Friday, March 29, 2013

After reviewing details from the Newtown shooting investigation, legislative leaders from both parties plan to meet in private with rank-and-file lawmakers Monday to discuss negotiated gun control legislation. A vote on a bill is expected as early as Wednesday.

Legislative leaders have been working for weeks to negotiate a bipartisan bill in response to the shooting and have requested as much information as possible to inform their legislation.
The Senate President, Democrat Donald Williams, said the sheer number of weapons found in the gunman’s household confirms lawmakers have been “on the right track” as they’ve negotiated what is expected to be a historic package of gun control measures.
Senate Minority Leader, Republican John McKinney said that the warrants confirmed what lawmakers already knew: the shooter was a troubled person who had access to firepower and ammunition.
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A coalition of Connecticut labor, faith, environmental and business groups held a press conference at the Capitol Thursday to call for upholding the state’s renewable energy portfolio while creating jobs. WPKN’s Melinda Tuhus has more.
Speakers said Senate Bill 1138 would roll back part of Connecticut’s renewable energy requirement of 20 percent renewables by 2020 by carving out up to 4.5 percent of that for big hydropower from Canada. That form of energy has not been considered a Class I renewable. Chris Phelps with Environment Connecticut said that move would create jobs in Canada.
These groups also object to what they say is the speed with which the legislation is being pushed through, since the legislature is moving toward a vote even though the public comment period on the bill ends May 13.
Opponents of the hydro component say they support another piece of the bill, which would create long-term contracts for wind energy.
Melinda Tuhus, WPKN News.
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Thursday, Governor Dannel Malloy named former state Senator Edith Prague as the commissioner of the new State Department on Aging. Ms. Prague is 87.
She returns to state government after stints as a state representative and state senator, and a tumultuous and ultimately unhappy tenure as the commissioner of aging under Governor Lowell Weicker Jr.
Weicker eventually eliminated the department, folding its functions into the Department of Social Services, earning him the everlasting
The Governor said the rationale for a stand-alone department was simple: Connecticut is aging. By 2030, more than 21 percent of the state’s population is expected to be of retirement age.
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Newsday reports the Feds are investigating the Southampton Town Police Department,
A source close to the case says the U.S. attorney’s office got involved this month after it received documents about a number of alleged problems in the department.
Newsday obtained documents earlier this month that alleged the Street Crime unit had unsecured baggies of crack, methamphetamine and prescription painkillers in its office
Police Chief Robert Pearce says that evidence from the department’s disbanded Street Crime Unit that had gone missing has now resurfaced.
Newsday also reported that documents provided to the U.S. attorney’s office included felony and misdemeanor charges that former Police Chief William Wilson had prepared against the former commander of the Street Crimes Unit, Lieutenant. James Kiernan.
The charges allege that Kiernan changed time sheets indicating days he worked.
But Kiernan’s attorney, Raymond Perini, told Patch, “There was no substance to the allegation. It was totally investigated and there was no wrongdoing found”
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Brookhaven Town supervisor Ed Romaine says the town is stepping up enforcement against unscrupulous landlords who rent single rooms in a single-family house. This comes in response to a housing problem in the Stony Brook area, where investors purchase houses and illegally rent to University students. Seven or more tenants are living in a single family home.
The Town is proposing to increase fines levied against residents who purposefully violate town housing codes.to as much at $10,000, and reducing the length of rental permits from two years to one.
The town board is expected to vote on these amendments at its April 2 meeting.

Thursday, March 28

Authorities today released details of Adam Lanza’s troubled life and his assault on Sandy Hook Elementary School, on December 14.

Lanza killed 26 children and educators in less than five minutes, firing 154 rounds from a Bushmaster XM15 military-style rifle. He was prepared to kill far more: Police found three more 30-round magazines on him, with another 15 rounds in his rifle.

The first new on-the-record details from law enforcement came in search-warrant documents unsealed by the Superior Court and in a written statement from Danbury State’s Attorney Stephen J. Sendensky III, who is overseeing the investigation.

Lanza killed himself in one of two classrooms he attacked, clad in military gear.

His mother, Nancy Lanza, was discovered at their home, dead in bed, shot once in the forehead. A rifle was on the floor. There were no signs of a struggle, and a gun safe was unlocked.

The state police affidavits and inventories of the items seized at two crime scenes, the Lanza home and Sandy Hook Elementary, described a home chock full of guns and ammo, including four weapons in a safe kept in Adam’s bedroom, near a gaming console and clippings of other mass killings.

Three books were seized. Two were about autism: “Look me in the eye, my life with Aspergers,” and “Born on a blue day – Inside the mind of an autistic savant.”

Neighbors and classmates of Mr. Lanza have said he had an autism variant known as Asperger syndrome, though investigators have never confirmed this.

The third book was the “NRA guide to the basics of pistol shooting.”

