Free Republic

Majority Democrats in the state Senate announced a multi-tiered initiative Wednesday to better safeguard electric service and to hold Connecticut's utilities accountable through new performance standards and penalties. The proposal includes a $300 million state investment over the next decade to create "microgrids" -- sections of community centers with extra safeguards to ensure electric service remains available for grocery stores, gasoline stations and other vital service providers during large-scale outages. "It is imperative that Connecticut's utility companies be prepared for the next storm so that our residents' health and safety are not needlessly put at risk and that (utilities) are...

<p>NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Eleven men who claimed immigration agents violated their rights in 2007 raids on their New Haven neighborhood have won a $350,000 settlement from the U.S. government, which also agreed to halt deportation proceedings against the plaintiffs, their attorneys said Tuesday.</p>

When animated television tyke Lisa Simpson had to announce a tax increase to the American public, she deftly called it a "temporary refund adjustment," avoiding any mention of the three-letter T-word. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's administration stole a page from The Simpsons last week, repackaging a projected deficit in his new budget as a conditional surplus -- all without using the D-word. But while Lisa earned accolades from the fictional voters who only heard her mention a "refund," it remains unclear whether Malloy effectively steered the political debate -- and media coverage -- away from the $424 million hole his...

Ricky Haggood firebombed Richard and Deborah Dozier's house on Carmel Street in New Haven in 1990, while the couple was upstairs in their bedroom, sleeping. They managed to race out the back. Haggood thought the Doziers, who were active in the local block watch, had tipped police off to drug dealing on the street. Haggood received a 20-year sentence in 1991 for arson. But by 2003, several years short of his maximum release date, Haggood was on the lam. He didn't go over the wall — they almost never do. He was released, by the state parole board, to parole...

The Connecticut Supreme Court today adopted a congressional redistricting plan that makes minimal changes in the state's five U.S. House districts, and it ordered the legislature to pay the court-appointed special master who produced it a fee of $36,400. The only news was the fee charged by Nathaniel Persily, the Columbia law professor chosen as special master in December after legislators failed to draw new districts. He precisely followed the court's instructions in producing the new map, leaving no doubt as to the court's acceptance. "The Supreme Court's adoption of the congressional reapportionment plan comes as no surprise, given the...

According to a Jan. 31 Associated Press report, the notion of eliminating or dramatically reducing state income taxes is gathering steam. The AP reported that in Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Carolina — all but one of which elected a Republican governor in 2010 — this idea is getting a serious look. Currently, only nine states lack an income tax. Until 1991, Connecticut was income-tax-free as well. Considering what has happened in the Constitution State since then, one really can't blame those considering repeal. In '91, Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. and the legislature enacted Connecticut's first...

Twenty-One Republican Candidates Take Steps Toward ‘Young Gun' Status Washington- The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) today announced its newest round of ‘On the Radar' candidates. By reaching the second step of the four-step ‘Young Guns' program, these Republican candidates have reached the fundamental benchmarks to place them on the road to victory. Now, these 21 candidates are ready to take on the Democrat establishment and return fiscal sanity to Washington. "These candidates have worked hard to meet the benchmarks that have been laid out before them and are determined to hold Washington Democrats accountable this November," said NRCC Chairman...

SNIPPET: "Moeed Abdul Salam didn't descend into radical Islam for lack of other options. He grew up in a well-off Texas household, attended a pricey boarding school and graduated from one of the state's most respected universities." SNIPPET: "It is not clear to what extent Salam's family knew of his radicalism, but on his Facebook page the month before he died, he posted an image of Anwar al-Awalki, the American al-Qaida leader who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, beside a burning American flag." SNIPPET: "The family, originally from Pakistan, immigrated to the U.S. decades ago."

Starting in September, schools in Litchfield will no longer get Jewish holidays off. In a 5-to-3 vote, the school boar ruled not to observe Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Supporters say it's a fair decision to the majority of students who are not Jewish. Opponents say it's creating a sense of intolerance. According to a school board member who voted against the measure, Litchfield schools were once called out for not being culturally sensitive enough. She argues this latest measure is proof of that. ... "Litchfield once again demonstrates its lack of cultural sensitivity and lack of flexibility when it...

A man is recovering in the hospital after waking up to a car on top of him in his bed in New Haven. Now police said they are searching for the driver who fled from police after the car crashed through the home on Tuesday morning. "The sirens stayed on for a real long time," said neighbor Mia Franklin. "You know something happened. And the bang, we heard the bang and that's when we got up." Even neighbors said they couldn't have guesses what the loud bang was at 12:30 a.m. Police said it was a man fleeing from Hamden...

