OWENS FUNERAL FRIDAY
Former Norwich NAACP President Jacqueline Owens will be eulogized Friday in the building that bears her name. Calling hours from 9 to 11 AM will be followed by a funeral service at the Jacqueline Owens Auditorium at the Kelly Middle School. Owens died unexpectedly over the weekend at her Lebanon home. The 86-year old led the Norwich NAACP for 30 years, retiring last December. She will be buried at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in New London. People planning to attend the funeral service are advised to carpool. NAACP officials say the Juneteenth Festival planned this Saturday at Brown Park will be held, and will include a tribute to Owens.
BUS VOTE POSTPONED
Monday night’s special meeting of the Montville School Board regarding a second vote on a school bus contract was postponed, as a member of the panel was hospitalized. It’s not known which Board of Ed member was taken ill, or if the special meeting will be rescheduled. The school board has a regular meeting set for June 20th. The panel voted May 16th not to contract bus service to an outside company, despite the superintendent saying it would save the town money. Bus drivers and mechanics expressed concern they would lose health insurance benefits they currently have. School Board members, though, say they want a second vote, since other cuts to the education budget may otherwise happen.
SKULCZYCK NOT RUNNING AGAIN AS GRISWOLD CHIEF
There will be a new first selectman in Griswold. Republican Kevin Skulczyck says he won’t be seeking another term in the job, saying he plans on opening a business in the town, and may also open a consulting firm in the future. He plans on staying on as state representative, but isn’t saying right now whether he’ll seek re-election for the position next year. Skulczyck has served as first selectman for four years.
STATE TROOPER ARRESTED
A state trooper from Waterford has been arrested after an altercation over the weekend. Groton police say 52-year-old Jeffrey Mennino punched a person in the face several times at the Chapter One restaurant in Mystic around 1:00 Saturday morning. Mennino was apprehended at his residence a few hours later. The person he allegedly attacked was taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital for treatment. State police have launched a full investigation. In the meantime, Mennino has been suspended and his badge and gun were confiscated.
SANDY HOOK PARENTS NOT HAPPY WITH KELLY
NEW YORK (AP) – Megyn Kelly defended her decision to feature “InfoWars” host Alex Jones on her NBC newsmagazine despite taking heat Monday from families of Sandy Hook shooting victims and others, saying it’s her job to “shine a light” on newsmakers. Critics argue that NBC’s platform legitimizes the views of a man who, among other conspiracy theories, has suggested that the killing of 26 people at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in 2012 was a hoax. The network released a brief portion of the interview, which is scheduled to air on Sunday. Kelly, who interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the June 4 premiere of “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly,” said on Twitter that President Donald Trump has praised Jones and been on his show.
MISSING TEEN ID
HADDAM, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut environmental police have released the identity of a teenager that went missing in the Connecticut River off Haddam Meadows State Park. The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation (EnCon) Police announced Monday they are searching for 17-year-old Jay Agli of Meriden. They say the “recovery effort” will continue until sundown on Monday. State EnCon Police will then determine their search plans for Tuesday. Authorities were notified at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday that a teen was missing after being on a sandbar in the river. Police say the teen reportedly went into the river to help his sister, who was picked up by a nearby boater. A search involving vessels and dive teams lasted until 10 p.m. on Sunday and resumed Monday morning.
GUATEMALAN IMMIGRANT CASE REOPENS
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – A federal immigration board has re-opened the asylum request of an immigrant from Guatemala who was nearly deported out of Connecticut last month before being granted a reprieve U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced Monday that the Board of Immigration Appeals is re-opening the case of Luis Barrios, a married father of four who lives in Derby. Barrios entered the U.S. illegally 25 years ago while fleeing violence in Guatemala. A judge ordered him deported in 1998 when he said he missed an asylum hearing because he wasn’t notified. But his case remained pending until 2011, when his immigration status was flagged after a traffic stop for a broken tail light. There was no attempt to deport him until President Donald Trump made immigration enforcement a priority earlier this year.