Governor Dannel Malloy, referring to the Bushmaster rifle and magazines containing 30 rounds, said “This is exactly why we need to ban high capacity magazines and why we need to tighten our assault weapons ban. The time to act is now.”

Anticipating today’s release, legislators gave up on an effort to bring a gun-control bill to a vote this week. Debate is expected next Wednesday in the Connecticut General Assembly on a bill that would ban the sale of military-style rifles such as the AR-15, as well as magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds. The XM15 is Bushmaster’s version of the AR-15. 

Senator Dick Blumenthal joined three Yale experts on climate science and communication for a panel discussion at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Wednesday night. WPKN’s Melinda Tuhus was there:

Blumenthal said the country lacks but needs an energy policy. He pointed out that Connecticut leads the nation in fuel cell production, and more jobs could be created to produce renewable energy of all kinds if they are not undercut by the boom in fracking for natural gas.

One expert on the panel said the jury’s still out on fracking’s impact, while another panelist, Nadine Unger, said its impact is overall negative.
The forum was co-sponsored by the Sierra Club, which is calling for shutting down Connecticut’s last coal-fired power plant, in Bridgeport.

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A provision of New York’s new gun control law that would prohibit the sale of 10-bullet magazines was suspended.

The New York Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law on January 15 of this year banned the sale of magazines holding more than seven bullets.

The law was set to go into effect on April 15.
However, according to the new amendment, eight-, nine- or 10-bullet capacity magazines will still be available for purchase after that date. Gun manufacturers do not yet make seven-round magazines. Still, gun owners will be able to load no more than seven bullets into the 10-round magazines.

Gun-rights supporters point to the many minor changes as proof the law is riddled with problems because it was passed in haste, and some are still calling for a full repeal.

Governor Cuomo has indicated he remains open to tweaking the existing law, but has no plans for a full repeal.

He said “You need a system and government regulation to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.”

Wednesday, March 27

A plan proposed by Governor Malloy would require the state’s two wholesale electricity providers, CL&P and UI to stop dealing with end users. The State would auction off the customer lists and accounts to the highest bidders. It is hoped the auction would net the state some $80 Million.

Opponents of the Governor’s plan believe that the 400,000 customers currently billed directly by CL&P and UI, will be acquired by alternate vendors who will seek to recoup their auction bids by charging higher rates. The alternate vendors will be free of State regulation, and that prospect has resulted in spirited opposition from AARP and other consumer groups. Allegations of misleading advertising and bait-and-switch practices abound, and the prospect of customers having to pay penalties to switch companies, rankles many voters.


Cellular telephone subscribers who have been “locked in” to a particular cellphone company, and find a lower rate from another vendor for the same service, may recognize these issues.

DEEP Spokesman Dennis Schain said the unique proposal is intended to create real competition and thereby force prices lower. But each vendor could adjust its rates, on a monthly basis anytime after the first year. Further, the accounts to be auctioned would be without the consent of the customers and any change could invoke a cancellation fee.

But the DEEP believes it can tailor Malloy’s proposal to meet those objections.
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The Connecticut Regulations Review Committee postponed action Tuesday on changing marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule II drug as it prepares to legalize the drug for medical purposes.

Approving the regulation is one step toward legalization, but some members of the committee felt they didn’t have enough information to take a vote so it was postponed until next month.

Representative Vincent Candelora, of North Branford, said he’s concerned about approving a regulation that would put Connecticut at odds with federal laws and regulations regarding marijuana.

Legislators have gotten conflicting rulings on that issue. In addition to changing the classification of marijuana, the Department of Consumer Protection is getting ready to open up public comment on regulations for the licensing, growing, and distribution of the drug.
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The Southampton Town Board and the Southampton Town Trustees have authorized a $434,000 project for the remediation of Water Mill's Mill Pond.

The pond was the site of a massive fish kill in 2008.

The pond will be given an application of Phoslock, a clay based proprietary substance to prevent harmful algal blooms. The algae can be potentially dangerous for humans and were responsible for the fish kill,

Phoslock is designed to capture phosphorus from septic systems and fertilizer. Phosphorus gets to water bodies through groundwater and storm water runoff, and can produce algal blooms.

The trustees previously cordoned off a channel of Mill Pond last year to test the procedure. After the successful trial run, they are ready to try it on the whole pond starting the first week of April.

Over the course of the next year, tests will be taken to monitor the water quality and efforts will also be taken to reduce any future runoff into the pond.