The man who killed three women in a 2007 Cheshire home invasion was sentenced to death on Friday and addressed the court before that sentence was handed down. Joshua Komisarjevsky will be joining Steven Hayes on death row for killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, in their Cheshire home in 2007. He is scheduled to be executed in July, pending appeals. "I will never find peace within. My life will be a continuation of the hurt I caused," Komisarjevsky said in court. "The clock is now ticking and I owe a debt I cannot repay."...

A Yale football player who said he withdrew from consideration for a Rhodes scholarship in order to prepare for his team's rivalry game against Harvard had in fact been informed his candidacy had been suspended, The New York Times reported. The Rhodes Trust had suspended quarterback Patrick Witt's candidacy when it learned, outside of official channels, that a female student had accused Witt of sexual assault in September, the newspaper reported. Witt had previously announced he had withdrawn his application because his interview for the prestigious scholarship was on the same day as Yale's game against Harvard, its ancient archrival....

A man who allegedly killed and ate a homeless person traveled to Lynn Haven where he was arrested, Lynn Haven police said Wednesday. Tyree Smith, 34, of Bridgeport, Conn., told a family member that he killed the victim with a hatchet, police wrote in a news release. Smith, who was covered in blood at the time, added that "after he bludgeoned the victim he took pieces of brain matter and his eye, which he consumed," police said.

MERIDEN, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – A recent Pew Research study found 73 percent of cell phone owners send text message and those who do, send an average of more than 40 messages each day. With all those text messages coming and going, it’s not surprising that some reach the wrong recipients. In Meriden recently, police say officers received a text from an unknown sender, offering black market sale of Percocet tablets, the prescription combination of oxycodone and acetaminophen. He notified the drug unit, continued communication with the texter, and set up a “buy.”

The state Department of Labor announced Monday that the state's unemployment rate fell 8.2 percent. The agency released the December job figures Monday. The state's unemployment rate was below the national rate of 8.5 percent. The number of nonfarm jobs in the state increased by 600 in December, bringing total nonfarm employment to 1.6 million jobs. The largest job growth came in the trade, transportation and utilities sector, which added 2,500 jobs. The retail sector had the largest percentage growth, 1.1 percent, as it added 1,900 jobs during the holiday season. The manufacturing sector lost 1,500 jobs. State officials say...

Consumer group Public Knowledge on Friday accused the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its head, former Sen. Chris Dodd, of trying to intimidate lawmakers into supporting a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills. In recent days, Dodd and other top Hollywood figures have threatened to cut off campaign donations to politicians who do not support their effort to crackdown on online copyright infringement. "Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write...

The NAACP is calling for a federal investigation into allegations a New London police officer planted drugs outside a suspect's house just before his arrest. The questionable conduct happened in October 2010 and was captured on tape by a camera inside a police cruiser. Lance Goode was arrested that night. He says the video shows Officer Roger Newton dropping drugs on the ground, looking around, and then kicking them underneath his car. "Someone we're supposed to trust, a police officer. His career was that important that my life, my family's life didn't mean nothing?" said Goode. Goode just filed a...

The Connecticut and New London branches of the NAACP are calling for a federal Justice Department investigation of a city police officer and questioning the firing of a black firefighter recruit. The state chapter announced the moves Friday. City resident Lance Goode filed a complaint with the state NAACP last week claiming Officer Roger Newton violated his rights by planting drugs on him just before his arrest. Goode gave the NAACP a video that he says shows Newton planting the drugs. Newton is on leave pending an internal investigation. The NAACP also questioned the firing of black firefighter recruit Al...

A state employee has been fired in the emergency food stamp fraud scandal after receiving $200 in benefits, officials said Wednesday. The union worker was terminated for understating her income while applying for the federal benefits, said her attorney, Rich Rochlin. She has been employed as a healthcare worker for the past six years at Connecticut Valley Hospital in Middletown for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Rochlin declined to release the worker's name, citing attorney-client privilege and saying he has not been authorized by the client to release her identity. Rochlin's client, who is single, claimed...

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's vaunted fiscal cushion has begun to erode quickly, and an underperforming state income tax is the chief culprit. Fiscal analysts for the executive and legislative branches agreed on a consensus revenue report late Tuesday that pushes the current budget to the brink of a deficit -- or possibly over it. More importantly, the controversial half-a-billion-dollar surplus Malloy and the legislature built into next year's budget -- after a record-setting tax increase -- has been chopped in half in less than seven months. And the worsening fiscal picture also creates one more problem for Malloy, or more...

