FIRST MAJOR SNOW PREDICTED FOR THURS.
Thursday is shaping up to be a cold, windy, snowy day, with 8 to 14 inches of snow predicted in Eastern Connecticut. The looming snowstorm is putting a damper on state legislative activities in some New England states. Rhode Island’s General Assembly canceled Thursday’s planned session. In Connecticut, the House of Representatives has decided to meet on Friday instead of Thursday to vote on a plan to restore funding to a program that helps needy seniors pay their Medicare expenses. Democratic Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has activated the state’s Emergency Operations Center, beginning at 6 a.m. on Thursday, to monitor storm conditions across the state and coordinate any needed support. Many towns have enacted local wintertime parking bans for tomorrow, with schools already cancelling classes. Snow is expected to break out just after midnight, and taper off Thursday evening.
GANIM RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR, AS HIS VEHICLE IS CITED FOR SPEEDING
Connecticut State Police say an SUV carrying an ex-convict running for governor was clocked doing 87 mph and the driver was issued a verbal warning. Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim’s vehicle was pulled over on Interstate 84 in Southington on Wednesday, shortly after he filed paperwork to seek the Democratic nomination for governor. A Bridgeport police detective was driving the SUV. A Hearst Connecticut Media reporter who also was in the vehicle had reported it was doing 100 mph and no ticket or warning was issued. Ganim served nearly seven years in prison after being convicted of corruption in 2003 during his first tenure as Bridgeport mayor. He was released from prison in 2010 and elected mayor again in 2015. Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is not seeking a third term.
TREASURER RETIRING
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – State Treasurer Denise Nappier has announced she won’t seek re-election to a sixth term in office. The Democrat made the announcement Wednesday. She became the nation’s first African-American woman elected as a state treasurer in 1998, and the first woman elected treasurer in Connecticut history. She defeated then-incumbent Republican State Treasurer Paul Silvester, who later was convicted of federal corruption charges. Nappier, who previously served for 10 years as Hartford’s treasurer, heads an office overseeing $63 billion in state funds, including $34 billion in state pension and trust funds, which have grown from $19 billion during her tenure. She defeated Republican Timothy Herbst in 2014 by fewer than 19,000 votes out of more than 1 million. She will end her tenure next January as the longest-serving treasurer in two centuries, since Andrew Kingsbury served between 1794 and 1818.
VEHICLE SOUGHT IN RI HIT AND RUN
State police in Rhode Island are looking for a motor vehicle involved in a fatal hit and run accident last week. Police say a 2016-2018 red-colored Chevrolet Cruze was on the Plainfield Pike, near the Scituate Reservoir Causeway last Friday night around 11:15 PM when it fatally hit a pedestrian. Police say the vehicle is believed to have sustained damage to the passenger side right fender, side front headlamp, and maybe the side mirror and front windshield. Contact the Rhode Island State Police at 1-401-444-1716 or 1-401-444-1000 if you have any information.
NEW FOXWOODS EXECUTIVE
A former Newark, New Jersey economic development official is now the new vice-president of development at the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Jesse Luis will oversee planning for new business opportunities at the entertainment venue, and assess current businesses at Foxwoods. Luis served as senior vice-president of real estate development for the Newark Community Economic Development Corporation, and has also previously worked as a vice-president for the Dolce, Choice, and Mariott Hotel chains.
BUMP STOCK BAN PROPOSED IN RI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A state senator has introduced a bill to ban devices in Rhode Island that can make a semi-automatic rifle mimic the firing action of a fully automatic weapon. Democratic state Sen. James Seveney introduced legislation to ban “bump stocks” on semi-automatic firearms, calling them “horrific devices.” Rhode Island’s General Assembly convened its 2018 legislative session Tuesday.
Authorities say Stephen Paddock used a bump stock while firing on concert-goers from his Las Vegas hotel room Oct. 1. Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds more wounded. In November, Massachusetts became the first state to ban bump stocks since the deadly shooting. Seveney’s proposal would make it illegal to possess, manufacture or sell a bump stock, regardless of whether a person possesses a firearm. Violators would face prison, a fine or both.
PAZ IN COURT
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – Ex-boxing champion Vinny Paz has appeared in a Rhode Island court on a felony assault charge but maintains his innocence and says he’s the victim. Paz is a five-time world champion known for his comeback story after a car crash, which was dramatized in the 2016 film “Bleed for This.” He’s accused of biting a man, knocking out his teeth and sending him to a hospital. He appeared in Providence District Court on Wednesday but didn’t enter a plea and was released on personal recognizance.
Witnesses tell police Paz accused the man of stealing $16,000. The retired champ told reporters outside court, “I got robbed.” When he was asked if he regretted taking the law into his own hands, he replied, “No.”
