Good morning. Milford-based Subway was bought for $9.6 billion by the out-of-state Roark Capital Group after more than five decades of private ownership. The deal, which was announced by the company on Thursday, is part of a plan to bring Subway into Roark’s large restaurant portfolio. The company’s subsidiary also oversees chains like Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, Sonic, Arby’s and more. Until now, Subway was owned by the same two Connecticut families since its founding.
Keep reading for a bite-sized look at what we’re hearing.
A former Fairfield town official has pleaded guilty to charges of larceny and environmental damage. The charges against Scott Bartlett, who was the town's public works superintendent, were in connection to the illegal dumping operation he allowed to take place after being bribed, resulting in tons of highly-contaminated debris being distributed around town parks and playgrounds. Part of Bartlett’s plea agreement requires him to forfeit half of his monthly pension of almost $9,000 until a total of $1 million in restitution has been made to the town.
Demonstrators in New Haven protested the eviction of 15 residents, who are a part of the city’s first legally recognized tenants union. They said they are under threat by Ocean Management, a megalandlord company in the city. The protest was sparked by repeated attempts from the management company to raise rent by 30% for dozens of tenants living in the complex.
An inmate at Cheshire Correctional Institution assaulted an officer on Thursday. The unnamed inmate, who threw fists at the corrections officer as they handed out trays of food around dinner time, was restrained and transported to MacDougall Walker Correctional Institution’s Restrictive Housing Unit. The officer was treated and released from a nearby hospital. Investigations are underway.
Two teenage boys have been accused of vandalizing the abandoned Dowling College campus. This is among over two dozen arrests involving vandalism and break-ins at the property. Suffolk County officials claim that Mercury International, which owns the Oakdale property, has all but abandoned responsibility for the space. The teens were released to their parents and issued a family court appearance.
A five-year-old boy was found unresponsive in his family’s pool in East Moriches. He was pronounced dead at Stony Brook University Hospital on Thursday after being transferred from Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead. Experts say the leading cause of death among children up to age 4 is drowning, and approximately 500 children are lost each year in the U.S.
A convocation of the upcoming school year in Fairfield included explicit sexual language. School officials are investigating key speaker Derrick Gay’s presentation, which included a slideshow with “inappropriate language of a sexual nature.” Gay denies responsibility, and claims that a third party had hacked the computer used for the presentation. Town First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona were present.
An urgent crisis center to support youth in New London received its operating license. The Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut’s Urgent Crisis Center was created from recent state legislation as one of four new centers to act as a patient pressure release valve for the many hospitals experiencing overcrowding. The need for the center was identified as child advocates continue to raise concerns for what they call a behavioral health youth crisis in Connecticut.
Seventeen more mosquitoes in Suffolk County have tested positive for West Nile virus. The samples were collected between Aug. 6 and Aug 12. To date this year, 48 mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus in the county. One mosquito has tested positive for Jamestown Canyon Virus. Experts say to minimize outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, as well as wear shoes and socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirts when mosquitoes are active.
Drew Barrymore’s stalker was arrested by Southampton police on eastern Long Island. The stalker, who had interrupted Barrymore at a talk in New York City days before, was found riding a bicycle and claiming that he was looking for Barrymore’s home in Sagaponack, which is within one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country. The stalker was charged with a single count of stalking in the third degree, a misdemeanor.