A Superior Court judge has ruled that state trooper layoffs ordered by Gov. Dannel Malloy last year are unconstitutional. Last year, 56 state police troopers were laid off during the summer after they rejected part of a concessions agreement put out by Malloy's administration to deal with the state budget deficit. All of the state police troopers got their jobs back, collected six weeks of unemployment, which was less than their pay. But they say that's not the point. They sued because they say Malloy didn't have the authority to lay them off. It is unclear whether the state will...

Connecticut Congressional leaders announced Thursday that they are pushing a proposed law that would make stealing war veteran plaques and transporting them across state lines a federal crime. The penalty would involve time in prison and or fines up to $250,000. The move comes after several towns have had their war memorial plaques stolen and sold for scrap metal. In Ansonia, thieves stole two solid bronze plaques honoring war heroes. "They are more than just robberies of plaques because these memorials are a testimony to our veterans," U.S. Rep Rosa DeLauro said. "It's revolting because when you steal memorials you're...

A free meal at school for breakfast, lunch — and dinner? About 450 city students have been eating supper in school cafeterias as part of a government-funded meal program that may expand in Hartford and also to other Connecticut school systems this year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gives schools about $2.99 per dinner to serve students in after-school activities that involve academics.

One of the men convicted of killing a woman and her two daughters during a home invasion in Cheshire in 2007 has filed a motion in court requesting a new trial. Joshua Komisarjevsky was convicted last year of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and her two daughters, Hayley and Michaela. Dr. William Petit was the only survivor. Todd Bussert, one of the three attorneys for Komisarjevsky, says his client admits what he did in the home invasion murders but that trial was not fair. The main reason is because Komisarjevsky was denied a probable cause hearing on the amended criminal charges. Komisarjevsky...

How does this fit in with the White House’s new Obama moniker, “warrior of the working class?” Old Saybrook, Conn (WTNH) – It was rumored that President Barack Obama has considered purchasing the late Katharine Hepburn’s 8,300-square-foot mansion in the posh Fenwick section of Old Saybrook. Some folks living in the Fenwick section of Old Saybrook were not surprised by the recent rumors. Marge Taylor says news President Barack Obama may be looking at Katherine Hepburn’s old house is nothing new. She says his daughters Sasha and Malia have already been seen around the neighborhood because Sasha is friends with...

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) – Parents in a Connecticut suburb are outraged over disturbing disciplinary actions at a local elementary school. They claim students are being locked in unsupervised “scream rooms,” where some children have harmed themselves, reports CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez. The Middleton School District is on the hot seat as furious parents are demanding to know what’s going on behind closed doors at Farm Hill Elementary School. “My daughter is telling me that there’s kids being taken out in ambulances, by stretcher,” parent Sean Archer told CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez on Wednesday. Disturbing allegations have surfaced of teachers locking...

A Muslim woman is suing the University of Bridgeport, alleging that the school failed to investigate her claims that a fellow student sexually harassed her and instead retaliated by reporting her to the FBI based on a false claim that she was a terrorist. Balayla Ahmad filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday saying that she was sexually harassed by a male student for months in 2009 and that university officials showed "deliberate indifference" to her repeated complaints. She said college officials recklessly disseminated false accusations by the harasser that they had good reason to believe were unreliable and threatened her with...

A Muslim woman is suing the University of Bridgeport alleging the Connecticut university failed to investigate her claims that a fellow student sexually harassed her and instead retaliated by reporting her to the FBI based on a false claim by her harasser that she was a terrorist. Balayla Ahmad filed the federal lawsuit Tuesday saying she was sexually harassed by a male student for months in 2009 and that university officials showed "deliberate indifference" to her repeated complaints. She says college officials recklessly disseminated false accusations by the harasser which they had good reason to believe were unreliable and threatened...

A Manchester woman said today that she has decided to press charges after a scuffle Sunday at a presidential campaign event for Republican candidate Newt Gingrich inside a Mexican restaurant in Manchester, N.H. Rebecca Burton, 43, says she was inside the restaurant when her sign, which said, "Occupy Hartford,'' was pulled away by a security aide for Gingrich. The candidate had not yet entered the room. "Before I knew it, the sign was ripped out of my hands, and I saw a gentleman walking away with it,'' Burton told The Courant. "He pushed me roughly, and he said, 'Get out....

Ten States That Cannot Pay Their Bills Posted: January 11, 2012 at 6:59 amMichael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale, Ashley C. Allen 10. New Hampshire > 2011 budget shortfall as a % of general fund: 27.2% > 2011 budget shortfall: $365 million > 2012 projected budget shortfall: 18.4% (8th largest) > GDP change (2006 – 2010): +7.5% (11th smallest increase) > Median home value change (2006 – 2010): -4% (12th largest decline) New Hampshire is often considered to have weathered the recession better than most states. It has one of the strongest economies in the country in many respects. Its...

