's Rotary Club meeting, it was announced that someone had stepped forward with a check for another $1,000.

And at last night's Litchfield County Board of Realtors and local Home Builders Association annual legislative night, the Connecticut Home Builders Association donated $250 toward then national Home Builders Association's Haiti Relief Fund.

Are we the only ones who've noticed that the Daytona 500 and official launch of NASCAR season falls on Valentine's Day this year?

Some difficult choices, perhaps, for area fans. Treat your significant other to a romantic dinner, or watch the race?

Special Olympics CT is hosting a Penguin Plunges at Highland Lake in Winsted, CT on Saturday, January 30, 2010. The Penguin Plunge challenges brave souls to run and jump into the cold lake water donning nothing more than a bathing suit and bow tie. Registration begins at 10:15 am, while the official plunge will begin at 12:00 pm.

“Doing the plunge was special because it wasn’t just diving into the freezing water. It was making new friends, helping to make a difference, and really making a nice memory”.

Dan Hincks and Jack Forcette, from Infinity Hall (www.infinityhall.com) in Norfolk, will speak at the Torrington Rotary Club meeting Tuesday afternoon.

The story of Infinity is remarkable, just for the sheer volume of nationally known and extremely talented rock, folk, blues and jazz musicians that they have been booking on a weekly basis since opening last year.

Another aspect to the story is that Infinity Hall seems to have simply expanded the region's reputation as an arts and entertainment center, rather than compete with or cannibalize the success of the Warner Theatre.

Warner Theatre Director James Patrick is an active Torrington Rotarian.

At its regular lunch meeting last week, The Rotary Club of Torrington raised $2,000, for two "shelter boxes" to be sent to Haiti to assist in earthquake relief efforts.

An additional $500 was raised to support the Albert Schweitzer hospital in Haiti, which is run by Rotary International, and another $500 was raised from the community to support the hospital in the week following the meeting.

On two occasions in Winsted this week, meetings became an unlikely forum for public officials' family announcements.
At the opening of Tuesday night's meeting of the Board of Selectmen, member Lisa Smith used a bit of TV air time to wish a happy birthday to one of her sons, who was turning 17 that day. Other board members echoed her good wishes.
The following day, at the Gilbert School Corporation's meeting, Superintendent David Cressy told fellow members and onlookers that he had once again become a grandparent earlier in the day, which was met with a round of congratulations.

"Caveman" Paul Perroni will be defending himself this weekend at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, where residents will be treated to a new form of couples therapy.
"Defending the Caveman," Broadway’s longest-running solo play, will come to the Warner Saturday. After spending several years in Chicago theater, Perroni moved to New York and started touring with "Defending the Caveman."

A new year arrived weeks ago, although a calendar on the wall in a Harwinton Town Hall meeting room was displayed to November 2009 during a Board of Selectmen meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

BANTAM - A former New Hartford resident who pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of heroin today said he tried to get treatment in the weeks leading up to his arrest on Sept. 2.
The reason Howard Cray didn't, however, was apparently due to insurance. Cray told Hon. Judge Charles Gill at Bantam Superior Court his insurance company only covered him for two weeks of insurance for such care, while anything beyond that he would have to pay out of pocket.
But when Cray got arrested, bonded out of custody and was court-ordered to attend medical treatment, that was covered by some form of state insurance, said Lawrence Peck, Cray's attorney.
Judge Gill took it as a moment to voice his opinions on healthcare reform. He said "everyone's getting so excited" when it comes to talking about reforming the system the country has currently.
"Well, what we have not isn't very good either," Judge Gill told the court, noting the situation that Cray was involved in.
Cray will serve an 18-month probation period.

Barkhamsted Board of Finance Chairman Brian Noe headed a discussion with finance board members and First Selectman Don Stein about how to craft a budget for next fiscal year, at a meeting Tuesday at Town Hall. Stein prepared budget information on an electronic spread sheet file. As Stein accessed the file on his computer, Noe moved his seat over so that he would not be obstructing the projected image. At the same time, Noe quipped that he did not need to move as he is transparent.

Some of the partisan discord that some say defined Winsted’s recent administration reared its head once again at Tuesday’s night’s meeting of the Board of Selectmen.
During a discussion on whether the board should agree to pay $11,000 in legal fees incurred by the Civil Service Commission as it explored and pursued a lawsuit against the town, Kenneth Fracasso voiced vehement opposition to the proposal.
Fracasso is the lone Republican holdover from the previous board, and was part of the former Republican "Gang of Five" that many perceived the commission’s lawsuit to be aimed at. The board eventually agreed to pay the fees by a margin of 6-1, with Fracasso casting the only opposing vote.
During a public comment session at the close of the meeting, former Republican Selectman David Cappabianca echoed Fracasso’s frustrations, saying that the current board, which has been noted for enjoying relative harmony over its first three months, "needs to start winning some of these battles."
In comments following the meeting, Cappabianca accused Democratic board members of voting to pay the fees as a favor to Civil Service Commission Chairman Porter "Skip" Griffin, who he said supported their campaigns.
"This in my estimation, represents the worst kind of political cronyism," he said. "It is absolutely atrocious."