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Dozens of activists from around the state held a rally outside the downtown New Haven branch of TD Bank on Saturday morning, targeting its financial support for the Keystone XL pipeline, which they oppose. WPKN’s Melinda Tuhus was there.
Organizer Anthony Sourge, with the group Capitalism Versus the Climate, explained the issue to a curious passerby.
Listen here
Organizers included 350 CT.Protesters said TD Bank has made almost a billion dollars in corporate loans to TransCanada to fund the pipeline project.
Asked for comment, a bank spokesman wrote in an email that TD Bank “supports responsible energy development and employs due diligence in our financing and investing activities relating to energy production.” It also claims on its website to be carbon-neutral in its corporate operations.
Melinda Tuhus, WPKN News.
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U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy said Connecticut’s ability to act swiftly on comprehensive gun control could affect national policy, and its failure to act would also send a message.
Gun control will be the first non-budget issue the U.S. Senate tackles after the spring recess. Blumenthal and Murphy said their Capitol Hill colleagues have been asking what steps Connecticut has taken in the wake of the Newtown shooting nearly 100 days ago.
At a press conference Monday in Blumenthal’s Hartford office Murphy said “It would be a tragedy if Connecticut didn’t pass a law that was the strongest in the nation,”.
Blumenthal said there has been enough time for Connecticut to act and it should act.
He added that if a national ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines were in effect on Dec. 14, some of the 20 children and six adults killed by the gunman might be alive today.
Murphy said the most important piece of the assault weapons ban is the ban on high-capacity magazine clips.
Connecticut’s legislative leaders continue to work behind closed-doors to craft a legislative response to the tragedy, but no final bill has been completed.
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The Suffolk Times reports more than 100 different pesticide-related chemicals have been detected in Long Island’s groundwater since 1996. That’s according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).
To prevent future pesticide contamination, the DEC has released a draft version of a strategy aimed at protecting Long Island’s waters. Its goal is to establish effective pest management, while protecting the Island’s waters.
A public hearing on the Long Island Pesticide Use Management Plan (LIPUMP).will be held by the DEC on Wednesday, April 3 from 7 to 9 PM at the Suffolk County Community College Eastern Campus in Riverhead.
A summary of the plan and the Draft Strategy are available at EastHampton.Patch.com. Search for “LIPUMP”
If you cannot attend the hearings, please send your written comments on the Draft Strategy, by 5pm April 30, 2013

via fax to : 518-402-9024

Comments on the Draft Strategy, may be sent by 5pm April 30 by email to

LongIslandStrategy@gw.dec.state.ny.us
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Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine is considering selling the former Town Tax Receiver’s building on Port Jefferson’s Main Street.
Romaine said that selling it could reduce the amount the town would have to dip into its reserve funds at the end of 2013. He estimated it could yield the town anywhere from $1 million to $1.5 million.
The Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHOF) has planned the building as their future home.
The Hall of Fame and Brookhaven Town entered into a 15-year lease agreement on the building two years ago. Romaine said he believes LIMHOF may be in default for failing to pay rent and possibly failing to insure itself.
LIMHOF Chair Jeffrey James said they have “absolutely not” breached any terms of its lease with the town.
It remains unclear whether Port Jefferson Village would buy the property should it become available. Mayor Margot Garant has directed the village attorney to reach out to Brookhaven’s law department to see how to get the village involved.
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Monday, March 25

Families of some of the Newtown victims traveled Friday to Hartford to speak with legislators. Some who spoke with reporters appeared to be unfazed by the pace of the ongoing negotiations.
A ban on high-capacity magazines has become a sticking point in negotiations between legislative leaders, who are struggling with whether to endorse an outright ban or to allow gun owners to keep the magazines they’ve already purchased.
Po Murray, of the Newtown Action Alliance, said they don’t believe anyone except for military personnel or police should be allowed to have magazines with more than 10 bullets.
She said they learned 152 shots were fired in five minutes on that “dreadful day.”
Murry added “The need to exchange an empty magazine for a loaded one is the only reason many children from Ms. Soto’s class were able to escape with their lives,”
Ron Pinciaro, executive director of Connecticut Against Gun Violence, said a ban on magazines is necessary because, unlike a gun, they can’t be traced and there would be no way to differentiate between those purchased before the ban and those bought after the ban.
Legislative leaders received a briefing Friday from state prosecutors conducting the investigation into the shooting.
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The Connecticut Correction Department’s early inmate release program was both praised and panned Friday as the Malloy administration touted its benefits and critics forced a hearing on legislation to eliminate it entirely.
The “Risk Reduction Credit” program was passed by the legislature in 2011 and allows the department to award inmates credits that can reduce their prison sentence by a maximum of five days a month.
The Malloy administration says inmates earn credits by participating in programs designed to ease their transitions back into society and reduce the likelihood they will commit another crime.
However, Republicans argue that the credits should not be available to inmates convicted of violent offenses.
The Governor has supported legislation that would statutorily require that violent offenders serve at least 85 percent of their sentences before being released from prison. He said that’s been the case already.
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On Long island, plans for a proposed green energy park will be pitched to the public at tonight’s Greenport Village board meeting at the Third Street Firehouse. The meeting was scheduled for 6pm
The plan, as described by Mayor David Nyce in January would harness wind, solar, and, possibly, tidal energy.
The green energy park would be built on the approximately nine acres of Village owned land at Clark’s Beach on Long Island Sound. The Mayor says that it would make the village energy independent.
Greenport operates its own electric company. Currently 75 percent of its energy usage comes from a Niagra Mohawk Power Corp. hydroelectric plant in Niagra Falls. The remaining 25 percent is purchased on the open market at a higher rate. That 25 percent, according to the mayor, constitutes 80 percent of a user’s energy bill.
The proposed facility would produce from 2 to 4 megawatts of power when demand exceeds that produced by the hydroelectric plant.
If approved, grants would be pursued. to fund the project.
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An internal investigation by the Southamton Town Police into the operation of the now defunct Street Crimes unit may be held up due to missing money and drugs tagged as evidence according to 27east.com and Patch.
The evidence had been stored in a secure room at police headquarters and was originally discovered by former Police Chief William Wilson.
Present Chief Robert Pearce asked to see the evidence for a new investigation
Wilson, who stepped down in November after 18 months on the job, recently told Patch that a police officer, Eric Sickles, whose job it was to conduct drug investigations, became addicted to prescription painkillers himself, under the noses of his supervisors.
The Suffolk County district attorney’s office initiated a review of more than 100 cases conducted by the Street Crimes Unit while Sickles was purportedly addicted. This led to the reversal of some convicted drug offenders sentences and to law suits brought against Southampton Town and its police officials by three of those convicted.

