It’s Friday. All of the officers involved in the Randy Cox case have been fired. New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson had recommended termination for all four officers involved, and the police board has voted to uphold that recommendation.
Officers Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera had been fired earlier this month. The police board voted to fire Sgt. Betsy Segui and Officer Oscar Diaz on Wednesday night. A fifth officer, Ronald Pressley, has retired. All five former officers involved have been criminally charged.
The city announced earlier this month that they will pay Cox's family the country’s largest police misconduct settlement of $45 million.
Here's a bite-sized look at what else we're hearing:
A Muslim Connecticut state representative was assaulted during a prayer service. Maryam Khan was attending an Eid al-Adha prayer service with her family at the XL Center in Hartford when Andrey Desmond, 30, of New Britain, attacked her. Desmond was detained by bystanders and charged by police with unlawful restraint, assault, breach of peace, and interference with police.
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded Bridgeport a Renew America’s Schools grant. The program provides funding for infrastructure upgrades in K-12 public schools. The upgrades will improve energy efficiency and student health.
Amityville schools will remove their Native American mascot. New York schools had until Friday to inform the state Education Department about their decision to keep or remove potentially offensive mascots. The district said they reserve the right to challenge the state order in court.
More than 150 Old Lyme residents are unhappy about two sex education books in the teen section of the library. The books are “You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender Puberty, and Other Things” by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth and “Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human” by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. The library board will discuss the concerns on July 11 at a closed-door meeting.
The New York Port Authority will build a new roadway network at JFK Airport. The $1.24 billion contract includes streamlined roadways, a ground transportation center, and supporting infrastructure.
A corrections officer was seriously hurt after an assault at the New Haven Community Correctional Center. It’s the fourth incident that resulted in an injured correctional officer in the state’s prisons in less than a month. The officer suffered head and facial injuries and is receiving treatment at a local hospital.
Hamden may finally get their Six Lakes Park. Residents want to build a park at the former Olin Powder Farm, which was used for gunpowder storage, munitions testing, and a dump for battery waste. The owners of the site have been under order to remediate industrial pollution from the site for more than 30 years.
Norwalk is proposing city-wide rezoning that would reclassify 250 single-family homes to multi-family. East Norwalk, one of the areas eyed fro rezoning, is expecting an influx of residents due to a new train station in the area.
UConn football will continue to play at Rentschler Field through the 2028 season. The lease costs $2.7 million annually — that’s $174,000 per game. UConn football has played at Rentschler, which seats 38,000, since 2003. According to a sports stadium consultant, the site needs $63 million worth of repairs to keep up with NCAA Division I standards.
