Bodies Of 2 Children Found After Putnam House Fire

Connecticut State Police say the bodies of two children have been found in a Putnam house destroyed by fire. The fire raced through the multifamily home early Tuesday morning. Four adults, including the mother of the two children, were injured. The roof of the Putnam home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at about 1 a.m., and it later collapsed into the third floor, where the children were. The fire wasn't under control until about 6:30 a.m. Putnam Fire Marshall Norm Perron says officials were unable to stabilize the top floor until about noon to provide access to search for the bodies and clues into the start of the fire.

Small Plane Crashes , No Major Injuries Reported

The pilot of a small plane has escaped serious injury along with two other men on board after deploying the plane's parachute and going down near a Danbury road. Danbury Municipal Airport Administrator Paul Estefan tells the Danbury News-Times the plane was coming from Groton Tuesday evening when the pilot deployed the parachute because of an unspecific mechanical problem. The plane went down near South Street and Wixted Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. The parachute caught in power lines. Power was temporarily cut to remove it. Assistant airport administrator Mike Safranek said the pilot deployed the Cirrus aircraft's chute two miles from the airport. He said the pilot is a licensed instructor who was giving a lesson to a student. The third man was the student's friend. The men were taken to Danbury Hospital with non-lifethreatening injuries.

2 Top Malloy Appointees Clear Legislative Vote

Two of Governor Dannel P. Malloy's top appointees have cleared their first legislative vote. The General Assembly's Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee on Tuesday unanimously approved Jamey Bell, Malloy's choice for State Child Advocate, and Sharon Palmer, commissioner of the Department of Labor. Both are already working in their new jobs. Bell, who lives in Bloomfield, succeeded Jeanne Milstein, who retired last March after a dozen years. Bell executive director of Connecticut Voices for Children. Palmer, who lives in Waterford, had been the president of the Connecticut chapter of the American Federation of Teachers since 2003. The union represents 28,000 teachers and other employees in the state. The nominations now face further action by the full General Assembly.

Former Westport Swim Coach Pleads Not Guilty To Rape

A former Connecticut high school swim coach has pleaded not guilty to charges that he raped two young girls. Jeffrey Schare was until recently a coach at Staples High School in Westport where he also taught math. The Connecticut Post reports that Schare pleaded innocent Tuesday in Bridgeport Superior Court to charges including two counts of first-degree sexual assault and two counts of risk of injury to a minor. He is accused of repeatedly raping two young girls over three years. The 43-year-old Schare was coach of the boys' swim team for seven years. Students and staff were recently told that he was leaving but no reason was provided. Police said his victims are now 12 and 8 and the older girl had complained to a counselor at her school.

Connecticut Gun Violence Task Force Launches Website

The Connecticut General Assembly's task force on gun violence and children's safety has set up a new website which allows the public to submit testimony on various ideas being considered in the wake of the Newtown school shooting. The 52-member task force launched the new site on Tuesday. Visitors can find information about the task force's membership, the four scheduled public hearings, and the link to submit testimony. The task force is also accepting testimony delivered in person. It will all be made available for public review on the website, which is located at www.cga.ct.gov/asaferconnecticut. State lawmakers hope to take action on a package of legislative changes before the end of February. The Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School left 20 first graders and six educators dead.

New Disabled Voter Law To Be Highlighted

Connecticut officials are drawing attention to a new state law that allows disabled voters with permanent absentee ballot status to no longer apply every election to receive a ballot. The new law allows people with that status to automatically receive an absentee ballot for each election, primary and referendum in the municipality where they're eligible to vote. The law requires local registrars of voters to send a notice each January to determine whether the disabled voter still resides at the address on the application. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, the president of the Connecticut Town Clerks Association, officials from the Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, Newington state Rep. Sandy Nafis and her constituent Dolores Carron will be on hand Wednesday for a news conference.