Thursday, March 21 2013

Connecticut’s budget forecast has improved over the past month, according to Governor Malloy’s budget director, Ben Barnes. He predicted that the state will end the year with just under a $34 million deficit, down from $56 million last month. The forecast includes the results of the December deficit mitigation and the hiring freeze instituted on Jan. 22, but it does not include the impact of federal budget cuts. The biggest boost came from a $30 million rise in collections from the inheritance and estate tax. The biggest deficiency is still the $255 million Medicaid account. However, Barnes’s projections have been far rosier than those of state Comptroller Kevin Lembo and the legislature’s Office of Fiscal Analysis.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Members of the Connecticut Public Safety and Security Committee became the first lawmakers to cast votes on gun control legislation this session when they approved three non-controversial measures yesterday.

The committee passed proposals requiring criminal background checks for the private purchase of guns and new requirements to host gun shows. A third measure would reduce the acceptable blood-alcohol limit for hunters to mirror the state’s driving-while-intoxicated statutes.
As they’re written now, the three committee bills do not include any of the more controversial proposals, which have been under consideration in the months since the December 14 school shootings in Newtown.


Connecticut Department of Energy and Environment Commissioner Daniel Esty appears to have convinced the Energy and Technology Committee’s chairmen this week that the state should focus more of its renewable energy portfolio on wind, solar, and Canadian hydropower. But he didn’t win over everyone.
The suggested changes would come at the expense of the state’s current focus on biomass and landfill gas. Dozens of environmentalists and industry groups turned out Tuesday to testify against specific portions of the proposal, which calls for expanding the state’s renewable energy portfolio to 20 percent overall by 2020 and 25 percent by 2025, It allows for Connecticut to join states like Vermont and Massachusetts in investing in large-scale projects.

About a hundred people representing labor, environmentalists and the faith community met at the Capitol Tuesday night for a Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. WPKN’s Melinda Tuhus was there:
One speaker said that the labor movement was concerned that “green jobs” like home weatherization were not living wage jobs.
But Bryan Garcia, head of the Connecticut Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority, said the green workforce includes a range…
His agency provides financing for green enterprises of all kinds.
Baptist minister Tom Carr said his religious worldview recognizes that everyone is connected and dependent upon one another.
Attendees broke into small groups to discuss the obstacles they see to implementing a good green jobs policy, like the power of the fossil fuel industry over Congress or the lack of information available to Americans upon which to make good consumer decisions.
For WPKN, I’m Melinda Tuhus


Connecticut Congressman Jim Himes urged the House Committee on Appropriations to remove bureaucratic barriers that are preventing already-approved flood mitigation projects from moving forward.
He said Congress should allow the Army Corps of Engineers to use some of the $5.4 billion included in the Sandy relief package to conduct flood mitigation projects in Southwestern Connecticut.
In 2010, Himes secured authorizations for the Corps to conduct flood mitigation studies for Fairfield and New Haven Counties. These studies have not taken place because Congress put a block on funding any new projects due to the backlog of unfinished projects.

Last week Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called for closing a breach in Fire Island which he said was contributing to flooding in towns along Great South Bay.
Pro-breach residents believe the new cut at Fire Island’s Old Inlet isn’t causing more flooding and that closing it is a waste of taxpayer money.
In a posting on Patch, the residents say the inlet is not causing higher than normal bay tides and south shore flooding. They have initiated an online petition effort.

