Connecticut Officials Welcome Obama Gun Control Measures

Connecticut officials are welcoming President Barack Obama's sweeping proposals for curbing gun violence following the deadly shooting at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School. Governor  Malloy, a Democrat, credited the president on Wednesday with taking "the critical first step" in making sure such a tragedy does not happen again. Malloy said the president has offered "common sense measures" that "we should all be able to agree on." Malloy vowed to make sure Connecticut, considered to already have some of the toughest gun laws, will be a national leader in preventing gun violence. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the president's proposals "a profoundly historic initiative," supporting specifics such as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Blumenthal said he'll keep pushing for mandatory background checks for ammunition purchases.

East Hartford To Pay $1.5 Million For Pool Death

 East Hartford officials have agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with the family of a 15-year-old boy who drowned last year in the high school's pool. Marcum Gyamfi Asiamah was a freshman when he drowned Jan. 11, 2012. His mother, Doris Amponsah, filed a notice of intent to sue the town and local and school officials. The Journal Inquirer of Manchester reports that Town Council Chairman Richard Kehoe said Wednesday the settlement is based on an assessment of the town's ability to defend itself against the lawsuit and that officials are pleased to settle the matter. He said that following the drowning, the school board has required a lifeguard at all school pools during swim classes.

Ex-Cop Sentenced To 5 Years In Fatal Cruiser Crash

A former Milford police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison in connection with a 2009 cruiser crash that killed two teenagers from Orange. Thirty-seven-year-old Jason Anderson received a 10-year sentence suspended after five years. He was sentenced on Wednesday in Milford Superior Court. His lawyer says he'll appeal.  A jury acquitted Anderson of manslaughter in November, but convicted him of misconduct with a motor vehicle and reckless driving. Police say Anderson was returning from a mutual aid call in another town when his cruiser struck a car turning in front him at about 94 mph on Route 1 in Orange. Authorities say the cruiser's emergency lights and sirens were off at the time. Milford officials fired Anderson. The crash killed two 19-year-olds — David Servin and Ashlie Krakowski.

Ex-Connecticut Lawmaker In Court For Campaign Fraud Case

Former Bridgeport state Sen. Ernest Newton II is facing a court arraignment on charges he fraudulently obtained thousands of dollars in public funds to finance a failed comeback campaign for his old seat last year. Newton is scheduled to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Thursday to face charges of felony larceny, witness tampering and campaign finance crimes. Prosecutors say he filed false documentation to obtain more than $80,000 from the publicly funded Citizens Election Program. Newton denies the charges. Newton's return to politics last year came three years after he finished a prison sentence for misusing campaign money for personal use. Newton served 17 years in the legislature before giving up his seat and pleading guilty in 2005. He lost last year's Democratic primary for his old Senate seat.

Blumenthal Travels To Egypt And Meets With Morsi

Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal is in Egypt with a bipartisan delegation led by Arizona Sen. John McCain. On Wednesday, Blumenthal and the other senators met with Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, the prime minister, foreign minister, defense minister, opposition leaders and others. Blumenthal said he and other members of the group expressed "strong disapproval" about negative comments Morsi made about Jews during a speech in 2010. He said the group also urged Egyptian officials to amend their country's constitution so there will be free and fair elections, and to address the deteriorating security situation in Sinai. Earlier in the day, Blumenthal said the senators met with top Syrian opposition leaders and promised to request more humanitarian assistance from the U.S. Blumenthal is scheduled to return from the Middle East on Sunday.

Pratt & Whitney Marks End Of  F-119 Military Engine

Pratt & Whitney is marking the final delivery of a military jet engine in what an executive calls a bittersweet event. The subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. and representatives of the Air Force, Lockheed Martin and Boeing will mark the delivery Thursday of the 507th and last F-119 engine for the Air Force's F-22 Raptor at Pratt & Whitney's plant in Middletown. Then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced the end of production in 2010. Pratt & Whitney delivered the first production F-119 engine in December 2000. Bennett Croswell, president of military engines at Pratt & Whitney, says the company doesn't often see engines end production, making the ceremony an unusual event. He called it bittersweet. In a partnership with the Air Force, Pratt & Whitney will shift to managing scheduled overhauls of the F119 engine fleet.

Lab Groundbreaking Planned At UConn Health Center

A groundbreaking ceremony is planned for The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center. Thursday's ceremony in Farmington comes nearly a year after the state of Connecticut signed an agreement with the Bar Harbor, Maine-based laboratory to construct the $1.1 billion research facility. Under the deal, the state is providing $192 million in loans that will be forgiven once Jackson creates and retains 300 jobs by the 10th year. Jackson is also receiving up to $99 million in research grants over 10 years. Governor  Malloy, UConn President Susan Herbst, UConn School of Medicine Dean Frank Torti and The Jackson Laboratory President and CEO Edison Liu  will be on hand for the ceremony, which is part of a full day of events.