Grove Street Cemetery

In the years since, different plans have come and gone, but the vision, as first formed by former University President Richard Levin, has remained the same: expand the footprint of Yale College, thereby giving more students the opportunity to receive a Yale education.With the opening of Pauli Murray and Benjamin Franklin colleges this fall, that goal has finally come to fruition. In August, the University welcomed its largest class of new undergraduates in Yale’s history. But the long and winding road to move-in day was strewn with unexpected setbacks, both on the local and global levels, and at several points, the success of the project was put in jeopardy.“It was very clear that President Levin wanted to know what the faculty thought, and what we talked a lot about it, but at the same time, we’re practical and we realize that some of these things couldn’t be achieved,” said William Sledge, former head of Calhoun and chairman of the Council of Masters.EARLY GOINGSIn 1998, former University President Richard Levin presented the Corporation with a list of goals for the school in the upcoming years, one of which was to build two new residential colleges. Two years later, in a report titled “A Framework for Campus Planning,” the University proposes that the region north of Grove Street Cemetery be used as a residential area. The report marks it as one of six initiatives that holds a “special significance” to Yale’s campus, but the project languished for more than half a decade.Plans progressed in 2007, when Levin formed a committee on student life and academic resources to advise him and the Yale Corporation. The committee was to evaluate how the University could prevent an expansion of the college system from diminishing the quality of the undergraduate experience. The following year, the group released a report with a set of recommendations for the president and Corporation: eliminate the practice of junior and senior housing annexing, increase the faculty size and develop the Prospect Street... (Yale Daily News (blog))

This cemetery is very dear to my heart. My parents are here; my grandparents are here; my great grandparents are here. I'm going to be here," said one of the victims who asked not to be identified.Flowers left at her family's grave site as well as a flower pot were gone.The actual dollar value of what was missing was relatively small, but the sentimental value cannot be measured."I gave that flower pot to my father for Father's Day in 1977. It has no price that they can give me to replace that pot," she said."Somebody buries their loved one and they go out to the cemetery and they put something down and they expect it to be there, and when somebody removes that theft, it's personal," said Police Chief Mike Marko.Police were helped by something that everyone should suspect is just about everywhere these days: surveillance video.Cameras at the cemetery captured the image of a dark car slowly pulling in. The doors open and two women get out, then proceed to go to the graves removing the items, some of which were weighed down by bricks, and putting them in the car."I couldn't believe it; they just leisurely shopped through our cemetery taking what they wanted," said the victim.With the help of the video police were able to identify and charge Evelyne Cantu, 61, and Donna Riley, 63, both of nearby Sullivan Township.Riley, they say, is the elected fiscal officer in the township."It's a position of trust, no different than being a police officer, we are held to a higher standard and when something like this happens we are gong to pay the price for it," said Marko.Police say both women were initially cooperative, but after hiring attorneys have pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor theft charges.The items that were missing have not been returned.41.085054-82.399889... (fox8.com)