LOCAL PROSECUTOR ANNOUNCES SHE MAY RUN FOR STATE OFFICE, AS STATE OFFICIAL ACCUSES HER OF HELPING RACISM
A state prosecutor from eastern Connecticut has taken the first step towards seeking statewide political office. Jewett City native Sue Hatfield has formed an exploratory committee to determine her viability for public service. A long-time Republican, Hatfield is leaning toward running for attorney general, but she hasn’t made a final decision. Hatfield served as a public finance attorney with a New York-based firm before becoming a prosecutor in 2005. After graduating from law school, she worked in Washington as a policy aide to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Hatfield was recently the target of a tweet from the state’s Undersecretary for Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Mike Lawlor. He accused Hatfield of being a racist enabler because she served as a Connecticut delegate for Donald Trump in 2016. Hatfield says Lawlor’s comments are completely unfounded.
CHARGES DROPPED IN UCONN SPEAKER CASE
ROCKVILLE, Conn. (AP) – Prosecutors have dropped charges against a Willimantic woman who tried to steal the notes of a right-wing commentator at the University of Connecticut after she agreed to a one-year ban from campus and donated $500 to a UConn human rights center. State’s Attorney Matthew Gedansky agreed Tuesday to drop misdemeanor charges against Catherine Gregory. He called it an appropriate resolution of the case. The 33-year-old took papers from a lectern as Gateway Pundit writer Lucian Wintrich prepared to give a speech titled “It’s OK To Be White.” Wintrich grabbed her to try to retrieve his notes and was arrested, but the misdemeanor charge was later dropped. Wintrich denied his speech was racist. Gregory’s lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, says Gregory looks forward to continuing her opposition to fascism and the alt-right.
MORE SPEAKERS AT UCONN
TWO MONTHS AFTER A MELEE BROKE OUT DURING A SPEECH BY CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR LUCIAN WINTRICH AT UCONN, CAMPUS REPUBLICANS ARE BRINGING ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL SPEAKER— BEN SHAPIRO– IN TO SPEAK TOMOROW EVENING. MEANWHILE, CAMPUS DEMOCRATS HAVE A DUELING EVENT FEATURING A SHAPIRO CRITIC. UNIVERSITY SPOKESWOMAN STEPHANIE REITZ SAYS BOTH SPEECHES ARE SUBJECT TO NEW GUIDELINES. ONLY UCONN STUDENTS AND STAFF WITH VALID I-D’s AND TICKETS WILL BE ALLOWED INTO THE EVENTS— AND BAGS WILL BE SUBJECT TO SEARCH.
CUE THE BRASS BONANZA
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – The Hartford Whalers professional hockey team may have left the state 20 years ago, but their beloved logo will now appear on vehicles gliding along Connecticut’s highways. The Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday unveiled a new commemorative license plate that bears the former team’s green-and-blue insignia. Forty-five dollars from the sale of each plate will benefit the new Infusion and Dialysis Center at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. A typical motor vehicle registration costs $60. Stafford Springs Rep. Kurt Vail, a Republican who worked to pass legislation creating the plate, says support for the concept indicates how much enthusiasm remains in Connecticut for the team, which became the Carolina Hurricanes. He and other Whalers fans are hoping Hartford will someday be home to another NHL team.
NO DEAL FOR NEW PAWSOX STADIUM
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – The speaker of the Rhode Island House says the deal to provide public funding for a new stadium for the Pawtucket Red Sox is “dead.” House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello says the financing plan approved by the Senate last week will not make it through the House in its current form. Under the Senate plan, the state would pay for $23 million of the $83 million stadium the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate says it needs to replace its current aging facility. Mattiello says two-thirds of Rhode Islanders do not support the bill and therefore the House will not support it. He says the bill contains too many risks to taxpayers. Worcester, Massachusetts has been courting the team even as it negotiates with Rhode Island officials.
