Good morning. Thirty Connecticut police officers may soon be decertified from active duty for breaches in the code of conduct. Some of the violations include animal cruelty, gathering data on private citizens and using resources to help family members in legal trouble.
There are eight officers under review from the New Haven Police Department, five of whom were involved in the 2022 incident that left Randy Cox paralyzed. Decertified officers are expected to be off duty for up to two years.
Here’s a bite-sized look at what else we are hearing:
Adventureland amusement park was sued for allegedly overcharging for tickets. Two law firms accused the Farmingdale-based park of adding a “processing fee” to initial ticket prices when purchased online. The firms argue this violates a 2022 state law that requires the total cost of tickets to be clearly listed before customers purchase them.
Seven alleged MS-13 gang members were indicted for kidnapping and assaulting a 15-year-old Huntington boy in January. According to the teenager, the gang stole his belongings, repeatedly punched and kicked him, and stabbed him in the neck at the abandoned Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center in Brentwood. The boy was later treated for head wounds. One of the attackers remains at large; five others pleaded not guilty.
Brookhaven Town Board voted unanimously to expand Bellport’s shellfish management area to four acres. The area is used to protect the town’s decreasing oyster and mollusk population from overfishing and nitrogen pollution. The goal is for the shellfish to freely reproduce and expand out of the area, allowing fishermen to harvest them. It’s expected this expansion will boost population growth and local fisherman income.
Connecticut's student debt from unpaid breakfast and lunch meals is increasing. Since the paid lunch program returned, each student holds $3.85 in debt on average statewide. Food service directors cited confusion over which meals are covered by the state for this debt increase. Governor Ned Lamont allocated $16 million from the American Rescue Plan Act fund to cover school meals for select families this school year. Only families of four making $55,500 annually can qualify.
Many of Connecticut’s fatal car crashes are due to road rage, according to new data from the federal government. Connecticut ranks 6th in the U.S. for road rage-related deaths. Between 2010 and 2021, there were more than 3,000 fatal crashes in Connecticut. About 6.6% of them involved aggressive driving or road rage. The highest number of road rage fatalities was 42 in 2017. Between 2010 and 2021, New York saw more than 12,200 fatal crashes. About 1.6% involved road rage — ranking New York at 15th. The highest-ranking state was Indiana, at 14%.
A Stamford World War II veteran’s history is featured in an Apple TV + series. Four episodes of “Masters of the Air” depict the trials of the U.S. Air Force 100th Bomb Group. The series is based on the 2007 book, Masters of the Air: America's Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Michael Boccuzzi served as a radio operator and gunner for the Bomb Group and was one of the few survivors of the bombing raid on the German city of Münster.