In a closely contested election in Greenport on Tuesday, Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins were elected as trustees on the village board.
They will serve on the board begining April 1 of this year through April 2 of 2017.
Robins and Phillips received the most votes. Former board member Bill Swiskey came in third.
Robins, who will be new on the board, said she would receive help from Greenport Village Mayor David Nyce and outgoing Trustee Chris Kempner. “I’ll be reading and studying,” she said. “I’m a fast learner. I’m really excited.”
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Tuesday, March 19 2013

The battle over labeling of genetically modified foods (GMOs) is currently being fought in Connecticut and thirty other states. At issue is whether those foods sold to consumers must be identified on the packaging. Sixty countries now require such labeling, but there is no national mandate in the US.

In Connecticut, the Public Health Committee heard arguments from both sides in the dispute last Thursday.

Testifying in favor of labeling, Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream told the group that ““This is not about whether you can use GMOs or not. It’s about telling people honestly, openly, and transparently what’s in food so they can decide.”

Vermont is closer to passing such a bill, but Monsanto, which developed the technology and holds patents on the process, has threatened to sue that state if it is adopted.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is against the bill. They testified that  Connecticut’s farmers would be placed at a competitive disadvantage if it passes. They said, “A national policy is necessary to keep the playing field level for Connecticut farm families”.

However, many believe it may be too late, as 70% of all foods in grocery stores contain GMOs which aid in reducing losses from insects by making the plants immune to herbicides. But heath risks are still unclear.

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Two speakers brought the fight to end mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia to students at the Quinnipiac University Law School on Monday. WPKN's Melinda Tuhus reports:

The struggle is part of the bigger fight to end coal extraction altogether, since it is the most polluting fossil fuel both in terms of greenhouse gases and in its devastating health and environmental impacts. In the past decade coal has dropped from providing 50 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. to a little over 35 percent, but blowing the tops off mountain ridges to get at the coal seams beneath continues unabated, mainly in West Virginia. 

Elise Keaton is with the Keeper of the Mountains Foundation, based in Charleston, W.V. She described the forces that are arrayed against residents' efforts to shut down this form of mining.

The two are also speaking at Fairfield University and Southern CT State University this week.

Melinda Tuhus, WPKN News

Monday, March 18, 2013

 Monday, March 18

After more than 40 hours of expert testimony the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission, created by Governor Dannel. Malloy, issued an interim report that includes a controversial recommendation to ban the sale, possession or use of any gun which accepts magazines with 10 or more bullets. The ban does not apply to military or police use.

The 16-member commission was convened by the governor as a response to the Dec. 14 Newtown school shooting.
Some of the draft recommendations the group approved go further than the proposals being discussed by either the governor or the legislature.
While Malloy supports a ban on high-capacity magazines, legislative leaders seem to be leaning away from the measure.

Last week, Connecticut Against Gun Violence, called out legislative leaders for allegedly waffling on the issue behind closed doors.
The group sent a letter to lawmakers calling anything short of a complete ban “intolerable.” The press release included a letter citing legal precedent for taking property.
Robert Crook, executive director of the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, said the measure to ban guns that accept 10 round magazines turns all “semi-automatic hand guns into paperweights.” He said they didn’t distinguish between tubular magazines and detachable magazines either which means they’re “essentially banning all guns.”
“It bothers me governor’s task force didn’t include any firearm experts,” Crook said.
Meanwhile, the Sandy Hook Commission also recommended mandatory background checks for the sale or transfer of any firearm at private sales and gun shows. It recommended regular renewal of firearm permits, including a test of firearm handling capacity as well as an understanding of applicable laws and regulations.
The Commission found that firearms of significant lethality can be legally obtained without permit and without registration. “According to the Connecticut State Police, there are approximately 1.4 million registered firearms in the State of Connecticut, and possibly up to 2 million unregistered firearms
On the school safety front, the commission recommending that all classrooms in K-12 schools be equipped with locking doors that can be locked from the inside by the classroom teacher or substitute. It also recommended requiring that all exterior doors in K-12 schools be equipped with hardware capable of implementing a full perimeter lockdown.
Legislative leaders will meet again today to see if they can reach consensus on an emergency certified bill the General Assembly can vote on in the near future.
The commission, which has not discharged its duties just yet, will continue meeting Friday, March 22 to being tackling the state’s mental health delivery system.
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An ongoing issue between the Southampton Village Board and the Southampton Town Trustees is coming to a head — a bulkhead. The steel structure is in front of a private ocean front home in the village.
The Town Trustees, who have oversight of the town’s waterways and the ocean beachfront in all of Southampton Town, say that the bulkhead is in violation of state environmental conservation regulations. The Village board disagrees.
The trustees have a longstanding policy against any new bulkheads on Southampton’s shores. They argue that the science shows that hardening the shoreline leads to the narrowing of beaches. They say the sand that is seaside of a bulkhead gets washed away. Plus, unhardened properties beyond a bulkhead become more vulnerable. They point to the extreme erosion created by a steel bulkhead in front of seven homes in Water Mill.
At a Village Board meeting last week coastal geologist Aram Terchunian of Westhampton criticized the trustees’ opposition to bulkheading. He said, “You have to use all the tools that are in the toolbox. You can’t just discard them because you have a philosophy.”
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Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman, of Montauk, announced Monday that he will seek reelection in November instead of running for East Hampton Town supervisor. This is despite an endorsement as Supervisor from The East Hampton Republican Committee. In endorsing Schneiderman the committee passed over Republican two-term incumbent, Bill Wilkinson. Wilkinson hadn’t told the committee if he wanted to keep his seat for a third term.

