Two Columbus statues were saved in Connecticut over the past two months, one in Waterbury and one in New Britain, as city leaders and voters pushed back against protestors who demanded their removal. In November, 60 percent of Waterbury’s voters (more than 17,000 people) cast ballots to keep the 12-foot, 6-ton statue — located near the town’s city hall — in place, according to rep-am.com.

In early December, sculptor Randall Nelson repaired the statue months after the head had been allegedly knocked off by a protestor, Brandon Ambrose. Ambrose, of New York, was arrested days after the crime, and he’s due in court early next year.