Lawmakers Return To Capitol For New Session

Connecticut lawmakers are returning to Hartford to open the new legislative session. The General Assembly is scheduled to officially convene on Wednesday morning. That's when members of the House of Representatives and Senate will take the oath of office. Governor  Malloy is expected to address a joint session of the legislature around noontime. That's when he'll deliver his State of the State Address. Malloy has said part of the speech will touch on the recent school shooting in Newtown, which left 20 first graders and six staff dead. Gun control, mental health care and school safety are expected to be hot topics for the new session. Also, legislators must grapple with a projected deficit of approximately $1.2 billion in next fiscal year's approximate $20 billion budget.

Police: Man Kills Self After Shooting Norwich Cop

A Norwich police officer shot and wounded in a standoff with a reportedly suicidal man at an apartment complex has been upgraded to fair condition. A spokesman for Yale-New Haven Hospital also said Tuesday afternoon that 38-year-old Jonathan Ley remains in the intensive care unit. Norwich Police Chief Louis J. Fusaro Sr. said at a news conference Tuesday that Ley is alert and speaking with family and friends. State police said that the man who allegedly opened fire on Norwich police and wounded Ley on Monday afternoon killed himself in the apartment during an hours-long standoff with authorities. A state police tactical team found 30-year-old Jason Razzino dead in a bathroom after breaking into the home at the Cedar Glen Apartments.

Giffords' Gun Control Bid Finds Support In Newtown

Some people in Newtown are cheering a new initiative from former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband to try to curb gun violence. Newtown Selectman Jim Gaston was among the officials who met with Giffords last week when she extended sympathies to relatives of victims from the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary that left 26 people dead. Gaston said Tuesday that Giffords will have support from the vast majority of Newtown residents. Frank Monte, a Newtown father who is organizing a bike ride to Washington to call for greater gun control efforts, said he is eager to help Giffords any way he can. Giffords launched a political action committee on gun violence Tuesday, the second anniversary of the Tucson shooting that killed six people and left her critically injured.

Malloy Names Members To Sandy Hook Advisory Panel

Governor  Malloy has named 16 people, a group that includes mental health and public safety experts, to a panel recommending changes to state laws and policies in the wake of the deadly elementary school shooting in Newtown. The Sandy Hook Advisory Commission is led by Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson. It includes the Norwalk fire chief, the University of Connecticut police chief, the director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement and the chief psychiatrist at Hartford Hospital's Institute for Living. The panel also includes the outgoing Newtown state representative, a Newtown Middle School teacher, a security consultant, and a Yale University psychiatry professor and researcher. Commission members have until March 15 to submit their initial report to Malloy, in time to be considered by the General Assembly.

Newtown Seeks Law Change To Aid Officers And Others

The Newtown Board of Police Commissioners is seeking a change in state law so officers and others who responded to last month's school shooting are covered by workers compensation. The board passed a resolution Tuesday citing the bravery of police, teachers, first responders and school staff. It says "fairness and compassion dictates" the law be changed to provide appropriate benefits to those who suffered physical and emotional injury "as a consequence of their heroic efforts" on the job. A police union has said some police officers who responded to the shooting were so traumatized they weren't working, but had to use sick time and risked going without a paycheck. The union wants to expand workers' compensation benefits for officers who witness horrific crime scenes.

Stratford School Locked Down Over Gun Scare

A sighting of men carrying guns prompted a brief lockdown at a middle school in Stratford. Teachers and students at the Wooster Middle School huddled in corners and behind their desks for close to half an hour Tuesday afternoon as police searched for the men seen in woods behind the school. Stratford Police Lt. Frank Eannotti told the Hearst Connecticut Media Group that the four men were taken into custody and would likely face criminal charges. Two of the men were believed to carrying pellet rifles. Stratford is about 20 miles away from Newtown, where a gunman killed 20 children and six women last month inside an elementary school.

Connecticut Hispanics Mark Political Milestones

Elected Hispanic officials and representatives from the state's Hispanic community and national organizations are celebrating the political milestones made in Connecticut during the most recent election. The first two Hispanic state senators were elected in November, Andres Ayala of Bridgeport and Art Linares of Westbrook. Also, there are now 10 Hispanic members of the House of Representatives. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill on Tuesday announced that more than 22,000 new Hispanic voters registered in 2012. There are now more than 157,000 registered voters of Hispanic origin in Connecticut. That's nearly eight percent of all the state's registered voters. Isaias Diaz, chairman of the Connecticut Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, said he believes the Latino vote was a deciding factor in the 2012 elections.

Sentencing Delay In Police Bias Case

Sentencing has been delayed for one of four East Haven officers charged in a federal investigation alleging police bias and abuse against Hispanics. Jason Zullo had been scheduled to be sentenced to one to two years in prison Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Hartford. A judge continued the sentencing hearing when attorneys argued over sentencing guidelines. No date was set for the next hearing. Zullo pleaded guilty in October to obstruction of justice, acknowledging he falsified a police report about a motorcycle chase in October 2008. Prosecutors say Zullo failed to mention in his report that he struck the motorcycle with his cruiser three times during the chase and caused it to crash, injuring the rider and a passenger.

Bounced Checks Sparked Newton Investigation

An arrest affidavit shows bounced paychecks to campaign workers sparked an investigation into the campaign finances of former Bridgeport state Sen. Ernest Newton II, charged with falsely obtaining public funds to finance a failed comeback campaign. The Connecticut Post reported Tuesday that the affidavit alleges Newton ran out of money last year and told his workers they'd get paid if they filled out cards falsely claiming they made campaign contributions needed to qualify for public financing. Newton had to raise $15,000 to receive an $80,550 grant. But authorities say the workers still were not paid and a complaint was filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Newton's lawyer denies his client told anyone to lie about campaign contributions. Newton finished a prison sentence for misusing campaign funds nearly three years ago.

Worker Killed In Tree-Cutting Accident

being struck by a tree trunk in Greenwich. Police say 26-year-old Alvarro Lopez of Port Chester was working with his family's business, Lopez Landscaping of Greenwich, on Monday afternoon removing a large tree. The Hartford Courant reports that witnesses told police that Lopez had cut a large section of the trunk when it fell backward and hit him, knocking him unconscious. Lopez was in cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived. He was taken to Greenwich Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.  Police say Lopez was wearing a harness and using boot spikes. State workplace safety inspectors are investigating the accident.