Connecticut at 2 a.m.
The breaking news staffer after 5 a.m. is Dave Collins. The New England news editor is Cara Rubinsky. To reach the AP bureau in Hartford, call 860-246-6876. To reach the photo department, call 617-357-8106. AP stories, along with the photos that accompany them, can also be obtained from http://www.apexchange.com. Reruns also are available from customer support at 877-836-9477.
TOP STORIES:
IMMIGRATION-HIMES
NEW HAVEN — U.S. Rep. Jim Himes is stepping up his push for immigration reform by inviting to the State of the Union speech the coordinator of a group that advocated for students living in the country illegally to pay cheaper in-state tuition at state universities. Himes announced Wednesday that his guest to the address by President Barack Obama next week will be Lucas Codognolla, coordinator for Connecticut Students For a Dream. After winning in-state tuition in Connecticut, the group is pushing for financial aid and against deportations. By John Christoffersen. SENT: 520 words.
EARNS-UNITED TECHNOLOGIES
HARTFORD — United Technologies Corp. reported a 29 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday due a decline in contributions from businesses that have been sold, but its revenue edged up. By Stephen Singer. SENT 250 words.
WINTER WEATHER
NEW YORK — Northeasterners scraped and shoveled Wednesday after a snowstorm grounded flights, shuttered schools and buried roads with a surprising amount of snow, leaving biting cold in its wake. The atmosphere was particularly frosty in New York, where the new mayor acknowledged flaws in the cleanup and some residents complained that schools remained open while children elsewhere in the region stayed home. The storm stretched from Kentucky to New England but hit hardest along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston. As much as 14 inches of snow fell in Philadelphia, with New York City seeing almost as much, and parts of southeastern Massachusetts were socked with as many as 18 inches. Temperatures were in the single digits or the teens in many places Wednesday. By Jonathan Lemire and Jennifer Peltz. SENT: 965 words, photos, graphic, video.
MASSACHUSETTS GAMBLING
BOSTON — The two companies competing for the coveted license to operate the only resort casino in greater Boston delivered high-powered presentations to the state gambling commission on Wednesday, with both promising to be the superior choice to create jobs, generate tax revenue and attract tourists from around the world. Mohegan Sun has applied to build a casino on land owned by Suffolk Downs in Revere, pending a Feb. 25 referendum, while Las Vegas casino operator Steve Wynn has proposed a casino along the Mystic River in Everett. Both locations lie just outside the city of Boston. By Bob Salsberg. SENT: 645 words.
LEGION OF CHRIST
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A late Yale University professor’s family should be allowed to sue the disgraced Roman Catholic order the Legion of Christ over a more than $1 million bequest, a federal magistrate judge in Rhode Island recommended. The retired mechanical engineering professor, James Boa-Teh Chu, was living in East Providence, R.I., before he died in 2009. His son, Paul Chu, sued in U.S. District Court in Providence in 2012, saying his father was coerced, defrauded and deceived into signing over many of his assets to the Legion. By Michelle R. Smith. SENT: 490 words.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — In the absence of federal action, states from Rhode Island to Hawaii are looking at requiring food producers to label any products with genetically modified ingredients. Supporters say consumers have a right to know if they’re eating something that’s been genetically altered, but biotech and agricultural companies insist GMO food — which makes up as much as 75 percent of what Americans eat — is safe. Connecticut and Maine already require labels on GMO food — but the rules won’t take effect until other nearby states join in. In the meantime, opponents are hoping Congress blocks these state laws by making GMO labels voluntary. By David Klepper. SENT: 770 words.
AROUND THE STATE:
PASTOR-GAS EXPLOSION
BRIDGEPORT — The pastor of a Presbyterian church in New York has died a month after being severely burned in a gas station explosion in Connecticut, which officials say may have been sparked by static electricity. SENT: 257 words.
IN BRIEF:
COLLEGE ASSAULTS-UCONN
STORRS — University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst is expressing support for a White House initiative to fight sexual assault on college campuses. Herbst on Wednesday said she shares President Barack Obama’s commitment to combatting all forms of sexual violence.
NATURAL GAS-CONNECTICUT
NEW BRITAIN — State utility regulators have authorized a 1.9 percent rate increase for the Connecticut Natural Gas company. The final ruling was issued Wednesday by Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
DEBT ELIMINATION FRAUD
HARTFORD — A Connecticut man has died while awaiting sentencing for operating a fraudulent debt elimination scheme. Deowraj “Deo” Buddhu was scheduled to be sentenced Friday in federal court in Hartford. He was found guilty last year of multiple charges related to the scheme.
RIVER-PROPANE TANK
NEW HAVEN — The U.S. Coast Guard says a 1,000-gallon propane tank that had been missing since Tropical Storm Irene in August 2011 has been fished out of the Connecticut River.
STATE AID-BUSINESS SHUT
MYSTIC — A store owner who received $150,000 in state aid to open a burrito shop in Mystic and create three jobs has gone out of business.
POLICE SHOOTING PROBE
HARTFORD — Hartford police say a city officer fired a weapon during an early morning incident that is under investigation. Lt. Brian Foley says the officer fired the gun at about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday in the city’s North End. He says the shot didn’t hit anyone and there were no injuries.
SPORTS:
WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
BKW–T25-MEMPHIS-UCONN
UCONN-MANUEL
STORRS — Connecticut Athletic Director Warde Manuel says he is not a candidate for the same job at Virginia Tech. Manuel had been mentioned recently on websites, talk radio and published reports as a serious candidate to replace Jim Weaver, who is stepping down after 16 years in Blacksburg. SENT: 142 words.
FBC–CENTRAL CONNECTICUT-COACH
NEW BRITAIN — Central Connecticut has hired New Haven football coach Pete Rossomando to lead its football program. He takes over from Jeff McInerney, who announced his resignation as head coach in November at the end of a 4-8 season. McInerney spent eight years at the FCS school, compiling a 48-41 record. SENT: 110 words.
___
If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to [email protected]. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. If you have questions about the Connecticut AP news report, please contact Hartford correspondent Mike Melia at 860-246-6876 or [email protected].