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Friday, March 15, 2013

Political cartoons have a long history of influencing public opinion.  Current examples can be seen at a exhibit of contemporary anti-war cartoons from around the world in a New Haven show at the Gateway Community College. Seven finalists had their work shown last night at the opening reception. They were chosen from over 500 artists who entered the competition.

The exhibit is on view until March 22^nd, when it moves to UN Headquarters in New York City.

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The Connecticut Legislature’s Public Safety Committee heard testimony Thursday from a predominantly pro-gun crowd during an all-day hearing on about a dozen proposed gun control bills. Despite continuing bipartisan talks between leaders on emergency certified gun legislations, the Public Safety Committee has moved forward with its own legislation. The committee has until March 21 to move legislation out of the committee. Much of the opposition was directed at S.B. 1076, a broad piece of legislation, which includes many of the proposals under consideration by legislative leaders. It includes language that would expand the number of guns prohibited under the state’s assault weapons ban.

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Bridgeport’s gun buyback program continues this Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Community Services Division, 1395 Sylvan Avenue.

The program has taken more than 730 firearms off the streets since December 2012.

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The Port Jefferson School Board is moving ahead to blocking high-school seniors from leaving the school campus during lunch hours. If enacted, the new policy would become ineffective on July 1^st, restricting incoming seniors to the campus during normal school hours. Students have protested the policy, even offering alternative scenarios, while administrators seek to move proactively before a student tragedy.

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When Hurricane Sandy swept ashore in Long Island in October, the historic storm significantly altered the shoreline along Suffolk County's south shore and left a breach at Old Inlet on Fire Island.

Now, county officials are blaming the breach for the increase in flooding experienced by residents in many communities that touch the Great South Bay. During a press conference held at Shorefront Park in Patchogue Village Wednesday, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and other county, town and village officials called for the breach to be repaired.

Bellone also acknowledged that there is a debate over whether or not sealing the breach is the right answer, and representatives from nature organizations came to the conference with concerns that this is a mis-diagnosis.

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Southold Town could be one step closer toward mitigating long-term disaster after future storms. The Town board agreed to move forward with a new federal program that would prove proactive in mitigating damage after natural disasters by embracing a proactive approach.  In February, representatives of the National Disaster Recovery Framework, a new program under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, met with the Southold Town board at a work session to discuss the initiative.

The program would pull together federal agencies to work together in a collaborative effort, focusing not only on disaster recovery - but on projects that can shore up infrastructure to prevent future storm damage.

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said he has been working with FEMA officials on a regular basis since the recovery efforts after Hurricane Irene.   Currently, FEMA funding exists in the form of direct reimbursement for costs associated with the damage caused by disasters such as Superstorm Sandy.
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In Water Mill in Southampton Town severe erosion has caused beach to disappear and a steel bulkhead constructed in front of seven ocean front homes to lean in to the sea.this week. 

Sand was washed away beyond the bulkhead exposing junk autos placed there in the 1960s to control erosion.  Southampton Town Trustee Fred Havemeyer told the Southampton Press that water washes away the sand in front of the wall and then swings in to wash out the beach beyond. Havemeyer said “that’s why we don’t want hard structures on the beach".
Nevertheless, additional bulkheads are being constructed on the ocean in nearby Southampton Village. 
 

 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

On Wednesday Governor.Dannel Malloy and the state Bond Commission approved more than $290 million in borrowing for a number of projects and investments.  They include almost $10 million for an on-the-job training program and $10 million to dredge New Haven Harbor.The on-the-job training program, known as the Subsidized Employment Training Program, helps subsidize salaries of employees for the first six months they’re on the job. About half the money is allocated specifically for manufacturers. Overall, the money is expected to benefit about 1,300 individuals.

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Yesterday was a lobby day at the capitol in Hartford. Some supporters of tighter gun safety laws expressed frustration with the lack of any legislation three months after the Sandy Hook massacre.

