Morning. University of South Carolina fraternity Phi Kappa Sigma is raising funds to form scholarships in memory of Nicholas Donofrio.
Donofrio, 20, of Madison, Conn., was killed on Saturday after he mistakenly entered the wrong home. Police responded to a home burglary call, finding Donofrio dead from gunshot wounds. No charges will be filed. Investigators ruled this was "a "justifiable homicide."
The scholarships would help fund students at USC and Daniel Hand High School in Madison, where Donofrio graduated from in 2021.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Suffolk County’s former police chief had two charges dropped against him in a sex solicitation sting. Last week, James Burke was arrested for offering a sex act, criminal solicitation, public lewdness and indecent exposure at Farmingville Park. County officials dropped the first two after discussing the arrest with detectives. He will be arraigned for his remaining charges on Monday, Sept. 11. During his tenure as chief, Burke was arrested in 2015 for beating a handcuffed man and covering it up. He served time in federal prison.
Connecticut M&T Bank customers may have had their information exposed following a security software breach affecting hundreds of organizations worldwide. Customers' names, addresses and account numbers were leaked, however passwords, card, PIN and social security numbers were not revealed. Security patches were implemented on Tuesday and affected customers are being notified. M&T’s internal systems were not affected.
A Democratic candidate for Suffolk County Legislature was sued. Sidney Joyner may be prevented from holding office after resident Alvin White, a Republican, claimed in court that Joyner doesn’t live in the district. Joyner has said he will move to the district once voting begins, despite needing to live in the district for at least one year, according to the county charter. The Suffolk County Supreme Court will hear the case on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
An Eastern Suffolk BOCES teacher was arrested for having a sexual relationship with a female student. William Sperl was charged with four counts of third-degree rape and seven counts of a criminal sex act in the third degree. He was arraigned in Central Islip on Wednesday. Sperl was placed on home assignment.
Jury selection has begun in a First Amendment case involving Greenwich’s former police captain. Mark Kordick was fired in 2020 after he placed signs the year prior falsely connecting the then-First Selectman candidate Fred Camillo, a Republican, with then-President Donald Trump. Kordick claims he was fired for exercising his right to free speech and sued the town in that year. The trial is expected to begin on Thursday, Sept. 21.
Thursday is the deadline for New Yorkers to recertify their concealed-carry pistol permits. Residents must rectify their permits by the end of August and repeat the process every three years. This is a result of the state’s Concealed Carry Improvement Act, which also prohibits people from carrying guns in parks, bars, medical facilities, stadiums, government buildings and private businesses. Residents can only recertify their permits online.
The month-long cyber attack at Prospect Medical Holdings is evolving. A ransomware gang took credit for causing a systemwide outage at Eastern Connecticut Health Network and Waterbury Health in early August. Hearst Connecticut Media reports confidential information was taken from the hospital system. The gang threatens to publicly distribute the exfiltrated data if the ransom is not paid. The FBI is investigating.
Wilton, Connecticut’s University Archives will host an auction of over 500 rare autographs, manuscripts, books and sports memorabilia next Wednesday. Some of the items include:
- a 1954 “Duck Album” comic signed by Walt Disney
- a lock of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s hair
- a signed 1922 letter from F. Scott Fitzgerald
- a signed first US printing of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” by J.K. Rowling.
The bidding has already started online.
