DEEPWATER CHOSEN
In what is expected to be a boost for New London, the state today selected Providence-based Deepwater Wind to develop off-shore wind power to Connecticut. Deepwater says it’ll invest at least 15-million dollars of infrastructure improvements that is expected to make New London State Pier a focal point for the growing industry. 200-megawatts of power will come from Deepwater’s wind farm some 25 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Officials expect New London will see increased manufacturing activity. The state also approved 52-megawatts of new fuel cells, one of them to be located in Colchester.
NOISE TESTED AT PROPOSED GUN RANGE SITE
Before a state police shooting range can be built in the town of Griswold, troopers had to conduct a noise testing exercise at the proposed Lee Road site. That test was done today. Department of Administrative Services spokesman Jeff Beckham says decibel readers were set up at multiple locations. About 15 state troopers fired handguns, shotguns, and rifles, to see how far the sound travels. It’s not known if the data collected from the firing test will be released to the public. Many Griswold residents continue to voice opposition to having a shooting range in town.
POLICE: WATERFORD DRIVER WAS UNDER THE INFLUENCE
Police say the Waterford driver who allegedly hit a woman and her two -year old daughter in a stroller was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. 27-year old Shane Bidwell is accused of striking the two on Greentree Drive Monday afternoon, getting out of his car to say he was sorry, and then driving off. He was later arrested on Lamphere Road. Police say Bidwell failed field sobriety tests, and is being held on 200-thousand dollars bond. He’s due back in court July 3rd. Both the woman and young child were treated for their injuries and released.
EPA TOLD TO CLEAN ITS ACT
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A federal judge in New York has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has violated the federal Clean Air Act by failing to curb ozone air pollution that blows into Connecticut and New York from the west. U.S. District Judge John Koeltl, in a decision dated Tuesday, granted the states’ request for a summary judgment against the EPA and Commissioner Scott Pruitt. The lawsuit, which was filed in January, is one of several in the past year involving mostly East Coast states seeking to have the EPA regulate out-of-state pollutants. The judge has ordered the EPA to come up with an action plan. The EPA, in response to the ruling, says it has already publicly announced that it will detail a plan later this month designed to address the concerns of the states.
CCSU PROFESSOR TARGET OF COMPLAINTS
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut university professor who was suspended pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct had been the subject of complaints from women for more than a decade, according to newly released documents.
The employment records of Central Connecticut State University theater professor Joshua Perlstein were released Tuesday after the New Britain Herald filed a Freedom of Information request. The allegations include unwanted touching and inappropriate comments involving students, staff and another professor dating to 2004. One woman told the Hartford Courant that Perlstein tried to kiss her when she was a student in 1998. Perlstein was placed on paid leave in April and the university hired an independent investigator. Perlstein said then the allegations are “long in the past and have been investigated.” He couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.
BRITISH TANKER FROM WWII TO BE CHECKED OUT
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. (AP) – A deep dive operation will be conducted to determine whether oil is leaking from a British tanker sunk by a German U-boat off Long Island during World War II. The Connecticut Post says the wreck, which is about 30 miles off Long Island’s south shore and about 180 feet deep, has been monitored since 1967. In 2009 recreational divers reported some oil seepage. The commander of the Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound says the operation starting next week will assess environmental conditions at the 423-foot long tanker.
BREAKERS CENTER TO OPEN
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) – The group that owns The Breakers mansion in Rhode Island is opening a welcome center that has drawn strenuous opposition from neighbors, preservationists and many descendants of the Vanderbilt family. The Preservation Society of Newport County is cutting the ribbon Thursday on the grounds of the National Historic Landmark in Newport. Cornelius Vanderbilt II built the mansion in the late 1800s. The preservation society is expecting about 500 people and Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo. Raimondo says she’s thrilled to have a new, exciting way to welcome tourists to the mansions. Opponents wanted it built across the street or elsewhere to leave the landscape unchanged. Preservationist Ronald Lee Fleming, who lives near The Breakers, says he’s still concerned about the visual impact. The neighborhood association lost a lawsuit opposing the plan in 2015.
