Newtown Leader, Police To Be On Hand For State Of The Union

Newtown First Selectman Patricia Llodra and two local police detectives who were among the first on the scene for the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting will be guests of Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy for President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. Blumenthal said Monday he hopes the presence of the Newtown officials in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night will inspire the president to push ahead with a "very aggressive" gun control package in light of the Dec. 14 shooting, which left 20 first graders and six educators dead. A spokesman for Murphy says Newtown Detective Dan McAnaspie and Detective Jason Frank will be inside the House of Representatives for the address. Murphy hopes both will attend a traditional Senate dinner beforehand.

Snow, Ice, Water Mean Burdened Roofs in Northeast

Snow-weary Northeasterners still digging out driveways and clearing roads from a weekend storm are facing possible danger from above as well. Officials are warning about roofs collapsing from the weight of snow and ice along with recent rainfall. Governor  Malloy said the number of reported roof collapses across Connecticut had grown to at least 16 by early evening on Monday, up from five in the morning. He warned places with flat roofs, like schools, to get them cleared. Police on Long Island evacuated one of the area's biggest malls on Monday because of major roof leaks. The Smith Haven Mall in Suffolk County was cleared by 4 p.m. Monday after significant leaks were detected in more than two dozen stores. Police worried the roof could collapse.

The Whopper Of A Storm Didn't Rank High In History

Federal statistics show the snowstorm that walloped the Northeast with more than 3 feet in some places didn't add up to being that bad. Two National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration storm-rating measurements initially ranked Friday's snowstorm as 16th in Northeast history by one scale and 25th by another. The two storm measurement systems are similar in scale to the ones that measure hurricanes and tornadoes. They rank the weekend storm as a 3 and "major" on a 1 to 5 scale. It didn't rate a "crippling" 4 or "extreme" 5. National Climatic Data Center meteorologist Mike Squires says the storm didn't rank very high because only a small area of about 190 square miles had more than 30 inches of snow.

Connecticut DMV Cancels Driving Tests Due To Snow Banks

The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles says it has cancelled road skills testing for the coming days because of the high snow banks along the state's roadways following the weekend blizzard that left more than two feet. The DMV expects to resume the road tests on Thursday. DMV Commissioner Melody Currey said the tests were being canceled as a safety precaution. The piles of snow can create hazards for pedestrians and blind spots for motorists at intersections. Currey said the delay in administering tests will give cities and towns more time to remove the snow. Customers can reschedule their road test appointments by calling the DMV Phone Center, which is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday. The numbers are 860-263-5700 in the Hartford area and 800-842-8222 elsewhere in the state.

Foxwoods Jumps Into Fray For Eastern Mass. Casino

Foxwoods Resort Casino has jumped into the race to open a casino in eastern Massachusetts. CEO Scott Butera told The Associated Press on Monday that it has joined with developer David Nunes to compete for a casino in Milford. He says building a casino just 70 miles from Foxwoods in southeast Connecticut will help increase both markets. He's joining with real estate developer David Nunes who has already reached an agreement with the town of Milford to build an $850 million resort casino. Nunes says no one knows the New England gambling market better than Foxwoods. The Nunes venture, Crossroads Massachusetts, will compete for the eastern Massachusetts resort casino license with Suffolk Downs in Boston and Steve Wynn, who has proposed a casino for Everett.

Connecticut Budget Feels Effects Of Federal Healthcare

The federal health care overhaul law is providing both challenges and opportunities for Connecticut lawmakers as they try to reach a state budget compromise with Governor  Malloy. Malloy's two-year, $43.8 billion proposal includes millions of dollars in spending needed to comply with the federal health care law. But it also relies on millions of dollars in savings that the law generates. About $382 million is spent on caseload growth in human services agencies and changes under the Affordable Care Act. That includes expanding Medicaid eligibility to more people and increasing Medicaid payments to primary care physicians. The state eventually will be reimbursed. Malloy's plan also saves money by moving some Medicaid patients into private plans to be offered by the new Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange in 2014.

Adamant Henry Has No Plans On Selling Red Sox

Red Sox principal owner John Henry reiterated his intentions Monday that he has no plans on selling the franchise. Meeting with the media at JetBlue Park a day before Boston's pitchers and catchers report for spring training, Henry spoke on several matters, but was adamant about keeping the rebuilding Red Sox, despite reports to the contrary. "You just don't get an opportunity to own something like the Boston Red Sox. As long as we can do it, the three of us are committed to being here," Henry told reporters, while acknowledging team president Larry Lucchino and chairman Tom Werner. "These thoughts that we're somehow selling, those are just not true." For the second time in as many seasons, Boston will open camp with a new manager. John Farrell replaced Bobby Valentine after the Red Sox finished 69-93 last year, 26 games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East.