WINDSOR — When Windsor police thought they smelled something funny about a local construction site this past Friday, they turned out to be right.
The smell of alcohol that had been poured on the ground near the Windsor Shopping Center first caused a worker to alert police, who were then told that windows at the nearby Blooms Package Store were broken, with nearly $800 worth of liquor missing from the store.
As police combed the area, they came upon 45-year-old Raymond Brown and 26-year-old Jeffrey Johnson in an alley. As they approached, Johnson and Brown attempted to flee the scene, dropping the stolen bottles as they went, police told TV news channel WFSB.
Both were in police custody shortly thereafter and booked on charges of larceny, burglary, interfering with an officer and criminal mischief.

When the Torrington Rotary Club gathers for its weekly lunch meeting tomorrow, it will be collecting money from members with the hope of raising at least $1,000 for the purchase of a "Shelter Box" that will be sent to Haiti.

Shelter Boxes include a heavy-duty 10-person tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, thermal blankets, water purification tablets, water carriers, a shovel, rope, mosquito netting, ponchos, tools, a cooking stove and even a children's activity set.

Any money raised above the amount that covers the Shelter Box will be donated to a hospital that Rotary International operates in Haiti.

For more information, visit www.torringtonrotary.org.

PLAINVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut authorities say a Plainville police officer has shot and wounded a man who came after officers with a hammer on a city street.
Police were called to Woodford Avenue early Friday morning on a report of a man breaking car windows with a hammer. Connecticut State Police say the man refused to drop the hammer and was shot when he moved toward an officer "in a threatening manner."
Police say the man was conscious after the shooting and was taken to Hartford Hospital for treatment of the wound, which was not considered life-threatening. His name and that of the officer who shot him were not immediately released.
State Police have taken over the investigation since the shooting involved an officer.

The Northwest Connecticut Young Professionals Organization is re-launching with a kickoff party and networking seminar at Cambridge Brew Pub from 5 to 7 p.m. Jan. 19.

The group will have volunteers participating in the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce's Read-Aloud Day Feb. 3, and then will be gathering for a group outing to see "The Full Monty" at the Warner Theatre Feb. 12.

For more information, contact Lauren Smith at 860-482-6586 or lauren@nwctchamberofcommerce.org.

NBC Sports chief Dick Ebersol took an uncharacteristic and very public shot at fellow Litchfield County resident Conan O'Brien in THIS ARTICLE in the New York Times.
He called jokes made by O'Brien and CBS late show host and another Connecticut resident, David Leterman, have made about Leno as "chickenhearted and gutless" seeing that neither were able to beat Leno consistently in the ratings in the 11:30 p.m. time slot.
Ebersol said the reason NBC is looking to end its 10 p.m. Leno experiment and move him back into his old time slot, displacing O'Brien, is that O'Brien has been "an astounding failure" with the Tonight Show.

If you ever want to feel better about crime in the Torrington area, check out a new blog being written by a friend of ours who covers the police beat for the New Britain Herald.

CLICK HERE for Lisa Backus' inaugural post and tune back in for what we know will be an endless stream about bizarre, entertaining and puzzling criminal activity.

WINSTED — Northwestern Regional High School student representative to the Board of Education Lior Trestman said that the students are collecting shoes to aid needy local people, at a meeting Wednesday night at the school.

"We are collecting shoes. You can drop off the shoes at any homeroom," he said. "We are competing against The Gilbert School," he said.

Angel Hernandez, Bank of America Torrington office Banking Center Manager, presents William A. Egan, III, United Way of Northwest CT Executive Director, with a check in the amount of $7,500, representing a 2009 corporate donation from The Bank of America Charitable Foundation. The Foundation provides support to organizations like the United Way of Northwest Connecticut to improve the quality of life in our communities.

Keep up with breaking news and headlines from The Register Citizen on Twitter. You can find us at www.twitter.com/registercitizen

THOMASTON — The bear is back.
Thomaston High School’s stuffed grizzly bear mascot was retrieved by police last weekend, after being stolen from the school on Dec. 21 during a boys’ basketball game.
The bear usually sits in the school’s entrance in the lobby. Once the case is closed, the school will be able to put the mascot back in its rightful place.
Thomaston Detective Sgt. Jim Campbell confirmed that the bear had been found after the department received a tip on the whereabouts of the bear.
"We were following a lead and we recovered him based on a tip we received," Campbell said Wednesday.
The bear is in good shape ‘as far as we can see," the detective added.
He said the investigation is ongoing and that multiple arrests are expected. "Those arrests will be forthcoming," Campbell said.
When the bear will go back to the school is unknown at this point.
"It depends on how fast we can close the investigation," Campbell said.
The idea of investigating the theft of a stuffed animal might be amusing to some people, but Campbell said stealing school property is a crime.
"People might see (a stuffed bear) as kind of a strange item to be stolen. But we treat it as a crime, just as if someone stole something else, like a pile of cash," he said. "It’s still a very serious offense."
The anonymous tip led police to find the bear, Campbell said. "We developed an investigation and that’s how we found it," he said.

On Monday, a man was arrested in front of Stop & Shop in Torrington after store security allegedly caught him on tape stealing knives from the store.

While reporter Mike Agogliati was on the scene, he managed to snap this pic of a police officer, taken immediately after the suspect was apprehended.