Trails to link Hamden, Cheshire and New Haven neighborhoods

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. will lead a groundbreaking ceremony for phase three of the Farmington Canal Greenway section on Monday, City Hall spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said in a statement this week. The final phase of the construction project, which began in 2001, will connect the New Haven and Hamden trails of the Farmington Canal, providing access from Newhallville, Dixwell and downtown New Haven to the Hamden and Cheshire trail systems. The trails will also connect Hamden and Cheshire to Science Park and the Yale campus.

—Carmen Lu

Within two minutes Wednesday night, two shootings reported

Wednesday night at 11:02 p.m., the New Haven Police Department was called to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where a 33 year-old male arrived after being shot in the face, City Hall spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga said. Mayorga said the victim said he was walking in the area of Lombard and Clinton streets when someone pulled out a black revolver. The victim tried to grab the gun and was hit on the left side of the face. At 11:04 p.m., police were called to 143 Poplar St., where a taxi driver had been shot. The driver was taken to Yale-New Haven and was listed in serious condition.

—Harrison Korn

Top model crowned

North Haven resident Marie-Lynn Piscitelli, 23, beat out 165 of her competitors for first place in last weekend’s Couture New Haven contest. Piscitelli will receive a $100 gift certificate to Wishlist and a photo shoot with a professional fashion photographer, and will be the face of the new Couture New Haven ad campaign sponsored by the Broadway and Chapel Merchants Association. Piscitelli, fourth runner up in the 2009 Miss Connecticut competition, will be featured today in CT Style on WTNH with 10 runners-up, including Tyler Elkington ’12 and this reporter.

—Lauren Rosenthal

Rell to fly blue and white this weekend for UConn

Gov. M. Jodi Rell has declared this weekend to be “UConn Huskies Blue & White Weekend” in honor of both the men’s and women’s teams’ placement in the final four of their respective NCAA basketball tournaments. Rell encouraged residents to wear blue and white clothing, place ribbons of the same color scheme on door and mailboxes and prominently display UConn paraphernalia. She said she would extend the weekend until Tuesday if either team advanced to their tournament’s Championship Game.

—Zeke Miller

Summer employment program for city youth to continue this year

Thursday morning at Regional Career High School, Mayor John DeStefano Jr. announced that despite financial challenges, the city plans to keep its Youth @ Work program running for the 2009 summer season. In years past, 2,000 teenagers have worked in local businesses, earning paychecks and gaining professional development and interpersonal skills. Youth @ Work is run through the Mayor’s Youth Initiative, which aims to provide New Haven youth with safe out-of-school activities.

—Liane Membis

Chow, restaurant on Chapel Street, closes to renovate dining room, revamp menu

Chow, the dim sum wine bar owned by the proprietor of Zinc on Chapel Street, closed on Wednesday to renovate its interior space and update its menu. After a monthlong renovation, the restaurant is set to reopen in May “in time for patio season,” according to a statement by the restaurant. The revised menu will continue using the local, sustainable ingredients from their current menu.

—Shahla Naimi