CASINO BILL PASSES COMMITTEE
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Connecticut lawmakers are pushing ahead with legislation that could potentially lead to a fourth casino. The General Assembly’s Public Safety Committee voted 22-3 on Friday in favor of a revamped bill that would allow casino developers to submit proposals to build a casino, possibly in Bridgeport. Unlike the original version, this retooled bill does not strip last year’s legislative approval of a new tribal casino in East Windsor, which is being developed by the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes to compete with MGM Resorts’ new casino in Springfield, Massachusetts. The project still needs federal approval. The tribes own two casinos in southeastern Connecticut. The amended legislation, which awaits further action in the House of Representatives, was part of a compromise allowing the possibility of a Bridgeport casino to remain alive.
GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFUL OUT OF HOSPITAL
FARMINGTON, Conn. (AP) – A Republican contender for Connecticut governor who collapsed at a meet-and-greet event has been released from a hospital. UConn Health officials say Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton was discharged from the Farmington medical center Friday after being treated for dehydration. No additional details of his condition have been released. Representatives for Boughton declined to discuss his condition. Boughton collapsed Thursday night at a GOP candidates’ event in Avon. He was treated and given CPR by people at the scene including state Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, who is a doctor and rival Republican gubernatorial candidate. Srinivasan said Boughton had a seizure and appeared to be in cardiac arrest. The mayor underwent brain surgery last year to remove a noncancerous tumor from behind his ear. He returned to work a month afterward.
BROOKLYN MAN FACES CELLPHONE EXTORTION CHARGES
BROOKLYN, Conn. (AP) – Police have charged a Connecticut man with hacking the cellphones and social media accounts of more than 20 women and girls to obtain sensitive photos and personal information that he then allegedly used in an effort to extort nude photos of the victims. State police announced Friday that 25-year-old Christopher Lamb, of Brooklyn, faces more than 50 charges in connection with a scheme police say lasted several years. Police say Lamb caused his victims “pain, humiliation (and) anxiety” by posting their photos to lewd websites, and sending them to friends, family and employers when they refused to comply with his demands. Lamb was held on $100,000 bond pending a court hearing Friday.
COLORADO COMMISSIONING
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A new attack submarine is set to join the U.S. Navy in a ceremony in Groton. The submarine will be the USS Colorado and begins service Saturday at the Naval Submarine Base. Cmdr. Reed Koepp, Colorado’s commanding officer, says the submarine is ready to protect the nation here and abroad. The 377-foot-long sub weighs about 7,800 tons submerged. It can fight submarines and surface ships, conduct surveillance and deliver Special Operations troops. It has two large tubes that can launch six Tomahawk missiles each. Koepp says the Colorado is the first that can use an Xbox controller to maneuver the photonics masts, which replaced periscopes. Other submarines have joysticks. It’s the fourth U.S. Navy ship named Colorado.
POSSIBLE PLEA DEAL FOR FORMER FIRE CAPTAIN
A plea deal is reportedly in the works for a former Plainfield fire department captain. 28-year old Kevin Wells is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year old cadet in the department several times. The arrest warrant affidavit says Wells has admitted to having consensual sex three times with the teenager. The alleged victim says she was raped once at the fire house, but the other two times were consensual. Both sides in the case are negotiating a plea deal. Wells is out on bond, and is due back in court April 20th. The controversy also forced the resignation of Well’s father as fire department chief.
SEAT SERVICE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK IN STONINGTON
A proposed 10-thousand dollar fee increase for the new fiscal year is prompting Stonington officials to consider dropping the lone SEAT bus route in town. First Selectman Rob Simmons says very few people use it, and the town is considering other options that would be less costly. A SEAT study shows the route only averages just over two riders per trip, and is used primarily by residents in the Brookside Village subsidized housing complex in Pawcatuck. Simmons is to met with SEAT officials Monday.
OUTHOUSES WILL STILL BE LEGAL IN RI
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) – A Rhode Island lawmaker who introduced a bill that would ban outhouses in the state says he is withdrawing the legislation. Republican Rep. Justin Price said Wednesday he is pulling the measure ahead of a scheduled State house hearing. Price says the issue should be addressed by local municipalities, not the state. The bill would have required any outhouse existing as of Jan. 1, 2019, to be “abandoned, filled up and destroyed” within one year. Price previously said the bill was inspired by a dispute between Warwick residents and their former neighbor who lived within sniffing distance of the family’s outhouse. Those who refused to comply could have faced up to a $1,000 fine.
