ANOTHER ARREST IN HOME INVASION
A second man has been charged in connection with a home invasion last week in Groton. Town police say 25-year old Albert Goss of Groton faces charges of home invasion, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary, as well as three counts of violating probation. New London police made the arrest, and say Goss struggled with them as he was being taken into custody. Four officers, as well as Goss, had to be treated and released from Lawrence and Memorial Hospital. Police say Goss, and a 16-year old male allegedly forced their way into a Buddington Road home October 4th, beating a woman with a baseball bat, and holding others at gunpoint, while taking gaming systems, cash, and cellphones. Police continue to investigate.
PORN ARREST
State police, acting on a search warrant, seized computers and computer-related equipment, and found files containing suspected child pornography in the Lebanon home of James Blakely following an investigation. The 40-year old suspect was charged with first-degree possession of child pornography and arrested. The Bascom Road resident is being held on 100-thousand dollars bond, and is to appear in Norwich Superior Court October 19th. State police say Blakely’s arrest is the result of a seven-month investigation.
VARIANCE FOR REID AND HUGHES
A plan to renovate the long-vacant Reid and Hughes building in Downtown Norwich has moved ahead a bit. The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals has granted a variance so that residential space proposed for the first floor is allowed. Massachusetts-based Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development is looking to convert the decaying Main Street building into new housing and retail space.
BUDGET LAWSUIT FILED
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut’s largest teachers’ union, three municipalities, several teachers and a parent are asking a court to block Gov. Dannel P. Malloy from cutting state education funding.
The group, which includes the Connecticut Education Association and the towns of Brooklyn, Plainfield and Torrington, filed the lawsuit Wednesday at Hartford Superior Court. CEA and the others are seeking an injunction to stop $557 million in funding cuts to 157 municipalities, arguing Malloy doesn’t have the authority to make such reductions. Malloy is running state government using his executive authority because Connecticut has not yet finalized a new budget. He says the lawsuit is premature because the grants won’t be awarded until the end of October. But Donald Williams, CEA’s executive director, says the plaintiff communities have already received huge cuts in funding.
MURPHY: NO PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy says he’s seeking a second term in the U.S. Senate, dismissing the idea he might run for president in 2020. The 44-year-old Democrat tells CBS News , “I am not running for president. I am running for re-election to the Senate.” The interview is included in “The Takeout,” a weekly CBS political podcast. Excerpts were released Tuesday. The full interview will be released Friday. Murphy is up for re-election in 2018. He has taken on a high-profile role concerning issues such as gun violence prevention and foreign policy. In the interview, Murphy says his “focus is fundamentally on the people of Connecticut and asking them for a second term.” Pressed further about a potential president run if he’s re-elected, Murphy says he’s ruling that out.
PARTIAL ACCREDITATION FOR C.M.E.
FARMINGTON, Conn. (AP) – The Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner’s Office has been granted another year of partial accreditation as it tries to address a staffing problem. The agency’s seven forensic pathologists are performing more than 325 autopsies a year apiece – the limit set by the National Association of Medical Examiners. Officials say autopsies have increased 70 percent since 2010, mostly because of drug overdose deaths. Chief Medical Examiner James Gill says his office was notified Wednesday of the year-long extension by the medical examiners association. He says his office will lose accreditation completely if the governor and lawmakers do not approve two more pathologists. The office was placed on partial accreditation status earlier this year. Some lawyers say losing accreditation could cast some doubt on the agency’s credibility.
