GOVERNOR PUSHING MINI-BUDGET AGAIN
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – With no deal on a two-year state budget in sight, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is making a strong, renewed pitch for Connecticut legislators to pass his temporary so-called “mini budget” in the meantime. The Democrat appeared Monday in Hartford at HARC Inc., a nonprofit organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities. Like many other nonprofit social service agencies across the state, HARC is facing funding cuts because Malloy is currently running the government using his limited executive authority. Malloy says he wishes he didn’t have to make such cuts, but has no choice because the General Assembly didn’t pass a budget before the fiscal year ended on June 30. Malloy says he’s frustrated lawmakers “shooed away” his mini budget, which he says brings some relief to HARC and other nonprofits.
DON’T DRINK THE WATER!!
North Stonington is under a boil-water order. State Health officials say test results show e-coli bacteria in the system serviced by the Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority. Customers are urged to either boil their water for one minute before using, drink bottled water, or utilize another potable source of water. Officials say the system has been disinfected, and expect to be back in compliance Thursday.
GOVERNOR TOUTS PAWCATUCK COMPANY EXPANSION
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is held this morning for a new precision die machining center at Davis-Standard in Pawcatuck. The company designs and manufactures high-performance plastics and rubber processing equipment. President and CEO James Murphy says the new facility shows Davis-Standard is committed to southeastern Connecticut. Governor Dannel Malloy says the company’s expansion is a clear sign that the state is successfully helping companies modernize and compete in a global economy.
FATAL CYCLE CRASH
A Norwich man was killed in a motorcycle accident Sunday night. State Police say 22-year-old Gregory Cruz drove his bike into the curb on Route 97 in Baltic and slammed into a utility pole. The impact ejected Cruz, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident occurred just before 11.
HIGH COURT SAYS CANTERBURY SEARCH WAS LEGAL
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut’s Supreme Court says police didn’t need a homeowner’s permission for a warrantless search that led to the discovery of a marijuana crop in a greenhouse on his Canterbury property. The state’s highest court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that found Richard Houghtaling had no legal expectation of privacy at the home, which he was renting to a man who had given police written permission for the search. The court also ruled that police were justified in questioning Houghtaling, who pulled into the property during the search and was stopped when he attempted to flee. He told authorities he had been assisting his renter in cultivating marijuana for about five months. Houghtaling eventually pleaded no contest to charges including possession of marijuana with intent to sell.
FAMILY SUING SON, GRANDSON FOR MURDER
KEENE, N.H. (AP) – The family of a man suspected in the 2013 slaying of his millionaire grandfather has filed a lawsuit in New Hampshire accusing him of killing his grandfather and possibly his mother, who was lost at sea during a mother-son fishing trip. The family says Vernon, Vermont resident Nathan Carman wanted to collect a multimillion-dollar inheritance. Eighty-seven-year-old real estate developer John Chakalos was found fatally shot at his Connecticut home. Carman was a suspect, but no one was arrested. Carman survived the 2016 fishing trip near Rhode Island after the boat carrying him and his mother sank. Mom Linda Carman is presumed dead. Her sisters sued on Monday. They’ve asked a judge to block Nathan Carman from collecting money from his grandfather’s estate. Nathan Carman has denied any involvement in his grandfather’s death. He says he didn’t sabotage the boat.
RI DMV REOPENING
CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) – Offices of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles are set to reopen for regular business after the agency installed its long-delayed new computer system. The DMV says it’s reopening all its offices on Tuesday on a walk-in basis, but says people should expect long lines and wait times. Work to launch the computer system began in May. The work has meant DMV offices had to shut down temporarily, and then required appointments when they reopened. On Tuesday, people will be allowed to walk in to DMV branches without making an appointment. The state sued Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. last year over the unfinished project to replace the agency’s 40-year-old computer system. Rhode Island settled with the company in April. The new system cost about $19 million.