Beginning this month, Yale will join the small number of United States colleges and universities that help offset a federal tax gay and lesbian employees pay on health coverage received by their partners. Though same-sex marriage is legal in Connecticut, it is not recognized under federal law, so domestic partner health benefits are considered taxable income — levying an additional cost on homosexual couples that those in heterosexual marriages do not face. In a reversal from past years, Yale will now pay both employees with same-sex spouses or in civil unions $1,500 a year to help cover the cost of...

The Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, John DeStefano, a Democrat, wants to let non-citizens vote in city elections. One might ask the good mayor if he also thinks it OK for non-citizens to run for city offices, too -- like for mayor. According to a news story in New Haven Register, Pat O'Neill, spokesman for the state GOP House Republicans, asked when told of DeStefano's proposal: "When are they going to extend voting rights to the dead?" One inconvenient little snag for Mr. DeStefano's expansion of the franchise is the Constitution of the State of Connecticut, which stipulates in Article...

A Republican state senator from Meriden says he plans to introduce legislation next month that caps one of Connecticut's two taxes on gasoline sales. Sen. Leonard Suzio said Thursday that his bill would cap the gross receipts tax whenever the price of gas hits $3 a gallon. The gross receipts tax fluctuates when the wholesale price of gasoline fluctuates. There is a fixed 25-cent-per-gallon state tax. The gross receipts tax adds about another 25 cents per gallon. Suzio and the Stamford-based Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers of America are circulating a citizens' petition, urging Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to back...

Katharine Hepburn referred to her family’s shoreline house in Old Saybrook as “paradise,” and some rumors have been circulating that the First Family might feel the same way. Over the summer, word began to spread that the Obamas might be interested in buying the 8,000 square foot waterfront estate. Now, those rumors are circulating again, according to the Connecticut Hearst Media Group. Hearst spoke with the owner, Frank Sciame, who they said neither confirmed nor denied that there is presidential interest. "It's not sold, that's all I can say," Sciame told Hearst over the phone. "It's not something I can...

Police officers consider K-9 partners members of the force. So it was with great sadness that the West Hartford Police Department learned one of its own, Kora, a police dog, was being put down Monday. The 11-year-old was retired over the summer, after serving in the Department since 2003 with her handler, Officer Eric Rocheleau, according to Lt. David Dubiel. Kora had developed cancerous tumors common with old age, and had to be euthanized Monday, Dubiel said. But Kora got one last chance at being a police dog. Rocheleau took Kora to the vet Monday, and after some tests, was...

MERIDEN - A new mosque is a welcome addition to the mix of religious institutions on East Main Street and represents the city's history of religious tolerance, said the Rev. James Olson, pastor of Center Congregational Church. "I think it's great there are Muslims in the community," Olson said Wednesday. "Part of Meriden's heritage has always been religious diversity. I think it's just a reflection of what Meriden is." The Islamic Association of Southern Connecticut Inc. received Zoning Board of Appeals approval Tuesday to occupy a former funeral home at 189 E. Main St. as a place of worship.

Smiles and even a bit of laughter mingled with tears and mournful hugs as members of the Somers Congregational United Church of Christ met Monday in wake of an overnight fire that destroyed their sanctuary. “It’s almost beyond comment,” said longtime parishioner and Somers resident Malcolm Chadbourne as he stared at the blackened rubble with his wife, Joanne Chadbourne ““We are just shocked and sad.” State and local fire officials continue to probe the cause of the Sunday night blaze that leveled much of the landmark church, sent its steeple tumbling into an inferno, left congregants numb with shock. No...

video of tv report

The fire appears to have been caused by hot fireplace ashes and embers, which had been discarded," said Barry Callahan, the chief fire marshal in Stamford, Connecticut. He said the fire that engulfed the large waterfront Victorian home was accidental, according to preliminary findings, but an investigating is ongoing.

New Haven and Yale University Police captured a man they said confronted members of Occupy New Haven and pulled a gun on one of them. Around 1:13 a.m. Friday, New Haven Police said they responded to reports that a group of black men were kicking the Occupier's tents as they walked through the encampment. Justin Sabatino, one of the protesters, said he told police that the group was walking through the encampment kicking the tents yelling, "wake up." Sabatino said he confronted the men when one of them pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Another protester, identified...

