Le Journal

The state released a forensic audit of the Blue Hills Civic Association (BHCA) on Tuesday. The audit was launched after BHCA reported to the Department of Economic & Community Development (DECD) that it lost $300,000 in state funds. Officials said that following the loss of funds, DECD reported the incident to authorities, demanded the return of the funds, and froze all future funding to BHCA. The group abruptly laid off employees last spring with no warning. The audit was conducted by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA), which was tasked with assessing BHCA’s reporting, policies, and procedures, and analyzing the fact patterns that led to the loss of funds. You can read the audit here. In their findings, CLA said there were “pervasive governance failures, systemic internal control weaknesses, and patterns of conduct that strongly suggest potential fraud and misappropriation of public funds.” CLA also stated how the audit had to continue into 2026 due to “prolonged delays” in getting essential financial paperwork, along with operational and grant documentation. CLA additionally identified concerns that required further analysis. The audit concluded that over a few years, BHCA received more than $15 million in state funding yet “operated without adequate policies, oversight, or accountability mechanisms.” CLA 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.” “These practices violate fundamental principles of grant management and raise serious questions about the integrity of BCHA’s operations,” CLA said in their audit. Due to BHCA’s deficiencies in record-keeping and reporting, CLA said it wasn’t able to determine the majority of the grant funds BHCA disbursed. Despite that, CLA found that over $200,000 in unsupported disbursements had either violated conflict-of-interest standards or were used to pay for services that were not performed. CLA also found that the association’s policies didn’t meet state record-retention requirements and that the BHCA board’s oversight of grant awards was “lacking.” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said the report made it clear that more scrutiny is needed, and the department will expand its staff capacity for financial reviews and compliance for legislatively-directed funds, as it does with its other programs. CLA’s work is not done. They will be conducting a new phase of the audit, focusing on getting and reviewing documentation directly from the BHCA’s subrecipients that received the state-funded grant dollars. CLA will be looking to verify if BHCA followed grant requirements and to see if any potentially fraudulent transactions occurred.

Usha Vance is expecting her fourth child, a boy, the second lady’s office announced on X. “We’re very happy to share some exciting news,” the announcement read. “Our family is growing!’ We’re very happy to share some exciting news. Our family is growing! pic.twitter.com/0RohEBYXM7— Second Lady Usha Vance (@SLOTUS) January 20, 2026 Usha Vance, 40, and the baby, due in late July, are doing well, the announcement said. She and Vice President JD Vance already have two sons, Ewan and Vivek, and a daughter, Mirabel. The Vances said they were particularly grateful for the military doctors who take care of the family. Vice President JD Vance, Second Lady Usha Vance and their three children are greeted by the second lady’s parents Lakshmi Chilukuri (3L) and Krish Chilukuri (R) upon arrival at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, on October 17, 2025. Vance, 41, was joined by his wife and children when he was sworn in. The White House congratulated the couple in a post. “The most pro-family administration in history! CONGRATULATIONS!” the official account said. The vice president, in an interview with NBC News last month, said that his marriage with Usha was “as strong as it’s ever been.” As far as the spotlight on his children, he said it has been both good and bad. “Our 8-year-old really doesn’t like it,” he said. “He wants to have as private of a life as possible. When we come to an event in the White House and he sees the cameras, he doesn’t love it, and so we try to keep him out of that limelight as much as possible.” “On the flip side, our 5-year-old, who’s a little bit more like me, he probably likes it too much,” he said. “He loves the fact that wherever he goes, people treat him very specially. They always give him candy or cookies.”

A plea deal is now on the table, for a man, charged in a deadly boat accident on Labor Day of 2024. The deal extended was a 30 year sentence, suspended after 15 years, with five years probation. “Whatever decision you make in the end is yours,” the judge said to Clayton Hackling in court on Tuesday. Hackling is charged in the deaths of three people and causing injuries to six others. According to an arrest warrant, he was operating the boat at the time of the crash. He’s also accused of being drunk at the time. The judge requested he make his decision by March 23, the next court date. “The next date that I have decided as a judge, I believe, listening to the lawyers, everyone needs to make a final decision about what we are going to do to resolve the matter,” the judge said. Three young men, Christopher Hallahan, Ryan Britagna, and Ian Duchemin, were killed when the boat slammed into the breakwater at the mouth of the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook. “You need to sit down with your lawyer and have any final discussions about the evidence the state has against you, possible defense you may have, possible exposure if you go to trial and are convicted,” the judge said. “You need to sit down and get all those final questions answered.” Hackling’s attorney is still working on the evidence in the case and requested to see the boat itself. It is currently in the custody of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The state said they are lining up a time for him to access the vessel. The families continue to pursue justice, but well over a year after the crash, some have chosen to work on advocacy as well. Last legislative session, they advocated for a law change that ties licenses together when facing DUI charges while operating a boat, or a car. They have also made headway on boating and water safety. The breakwater itself was also lit at the end of 2025, in honor of all three men killed.

Newcastle United are not expected to recall Matt Targett from his loan spell at Middlesbrough, despite having the option to do so, according to a report by the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope. Even if they want to, Hope reported that Targett “wants to stay at Middlesbrough for the remainder of the season” and that Newcastle are “sympathetic to his wishes.” This pretty much puts an end to one of the sagas of the silly season, as speculation grew of late over a possible January recall. Hope wrote that the 30-year-old left back is approaching the final months of his Newcastle contract, set to expire next summer, adding that it is “thought a deal will be agreed” between NUFC and Middlesbrough for him to join his current club on a permanent basis once the season is over. Hope reported that Targett’s “form and fitness has given rise to the possibility of Newcastle recalling him this month,” particularly due to injury problems in Newcastle’s defence, but made it clear that won’t happen even if the clause remains active. Hope wrote that Eddie Howe and Ross Wilson are “keen to respect the left back’s preference” and are not pushing for his return at this stage in order to maintain relations. Newcastle, however, are “looking elsewhere to bring in cover for the position,” in a kinda promising update from Hope’s report. “There is a desire to sign a right-sided centre back” during the window, according to Hope, with defensive depth viewed as a broader concern. “A pot of cash has been made available,” Hope stated, floating a figure of about “as much as £25million” being ready to use if the right option becomes available through January.