SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES IN HARTFORD
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Law enforcement officials in Connecticut are investigating suspicious packages found at four buildings in downtown Hartford, including a government office and a courthouse. The Hartford Courant reports authorities are investigating at least four incidents involving white powders or suspicious packages Wednesday. In at least two of the instances, baby powder appears to be the culprit. The incidents happened at a state government building housing the Department of Education, two office buildings and the federal courthouse. State police say the Department of Education building was evacuated at around 11 a.m. after an unknown package was found. A second suspicious package was found around the same time at U.S. District Court and then the two other suspicious powders were reported at the office buildings. No injuries have been reported.
POWER OFF FOR AWHILE AT MARCUS PLAZA
All businesses and residences affected by a power outage today on West Main Street in Norwich are now back on-line. Public Utilities officials report the power in the Marcus Plaza area was fully restored by about 1 PM. The outage occurred around 9 this morning due to a malfunctioning transformer which had to be replaced. 13 commercial customers in Marcus Plaza had been affected.
$$ FOR SUB BASE MICRO-GRID
Funding for a micro-grid at the Groton Sub Base has been released by the state. Governor Dannel Malloy says a 5-million dollar grant will pay for the project, which will allow the base to keep supplying power to its key operations, including homeported submarines, during power outages, with no disruption in service. Officials say the micro-grid will provide energy security during such situations as major weather events, and similar emergencies. Work is expected to begin next year.
WOODSTOCK WOMAN SENTENCED FOR DRUG DEALING
BOSTON (AP) – A Woodstock, CT woman has been sentenced to a year in prison for her role in a New England drug ring. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said 40-year-old Melissa Rock was sentenced Wednesday to a year and one day in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in May. Rock and four others were indicted last year for their roles in purchasing cocaine for re-distribution in Maine.
EDSALL NEPOTISM??
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) – A Connecticut judge has heard arguments about whether UConn football coach Randy Edsall should be allowed to retain his son as an assistant coach with the team. Edsall is appealing a ruling by the state’s ethics office that the school violated Connecticut’s ban on nepotism by hiring Corey Edsall in 2017 as the school’s tight ends coach. The Hartford Courant reports UConn President Susan Herbst testified Wednesday that the ethics office ruling “could put a black cloud” over the recruitment of professors and other staff. The judge did not issue a decision Wednesday. State lawmakers this year upset ethics officials by passing a new law on state computer records that included a section allowing the employment of relatives of certain higher education employees. The section was added at the last minute.
VERMONT SUING PURDUE PHARMA
BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – Vermont is suing a major drug company over its prescription opioid marketing practices that the attorney general says led to the drug crisis in Vermont and around the country. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan filed the complaint against OxyContin-maker Purdue in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday. A number of other states have also filed separate lawsuits. Donovan says “Vermont has suffered too long. Too many lives have been ruined.” With the complaint, he say, “we finally tell our story.” Connecticut-based Purdue did not immediately return an email seeking comment. The lawsuit does not seek a specific monetary amount but asks for civil penalties, fees and costs and damages as well as for Purdue to change its practices.
