Connecticut

DETROIT — You can finally call it a “recession,” thanks to President George W. Bush’s recent use of the term to describe the fragile state of the U.S. economy. But word-watchers far and wide forbid you to say the pain has spread from “Wall Street to Main Street.”

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And refrain from calling any government aid a “bailout.”

While the economy is weak, the state of the nation’s cliche-busting brigade is strong. (Read the full post about ‘Annual ‘Banished Words’ List Unveiled’…)

NEW YORK — Sit back, relax and let your car parallel park itself — without a single scratch or ding to your bumper.

That’s what Ford is saying today about its new self-parking technology. It will debut as an option on the 2010 Lincoln MKS sedan and the new seven-passenger Lincoln MKT luxury crossover vehicle.

The technology uses ultrasonic sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle, combined with electric power steering, to angle and guide it into a snug parking space. It all happens with the push of a button.

Although drivers will still have to shift the transmission and operate the gas and brake pedals, they never have to touch the steering wheel. (Read the full post about ‘Ford Plans Cars That Nearly Park Themselves’…)

WASHINGTON — Government officials overseeing a $700 billion bailout have acknowledged difficulties tracking the money and assessing the program’s effectiveness.

The information was contained in a document, released Wednesday, of a Dec. 10 meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Board. The panel, headed by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, includes Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Securities and Exchange Commission chief Christopher Cox.

The officials discussed “the difficulty of isolating the effects” of the bailout program “given the variety of policy actions taken by the U.S. (Read the full post about ‘Officials: Tracking Bailout Money Difficult’…)

NEW YORK — Here’s the vacation no one wants, courtesy of the recession: Forced time off without pay.

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Financially struggling universities, factories and even hospitals are requiring employees to take unpaid “furloughs” — temporary layoffs that amount to one-time pay cuts for workers and a cost savings for employers. This year, the number of temporarily laid off workers hit a 17-year high.

“If they do it once, I think it’s easier for them to try to do it again,” said Carrie Swartout, who researches traumatic brain injuries at the University of Maryland. (Read the full post about ‘Bosses Increasingly Force Unpaid Vacation’…)

NEWBURY, Vt. — Actor Matt Dillon was pulled over Tuesday night by Vermont state police for excessive speeding.

Dillon, 44, of New York, was clocked at 106 mph traveling on Interstate 91 north in the town of Newbury, near the New Hampshire border, police said. He was driving a rented 2009 Chevrolet Impala in an area where the posted speed limit was 65 mph.

Dillon was photographed, fingerprinted and released with a citation to appear at Orange County Court, police said.

Dillon is well known for his acting career with roles in “Crash” and most recently in “You, Me and Dupree.”

WOBURN, Mass. — The half brother of comedian Dane Cook has pleaded not guilty to embezzling millions from the comedian and ordered held on $3 million bail.

Darryl McCauley of Wilmington was arraigned Wednesday at Woburn District Court on charges including forgery. Prosecutors said the 43-year-old stole millions from Cook while working as his manager.

They said McCauley transferred funds from Cook’s business accounts to his personal accounts between July 2007 and December 2008. In one instance, investigators said McCauley forged a $3 million check written from Cook’s account to himself. (Read the full post about ‘Brother Accused Of Embezzling From Dane Cook’…)

LOS ANGELES — Media giant Viacom Inc. is threatening to pull MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon and 16 other channels from Time Warner Cable Inc. if a new carriage fee deal is not agreed upon by midnight Wednesday.

If realized, the move could shut off popular shows like “The Colbert Report” and “SpongeBob SquarePants” to 13 million subscribers, said spokesman Alex Dudley, a vice president at Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second-largest cable operator.

“The issue is that they have asked for an exorbitant increase in their carriage fees and their network ratings are sagging,” he said. (Read the full post about ‘Viacom May Pull MTV Off Time Warner Cable’…)

NEW YORK — Call it six degrees of Bernard Madoff.

Actor Kevin Bacon and his wife, actress Kyra Sedgwick, are among the many victims of the massive Ponzi scheme run by ex-New York money manager Bernard Madoff.

Bacon’s publicist, Allen Eichhorn, confirmed Tuesday that the couple had investments with Madoff. He wouldn’t say how much money they might have lost.

Madoff told federal investigators that his investment business was “a lie” that lost as much as $50 billion.

Other Hollywood victims have included a charity linked to director Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks partner Jeffrey Katzenberg, and screenwriter Eric Roth, whose credits include “Forrest Gump” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

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(Read the full post about ‘Bacon, Sedgwick Among Madoff’s Victims’…)

HARTFORD, Conn. — Hartford’s First Night celebration would continue as planned despite the snow, city officials said Wednesday.

Officials said many of the city’s attractions would be open for special events on Wednesday and Thursday.

The First Night 2009 celebration planned entertainment at Bushnell Park, at the XL Center, State House Square and Charter Oak Cultural Center.

Among the New Year’s Eve activities in the city is the UConn women’s basketball game against hte Hawks at the XL Center. (Read the full post about ‘First Night Plans Continue Despite Snow’…)

TWIN FALLS, Idaho — The father of an 11-year-old girl who died, likely of hypothermia, after trying to walk 10 miles in the snow on Christmas Day has been charged with second-degree murder and felony injury to a child.

Robert Aragon, 55, of Jerome, made an initial appearance Monday in 5th District Court, where Judge Mark Ingram appointed a public defender for him. The judge denied Aragon’s request to lower his $500,000 bond. He was being held in the Blaine County Jail.

Aragon was emotional during the short hearing. He banged his head on the defendant’s table as Ingram read the charges against him, The Times-News reported. (Read the full post about ‘Girl Freezes To Death On Walk; Dad Charged’…)