BROWNING POURS OVER OD DATA
Norwich Alderman Samuel Browning shared information with the Heroin Task Force yesterday from what he learned over the last six months about the 33 city residents who died by overdose in 2017. Browning volunteered 150 hours going over death certificates and meeting with family members to learn why Norwich had more than double the fatal overdoses as surrounding towns last year. Two key findings were that the average resident had struggled with addiction for 7.4 years and many began using as teenagers. Also notable was that 17 of the deceased weren’t born in Norwich, and just ten had lived in the city for more than ten years.
STORE ON RESERVATION RAIDED
Connecticut Department of Revenue Services agents raided a private store on the Mashantucket Pequot reservation this week as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. The store’s location was not identified but sources wishing to remain anonymous tell “The Day” it’s the Pequot Trading Post, which is owned by a former Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council chairman. A tribal spokeswoman, said the investigation involved a private business “that is not owned by or affiliated with the tribe. The Department of Revenue’s Criminal Investigation Division has a unit dedicated to enforcing cigarette and tobacco laws.
NL UPGRADES WATER INFRASTRUCTURE
Some parts of the City of New London’s aging water structure date back to the 1800’s. The water department is investing $3.8 million into its ongoing effort to update it. Currently, it is rehabilitating the nearly 100-year-old dam at the Bogue Brook Reservoir in Montville, one of five reservoirs owned by the city. The city council is authorizing the mayor to sign a contract with Wiese Construction Inc., the lowest of six bids, to complete what is expected to be a two-year-project. The city’s five reservoirs provide water to nearly 60,000 people through a connected system stretching through New London, Waterford and East Lyme.
PATH PAVED TO MARKET RIVERFRONT
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge ruled Tuesday that Mark Fields, the former developer of the Norwich Hospital property in Norwich, cannot include the property in his personal bankruptcy case. Castanho Development LLC successfully foreclosed on the $450,000 mortgage it had provided to Thames River Landing and took ownership of the property June 19th. Fields had filed Chapter 7 and a bankruptcy attorney sought to include the property in Fields’ assets. The judge said Fields didn’t file bankruptcy on behalf of the LLC, but rather for himself. The court said Fields wants to “have his cake and eat it too.” The ruling clears the way for new owner Castanho Development LLC to market the former Norwich Hospital land.
TOWN WARNS OF KILLER BEAR
Lyme Police say a black bear walking on a farm in broad daylight attacked and killed one of the sheep inside a fenced in area. Police have now put out bear alerts. The town and the local Lyme Land Conservation Trust posted warnings on their websites about the unusual sightings, saying bears are usually shy and afraid of humans. DEEP suggests putting a little bit of ammonia into your trash because bears really don’t like that smell and sometimes trash can attract them.
STORM DAMAGE TO BE ASSESSED
The National Weather Service will be in Connecticut today investigating damage to determine what kind of storms rumbled through last night and what caused it. The intense storms pounded the state with torrential rain and powerful wind, took down trees and made a mess. An energized power line fell to the ground due to a lightning strike in Waterford on Parkway South between Gurley and Cross roads and caused a small fire. Eversource responded and police asked motorists to avoid the area as the road was closed for a time.
LAWMAKER WANTS CHANGE IN CGA ADMISSIONS
A Mississippi congressman is proposing that Congress require at least one-half of each incoming class at the Coast Guard Academy in New London come from a pool of congressionally nominated candidates. The Coast Guard Academy has never had congressional nominations or appointments, unlike the other military service academies. U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson’s bill would allow each member of Congress to nominate up to three candidates to attend the academy. The academy would chose half of its incoming classes from that pool of candidates, and the other half under its current admissions process.
