NL FIRE UPDATE
A structure fire in New London leaves one man dead. It broke out around 6:00 this morning at a condemned house at 40 Eastern Avenue. First responders say the victim was likely a homeless man who’d been staying at the house. New London resident George Sawicki says he’s not surprised to see squatters seeking shelter at this time of year, due to the colder weather. Firefighters say the victim likely had trouble escaping the house because the windows and doors are boarded up. The man’s identity has not yet been released. No word on what caused the blaze.
NEW OWNER FOR FORMER DOG TRACK SITE
There’s a new owner of the former Plainfield dog track property. First Selectman Paul Sweet says Massachusetts-based Winstanley Enterprises has bought the 137-acre site for 3-point-37 million dollars. The company says it plans to convert the vacant property into a logistics park, with one, or maybe two company distribution facilities on site. Winstanley is already completing a 14-million dollar renovation of the former American Standard property in the town. The dog track closed in May 2005, due to competition from the nearby casinos. It was demolished a few years later.
EX-MOHEGAN SUN EXEC PAYS FINE
A former Mohegan Sun Chief Executive Officer will pay a 60-thousand dollar fine because he neglected to disclose his ownership in several companies on license applications filed with regulators. Two of those companies did business with the Mohegan Sun Pocono Gaming facility in Pennsylvania. The fine was approved as part of a settlement with Soper, who resigned from his CEO position in February. Soper says his failure to properly identify his ownership holdings at the time was purely an unintentional mistake. He currently runs his own gaming and hospitality company based in Florida.
STABBING SENTENCE
A Norwich woman will serve one year behind bars in connection with a New Year’s stabbing. Police say 36-year old Caroline Fragoza was arrested January 1st after stabbing her sister’s boyfriend in the chest because some rap song lyrics he was singing upset her. Attorneys say Fragoza suffers mental health and alcohol problems. The victim was treated for life-threatening injuries, and was eventually listed in critical, but stable condition. Fragoza will also serve three years probation, and has been ordered to stay away from alcohol.
IT WAS WARM LAST MONTH!!
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) – A federal agency is confirming what many New Englanders already suspected: October was the warmest on record in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Maine had the second-warmest on minimum temp, but the warmest average temperature. The nationwide statistics were released Wednesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In Vermont, at the Burlington International Airport, the mean temperature of 58.6 degrees was 10.5 degrees above normal. Weather Service meteorologist John Goff says the first few days of November were also above normal, but temperatures are now more seasonal. Vermont’s Killington ski area likes to open in October, but it was only able to make snow one day. But the colder weather over the last few days enabled the resort to open Wednesday.
