SPRAGUE DEATH A HOMICIDE
The fatal shooting of a Sprague man has been labeled a homicide. The state’s medical examiner released his finding today. 31-year old Steven Devost was found shot Thursday night in front of his Bay Street residence. He was later pronounced dead at Backus Hospital in Norwich. No arrests have been made. Police say there is no threat to the public. Court records show Devost was sentenced to three years probation in October 2015 from a second-degree assault charge. Anyone with information surrounding the fatal shooting is asked to contact state police in Montville.
CAPTAIN INVOLVED IN BOAT CRASH TO SURRENDER LICENSE
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A New Jersey yacht captain is barred from piloting ships as he awaits trial in the death of an 81-year-old Connecticut boater in Rhode Island waters. U.S. District Court Magistrate Patricia Sullivan ordered Cooper “Chick” Bacon on Tuesday to surrender his Merchant Marine license and refrain from operating any vessel. The 78-year-old Cape May resident pleaded not guilty and was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. His public defender didn’t immediately comment. Bacon is accused of not paying attention when he crashed his 60-foot yacht into 81-year-old Walter Krupinski’s fishing boat in 2015. Krupinski lived in Stonington, and had been fishing off of Westerly. The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management had previously found Bacon violated three U.S. Coast Guard navigation rules and had been negligent during the crash.
SCOTLAND RESIDENTS BEING HONORED BY SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND, Conn. (AP) – Residents of Scotland, Connecticut, are becoming lords and ladies in the United Kingdom country of the same name. The Scottish land preservation company Highland Titles said Tuesday it’s gifting all 1,694 residents 1 square foot of land on its nature reserve in Glencoe Wood, Scotland. The residents will get courtesy titles of Lord or Lady of Glencoe and instructions on how to visit their plots. The company sells forest land ranging from 1 square foot to 1,000 square feet so they can’t be developed. Scotland First Selectman Dan Syme says the Connecticut town was settled by a Scotsman named Isaac Magoon in 1700 and celebrates that heritage by hosting an annual Highland Festival. Highland Titles says residents have to call Town Hall to claim their free plots.
HUSKY B FUNDING IN DOUBT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Thousands of Connecticut families are being warned the state may have to close a popular health insurance program for children if Congress doesn’t reauthorize federal funding. The Department of Social Services began sending notices to parents and guardians last weekend, letting them know that funds for HUSKY B are expected to run out on Jan. 31. Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut called on Republicans to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or HUSKY B in Connecticut, as soon as possible. Murphy says more than 17,000 low- and moderate-income children in the state could be adversely affected. DSS says the state has been using leftover federal funds to keep the program running since September 30, when Congress allowed the funding to expire.
IVANKA NOT WELCOME BY SOME NORWALK PARENTS
NORWALK, Conn. (AP) – Some parents of a Connecticut high school were upset when Ivanka Trump made an unannounced visit. Local media report that some parents pulled their children from class on Monday, saying they were upset they were not told in advance that President Donald Trump’s daughter and senior White House adviser was paying a visit to Norwalk Early College Academy at Norwalk High School. Karey Fitzgerald, of Norwalk, told News 12 Connecticut , that she thinks parents should have had the choice of whether to send their child to school when Trump was there. Trump and IBM CEO Ginni Rometty spoke with a handful of students at the academy. It runs on a program developed by IBM to allow students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma, associate’s degree and develop technical skills.
