Le Journal

State Senate Democrats are facing calls to take away State Sen. Doug McCrory’s leadership roles after an audit raised more questions about his influence over how Hartford-area nonprofits dispersed grant funds. The audit, released Tuesday by the Department of Economic and Community Development, said McCrory instructed the Blue Hill Civic Association on how to distribute funding to other Hartford-area nonprofits. Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Connecticut) told reporters in Hartford on Wednesday that he thinks McCrory should step down from his leadership roles, including as chairman of the Education Committee, or that leaders should remove him from those roles. “I leave a lot of that up to the Senate, but if it’s me, I think he should step back,” he said. Read More: State releases forensic audit of Blue Hills Civic Association following loss of $300,000 McCrory didn’t respond to a request for comment, but he told NBC Connecticut last week that he plans to seek re-election despite an ongoing FBI investigation. His caucus leaders said they plan to discuss McCrory’s status in meetings, but they stood by him on Wednesday. “There is nothing in evidence right now that would indicate that there is anything that would suggest that there has been a criminal offense,” Sen. Martin Looney (D-President Pro Tem) said. Republicans also called for McCrory to be stripped of his position.  “I hope they (Senate Democrats) finally step up and stop waiting for the results of convictions and criminal investigations before they actually do what’s right by the taxpayers of the state of Connecticut,” Rep. Vincent Candelora, (R-Minority Leader), said.   Lamont ordered an audit of Blue Hills after the organization notified DECD last year that it had lost $300,000 to wire fraud. Blue Hills didn’t notify DECD until months after the loss.   In documents obtained by NBC Connecticut under the Freedom of Information Act, officials with Blue Hills said they notified McCrory, and he told them not to tell anyone else. The audit found “pervasive governance failures, systemic internal control weaknesses, and patterns of conduct that strongly suggest potential fraud and misappropriation of public funds.”    CliftonLarsonAllen, hired to conduct the audit, also stated that BHCA routinely disbursed funds to subrecipients without legal agreements, projected budgets, or documented compliance checks.   BHCA was found to lack transparency and to have significant discrepancies in reported expenses that went “unchallenged.”  The audit also alleged McCrory was heavily involved in how BHCA utilized state funding.   “Available documentation and email correspondence indicate that funding allocations were largely determined by Senator McCrory, with BHCA executing disbursements without consistent adherence to required procedures such as obtaining signed MOUs or projected budgets prior to payment,” the audit said. “The prevalence of backdated MOUs, missing agreements, and passthrough arrangements lacking transparency further underscores significant governance and compliance deficiencies within BHCA. These practices raise concerns about BHCA’s accountability, proper oversight, and adherence to legislative grant requirements.” The FBI has been investigating how Hartford-area nonprofits have been using grant funding, including subpoenas that name McCrory multiple times. The subpoenas asked the state for records that, among other information, reference a possible personal relationship between McCrory and Sonsera Cicero, owner of the nonprofit consulting firm Society of Human Engagement and Business Alignment.   Speaking with NBC Connecticut last week, McCrory downplayed that relationship.  “I’m not here to talk about my relationships with people. I have relationships with all people in my community,” he said on Jan. 13. “I’ve been in this community for 59 years.”  …

The Brown University campus is full once again after a winter break that started on a tragic note. “It doesn’t quite feel normal, but definitely it does feel like home,” said Sam Marcus, a sophomore from Storrs. “What’s really hard was knowing that coming back to Brown would be day one after it was frozen in place,” said Michael Citarella, a junior from Trumbull. In December, police say Claudio Neves Valente opened fire in the campus’s engineering building, taking the lives of two students, and injuring nine. We spoke with Citarella and Marcus last month, who told us about their experience in respective ten-hour lockdowns in the dining hall and a dorm room while the shooting unfolded. With students back Wednesday, the memorial outside of the Barus and Holley building has grown. As the semester begins, students are even offering each other free hugs for support. “What’s really nice is that there’s this community, but then there’s also the space for everyone to process things and deal with them in their own way and whatever is best for each person,” said Marcus. In the wake of the shooting, Brown says the number of officers on every shift has increased, that police are conducting frequent patrols, and they’ve added new panic buttons, blue lights, and cameras. “I’ve seen security guards at a few buildings that are normally more open, or people go to, and there’s just added police cars around campus, but in general, campus feels like it did, which I was hoping it would be. People want normalcy,” Citarella said. The shooting is considered a seminal event to the city, according to Mayor Brett Smiley. “This will be something that we talk about for decades to come. And it will change how we think about physical security in some buildings,” Smiley said. The students tell us professors are reminding them of their healing resources and are starting classes with moment of silence. “We can’t let something like this define us, because if we let it define us, then they kind of get what they wanted,” said Marcus. “We are going to be okay. And we are going to keep fighting forward with this,” Citarella said. Citarella is the co-lead for the Brown University chapter of Students Demand Action, the anti-gun violence organization chapter at Brown. He says their first meeting since the shooting is Wednesday night

Kerry Sheltra, the operator of a boat involved in a fatal crash, was sentenced on Wednesday morning in Middletown. “I can’t undo the damage, but I can make sure that my actions, choices, and habits reflect true accountability,” Sheltra said in court. In July of 2022, Sheltra was operating a boat that crashed into rocks on the bank of the Connecticut River in Portland. Several people were ejected, including 60-year-old Wayne Hamler. Hamler was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheltra’s then 6-year-old son lost his leg, and his wife experienced a debilitating brain injury as a result. “The death and the injuries were certainly unquestionably significant,” said Judge Julia Dewey. “But the evidence in this case did have serious flaws.” Ultimately, Dewey upheld Sheltra’s plea deal, which he agreed to in October, sentencing him to a three-year suspended sentence, where he will serve 90 days. This will be followed by three years of probation. “Ninety days ends. Our grief does not,” said Paul Hamler, Jr., the victim’s brother. “Nothing can bring Wayne back.” The judge pointed to two factors which influenced her decision. The first being that Hartford Hospital, where Sheltra was taken after the incident, never tested his blood alcohol level. “Many in the letter I read stated that the defendant was drunk in the crash. The hospital never actually drew blood,” Dewey said during the sentencing. “It wasn’t that it wasn’t tested, it was never drawn.” Dewey also pointed to an expert concluding that there was no reckless intent. “The State Department of Environmental Protection investigator, in that final conclusion, in fact the state’s expert witness, rejected that level of culpability,” said Dewey. “I do note though that the defendant did plead guilty to recklessness.” NBC Connecticut has reached out to Hartford Hospital for comment and has not heard back at time of publication.

Personnellement, j'aime bien les réalisations de ECC au Pays de Galles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9zDWpr_2Jw Mais c'est un autre kif que le vrroom vrroom des moteurs à carburant fossile

En réponse à amiral. Je ne sais pas... Sur le papier, les Chinois sont largement devant. Mais MG ne prouve pas, apparemment, une fiabilité exemplaire ni un service après-vente digne de ce nom !? Les autres font beaucoup mieux ? ... Je ne le sais pas... Vous le savez ?