CEOs Join Governors In Push For Sandy storm Aid

More than 125 prominent CEOs based in New York are urging Congress to quickly pass a $60 billion aid package for Superstorm Sandy relief. The CEOS include top executives of Time Warner, NBC Universal, Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley, Madison Square Garden and the National Basketball Association. The plea comes as the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut urge Congress to act quickly on the aid before lawmakers break for the holiday. Governors Chris Christie, Andrew Cuomo and Dannel Malloy say no region or state should have stand have to alone after a disaster. They say Congress hasn't acted in seven weeks following Sandy, taking longer to provide aid than in previous disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

NY, Conn., NJ Reps Pitch Sandy Federal Tax Breaks

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the three states hit hardest by Superstorm Sandy is proposing a package of tax breaks in the House of Representatives. The representatives from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut say Thursday the measures are similar to legislation passed after Hurricane Katrina and will bolster other federal efforts to help recovery. Among the proposals is allowing loans to cover damage up to $100,000 from a taxpayer's IRA or 401(k) without penalty as long as the money is repaid within three years. Many of the other provisions are technical, including some aimed at boosting charitable giving and housing, rebuilding municipal infrastructure, and easing rules for deducting uninsured losses. Also Thursday, the states' governors urged Congress not to adjourn for the holidays without acting on relief aid.

Staten Island Storm Victims See Connecticut Housing

Robert Rassi of Staten Island New York nearly drowned when Superstorm Sandy flooded his bungalow. He survived by clinging to his door until firefighters rescued him. Rassi and his wife Deborah have been living in evacuation centers and a homeless shelter, but on Thursday they saw the temporary housing they have been offered in Connecticut. The couple says they're overjoyed they will finally have a place to stay in time for Christmas. The housing for displaced Staten Islanders is being offered through an initiative involving local leaders with close ties to the hard-hit New York City borough. Organizers plan to provide about 20 homes on property owned by Faith Church in New Milford.

United Tech Sells 3 Businesses For $3.5 billion

United Technologies Corp. has sold two industrial businesses, raising nearly $3.5 billion to help finance its purchase of aerospace parts maker Goodrich Corp. The Hartford-based conglomerate said Thursday it completed the sale of Milton Roy Co., Sullair Corp. and Sundyne Corp. to BC Partners and The Carlyle Group for $3.46 billion. The parent company of jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky Aircraft, Otis elevator and other companies said selling the three businesses is "another step forward" as it refashions its portfolio to focus on core aerospace and building systems businesses. The sale announcement is the second in as many days. United Technologies, which purchased Goodrich this year for $18.4 billion, announced on Wednesday it is selling its turbine business to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Terms were not disclosed.

Man Dead, Woman Shot At Rocky Hill Condo Complex

 Police say a man who barricaded himself inside a condo complex in Rocky Hill has died and a woman there has been shot. The shooting happened at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Westage Condominiums. The Hartford Courant reports that police received multiple reports of an incident involving a man and a woman at the complex. When they entered the condo unit, they found the man dead from a gunshot wound and a woman who'd been shot at least twice in the stomach. Her condition was not immediately known. Police were unclear whether the man's wound was self-inflicted.

Rhode Island  Man Draws 6 Months In Prison For Bomb Threat

A Rhode Island man has been sentenced to six months in prison for threatening to bomb a Connecticut company. Shaneel Jain of Cumberland was sentenced Thursday in Hartford federal court. He also received one year of supervised release and three months home confinement. A jury found Jain guilty in July of making a bomb threat against Wallingford-based Z-Medica Corp., which makes a medical agent that rapidly stops bleeding. A bomb was not found. Jain made telephone calls from India in 2010 threatening to bomb Z-Medica within 24 hours and said he was a terrorist. Jain was involved in a lawsuit with Z-Medica based on their previous business relationship. Z-Medica used private security for weeks and cancelled shifts, delaying an order. Jain's attorney says it was aberrant behavior and his client is remorseful.

Connecticut Postal Official Charged With Bribery

A Connecticut postal official has been accused of taking payments from contractors and steering money to a company he allegedly established under someone else's name. Robert Giulietti of Cheshire appeared in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport on Thursday on charges of bribery, conspiracy and money laundering. Authorities say they seized $630,731 he allegedly received. The 55-year-old Giulietti was a facilities project manager at the U.S. Postal Service in Windsor. He is accused of establishing under someone else's name a company that charged the Postal Service more than it paid contractors. He also is accused of a cover-up by depositing about $250,000 payable to the named owner of the company into bank accounts Giulietti controlled.

New Haven Police Hiring Forensic Expert Henry Lee

New Haven police say they're hiring famed crime scientist Henry Lee as the department's lead forensic consultant. Police Chief Dean Esserman and other department leaders are set to announce Lee's appointment Friday morning at police headquarters. Lee rose to national prominence through his work on infamous crimes, including the O.J. Simpson and Jon Benet Ramsey cases. The 74-year-old Branford resident served as head of the Connecticut state police crime lab from 1978 to 2000 and as the state's public safety commissioner from 1998 to 2000. Lee was born in China, and his family fled to Taiwan in World War II. His father was killed by communists, and his mother raised Lee and his 12 siblings. He came to the United States in 1965, after having served as a police captain.