March 16 / 6:30 pm
Decision Expected Wednesday on Whether to Put Cop on Trial for Murder
(Litchfield-WTNH) _ Critical testimony in the probable cause hearing for officer Scott Smith, facing murder charges for the death of a suspect.
Outside the court house there was another big show of support for Smith from fellow officers and for the victim, Franklyn Reid, as well.
But, the focus inside is on what happened December 29th, the day officer Smith shot and killed Reid during an arrest.
 News Channel 8's Judy Chong reports.
Coverup Questions Raised Following Delayed Arrest of Department Employee
(New Haven-WTNH) _ Serious questions are being raised after the secretary of an assistant police chief is busted for drug possession.
Lynne Patton was with the assistant chief when she was arrested in December.
Patton is accused of offering an off-duty police officer some cocaine in the bathroom of a New Haven bar in December. Three months later some want to know if there's been a police coverup.
News Channel 8's Verna Collins reports.
UConn Authorities Investigate Stalkings
(Storrs-WTNH) _ UConn police are setting up a task force to investigate a so-called campus stalker. 57 incidents have been reported about a male approaching female coeds at the Storrs campus.
Police say 38 year old John Urban of Bellerica, Massachusetts is a suspect.
Urban is a convicted child rapist. The investigative task force is made up of five police officers and a supervisor. They will be determining any future charges in the case.
Rowland Works Personally on Steam Plant Move Dilemma
(Hartford-WTNH) _ For the first time Governor John Rowland has gotten personally involved in efforts to move the steam plant off the New England Patriots stadium site. Sources tell News Channel 8 the governor met for an hour Tuesday afternoon with Connecticut Natural Gas Company president Arthur Marquardt. This comes as the state faces another Patriots deadline in just sixteen days. The state must give the team a status report on removing the plant from the site by April 2nd. Sources at the gas company say efforts to move the plant have stalled.
Foundry Blast Victim Laid to Rest
(Springfield-WTNH) _ Funeral service was held Tuesday for the man killed in the explosion at Jahn Foundry in Springfield.
More than 90 mourners filled a Springfield church to remember 31-year old Wilfrid Geffrard. 11 others were severely burned in the explosion.
One victim went home from the hospital Monday.
Cleanup Continues After Big Snow Storm
(WTNH) _ Connecticut is dotted with piles of white frozen snow, the plowed and shoveled aftermath of Monday's end-of-winter storm which dumped more than a foot of snow on parts of the state. Overnight freezing temperatures turned the snow into a crunchy blocks of ice.
More than 4,000 Northeast Utilities customers remain without power as of 5:30 pm. There was also a 2 hour school delay at Our Lady of Mercy, Brown Middle school, and Ryerson Primary school in Madison, because of power outages. Morning Kindergarden at Ryerson was cancelled.
Committee Approves Bill to Speed Up Phone Competition
(Hartford-AP) _ A legislative committee endorses a bill to jump start local telephone competition that has failed to take off despite a 1994 law.
The bill mandates that balloting be held by July 1, 2001 for consumers to choose local telephone providers. The Energy and Technology and Committee changed the bill, however, so that customers who do not choose a company will not be randomly assigned one. The bill also sets down regulations for how the telephone system will be readied for competition, a media campaign to inform consumers and a code of conduct. SNET is opposing parts of the bill that they say restricts how they can do business but does not restrict competitors. Other phone companies that want to do business in Connecticut say the law is needed to bring competition to the state. They say a 1994 bill to deregulate the local phone business is unworkable. The bill now heads to the Judiciary Committee.
Battle Over Tobacco Settlement Funds
(Hartford-WTNH) _ The battle is on in Hartford on how to spend all that tobacco money. There are nearly a dozen plans for how to use the money. The state could get some $300 million in the first two years as a result of the tobacco settlement. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal wants most of the money used to help people stop smoking, especially kids.
It's estimated 35% of Connecticut high school kids smoke.
Matthew Myers, "Tobacco Free Kids": "Connecticut has a long way to go, the Connecticut Attorney General has led the way with the law suit and the money now available to the state of Connecticut provides an historic opportunity to make a fundamental change that can reduce the number of Connecticut's children who become addicted to tobacco."
