UNLICENSED SHOP
A Ledyard man has been charged with operating an unlicensed motor vehicle repair shop. Police say 38-year old Kyle Hair turned himself in to police Thursday. Authorities claim Hair’s business, J and K Towing, was denied a repair shop license by the state. The charge stems from a February complaint by a customer that money was pre-paid for repairs that were never done. Hair has been released on a promise to appear in New London Superior Court July 26th.
MISSING PADDLEBOARDER?
East Lyme police are investigating a possible missing person. An unoccupied paddle board found floating off the coast of Black Point around 10:45 this morning is prompting local police, and fire departments to search the area. A photo of the paddle board is on the East Lyme police Facebook page.
STARRWOOD TO CLOSE
Residents in the Taftville-Greeneville area of Norwich will have to find another place to buy groceries. The Starrwood Food Market on Norwich Avenue will cease business in about two to three weeks. Officials there, along with city mayor Peter Nystrom, say the New York-based landlord refuses to sink any money into the property for improvements. Nystrom says, for example, Starrwood has been forced to use increasingly-outdated freezers. Nystrom says he’s been aware of Starrwood’s situation, and has been working with the city’s community development corporation to try to find a new site for the supermarket. He says any new location will most likely be smaller than the current spot. The Starrwood shopping plaza also includes a Subway shop, liquor store, and branch office of Core Plus Federal Credit Union.
STILL NO PUBLIC MONEY FOR GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – State Elections Enforcement Commission members have again postponed granting a Connecticut governor candidate public campaign financing.
This latest delay comes amid an investigation ordered by the commission into possible campaign finance violations by Republican Steve Obsitnik, a Westport technology consultant and engineer. A deadline for Obsitnik to receive the $1.35 million is fast approaching. The Hartford Courant reports that commission officials said Thursday that no more grants for the Aug. 14 primaries will be awarded after July 27. The campaign finance investigation centers on whether there was possible coordination of solicitations and campaign contributions with FixCT Inc., an independent expenditure committee that favors Obsitnik. He needed to raise $250,000 in qualified, small contributions to be eligible for the funding. Obsitnik’s campaign has threatened legal action if the funding is not released.
NEW LOTTERY CHIEF
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The Connecticut Lottery Corporation has tapped an Illinois lottery official to become the state agency’s permanent president and CEO. The lottery’s Board of Directors announced Thursday they’ve hired Gregory Smith, acting executive director of the Illinois Lottery, following a 16-month search. Smith is a previous executive director of the Vermont Lottery Commission, where he also served on the finance and executive committee of the Multi-State Lottery Association board during a challenging leadership transition. Connecticut’s lottery has come under fire for a series of issues, including a botched drawing that led to a nearly $1 million loss. Smith begins his new job on July 20. He replaces Acting CEO Chelsea Turner, who becomes acting vice president. Board Chairman Don DeFronzo praised Turner for improving the lottery’s “damaged image” during her tenure.
SANDWICH CANDIDATE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A tasty typo mistakenly turned a U.S. Senate candidate’s name into that of a sandwich. The Connecticut Post reports that a banner on Connecticut Senate candidate Dominic Rapini’s website’s read “Approved by Dominic Panini.” When told about the mistake, Rapini told the newspaper: “Oh my god, you’re kidding me!”
The mistake was fixed as of Thursday afternoon. The Apple executive faces Republican-endorsed candidate Matthew Corey in the August primary. They’re hoping to take on Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy in the fall. Rapini’s last name already has an appetizing meaning. He says rapini means broccoli rabe in Italian, so people often find recipes when they Google his name.
