Amanda Pitts is a reporter for NBC Connecticut and can be seen on the weekday early evening newscasts. She joined the team in the fall of 2023.
A native of southern New England, Amanda was born in Taunton, Massachusetts, but grew up in the East Bay of Rhode Island. She has a passion for breaking news and sharing people’s stories.
She started her career in news in 2016 as an assignment desk editor for ABC6 in Providence and began on-air reporting in 2017 at Fox 40 in Binghamton, New York. In 2018, Amanda moved back to Rhode Island and worked as a reporter at ABC6 for three years and at WPRI 12 for the last two years.
During her five years in Providence, Amanda covered some of the biggest stories in the state, including the riot in downtown Providence, the Nathan Carman insurance trial, blizzards, hurricanes and tornadoes, and every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic – from the initial lockdown to vaccine rollouts. Amanda also shed light on the issue of sexual assault in the military with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault within the Rhode Island National Guard which was a part of a station-wide Edward R. Murrow award for overall excellence.
In her spare time, Amanda likes to travel and try new restaurants, spend time with friends, family, and her cat Opie, and sing in her a cappella chorus.
The Latest
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Southington firefighters fear impacts of staff cuts, station closure after close call
Firefighters in Southington continue to sound the alarm about staffing issues in the department, amid talks to cut more staff and potentially close a fire station temporarily. While no official decisions have been made yet, members of Southington Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 2033 fear what could happen in the new year. A meeting is scheduled for Jan. 2, with the…
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Southington fire union sounds alarm over staffing levels amid talks of cuts
As investigators work to determine the cause of a fire that displaced a family on Howard Avenue, the firefighter’s union said the fire is shedding new light on the vulnerabilities in the department. When fighting the fire in the basement of the home, some firefighters became disoriented and issued a mayday call. Luckily, everyone made it out safely and...
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Haddam-Killingworth students raise over $10k for nonprofit through telethon
Students at Haddam-Killingworth High School raised more than $10,000 at their annual holiday telethon. The 36th annual HKTV Holiday Show took place Friday morning from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and the three-hour telethon was fully student-run. “Yesterday, we had a run sheet day, so we basically find all of the content that we’ve created — everyone’s worked so hard…
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Firefighter heading to town meeting is struck and killed in Portland
A firefighter has died after being hit by a vehicle in Portland on Wednesday night, police said. The police department responded to a reported pedestrian crash across from the police station in the 200 block of Main Street around 6:20 p.m. The firefighter was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to police. He was later pronounced dead. Authorities…
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Connecticut has growing stray cat problem, animal advocates say
Some animal advocates say Connecticut has an overpopulation of stray cats and would like to see the state do more to curb the issue. Two independent rescuers in Vernon are trying to tackle the issue in their own neighborhoods, creating Forgotten Paws CT, a resource to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome stray cats. Fran Skoglund and Tiffany DuBois estimate they’ve...
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17-year-old charged in murder of cousin in Hartford
The teen suspect charged in the murder of his own cousin appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Tuesday. Soulo Soto-Veliz, 17, is being tried as an adult in the murder of 18-year-old Edgar Martinez. A public defender said he’s still waiting on all of the evidence from police, and probable cause hearing was pushed to January. His brother, Sender Soto-Veliz…
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Town, nonprofit help relocate Simsbury businesses after devastating fire
A building in Simsbury that is home to nearly a dozen businesses went up in flames on Saturday night, leaving small business owners with nothing ahead of the holidays. Old Hopmeadow Center was home to 11 small businesses, including a yoga studio, hearing center, hair salon, nail salon and tutoring center. On Monday morning, Jackie Jeffko wiped tears from her…
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Farmington students donate hundreds of gifts to Connecting You to Joy Toy Drive
Students and families at East Farms School in Farmington have collected hundreds of toys to donate to NBC CT and Telemundo CT’s annual toy drive. “I feel excited,” said Naya Mutraji, a fourth grader, “and I wonder, where are they gonna go?” The school’s library is filled with nearly 300 toys from Barbie’s to games and skateboards. “Our initial...
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Sandy Hook mom has reached millions of students in movement to ‘choose love'
Saturday marks 12 years since the Sandy Hook shooting, where 26 people were killed. One of them – a six-year-old whose mother has started a movement in his honor. Scarlett Lewis, founder of the Choose Love Movement, said the movement started when her son Jesse heroically saved nine of his classmate’s lives before he was killed. “Jesse yelled for his…
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Renewed calls for ban on ghost guns following murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Lawmakers and law enforcement officials are renewing their calls for a ban on ghost guns after police in New York City said one was used in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson. “This is exactly why Connecticut was one of the first states in the country to pass a ban on ghost guns. This is what we...
