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to the University of Connecticut Men’s Basketball team putting a happy ending on a Big East Tournament championship game that had an ugly start. UConn and Marquette managed to miss 13 of the first 14 shots at Madison Square Garden, leaving the game at 2-0 by the first timeout at five minutes. But the Huskies rallied for a 73-57 win to collect its first Big East Tournament crown in 13 years and eighth overall. UConn now shares the honor of the most titles with Georgetown. to the fourth anniversary of Connecticut’s first COVID-19 case arriving with a declaration that the disease is not going away easily. There were 445 COVID-related deaths recorded from autumn through last week, along with 6,722 hospitalizations. The numbers are dropping from year-to-year, but still represent more hospitalization that were caused by similar viruses before 2020. Anyone who thinks COVID is over needs to pause and consider the loss of 445 neighbors in the state. to Connecticut doing some early party planning. Historians from around the state gathered at Central Connecticut State College last week to talk about the past, and the future, in planning events surrounding the nation’s 250th birthday in two years. It’s encouraging that some of the experts on hand stressed the need to make the celebration inclusive to all of the state’s residents, which is especially vital as children will likely remember the events for the rest of their lives. The session was guided by Gov. Ned Lamont, who has reliably shown an appreciation for the state’s history. to an outbreak of norovirus in Minnesota being traced to oysters harvested in Westport. The Food and Drug Administration recalled oysters sold by a Norwalk company, which also distributed them to Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Texas, as well as in Connecticut. The outbreak was not linked to commercially harvested shellfish in the state.