The union representing 2,000 commercial office cleaners in the greater Hartford and New Haven areas has reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The four-year deal, reached late Wednesday after several top political leaders weighed in, averts a strike. "This agreement will help 2,000 hard-working men and women better support their families, which will contribute to our state's future economic growth,'' said Kurt Westby, Connecticut state director for the union, 32BJ of the Service Employees Bargaining Unit. Under the terms of the agreement, the workers will receive a raise in each of the next four years. The current hourly...

Before video games and robotics competitions, toys were much simpler: girls got dolls; boys got model trains and bicycles. Toys that promoted learning and experimentation were rare until one inventor, Alfred Carlton (“A. C.”) Gilbert, started making toys that taught children about science and engineering. His most famous, the Erector set, became one of the best -selling toys of its day and inspired children across the country to build everything from bridges to robots. Gilbert was a man of many talents. He financed his medical degree from Yale University by working as a magician, invented the pole-vaulting box and won...

NEW HAVEN — For one last time, the woman faced the man who repeatedly beat and raped her, and she told her story. Clearly moved by the victim’s “extraordinary dignity and immeasurable courage,” Superior Court Judge David Gold Thursday sentenced Jose Angel Moreno-Hernandez to serve 80 years in prison for what he did to the young woman and her family. She was in the courtroom with her mother, father, sisters, boyfriend and about 25 other supporters, including the police officers and detectives who found and arrested the defendant a few hours after the prolonged attack in her car and then...

Connecticut child care providers will be unionized following a vote announced Tuesday. The providers voted 1,603-88 to join the union, according to Matt O'Connor, a spokesman for CSEA/SEIU Local 2001. The American Arbitration Association, a neutral group, on Tuesday counted the secret ballots that had been returned through U.S. mail. O'Connor noted that the union had been trying for six years to organize the providers who care for children in providers' private homes. Nationally, 15 states have similar unions. Overall, about 96 percent of the Connecticut workers are women, O'Connor said. There are about 4,000 providers, covering all 169 cities...

Washington, DC – Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio is not the only one under fire from the Department of Justice for cracking down on illegal immigrants. Yesterday, the DOJ issued another scathing report accusing the East Haven, CT Police Department of discrimination against Latinos for allegedly violating their civil rights. In a 23-page letter detailing the results of a two-year investigation sent to the East Haven mayor, Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez wrote, “We find that EHPD engages in discriminatory policing against Latinos, including but not limited to targeting Latinos for discriminatory traffic enforcement, treating Latino drivers more harshly than non-Latino...

A U.S. Justice Department investigation into the East Haven Police Department has found a pattern of discrimination against Latino residents in violation of their constitutional rights and federal law. The results of the investigation, which was launched in September 2009, were released Monday. It was prompted by allegations of biased policing, unconstitutional searches and seizures and use of excessive force by police. The Justice Department's civil rights division alleges that the police department intentionally targets Latinos for traffic enforcement and treats Latino drivers more harshly after stops. ... Newly elected mayor Joe Maturo said the report is too abstract to...

New England lawmakers are asking the U.S. Commerce Secretary for an emergency assessment of the abundance of cod in the Gulf of Maine. ... The six lawmakers also are asking Bryson to freeze the cod catch limit at its current level until the study is complete. Fishermen are facing devastating cuts in cod catch next year

You read that headline right. While the GOP candidates squabble about whether support for in-state tuition or a path to citizenship might as well be support for amnesty, the mayor of New Haven, Ct., comes right out with it. He supports amnesty — and not even stealthily. NBC Connecticut reports: New Haven Mayor John DeStefano plans to ask the state Legislature to allow illegal immigrants who live in the city to be able vote in municipal elections.DeStefano said on Tuesday that the proposal would build a more engaged community and follows the lead of other cities, the New Haven Independent...

The firestorm against Lowe’s pulling ads from a Learning Channel Show about American Muslims moved to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy said he is leading a group of members of Congress who are calling on Lowe’s to reconsider their decision. Lowe’s pulled its ads from The Learning Channel's reality show "All-American Muslim" after complaints from The Florida Family Association, an organization Murphy called a “right wing anti-Muslim group" that thinks the mission of Islam is to destroy America. “This is a major American company rubber stamping basic foundational bigotry against a major American religious group,” Murphy said....

Two men condemned to die for killing a mother and her two daughters during a home invasion will be in the same prison for the first time since the 2007 crime, but their attorneys say they are likely to have little, if any, interaction. A jury decided Friday Joshua Komisarjevsky should face death by lethal injection. His accomplice, Steven Hayes, was sentenced to death last year. Hayes and Komisarjevsky blamed each other for escalating the crime, but prosecutors say it took both men to carry out the killings. Komisarjevsky's attorney says he's in a medical unit, a standard procedure for...