Two Democratic U-S Senators, from Connecticut and Rhode Island, are expressing doubts as to whether former Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman should be named as the new director of the FBI. Richard Blumenthal says Lieberman has an exemplary public service record, but doesn’t seem to fill the bill to be an effective FBI leader. Blumenthal says Lieberman doesn’t have the law-enforcement and criminal justice experience necessary to do the job. Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse agrees with Blumenthal, saying Lieberman is a-quote-great guy, but not this job, not now. Lieberman has been mentioned by President Donald trump as the leading candidate for the FBI directorship.
WAUREGAN BUILDING RECOVERING FROM BURST PIPE
Four apartments in the Wauregan Building in Downtown Norwich will remain unoccupied through the weekend, and a planned Sweet 16 birthday party in the facility’s ballroom will have to find another location. This is all due to a burst sprinkler pipe that occurred in a sixth floor apartment Thursday night. Building owner Bruce Becker says wiring in four apartments will have to be dried out for a couple of days, making them temporarily uninhabitable. The second-floor ballroom was flooded, but Becker says property management quickly dried out the wooden floor. All flooded areas, though, will have to aired out.
NL FIGHT
Four men and two juveniles have been arrested due to a large brawl in New London. Police responded to Robinson Street around 2:40 Thursday afternoon to find 15 males fighting. Police say the men fled the scene, but police later stopped a vehicle at gunpoint near the intersection of Montauk and Willetts Avenues, and charged four suspects. Two more males were also charged. Arrested were: 19-year old Mario Vargas of New London, 20-year old Marvens Medena, and 19-year old Khijiemh Miller, both of Norwich, and 18 year old Kenny Noel of Taftville, along with the juveniles. Vargas was found in possession of a dangerous weapon. Police say some of the combatants were armed in the fight, but no injuries are reported. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact New London police.
FOUNDATION HELP
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The federal taxpayer advocate says she’s working to help Connecticut homeowners whose foundations are crumbling receive federal tax relief.
U.S. Reps. John Larson and Joe Courtney, both Democrats, were told Friday by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson that her office sent a request to the IRS’ Office of Chief Counsel seeking “priority guidance” on granting tax relief to the homeowners, such as a casualty loss deduction. Olson leads the Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers resolve problems. She testified at a Ways and Means Oversight subcommittee hearing Friday. Larson said as many as 30,000 homes could be affected by the crumbling foundations problem, which was traced to a concrete mix containing an iron sulfide. It can cost upward of $200,000 to repair some foundations.
FIRE AND SNAKES
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Firefighters battling a brush fire near the Appalachian Trail in western Connecticut have been dealing with another threat this week – rattlesnakes. The blaze has burned about 200 acres near Kent since Wednesday, with 17 departments helping to keep it contained. Kent Volunteer Fire Chief Alan Gawel says the fire disturbed the dens of the Timber rattlers, and well over a dozen snakes have been spotted fleeing the heat, including one that slithered between the legs of a firefighter. No one has been bitten, but authorities have alerted local hospitals to make sure they have a supply of anti-venom. Dennis Schain, a spokesman for the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, says once the fire is out, wildlife experts will go in looking to rescue any injured snakes.
NIGHTCLUB MEMORIAL TO OPEN
WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) – A memorial is due to open at the site of a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 people. The memorial at the site of The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick is to open Sunday with a ceremony that’s expected to draw hundreds of people.The blaze began when pyrotechnics for the rock band Great White ignited flammable foam that lined the club’s walls as soundproofing. It was engulfed within seconds. More than 200 people were injured. Gina Russo is a fire survivor and president of the foundation that has worked for years to secure the land and raise the money to build the park. She says she hopes now that it’s built, she can finally let go of some of the guilt of surviving.
