GROTON OIL SPILL
Crews are cleaning up an oil spill in Groton. State environmental officials say a worker at Groton Oil and Marina on Thames Street put oil in the wrong underground storage tank, prompting some 400 gallons to spill down a hill and gather at a retaining wall. About 10 gallons got into the Thames River. State officials, the Coast Guard, and the marina owner’s contractor are cleaning up the site.
FATHER TO SERVE TIME FOR FATAL CRASH
A Griswold man will serve six years in prison after driving a car in a crash that killed his daughter. 30-year old David Ali will be sentenced September 27th in New London Superior Court. Police say he was driving on the Gold Star Highway in Groton on Halloween, 2016 when he turned left to go onto Packer Road, and failed to stop for an oncoming BMW. Ali and a front seat passenger were taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Ali’s 4-year old daughter was airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she died the following afternoon. Ali’s blood alcohol level was above the legal limit.
KILLINGLY ROBBERY
A Danielson woman is to appear in court again August 14th on charges of robbing an elderly woman. State police say 29-year old Bethany Kuuttila robbed an 81-year old female outside a Killingly bank on June 13th, after getting a ride there by the victim. Police say they got a tip from a friend of the suspect who says Kuuttila would hide in a wooden box in a Wauregan basement whenever police showed up there. . Police found her at a Reynolds Street address where she was hiding in a closet. She’s being held on a 250-thousand dollar bond, as she has a prior criminal record.
DCF ORDERING REVIEW
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The head of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families is ordering an independent review of a state psychiatric facility where a pregnant teen killed herself last month. Department of Children and Families Commissioner Joette Katz on Thursday said she’s seeking a review of safety measures at the Albert J. Solnit Children’s Center in Middletown. The Hartford Courant reports the 16-year-old teen, who is not being named, died of asphyxiation a day before she was to be discharged. The facility also had two other suicide attempts in March. The June death prompted state officials to recommend additional random checks and surveillance cameras in every unit. Katz says the facility has made other safety improvements in recent years, including altering interior fixtures like sinks, showers, bed frames and door and window handles.
END THE CONFLICTS!
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Republican gubernatorial candidate David Stemerman is calling for an end to conflicts of interest in Connecticut state government, especially the General Assembly. The former Greenwich hedge fund manager on Thursday unveiled a multi-point plan that calls for barring legislators who are members of a state employee union from voting on legislation that directly affects them or their union membership. Stemerman claims the legislature is being “held hostage” by the unions. When asked if he supports turning the current part-time legislature into a full-time operation to reduce conflicts, Stemerman says he would be open to discussing the concept. Stemerman is one of five Republicans participating in the Aug. 14 primary. Like Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont, the endorsed Democratic candidate, Stemerman says he will not accept the governor’s $150,000 salary if elected.
TWO SWIMMING HOLES CLOSED
Two area state parks are off-limits to swimming for now. Gay City in Hebron and Mashamoquet Brook in Pomfret will await new test results on Friday. High bacteria levels are prompting the closures.