Legislative leaders were expected to meet for a fifth round of negotiations Wednesday in hopes of reaching a bipartisan agreement on gun violence prevention legislation.in response to the Sandy Hook murders. But some asked why Democrats, who control both chambers of the legislature and the governor’s office, hadn’t simply passed their agenda over the opposition of the minority party.
Connecticut Against Gun Violence president Marty Isaac told supporters they had two things now that they lacked in previous years—numbers and money. In future elections, Isaac suggested the group may try to unseat lawmakers who don’t vote their way on gun control. He said in the past, policy makers have only had to deal with the outrage of gun advocates.
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Connecticut could lose more than $900 million in federal defense spending this year, according to the  legislature’s nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis
The state projected that most of the pain from the so-called sequestration cuts would fall on Connecticut’s defense industries. State and municipal governments and private entities in Connecticut also could lose a combined $53 million in non-defense programs, particularly in education, social services and housing.
Both the defense and non-defense cuts would be phased in over the remainder of the year, and many might not come to pass if Congress reaches a bipartisan compromise that cleared the Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week.
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A Southampton Town drug investigations officer became addicted to prescription painkillers himself, under the noses of his supervisors, according to internal police documents released to Patch and the former chief of the department.

William Wilson retired late last year after 18 months as chief of the department. He said last week he believes the department failed officer Eric Sickles, who was a member of the now-defunct Street Crime Unit, and no one was held accountable.

Sickles’ commanding officer, Lt. James Kiernan was suspended for six months — though Wilson thought he should be fired — and Sickles was suspended indefinitely.

Wilson said he also thought that then-Lt. Robert Pearce, who Kiernan looped in about the situation, also should have been disciplined, but the Southampton Town Board Instead, promoted Pearce to captain against Wilson’s wishes, and Pearce was named the new chief to replace Wilson in November 2012 by a unanimous Town Board vote.

Suffolk County internal affairs officers investigated the matter, and the Suffolk County district attorney’s office initiated a review of more than 100 cases conducted by the Street Crime Unit while Sickles was purportedly addicted.

This led to the sentences of two convicts being vacated and their release from prison – and to suits against the town, Wilson and others by the released prisoners.
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Maureen’s Haven, a program that provides shelter to the East End’s homeless population in the winter is holding a Polar Bear Plunge to raise funds on Friday, March 16.
The event will kick off at 11:00 a.m. at The Wharf House at Founders Landing, located on Terry Lane & Hobart Avenue, Southold.
Registration starts at 9 a.m.
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Wednesday March 13, 2013

The Newtown-based National Shooting Sports Foundation is donating 2,500 gun safety locks to the police departments of Bridgeport, Stratford, Fairfield and Waterbury, which will be distributed to residents free of charge.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch thanked the foundation and said, "Every lock we give out potentially prevents a tragedy and saves a life.” 

During the past decade, Project ChildSafe, administered by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, dispensed 36 million firearm safety kits nationwide. The kits include a cable lock that makes a gun impossible to fire, and safety brochures.  

The Foundation opposes strengthening gun safety laws in Connecticut, or anywhere else in the U.S.

Finch said, “Reasonable people can disagree on public policy, but today’s event illustrates that people with divergent views even on a subject as important as gun control can find common ground and come together for the safety of families and children.”

A bill  introduced in the Connecticut legislature would require pediatricians to screen their patients in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 for behavioral health problems during annual physical exams. The objective is to identify mental health problems in a timely way.

It was proposed by Senator Toni Harp, who co-chaired the legislative working group on mental health issues set up after the Newtown massacre. The bill has generated criticism from parents and homeschool advocates who say it would stigmatize children, intrude on parents' rights, and cost millions of dollars.

Under the bill, the assessments would be done by the child's pediatrician, who would submit a form to the state verifying that the child had received the assessment. The results would be confidential and disclosed only to a child's parent or guardian.

The bill as written, applies to all public and homeschooled children, but Harp said Tuesday she would drop the requirement for home-schooled children. She would also consider adding private school children to the legislation.

Opponents said the bill is unnecessary because it duplicates federal laws that require boards of education to identify, assess and serve children with serious emotional disturbances. Deborah Stevenson, founder of National Home Education Legal Defense, said the issue is one of parents' rights, and has been upheld by a long line of cases in the U.S. and Connecticut Supreme Courts.

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A group of 26 professional and amateur cyclists rode 400-miles from Newtown to Washington, D.C. to campaign for stronger gun safety laws. They were welcomed by Connecticut’s congressional delegation on Tuesday.

While they may have stirred public support with their ride, Congress is gridlocked on the major gun-control measures under consideration, a proposed assault weapons ban and an expansion of FBI background checks to all gun buyers.

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Brookhaven  Town officials are considering a proposal to build large-scale renewable green energy facilities on as many as 15  sites over the next two years. . If approved, the proposal could net the town an estimated $40 million to $50 million over the next 20 years. 

The plan's primary component is a private-public partnership with solar developer American Capital Energy to construct solar panel arrays and small-scale wind turbine sites at town-operated facilities.