A number of young people went to the capitol today to talk about tobacco.
Chief capitol correspondent Mark Davis reports.
Committee Approves Bill to Charge Inmates for Prison Expenses
(Hartford-AP)_ The Legislature's Judiciary committee has approved a bill to allow the Department of Correction to charge some inmates for the costs of being in prison. Prison officials could charge when inmates receive large inheritances, settlements or awards from lawsuits. The bill was proposed after two convicted murderers received awards from court judgments rising out of civil lawsuits.
Man Given Special Probation in Racial Attack
(Stamford-AP)_ A Darien man accused of a racial attack on a Metro North train has been granted special probation. Kevin Keady had been accused of slashing a black man in the face with a pen on board a commuter train in June of 1996.
Police accused Keady of uttering racial slurs at Michael Moore, then using a pen as a dagger to slash Moore's face. Moore's nose was broken and he received stitches to repair a torn ear lobe. Keady was charged with intimidation by bigotry or bias and second-degree assault. He's been granted accelerated probation which means the charge will be erased if he stays out of trouble for the next two years. Keady denies the charges. He claimed Moore and others attacked him and uttered bigoted remarks. He filed a civil lawsuit against Moore in July 1998. Moore also has sued Keady for assault and battery as well and racial intimidation.
Contractor Pleads Guilty to Asbestos Dumping
(New Haven-AP) _ A New Haven contractor faces prison time after pleading guilty to federal charges of dumping asbestos. John Dawson pleaded guilty yesterday to violating the federal Clean Air Act involving dumping of asbestos removed from the former New Haven YMCA building. Dawson is the sixth person to plead guilty in the case. He admitted worked with other to remove and dispose of asbestos from the building in the spring of 1997. Prosecutors say untrained workers were hire to remove asbestos from the building and they dumped it at various sites around New Haven including the banks of the Mill River and in a city park. Dawson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced June Third.
UConn Chancellor Considered for LSU Job
(Baton Rouge-AP) _ UConn's Chancellor is among three candidates for chancellor of Louisiana State University being invited for a campus visit.
The search committee has decided to invited UConn's Mark Emmert and two others from a list of 20 potential candidates. The two others being invited are Judy Lynn Genshaft, provost and vice president for academic affairs at the University at Albany, State University of New York and James Muyskens, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs, University System of Georgia.
LSU Provost Dan Fogel, who heads the search committee, says the three will be asked to come to Baton Rouge for three-day visits that will expose them to all aspects of university life. Outgoing chancellor William Jenkins says the committee has contacted three other potential candidates and expects answers within the next two weeks. He says a final recommendation probably will go the LSU Board of Supervisors in May.
Family Waits for Transplant
(Guilford-WTNH) _ A donor debate between state and federal officials could change who gets a organ transplant and when. Where you live could mean the difference between life or death. The waiting period for transplants varies from state to state. For instance, if you live in New England the average wait for a liver is 958-days - nearly three years. But Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi residents wait only 123-days.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer visited with one family trying desperately to hold onto hope and life.
Volunteers Needed to test MS Drug
(WTNH) _ The debilitating disease Multiple Sclerosis.
It's symptoms can range from loss of sensation to fatigue, to bladder problems to depression. But there is hope.
Health Team 8's Kristen Cusato reports.
Website Offers Free Software Updates
(WTNH) _ If you're looking to upgrade your computer software, Consumer team 8 has a tip on doing it fast for free! It's a web site called "Update AnyWare", run by New York publisher Greentree Technologies.
Once you register and install the software package, it spends a few minutes examining your system. Then a window will pop-up and explain what update you need - from software to drivers to patches - and how long it will take to download. In some cases, you might have to download software yourself, but "Update AnyWare" will tell you exactly what to update. You can check it out at www.green-tree.com.
State Sex Offender Website Online
(Hartford-WTNH) _ The State of Connecticut's Sex Offender Registry went online at the first of the year. Residents can look to see if a convicted sex offender is living in their neighborhood by accessing the information through the Department of Public Safety's website at www.state.ct.us/dps/
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