FORMER SUPERVISOR FINED
Connecticut’s Office of State Ethics has fined a Norwich man for using state-issued computers and other state-owned equipment to do outside work. Steven Keller will pay a 1-thousand dollar penalty for providing independent consultant work to another state agency for personal financial gain. Keller was an Occupational Therapy Supervisor for the State Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services between 2012 and last October when he did the outside employment. He worked at the Southeastern Mental Health Authority in Norwich.
HAITIAN CITIZEN SENTENCED
A Haitian citizen last living in New London has been sentenced to time served in prison, and three years of supervised release, for his part in an insurance fraud scheme. Court documents show 28-year old Jacques Fleurijeune helped stage 50 car crashes in Eastern Connecticut, so that he and others could cash in on the insurance money. Fleurijeune pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in February. He has been detained, and faces immigration proceedings.
NORWICH SCHOOL CONVOCATION
The developer of a program designed to enhance kids’ social and emotional behavior comes to Norwich to give teachers a boost as they embark on another year in the classroom. Scarlett Lewis addressed the public schools convocation at Kelly Middle School today. She created the “Choose Love” program after her first grader, Jessie was gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown in 2012. Amy Kenyon, who teachers at the Uncas School and is the Norwich system’s 2018 Teacher of the Year says the key to her success is loving her students like they are her own. Wednesday is the first day of classes in Norwich.
ALLEGED DRUNK DRIVER KNOCKS OUT LIGHTS IN PAWCATUCK
A Maryland man was scheduled to be arraigned in New London Superior Court after police say he was driving drunk late Sunday night in Pawcatuck, causing the power to go out. . 22-year old Gustavo Flores is also accused of speeding and failure to drive right. Police say the Arnold, Maryland resident crashed into a utility pole and then through a chain link fence on Mechanic Street, south of Palmer Street. He finally crashed into a metal gate pillar in the parking lot of the Cottrell Brewery. The downed pole caused some transformer explosions and localized power outages. Flores was held on 20-thousand dollars bond.
LOOKING FOR MORE USE OF TENNIS FACILITY
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) – The foundation that runs the Connecticut Tennis Center in New Haven has begun marketing the 13,500-seat stadium as an ideal site for small conventions and business meetings, hoping to get more out of the building than a once-a-year tennis tournament. The state this summer added a new media center, completing $2.5 million in renovations that began last year with new facilities for players – including a lounge, a gym and dining facility.Anne Worcester, the director of the Connecticut Open tennis tournament, which wrapped up on Saturday, says those facilities are ideal for corporate outings, trade shows, even weddings. The foundation will rent a meeting room or the dining room for $90 an hour, with discounts for nonprofits. The stadium court can be rented for six hours at a cost of $1,200.
STRESSED-OUT RI STUDENTS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A new survey says Rhode Island public high school students are stressed about grades and their general well-being. The state Department of Education survey says more than 70 percent of student respondents are frequently worried about academic grades. The Providence Journal reports that 63 percent reported they were stressed about personal events in their day-to-day lives. The survey also found that few students are of the opinion that teachers care about their emotional well-being. SurveyWorks – the independent study commissioned by the state – asked students, teachers and families dozens of questions about school safety, student engagement, teacher-student relationships and family participation. Narragansett Superintendent Peter Cummings says the results of the survey aren’t a surprise, though it is a “greater call to action.”
