Connecticut  Comptroller Says Deficit Is $415 Million

State Comptroller Kevin Lembo says the state budget deficit will reach at least $415 million when the fiscal year ends next June. Lembo released his new estimate Monday and informed Governor  Malloy that the deficit exceeds 1 percent of total general fund appropriations. The benchmark requires a deficit reduction plan within 30 days. The state Office of Policy and Management has estimated the deficit at $365 million. Lembo says the difference is due to different projections for higher education spending. This year's state budget totals $20 billion. Officials attribute much of the deficit to higher Medicaid costs. Malloy has announced $170 million in spending cuts. Lawmakers are expected to take up the deficit at a special session. Connecticut GOP chairman Jerry Labriola Jr. said the deficit reflects Malloy's "gross mismanagement."

Accused Man In Wyoming Deaths Sought Connecticut Gun Permit

Police in Vernon, Conn., say a man accused of killing two people and himself in Wyoming applied for a gun permit in October. Police Lt. William Meier says the pistol application was pending at the time of Friday's slayings. Vernon police said Monday a search of 25-year-old Christopher Krumm's single-room apartment didn't turn up any hazardous material. Police seized paper records, a computer printer and other materials requested by Wyoming authorities. Casper police say Krumm shot an arrow into the head of his 56-year-old father, James Krumm, while his father taught a class at Casper College. Authorities say Christopher Krumm then fatally stabbed his father and himself. Police say he also fatally stabbed his father's girlfriend off-campus. Christopher Krumm reportedly graduated from a Casper high school and attended the Colorado School of Mines. He recently lived in Vernon.

Man Charged In Triple Killing May Get Inheritance

A man charged with killing his 74-year-old mother and two others in East Hartford is in line to inherit cash and an interest in two homes from his mother's estate. The Hartford Courant reports Beverly Therrien didn't have a valid will. She and two people staying with her were beaten to death on Thanksgiving Day 2010. Her estate includes two East Hartford homes and $35,000 in cash. Her son, Brett Bednarz, was charged in October with murder and other crimes in connection with the killings. In Hartford Superior Court on Monday, his case was continued to Jan. 9 to allow him more time to decide whether to waive a probable cause hearing. Because there was no will, Therrien's estate is to be divided equally among her children. Bednarz would get a share, unless someone challenges it.

Man's Body Found In Wooded Area

Police say a man's body has been found in a remote wooded area of Middletown. Middletown police say officers and a K9 unit were assisting the Meriden Police Department with a suspicious car at around 3 p.m. Monday when the dog led Meriden officers to the body. The man's identity is being withheld until his family is notified. An investigation is continuing.

Retired Connecticut Scientist Sentenced For Child Porn

A retired Connecticut aeronautics researcher has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for arranging online sexual acts between children and adults in the Philippines. Federal prosecutors said 68-year-old William Patrick of Glastonbury pleaded guilty in June to using the Internet to entice a minor into sex. He was sentenced Monday. The Hartford Courant reports prosecutors said Patrick told an associate in an online conversation he could hold information over a "7-year-old's head and threaten to tell if she doesn't do what I want." Patrick worked 38 years for United Technologies Corp. His lawyer said he became addicted to pornography after being forced to retire in 2006. In 2008, the FBI found images of sexual abuse of girls on a computer traced to Patrick, and later found computer equipment containing child porn at his home.

Vietnam Veterans Group Sues Military Over PTSD

An advocacy group for Vietnam veterans says in a federal lawsuit the military has failed to correct the wrongful discharges of thousands of veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Vietnam Veterans of America on Monday joined a proposed class action lawsuit against the Army, Navy and Air Force. The lawsuit, first filed last year by a veteran, says the Vietnam veterans suffered PTSD before the condition was recognized and were discharged under other-than-honorable conditions that made them ineligible for disability compensation and other benefits. The lawsuit says the military has refused to upgrade the discharge status of thousands of Vietnam War era veterans with service-related PTSD. The U.S. Attorney's office says it's reviewing the mater and will respond in court.

Calhoun Reveals He Had Cancer Surgery In May

Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun says he had surgery in May to remove an apparent cancerous growth from his lungs. Calhoun mentioned the surgery Monday while taping an episode of YES Network's Center Stage with Michael Kay in New York. Calhoun told YES that doctors removed the growth, concerned it might be related to a previous skin cancer. Reached later by telephone, Calhoun confirmed the surgery. "It was cancer-related, yes," he told The Associated Press. "I'm not going to talk about it. I was out for a day and a half. I'm completely healthy now." Calhoun, who also had spinal surgery in February, retired in September weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured hip suffered in a bicycling accident. Calhoun also told YES that he has not completely ruled out a return to coaching.