BODY FOUND IN NORWICH
NORWICH, Conn. (AP) – Authorities say the body of a man was found in the area of the Yantic River Falls in Norwich. Police said the body was found on Thursday. Authorities say there is no indication of foul play, but a complete investigation by the Norwich Police Department and Connecticut office of the Chief Medical Examiner is ongoing. Police haven’t identified the man. They are asking anyone with information to contact authorities.
COUNSELOR ACCUSED OF FRAUD
A Norwich counselor is being sued by the state of Connecticut for allegedly bilking the state’s Medicaid system out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. 47-year old Susan Britt ran the counseling service “An Inner Peace” out of her Nemczuk Drive home. The state attorney general claims from at least January 2013 through September 2016, Britt falsely billed Medicaid for services she never provided. The state also claims Britt says she destroyed all patient records in May or June 2016, but still submitted claims and received payments for the following three months. Meanwhile, The Chief State’s Attorney is claiming Britt fraudently billed Medicaid from June 2013 until this month, pocketing most of the money for herself.. She’s out on 225-thousand dollars bond regarding those charges, and is due in Hartford Superior Court August 16th.
CT CONGRESSMEN TO MEET WITH DETAINED IMMIGRANTS
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation are traveling to Texas to meet with migrant families being held in detention facilities. Democratic U.S. Reps. Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Elizabeth Esty announced Thursday they will join more than 20 other members of Congress making the trip. The group plans to speak with children and parents affected by a White House policy that had separated more than 2,300 children from their parents over the past several weeks. The practice set off an outcry. President Donald Trump signed an order Wednesday to stop the separations, but a host of unanswered questions remain. Lawmakers on Saturday will tour the McAllen Border Patrol Station and the Centralized Processing Center in McAllen, Texas, before visiting the Port Isabel ICE Detention Center in Los Fresnos.
NL IMMIGRATION PROTEST
Some 25 protestors, including former mayor Daryl Finizio, gather outside the state courthouse on Broad Street in New London this morning to protest immigration agents going into the courthouse public areas to arrest undocumented immigrants. Protestors lined both sides of the sidewalk leading to the judicial building for about an hour before court began. State officials says federal immigration officials have been at the courthouse when they feel an arrest is needed. Retired state Chief Justice Chase Rogers has written to federal immigration officials urging them to stop making the arrests , but it still happens.
MORE TIME FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Overseers of Connecticut’s community college system have agreed to take some more time to follow through on a plan to consolidate the 12 schools. The original plan to create one Connecticut Community College with 12 separate campuses within a year was rejected as unrealistic by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The Connecticut Post reports the Board of Regents for Higher Education agreed unanimously on Thursday to pursue that effort over five years. The consolidation plan calls for the 12 colleges to be grouped into three regions. System President Mark Ojakian says the goal of the plan is to save money and improve the experiences for the 4,900 students in the state’s community colleges.
STONINGTON ROAD WORK
A major road project begins at the end of this month in Stonington. Town officials say Hewitt Road will be improved over a five week-period, with drainage work and re-paving. The heavily-traveled by-pass is between Mistuxet Avenue and Route 1. Crews will be working weekdays from 7 AM to 5 PM, with work possibly going past that time on some days. Expect road closures and detours.
PROBATION DENIED FOR FORMER STATE INVESTIGATOR
MANCHESTER, Conn. (AP) – A judge won’t allow a former investigator for Connecticut’s public defender’s office who’s accused of intimidating a witness to enter a special program that could have resulted in his charges being erased. The Journal Inquirer reports Superior Court Judge Stuart Rosen said denied 82-year-old Donald Light’s request Wednesday. The judge said he believes the charges against Light are too serious. Prosecutors say Light made comments that made a witness feel afraid for her safety. The woman said she felt Light was trying to scare her away from testifying. Light’s lawyer said he never threatened the witness. His lawyer said the special program would be perfect for Light, who has no criminal history. The program is designed for first-time offenders and can lead to a defendant’s charges being erased after a probationary period
