$4Million Settlement In Stamford Chimp Attack

A settlement agreement calls for a woman disfigured in a Connecticut chimpanzee attack to receive about $4 million from the estate of the animal's now-dead owner. Attack victim Charla Nash's brother filed a lawsuit on her behalf in 2009 in state Superior Court seeking $50 million in damages from chimp owner Sandra Herold, who died in 2010. An agreement filed in Stamford Probate Court and reviewed Thursday by The Associated Press calls for Herold's estate to provide Nash with $3.4 million in real estate in addition to vehicles and cash. Nash was attacked by Herold's 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, in February 2009. Nash was blinded, lost both hands and underwent a face transplant. The family's lawyer says the money obtained is "an insignificant amount" considering what she went through. Her family is trying to sue the state.

Thomas Pleads Guilty To Rape, Abduction

A New Haven  man has pleaded guilty to rape and abduction in a 2001 case in northern Virginia. Aaron Thomas, of New Haven, entered the guilty pleas yesterday. Thomas was arrested in Connecticut in March 2011 after a multi-state law enforcement effort to catch a man believed responsible for rapes and other attacks on 17 women since 1997 in Maryland, Virginia, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The cases were linked by DNA and other evidence.

 New York, New Jersey, Connecticut  Join Forces For Sandy Aid

Connecticut Governor  Malloy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are joining forces in a regional effort to land more federal aid for recovering from Superstorm Sandy.  The announcement came yesterday from Cuomo's office. He says federal aid will have to be "flexible" so states can use it without too many restrictions. Cuomo, a Democrat, is asking for $42 billion for repairs and preventive measures. Christie, a Republican, is seeking $37 billion for recovery and rebuilding. Malloy, a Democrat, says Connecticut's bill is $3.5 billion. Cuomo says he's working closely with Congressman Peter King, a New York Republican, because getting aid approved by the GOP-led House may be "trickier" than in the Democrat-led Senate.

Connecticut Will Seek $3.2 Billion For Infrastructure

Governor  Malloy says he will seek $3.2 billion from the federal government to improve the state's infrastructure following damage from a series of hard-hitting storms. The governor says Connecticut may not have been affected as severely as New York or New Jersey by Superstorm Sandy, but the state suffered significant damage from that storm as well as Hurricane Irene and the snow storm that hit in October of last year. He says the three storms combined caused more than $1 billion in damage to the state. The bulk of the money requested by the governor would go toward upgrading power transmission systems, moving power lines underground and other infrastructure improvements. Malloy said he informed the state's congressional delegation Thursday of his plans to submit the requests.

Panel Considering Early Parole For Juveniles

Some ex-offenders are urging Connecticut officials to give juvenile offenders a second chance at life and offer them early parole. But a Norwich man whose wife and son were murdered by a teenager in 1993 told the Connecticut Sentencing Commission yesterday that such a proposal would be unfair to the victims. The state Sentencing Commission held a hearing at the Legislative Office Building on a series of proposals it is considering recommending to the General Assembly. Officials say they have to change state law on parole for people imprisoned for serious crimes they committed when they were under 18, because of U.S. Supreme Court rulings that say juveniles shouldn't be punished as harshly as adults. Current state law makes juvenile offenders ineligible for parole in some cases.

Connecticut Official Faults US Handling Of Immigrant

An adviser to Connecticut's governor is criticizing the U.S. government's detention of a Mexican immigrant under the federal Secure Communities program. Mike Lawlor, the governor's top aide on criminal justice policy, joined advocates at a rally yesterday condemning the initiative that took effect statewide earlier this year. The immigrant, 34-year-old Josemaria Islas of New Haven, was arrested in July on charges that he tried to steal a bicycle. His lawyers said he was wrongfully arrested and the charges were later reduced to misdemeanors, but instead of being released, he was turned over to federal agents at the request of U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Lawlor said the case shows why the program that shares arrestee fingerprints with ICE could lead immigrant communities to lose trust in police officers.

Ceremony Planned For Sub Base Training Facility

A ribbon-cutting ceremony at the U.S. Submarine Base in Groton is planned for a new, high-tech training facility constructed with funds from the state of Connecticut. The facility incorporates a submarine bridge simulator that will be used to train officers and crews in submarine navigation. Senator Richard Blumenthal is scheduled to be among the dignitaries attending today's ceremony, which is not open to the public. The new training facility is one of two projects funded by a $3.2 million investment made in December 2010 by the state of Connecticut. The second project is a culinary training center that includes a full-scale replica galley. The state has been making investments to increase the value of the sub base since it was nearly closed by the U.S. government in 2005.

New Haven Police Say Man Burned Trying To Cut Power Line

New Haven police say a man trying to cut an electrified power line was severely burned and caused an outage to about 3,000 utility customers. Police spokesman David Hartman says officers found Sammy Gonzalez yesterday afternoon after he called an ambulance to his home, saying he had been burned by electricity. Hartman said Gonzalez told police he was injured when he crossed nearby train tracks. But Hartman said utility company surveillance tape from the former English power station on Grand Avenue showed Gonzalez trying to cut the line. Gonzalez was transferred to Bridgeport Burn Center in critical but stable condition with third-degree burns. He faces charges including burglary, attempt to commit larceny and breach of the peace.