 If fully implemented, the systems would generate up to 50 megawatts of alternating current electricity, enough to power 8,400 homes. 

The developer would sell the energy produced to LIPA through a Power Purchase Agreement . 

Each of the proposed sites will include at least one, or a combination of ground, roof or car port solar panel arrays with some having wind turbines.

In addition, 10 solar fueling stations are proposed for Town Hall to allow residents to charge the batteries of electric powered vehicles. 

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A panel discussion on the economic benefits of immigration took place Monday at the Congregational Church of Patchogue.
Panelists included Long Island labor leaders and representatives of the Long Island Farm Bureau and the Long Island Association. The discussion was introduced by First District Congressman Tim Bishop
A video of the meeting is available at Patchogue.Patch.com

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Central Connecticut State University students and professors staged a rally Monday against a proposed tuition increase for all four Connecticut state universities and 12 community colleges.

The proposed increases would be between 4 and 5 per cent.

In-state commuters would pay about 9 thousand dollars a year and In-state residents about 20 thousand a year. Out of state students would pay about 30 thousand.

Student fees would also increase to 1000 dollars for in-state and close to 2500 dollars for out of state students.

This year, Governor Malloy proposed bonding another $1.5 billion for  the University of Connecticut while he cut funding for Connecticut State University and  community colleges by 14 million dollars.

The Board of Regent’s Finance Committee will review the proposed tuition increases on Thursday.  

But UConn students will also be paying tuition increases. A four-year, 6 percent tuition hike was approved for UConn in December 2011. And UConn’s budget was cut by10 million dollars in December. 

Governor Malloy gets high marks from voters in Tuesday’s Quinnipiac University poll, which found the governor’s approval rating at an all-time high of 48 percent.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Governor Dannel Malloy has made the creation and retention of manufacturing jobs an administration priority, and he left no doubt Friday that he is willing to risk the loss of firearms jobs to win a stronger assault-weapon ban that he sees as inevitable.
Malloy spoke a day after three Connecticut manufacturers of AR-15s, the military-style rifle used to kill 26 people in Newtown, began airing commercials warning that a ban could cost hundreds of jobs.
Malloy reached out two days ago in letters to the manufacturers, saying he hoped they stay, despite their differences. He wrote, “It is my hope that as you plan for the future, you consider Connecticut’s high quality of life, the availability of a skilled and educated workforce, and an administration that has been consistently dedicated to supporting the kind of precision manufacturing that takes place at your company.”
Legislative leaders are scheduled to resume negotiations Monday on a gun-control bill that Malloy thinks should include a broader ban on military-style weapons and a restriction on large-capacity ammo magazines.
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Many public housing developments on the Connecticut shoreline have a history of flooding in big storms.
One example is Washington Village in Norwalk. The oldest public housing complex in the state is one of the most vulnerable structures on Connecticut’s coastline.
Short-term, officials say, there’s little anyone can do to protect the complex, short of shutting power off and evacuating residents in case of a threat like Hurricane Sandy. Blueprints for a replacement show colorful, townhouse-style buildings built above the floodplain, with bigger apartments and more services. They’re a far cry from the current drab, brownish-red brick buildings in the complex.
The housing authority is banking on a $30 million federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to help finance the $100 million project. HUD only gives out five such grants each year nationwide. It’s not even clear the agency will have the money to offer any this year of fiscal uncertainty.
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Ashley Murray, the Peconic teen who went missing February 25 appeared with a friend at Southold police headquarters Friday afternoon.
Her disappearance touched off a massive search that lit up the social media world and involved the FBI.
Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said Ashley was interviewed by police for over an hour before being taken to a “regional hospital”
He said “She said little about where she was during her absence. She didn’t give a lot of information, she was reluctant to say where she was.”
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The Suffolk County Legislature unanimously approved a new gun safety control measure last week aimed at keeping weapons out of the hands of involuntary psychiatric patients.
The measure requires Suffolk Police to crosscheck the names and addresses of individuals transported to Stony Brook University’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program against the county’s pistol license registries.
A New York State law adopted In January allows for cross checking potentially unstable individuals against a not yet created statewide pistol license database.
The county’s legislation takes this one step further by requiring police officers to make immediate referrals to the licensing bureau. This is common practice in handling domestic violence-related calls.
The bill will go to Suffolk County Executive Bellone for his signature. If signed, the new law will impact the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip and Smithtown that have Suffolk Police precincts. The law would not affect the five east-end towns which have independent police departments.
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Riverhead Town officials have banned booing at Town meetings.
The board voted to approve new legislation that prohibits any demonstration that lawmakers would consider disruptive to meetings, specifically booing, but agreed clapping would still be permitted.
The first draft of the legislation banned both booing and clapping. But, after protests that the law was restrictive of free speech,” the board agreed to ban only booing.
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