The same two people will continue to lead the Norwich Board of Public Utilities’ Commissioners despite being cited for violating the city’s ethics code. Chairman Dee Boisclair and Vice-chairman Robert Groner are re-appointed by the board Tuesday night. Commissioner Grace Jones says she realizes the two are under investigation for going on an all-expense paid trip to the Kentucky Derby, but says they have also provided valuable leadership. Fellow Commissioner Steven Becker was the only one to vote against the re-appointments. Among its recommendations, the Ethics Commission had called for Boisclair and Groner to be stripped of their chairmanships. The City Council is scheduled to discuss the Commission recommendations Monday night.
PAY THAT SALES TAX!!!
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut is stepping up efforts to collect state sales taxes not being paid by online and out-of-state retailers. Current state law requires out-of-state sellers with a substantial economic presence in the state to collect and remit Connecticut sales tax. But the Department of Revenue Services estimates at least $70 million is being evaded annually. DRS Commissioner Kevin Sullivan says it’s unfair when only in-state businesses “bear the burden of tax collection and the pricing disadvantage of including sales tax” while out-of-state businesses offer the same goods and services, but sales tax-free. Sullivan says DRS plans to close this loophole for big retailers doing business in Connecticut, not out-of-state companies doing a modest amount of business in the state. The effort is being supported by the Connecticut Retail Merchants Association.
FORMER SCHOOL CHIEF SENTENCED
VERNON, Conn. (AP) – The former superintendent of schools in Mansfield has been sentenced to six months in prison for bilking at least $89,000 from taxpayers by submitting bogus mileage reimbursements. Frederick Baruzzi pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny as part of a plea agreement. He was sentenced Tuesday. Police say the 67-year-old claimed he drove nearly 96,000 miles over a two-year period while on the job. Police say he later acknowledged falsifying his mileage reimbursement requests and repaid roughly $71,000. Baruzzi resigned in January 2015. Kathy Ward, chairwoman of Mansfield’s board of education, told the judge she suspects the thefts date back at least a decade. She says Baruzzi recommended budgets that cut programs including field trips. Baruzzi apologized and says he doesn’t know why he did it.
ANOTHER APPEAL IN NEWTOWN CASE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Gun control advocates are asking the Connecticut Supreme Court for permission to file briefs in an appeal involving the rifle used in the 2012 Newtown school shooting. They say a judge’s decision last year to dismiss a wrongful-death lawsuit against the rifle’s maker would set a bad precedent that could be used by gun makers to fight similar lawsuits. Some of the Newtown victims’ families filed the lawsuit and are now appealing to the state Supreme Court. At issue are exceptions to a federal ban on most lawsuits against gun makers. The judge rejected the families’ argument that the lawsuit against North Carolina-based Remington Arms is allowed under the exceptions. Newtown shooter Adam Lanza used a Remington-made, AR-15-style rifle to kill 20 children and six educators.
WRONGFUL DISCHARGE CLAIMED
WEST HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut woman has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she received an “other than honorable” discharge from the U.S. Navy over a sexual harassment complaint she lodged against a superior. The Day reports that the lawsuit filed on Monday by Katrina Bradley, of West Haven, alleges that a superior brought her to his barracks in 1995, gave her alcohol and touched her leg. She filed a sexual harassment complaint. The suit says her supervisors retaliated. She subsequently received non-judicial punishment and was charged with absence without leave and failing to follow orders or regulations, for being late and for falling asleep on duty. She was administratively discharged. The Board for Correction of Naval Records has denied Bradley’s request to upgrade her discharge. The Navy wouldn’t comment on ongoing litigation.
POLICE OFFICER RESIGNS, AMID CLAIMS OF DISCRIMINATION
CHARLESTOWN, R.I. (AP) – A bodybuilding Charlestown, RI police officer who is suing the town and its police department in federal court has resigned following a raid at his Westerly home. The Providence Journal reports 34-year-old Evan Speck submitted his resignation Sunday. The U.S. Attorney’s office says there was court-authorized activity at his home as part of an ongoing investigation. Speck hasn’t been charged. Speck says he was discriminated and retaliated against for seeking accommodations related to his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Speck says the subsequent workplace stress caused him to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s seeking injured-on-duty benefits. The town has denied the allegations. It says Speck wasn’t working for months due to his “alleged disability,” but that he participated in multiple bodybuilding competitions. Speck’s lawyer confirmed the resignation, but declined further comment.
