FATAL NORWICH ACCIDENT
NORWICH, Conn. (AP) – State police say one person was killed and two others were injured in a late night two-vehicle crash on Interstate 395 in Norwich. Police say both vehicles were driving north at about 11 p.m. Sunday. The rear vehicle made a lane change and struck the other vehicle. The rear vehicle crossed over two travel lanes and went through a metal rail into the center median before striking a cement bridge support. It then spun around and went through another metal rail until it came to rest in a southbound travel lane. A front seat passenger, identified as 25-year-old Benjamin St. Pierre, of Enfield, died. The driver, a 22-year-old Suffield woman, and a rear seat passenger, were hospitalized. The driver of the other vehicle was not injured.
PRESTON HEARING
Proposed zoning changes that would affect the former state hospital property will be the focus of a public hearing tomorrow night in Preston. The town’s planning and zoning commission is considering some alterations as to what would constitute housing in the proposed development by the Mohegan Tribe. The Tribe is requesting, among other things, that affordable housing not be required to be part of any housing construction on the site. They’re also requesting the town eliminate the restriction that commercial development be done before any housing is built. Should the town approve the changes, a 10-million dollar state grant to finish the clean-up of the property would be released to the town. The hearing begins at 7:30 tomorrow night at the Preston Veterans Memorial School.
ALDERMAN PROPOSES SCRAPYARD PURCHASE
A city alderman and mayoral candidate thinks Norwich should buy the former Shetucket Iron and Metal scrapyard. Democrat Tucker Braddock says if the city doesn’t obtain the riverfront site, it could become another scrapyard. The more than 3-acre location is visible from Brown Park and the American Wharf Marina, and has been criticized as an eyesore by those who want to promote the harbor area for fishing and other recreational uses. The New Wharf Road property goes on the auction block July 29th. Braddock plans to bring up the issue at a Tuesday meeting of the city’s Harbor Management Commission, and hopes to have it on the agenda for the City Council’s July 5th meeting.
PLAINFIELD POOL FEES INCREASING
It’ll cost you more to use the Plainfield municipal indoor pool as of July 1st. Fees will increase for all pool-related activities , so that it can become a self-supporting entity, after town officials considered closing it down for good due to budget cuts. Officials also plan to make necessary repairs to coincide with the pool’s annual fall shutdown for maintenance. That would include the installation of a new dehumidifier.
RAIL FIRE
GROTON, Conn. (AP) – Amtrak officials say a tree came in contact with a power system, sparking a fire, delaying three trains scheduled to pass through. An Acela Express train bound from Boston and headed to New York City and Washington D.C. stopped near Westerly, Rhode Island, around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says a tree came into contact with the overhead power system and caused a fire. It’s unclear what caused the tree to hit the overhead wire. The power was turned off, leaving passengers in a stationary train for about an hour. Magliari says two other trains were delayed, but didn’t say where they were stopped. One was coming from Boston and another from New York.
