Good morning. A recount is still expected to take place on Tuesday to decide the Fairfield Town first selectperson race despite an ongoing criminal investigation.
Connecticut State's Attorney Joseph Corradino said in a statement Friday that while the investigation into a possible break-in at the Fairfield facility where election machines and ballots were held, there is "no indication" that a crime took place.
“Although this is still technically a pending investigation, there is no indication that a burglary of the facility was committed nor is there any reason to believe that the ballots were compromised,” Corradino said. “The Fairfield Police Department acted promptly to insure both the integrity of the election and the investigation. It is important that people have confidence in our democratic system.”
The recount was triggered by Democrat Bill Gerber’s narrow lead over incumbent Republican Brenda Kupchick.
Here is a bite-sized look at what we’re hearing:
Federal prosecutors won’t seek the death penalty in the sentencing of two MS-13 gang members for their alleged roles in the 2016 killings of Brentwood teens Kayla Cuevas, 16, and Nisa Mickens, 15. Alexi Saenz and his brother, Jairo Saenz, face criminal charges in the killings of seven victims on Long Island. Their trial is set to begin in March.
High school students in New York will likely have new rules to graduate. The state Board of Regents has spent a year working on recommended changes to the current system. Proposals could range from ditching all of the Regents exams to replacing at least four required tests in favor of more projects, papers and experiential learning. The board is set to unveil their recommendations during a meeting Monday.
Vince McMahon is planning to sell about $700 million of World Wrestling Entertainment stock. Stamford-based WWE merged with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in September to become TKO Group Holdings, a publicly traded company of which McMahon is executive chairman. The sale includes about 30% of McMahon’s shares. He is entitled to all of the money, the company said.
Las Vegas Sands will be allowed to keep its Nassau Coliseum lease after a temporary hold was issued of a lower court decision to invalidate the agreement with Nassau County. A judge voided the lease after Nassau approved the lease without properly notifying the public and following a state-mandated environmental review process. The county argued Sands’ plans are contingent on securing a casino license from the state, which will be nearly impossible without a valid lease. A hearing is set for Nov. 21 on the county’s appeal of the ruling.
More than 900 parents have called for Greenwich’s school superintendent to address antisemitism in response to three separate investigations into graffiti found in the district. Clergy and politicians, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), joined the letter, calling for staff to be trained to identify and report hate crimes and review curriculum. Superintendent Toni Jones called their concerns “extremely clear and understandable” but made no promises. Antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes have increased since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7.
Remote work on Long Island has only become more common since the pandemic. The number of commuters going in and out of New York from Long Island are less than 75% of what they were before COVID. Yet, the amount of revenue brought in from commuters in and out of New York City has risen, according to the Regional Plan Association. And their spending generates more than 15 billion dollars in revenue for the area.
UConn Health has dozens of payroll and record keeping issues, according to a state audit. Many of the issues found in previous audits were repeated or found to be unresolved. Over the last two fiscal years:
- Five School of Dental Medicine faculty were paid a combined $1.1 million in incentive payments
- Temporary workers were hired without required documentation
- Managers’ starting salaries were higher than established pay ranges
- UConn Health could not locate more than $3 million in property.
