New York Woman Pleads Not Guilty In Sandy Hook Scam Case

 A New York city woman has pleaded not guilty to a federal charge that she made false statements to the government about an alleged scam linked to the Sandy Hook school massacre. Nouel Alba made a brief appearance in federal court in Bridgeport on Thursday. She is accused of collecting money from donors by claiming to be the aunt of one of the children killed at the school in Newtown, Conn., in December. In an indictment unsealed this week, prosecutors detail Facebook Posts and text messages, including one to a donor in which Alba claimed to have met and cried with President Obama at a prayer service for the victims. The document does not say how much money Alba allegedly collected. Jury selection is set for March 13.

Lieberman to advise Newtown on use of donations

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has agreed to help Newtown set up a structure to deal with the millions of dollars in donations it has received since last month's shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The town has appointed a five-member transition team as it works to establish a foundation to administer the Sandy Hook School Support Fund, which has received more than $8.4 million in donations. Lieberman, who served in the Senate for 24 years before retiring this month, plans to meet with the team on Friday. The money has not been designated for any specific purpose, such as scholarships or a memorial. Selectman Will Rodgers, who is heading the team, has said officials don't expect to make any disbursement decisions for several months.

Connecticut Offering Free Flu Vaccine To All Children

 Connecticut is expanding free flu vaccinations to all children six months through 18 years old because of widespread illness in the state. Thursday's health department announcement said state already has been providing vaccinations to children under five, and to children 18 and under who aren't covered by private insurance. The health department said there have been six flu deaths this season, all in people over 65 with underlying medical issues. The department said there have been 2,456 laboratory-confirmed flu cases and 467 flu-related hospitalizations. That's higher than the past two flu seasons. Federal health officials say 20 flu-related child deaths have been reported nationwide this season, one of the worst totals this early in the year since the government began keeping track in 2004. About 100 children die in an average flu season.

Workers Approve New Contract With Connecticut Utility

A union representing about 1,100 workers has approved a new contract with Connecticut Light & Power, the state's largest electric utility. Frank Cirillo, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, said the deal was narrowly approved Thursday. He said he's glad the contract was approved, but there's lingering anger among union members over manpower issues. The union has said CL&P hasn't filled several lineman vacancies. The agreement provides a wage increase of about 11 percent over four years. The company said it also allows new schedules to meet service demands while reducing unplanned call-ins of off-duty workers. CL&P President William Herdegen said the contract "is good news" for employees and customers. Workers were without a contract since June, and rejected one in October.  CL&P, a division of Northeast Utilities, serves about 1.2 million customers.

Malloy Proposes $200M Bioscience Fund

Connecticut Governor  Malloy is proposing a new $200 million fund to help attract and invest in more bioscience companies to the state. The Democrat made the announcement on Thursday during a groundbreaking ceremony for The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, which is being built on the grounds of the University of Connecticut Health Center. lloy said the new bioscience fund will be part of his two-year state budget proposal, to be presented to the General Assembly on Feb. 6. Malloy's plan calls for doling out the money over 10 years. His office said an advisory board will provide oversight and the funding will be subjected to a vetting process.

US Rep. Markey Presses firms for energy drink data

Congressman Edward Markey is calling on a dozen energy drink companies to provide more information about their ingredients and marketing claims. Markey and Senate Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent the letters to companies including Red Bull, Pepsi, and MonsteA new government survey suggests the number of people seeking emergency treatment after consuming energy drinks has doubled nationwide during the past four years from 10,000 to 20,000 visits.Markey said the firms need to be clear about what they think their product is, what it contains, and what it can do. The industry says its drinks are safe and there's no proof linking its products to the adverse reactions. arkey is the only Democrat to announce he'll run for John Kerry's Senate seat if Kerry becomes secretary of state.