Compromise Reached On Education Bill

Legislative leaders and Governor Malloy have reached a compromise on education reform.  Malloy says the deal calls for 100-million dollars in education spending, creating one-thousand new early childhood education slots and a pilot literacy program.  The bill does not tie teacher evaluations directly to tenure, something Malloy originally sought.  The legislature adjourns tomorrow night at midnight, and leaders say they belive the bill will gain final approval before the session ends.

Stamford Accused Of Destroying Fire Evidence

The attorney for the man whose three children died in a Christmas Day fire in Stamford says the city destroyed evidence by razing the house one day after the fire.  Matthew Badger's lawyer says they are going to sue the city for negligence for demolishing the 33-hundred square foot home.  Badger also accuses the city of allowing the home to become a fire hazard by not properly inspecting ongoing renovations and issuing the wrong permits.  The fire at his ex-wife's house, New York City advertising executive Madonna Badger, was likely started by improperly placed fireplace embers and killed Badger's daughters Lily Sarah and Grace, along with their maternal grandparents.

Bridgeport Residents Rally Against Violence

Bridgeport residents are taking a stand against violence.  About 50-people took part in a march last night from the West Side intersection where a three-year-old was shot last week to the State Street police precinct.  The marchers say they want to encourage the public to cooperate with police investigations and help bring crime victims some justice.  The toddler remains hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Hospital in stable condition.

Cops Blame Uptick in Gang Activity For Recent Shootings

Police are blaming an increase in gang activity for recent shootings in Bridgeport.  Police Sergeant Jason Amato tells the "Connecticut Post" that there are at least 15-sets of gangs operating in Bridgeport and they operate block by block.  Amato says some are affiliated with nationally known gangs but most are neighborhood gangs created in the city and they fight hard for their turf.  A three-year-old girl who was shot last Monday is the latest victim in the violence that has taken hold of the city.

Yalie Accused In Deadly Crash Appears In Court

The Yale student charged with negligent homicide for striking a woman with a box truck at the Yale-Harvard game has made his first court appearance.  Brendan Ross was driving a rented truck that was carrying beer kegs when he struck and killed Nancy Barry of Salem, Massachusetts in a tailgating area.  An attorney for Ross says the truck suffered a mechanical malfunction that caused it to lurch forward, killing Barry and injuring two other women.  A police mechanic inspected the truck and reported no problems.

Racial Profiling Bill Approved By House

The state House yesterday granted final legislative approval to a bill that strengthens the state's laws banning racial profiling by police.  The bill requires the state to develop a standardized form to record information from traffic stops, gathering data that includes race, age, gender, sexual orientation of the driver, along with information about the involved officer.  The bill also creates a racial profiling prohibition advisory board.  Governor Dannel Malloy has pledged to sign the bill into law.

Bill Targets Sex Oriented Massage Parlors

The state House has approved a bill that takes aim at illegal, sex oriented massage parlors in Connecticut.  The bill seeks to hold employers accountable if they have workers who are not licensed massage therapists, risking a possible three months in prison and 500-dollars in fines.  The bill would also empower the state Department of Public Health to conduct inspections of massage facilities for possible violations.

Private Investigator Accused Of Bribing Witness

A private investigator has been charged with bribing a witness to recant her testimony in the murder case involving Ronald Taylor and George Gould.  The witness changing her story was one of the reasons a judge threw out the murder convictions of the two men for the 1993 killing of a New Haven store clerk.  Prosecutors say 67-year-old Gerald O'Connor has been charged with bribery and witness tampering, accused of paying and pressuring the witness who implicated the men to change her story.  O'Connor was working for the state public defender's office at the time.

Branford Man Accused Of Strangling Dog

A Branford man has been arrested on charges accusing him of strangling his dog.  Police say 21-year-old Alex Wullaert choked the pit bull mix to death after the dog misbehaved and bit him in January.  The dog's corpse was found in a plastic bag in the woods of Madison in March, and officers traced the animal to Wullaert after determining that it was microchipped.  Police say Wullaert admitted to killing the dog and dumping it in Madison, and he has been charged with cruelty to animals and littering.

Study Finds Nearly 50% Of Americans Could Be Obese By 2030

Nearly 50-percent of Americans could be obese by the year 2030.  A new study from Duke University finds that if current trends continue, 32 million people will become obese in the U.S. over the next two decades.  Researchers say freezing current obesity rates could result in a savings of more than half a trillion dollars in medical expenditures over that time.  The study is published in the "American Journal of Preventive Medicine."

U.S. Ranked 25th For Mom's Well-Being

The U.S. is making strides in the well-being of its mothers.  A new rankings of the best places in the world to be a mom puts the U.S. in 25th place.  That's up from 31st place last year.  The 13th annual State of the World's Mothers report looked at 165 nations across the world to put together the ranking.  Norway came in first place, partially due to the nation's contraceptive use, education status of women and its generous maternity leave policies.  Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to perform poorly in the areas of maternity leave policies, child mortality rates and maternal death.  The U.S. currently has the highest maternal death risk of any industrialized nation, with one in every 21-hundred mothers dying during childbirth.  It's also the only developed nation in the world that does not guarantee paid maternity leave for working mothers.  And the U.S. ranks on par with Bosnia and Herzegovina for its death rates of children under the age of five, with eight child deaths for every one-thousand live births.  That makes an American child four times more likely to die before the age of five than kids in Iceland, by example.

Living Near Highway Increases Death Risk For Heart Attack Survivors

Heart attack survivors living close to a busy highway or freeway may want to consider finding a new abode.  A new study shows survivors who live within 100 meters, or 328 feet, of a major roadway are 27-percent more likely to die of any cause within ten years.  That's compared to those living more than one-thousand meters -- three-thousand, 280 feet -- from a busy roadway.  Researchers say the culprit could be a combination of increased exposure to air pollution and the stress that comes from living so close to a busy roadway.  The most common cause of death in the study was cardiovascular-related.  The study appears in the American Heart Association's journal "Circulation."

Study Says Joggers Live Longer, Happier

Jogging at least an hour a week is good for your health and the length of your life, Danish researchers found.  Combing through data recorded over 35 years researchers found that joggers lived an average of six years longer than people who did not jog.  Both men and women who jogged lived longer.  Researchers also found that joggers reported an overall sense of well-being, compared to the non-joggers.  The study began in 1976 when participants ranged in age from 20 to 79.  During 35 years of follow-up there were 122 deaths among joggers, and more than ten-thousand deaths among non-joggers.  The study is available at www.escardio.org.