BODY FOUND IS MISSING SNOWMOBILER
A body recovered Tuesday from Pachaug Pond in Griswold has been identified as 56-year old John DuBois. The Griswold resident was reported missing on December 16th, after he fell through the ice there while on a snowmobile. Rescue crews discovered the vehicle shortly after the incident, but had been unable to find Dubois, due to poor weather conditions. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state medical examiner determined the body found was Dubois.
LISBON FIRE UNDER INVESTIGATION
An early morning house fire in Lisbon is under investigation. Fire crews responded to 26 Paper Mill Road around 3 AM to find the residence engulfed in flames. The fire was knocked-down within a half-hour. No one was in the home at the time. No injuries reported. The building is a total loss.
MONEY FOR SEA GRANT
More than 200-thousand dollars in federal funding is going to the Connecticut Sea Grant Program based at the UConn- Avery Point campus in Groton. The program helps local shellfish farmers, fishermen, and conservationists with programs aimed at developing marine research, and wise development of marine resources. There are 33 such programs based at universities along the coastal and Great lakes areas of the U-S. Second District Congressman Joe Courtney’s office announced the Connecticut funding.
UCONN ATHLETE SEEKING PROBATION
ROCKVILLE, Conn. (AP) – A star player on the national champion University of Connecticut field hockey team has applied for a probation program that could clear her record of a shoplifting charge. Charlotte Veitner, who is accused of shoplifting $34 in makeup from the campus bookstore, applied for accelerated rehabilitation Wednesday in Rockville Superior Court. The program for first-time, nonviolent offenders results in charges being erased after a probation period. Her lawyer, Robert Britt, says he won’t comment while the case is pending. UConn officials say they can’t comment because of student privacy laws. The 22-year-old from Dusseldorf, Germany, led the country with 34 goals during UConn’s run to the NCAA title. Police say she tried to conceal the makeup in a bag at the bookstore Feb. 4. She was charged with misdemeanor larceny.
CHANGE OF HEART FOR GREENWICH SCHOOL
GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) – A Roman Catholic school in Connecticut that told a student she would have to leave school if she kept a Planned Parenthood sticker on her laptop has reversed course. The parents of Sacred Heart Greenwich sophomore Kate Murray told the Greenwich Time their daughter will be allowed to stay at the all-girls school with the sticker in place. The school’s head said the school discourages the display of anything “supporting or opposing political candidates, positions or organizations” but would never dismiss a student for what she believes. The local bishop said he backed the decision that affirms the church’s anti-abortion teachings. The decision drew fierce backlash from alumnae who threatened to stop donating to the school and instead donate to the pro-abortion rights group.
POT BROWNIES MAKE STUDENTS ILL
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – About a dozen students at a Hartford school were reportedly sickened after eating brownies laced with marijuana. Police and medics were called to the Global Communications Academy around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday on a report that up to 19 students had eaten the brownies. The students were treated at the school and their parents were called to take them home or seek further treatment. It’s unclear if any were taken to a hospital. Police are trying to determine how much marijuana was in the brownies. The school teaches students from kindergarten through high school and is part of the Hartford Public Schools district.
GREEN AIRPORT NAME CHANGE PROPOSED
WARWICK, R.I. (AP) – Rhode Island’s busiest airport wants to change its name to something a bit more descriptive. Leaders of the T.F. Green Airport are asking lawmakers to ditch the current name honoring a former governor and call it Rhode Island International Airport. The proposed change was announced Wednesday by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation with the support of some lawmakers. Proponents say the change could draw more travelers to the transit hub in Warwick. Recent polls have found that few outside the state can identify its location. Leaders of the airport say most other busy airports include the city, region or state in their names. The airport is named after former Gov. Theodore F. Green, who took office in 1933. Officials say they plan to rename a nearby transportation hub after him.
