INCREASED SECURITY AT QVCC
Death threats against a Quinebaug Valley Community College administrator is prompting extra security on the Danielson campus. The threats have been made against the college’s Associate Director of Career Services and Advising Catherine Gregory. News video shows she was grabbed by conservative commentator Lucian Wintrich during his Tuesday night appearance at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, after Gregory took Wintrich’s notes off the podium he was using. Wintrich has been charged with breach of peace, and says he plans to sue Gregory. Gregory has not been charged by authorities, and remains employed at QVCC.
NO MORE HATE SPEECH!!
STORRS, Conn. (AP) – University of Connecticut students have rallied to call on school officials to prevent hate speech on campus, in response to an altercation at an event featuring a conservative commentator earlier this week. Students said Friday that the university should not condone speeches like the one titled “It’s OK To Be White” given on campus Tuesday by Lucian Wintrich, the White House correspondent for the right-wing blog Gateway Pundit. News video shows a Quinebaug Valley Community College administrator, Catherine Gregory, took paperwork off the lectern during Wintrich’s speech. The video showed Wintrich running up and grabbing Gregory. Police charged Wintrich with breach of peace. Wintrich says he had every right to retrieve his property from Gregory. UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said in a statement that school officials welcome discussions with students about free speech issues.
MID-YEAR BUDGET CUTS LIKELY
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut’s current budget deficit is now large enough to require the governor to submit a deficit-cutting plan to the General Assembly. Democratic State Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced Friday that the state is projected to end the current fiscal year with a $207.8 million deficit, which is more than 1 percent of net appropriations in the state’s main spending account. That’s the threshold requiring Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to issue his mid-year plan. Lembo says the deficit includes a projected $20 million shortfall in the account used to pay claims and attorney fees for a legal settlement with state employees laid off by former Gov. John G. Rowland in 2003. Democratic Senate President Martin Looney says legislative leaders plan to meet Wednesday with Malloy to “discuss potential next steps.”
DETAILS ABOUT ESCALATOR INCIDENT RELEASED
MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (AP) – A newly released tribal police report says a woman who fell off an escalator at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut and later died lost her balance while sitting on a moving handrail after having two drinks at a bar. Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation officials released the report Friday after refusing to do so in response to a request by The Day newspaper. The Associated Press also asked for the report and received it Friday. Tribal officials redacted the 44-year-old woman’s name in the report, citing privacy concerns. The report on the Oct. 25 incident says the woman was sitting on the escalator rail before falling about 25 feet. Tribal officials say media requests for the report prompted a policy change to allow the release of police reports on noncriminal incidents.
RENTERS REBATE CHECKS COMING
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Thousands of elderly and disabled Connecticut renters with limited incomes will soon begin receiving delayed state reimbursement checks. Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget office announced Friday that the rebates should arrive over the next few days. Daily batches of approximately 8,000 checks will be mailed until all of the nearly 50,000 checks have been sent. Office of Policy and Management Secretary Ben Barnes is thanking enrollees in the state’s Renters Rebate Program for their patience, promising payments will be made to qualified applicants as soon as possible. Payments from the $26.4 million program were delayed temporarily because language concerning the initiative needed to be fixed in the state’s new two-year, $41.3 billion budget. Rebates are up to $900 for qualified married couples and $700 for qualified single people.
DEAD BODY ID
Police have released the identity of a body found in a wooded area in Lisbon. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says 26-year-old David Cloutier III was discovered on Saturday in the woods near Chili’s. Authorities are calling it an untimely death after originally saying there was no criminal aspect to it. Anyone with any information is asked to contact Troop E detectives at (860) 848-6500 or text TIP711 with any information to 274637.
