MALLOY FOLLOWS THROUGH ON VETO
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Democratic Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has vetoed the Republican-backed state budget narrowly approved by lawmakers. Malloy said Thursday in a letter to the Secretary of the State that he vetoed the $40.7 billion, two-year budget because it “adopts changes to the state’s pension plans that are both financially and legally unsound.” He said the budget “grabs savings today on the false promise of change a decade from now.” He added that the proposed budget makes unacceptable cuts to the state’s education system, including hundreds of millions of dollars from the UConn budget.
He calls the budget “unbalanced, unsustainable and unwise.” Republicans have defended the plan, saying it doesn’t raise taxes and more fairly distributes education aid. Connecticut faces a projected $3.5 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years.
PRISON FOR WATERFORD CHILD PORN DISTRIBUTOR
A Waterford man will spend 16 years in prison for producing child pornography. 47-year old Richard Bruno is sentenced today in New Haven Federal Court. A State police investigation found videos at Bruno’s home, and at his company’s New London warehouse, that showed sexually explicit content by several females, one of whom was 17 years old, and was a tenant of Bruno’s. Some of the videos show him having sex with the under-aged female, who was paid by Bruno with either cash or marijuana. Bruno will also have to forfeit his company’s warehouse, a van owned by his firm, and a rental property he owns. He has also paid restitution to the victim.
BLUE RIBBONS FOR THREE SCHOOLS
National honors for three local schools. The Mahan Elementary School in Norwich, along with East Lyme High School, and the Oakdale Elementary School have achieved National Blue Ribbon status from the U-S Department of Education. East Lyme and Oakdale are being honored as exemplary high performing schools based on state assessments and national test scores, while Mahan is being recognized as among the state’s highest performing schools in closing student achievement gaps. In all, 342 schools nationwide are being designated as Blue Ribbon schools this year by federal education officials.
CALHOUN BACK ON THE COURT
SAYING HE LOVES THE GAME, AND THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS, HALL-OF-FAME BASKETBALL COACH JIM CALHOUN HAS BEEN INTRODUCED AS AN ARCHITECT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH’S NEW MEN’S BASKETBALL PROGRAM. THE DIVISION-THREE SCHOOL IN WEST HARTFORD IS GOING CO-ED, AND THE FORMER UCONN HEAD COACH SAYS HE COULDN’T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A PROGRAM FROM THE GROUND UP. CALHOUN IS STILL UNDER CONTRACT AT UCONN, AND CANNOT TAKE THE TITLE OF “COACH.” FOR NOW, THE 75-YEAR-OLD CALHOUN SAYS HIS ROLE AT SAINT JOSEPH IS PART-TIME.
LED LIGHTS COMING TO NORWICH
Norwich has more than 5-thousand city-maintained streetlights. They’re all slated to be converted to LED fixtures by the end of summer next year. Public Utilities official Jeff Brining says the 1-point-8 million dollar project will provide long-term savings to Norwich, as LED lights are more energy-efficient, longer-lasting, and direct light more accurately. He says an evaluation of the city’s lighting needs will be conducted first. Brining anticipates the new lights will start going-in by April 1st. The work will be done by California-based Tanko, which has done LED streetlight work in Jewett City, Groton, East Lyme, and New London.
NL MAN RESCUED FROM DOWNED TREADMILL
An elderly New London man had to be rescued after getting trapped underneath his treadmill. City responders say the 75-year old Sander Street resident Wednesday evening felt like he was going to pass out while exercising, and he fell, with the treadmill falling on top of him. The man was taken to Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, although responders say it doesn’t appear he was injured due to the falling treadmill.
