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CONNECTICUT SCHOOL SHOOTING-PRINCIPAL
Newtown picks neighbor as new Sandy Hook principal
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) - The Newtown Board of Education has unanimously hired a principal from neighboring Bethel to lead the Sandy Hook Elementary School.
The News-Times of Danbury reports that Kathleen Gombos, the principal at the R.M.T. Johnson School in Bethel, was hired Tuesday night to become principal at Sandy Hook. The school was established in Monroe after the Dec. 14 shootings that killed 20 children and six educators, including the principal, Dawn Hochsprung.
Gombos succeeds an interim principal and is to start on July 1.
A task force of elected officials has recommended tearing down the Sandy Hook school and rebuilding on the site. The proposal now goes to the school board and ultimately to voters in a referendum.
GUN CONTROL-LAWSUIT
Lawsuit filed against state of Conn. over gun law
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A group of gun rights organizations, pistol permit holders and gun sellers are suing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and other state officials, arguing that Connecticut's new gun control law violates their constitutional rights.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport by the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen, the Connecticut Citizens Defense League, gun retailers in Monroe and Norwalk, and several individuals.
It challenges provisions extending an assault weapons ban to more guns and banning large-capacity ammunition magazines. The plaintiffs say their rights to bear arms and to equal protection under the law are violated.
The attorney general's office said it will review the complaint, but believes the legislation is lawful and will vigorously defend it.
The law was passed after the Newtown school shootings that killed 20 first-graders and six educators.
SCHOOL SHOOTING-TRANSPARENCY
Bill allows Newtown families to release records
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A bill crafted behind the scenes is requiring the written consent of family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims before certain records concerning the massacre, such as photos and videotapes, are publicly released.
Governor Dannel Malloy's office released a working draft of the bill Wednesday.
The draft says only transcriptions of any emergency 911 calls related to the Dec. 14 shooting, not the audio, be released to the public for a fee.
A coalition of news organizations sent a letter to Malloy cautioning his administration and the General Assembly from restricting public access to information about what happened in Newtown or other crimes, regardless of scope.
Chief State's Attorney Kevin Kane said officials are trying to address the privacy concerns expressed by some Newtown families
PRATT-CANCER STUDY
Decade-long cancer study at Pratt & Whitney ends
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A massive, 11-year study of brain cancer at jet engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is coming to an end with what could be definitive information about fatal occupational illnesses at Connecticut plants.
The subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. is set to unveil on Thursday the third and final phase of a university study that already found that an incidence of cancer was the same as or less than for the general population.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and University of Illinois at Chicago studied work records, cancer registries and other information related to 212,513 employees.
The principal researcher, Gary Marsh, said when releasing the second phase in 2010 that the final part looks at whether workplace factors caused cancer. He said the final stage may link mortality incidence to exposures to possible workplace hazards and the work environment.
DRUG SENTENCE
Norwalk man gets 10 year in drug trafficking case
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A Norwalk man known as "Smash" has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a ring that distributed cocaine in southwestern Connecticut.
Marvin Wooten was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District court in Bridgeport. He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine.
Wooten is among two dozen defendants charged as the result of an investigation named "Operation There It Is," in which the Drug Enforcement Administration and Stamford police used wiretaps to break up a drug ring operating in Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford.
Wooten has a criminal record including a manslaughter conviction for his involvement in the 1993 slaying of a 7-year old girl who was caught in the crossfire in a Stamford drug turf war.
AUTOMOTIVE GLASS
Auto glass steering bill moves to Conn. governor
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut bill that would expand a ban on steering by auto damage appraisers to include glass repairs is moving to the governor's desk.
The state Senate voted Wednesday, 34-2, in favor of a bill requiring an insurance company or third-party claims administrator to inform customers of their right to choose where to have their vehicle's glass repaired.
The legislation would also require an insurance company that refers customers to a glass shop owned by the company to provide the name of at least one other local glass shop.
Democratic Sen. Joseph Crisco of Woodbridge, co-chair of the Insurance Committee, said the proposal would help consumers be aware of their options.
The House of Representatives passed the bill earlier this month.
CHINA TRADE MISSION
Mission aims to boost Conn. industry in China
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Executives from the Connecticut aerospace, biotech and pharmaceutical industries are joining federal and state officials on an 8-day trade mission to China.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is leading the trip, which aims to attract Chinese investment in Connecticut and increase the number of exports to China from Connecticut companies.
Merrill said the trade mission which left on Monday builds on momentum created by Governor Dannel Malloy's trip to China in 2012.
The delegation is expected to spend most of its time in Shanghai and Shandong provinces, which have strong economic and cultural ties to Connecticut. The trade mission is scheduled to include business meetings and seminars with Chinese entrepreneurs and government officials.
The trip was organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center in Middletown.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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