Man Dies After Stabbing In East Haven; Brothers Were Also Hurt

A man is dead and his brother has been hospitalized after they were stabbed during a fight. Police tell WFSB-TV that one of the men died Tuesday afternoon as a result of the attack. The other one was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities say a third brother also was assaulted but his injuries were not life-threatening. The names of the victims have not been released. They are all in their 20s.

Plea Deal Falls Through In East Coast Rapes Case

A plea deal for a Connecticut man accused of a series of rapes along the East Coast has fallen through after the defendant told a judge he wasn't sure he knew what he was doing. A plea hearing had been scheduled in Prince William County on Tuesday for Aaron Thomas, who is charged with abducting three teenage trick-or-treaters in 2009 and raping two of them.  But the deal was called off when Thomas, of New Haven, Conn., revealed hesitation. The assaults were the last of 17 that authorities attributed to Thomas, who was linked through DNA and other evidence to assaults and rapes on women as far back as 1997. Thomas was arrested in March 2011. His lawyers had pursued an insanity defense before dropping those plans.

Guilty Plea Expected By Reputed Connecticut Mobster

 A 76-year-old reputed Connecticut mobster is expected to plead guilty in a weapons and prescription drugs case that has revealed the FBI's belief that he has information about the largest art heist in history.  Robert Gentile , of Manchester, has a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Wednesday in Hartford federal court. Federal prosecutors and Gentile's lawyer declined to comment on the hearing.  During a hearing in the case last March, a federal prosecutor disclosed that the FBI believes Gentile had some involvement with stolen property related to a 1990 heist at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Thieves made off with masterworks by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas and Manet worth more than a half-billion dollars. Gentile hasn't been charged in the art heist and his lawyer says his client knows nothing about it. Island nationalist to be sentenced in '83 robbery A Puerto Rican nationalist who was captured by the FBI last year is expected to be sentenced for his role in a record-setting 1983 robbery in Connecticut. Norberto Gonzalez Claudio faces a five-year prison sentence at the hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Hartford. The sentence is capped under a deal he took in June.   He pleaded guilty to charges including foreign transportation of stolen money and conspiracy to rob federally insured bank funds in connection with the heist at a Wells Fargo depot in West Hartford. The crime was carried out by Los Macheteros, a militant group dedicated to independence for the U.S. Caribbean territory. Gonzalez has been detained since he was arrested in May 2011 in the central island town of Cayey.

Connecticut Lawmakers To Be Briefed On Budget

 State lawmakers are being updated on the state of Connecticut's budget and lagging revenues.  Benjamin Barnes, the governor's budget director, is scheduled to brief members of the Appropriations Committee Wednesday. His appearance comes days after his office and the General Assembly's budget office announced that state revenues continue to fall short of original projections. Barnes announced Friday that state revenues had dropped by $52.7 million since April. But Republican legislative leaders quickly pointed out how that means revenues in total have fallen at least $128 million behind what was originally budgeted. Some estimates are higher than $200 million, which would require Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to present the legislature with a deficit-cutting plan. Barnes is also expected on Wednesday to discuss budget shortages facing certain state agencies.

Connecticut Offers Incentives For Storm Purchases

Governor Malloy says $3 million worth of additional energy efficiency rebates are being made available to Connecticut victims of Superstorm Sandy.  The governor announced Tuesday that the financial incentives would apply to residential and business purchases of boilers, furnaces, hot water heaters and refrigerators that would replace less energy-efficient models. The purchases must be made between Oct. 29 and Dec. 31, which is the deadline for applications for the rebates. Malloy also announced on Tuesday that low-cost financing for energy efficiency upgrades made while renovating or reconstructing homes and businesses is also available. Anyone seeking information about the rebates and financing should call the Connecticut Energy Information Line at 1-877-WISE-Use.

 Report: Connecticut Housing Prices Remain High

 A new report shows a shortage of affordable housing options in Connecticut, which is leading to higher rental costs and continued high sale prices for lower income families. Median sales prices of homes have been pushed below their 2007 peak. But an annual housing report, released Tuesday by the Partnership for Strong Communities, found that many residents continue to struggle to find an affordable place to live. Connecticut still has the eighth highest median sales price in the U.S. and the 6th highest rental prices. According to the report, calls from residents to the United Way's 2-1-1 Infoline seeking information about homeless shelters, affordable rentals and help with rental and mortgage payments remain at record levels. Meanwhile, households paying more than 30 percent of their incomes for housing have risen.

CCM Calls For Greater Connecticut Education Funding

The largest association of Connecticut cities and towns is calling on a state task force to recommend increased funding for public education, despite a continuing drop in state revenues. James Finley, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said Tuesday the Education Cost Sharing grant, the largest pool of state aid for local education, is underfunded by more than $763 million. That means local property taxpayers cover the difference. Finley said the state doesn't need to fully fund the ECS formula right away. He said it can be spread out over a number of years. But he said the state should increase its financial commitment to ECS and special education. The task force has not yet finished its recommendations to the legislature and governor.

Senators Seek More Sandy Relief Money

 Thirteen senators from seven states damaged by Superstorm Sandy are asking President Obama to boost federal disaster aid to the states. Senators from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Delaware and Maryland asked Obama in a letter Tuesday to add more emergency aid for federal disaster assistance programs in his 2013 budget request. They want quick action by Obama to help speed recovery efforts from the massive storm that pounded the East Coast. The lawmakers are seeking the money in the post-election lame duck session of Congress. Congress and Obama are wrestling with how to avert a fiscal crisis, and conservative lawmakers are expected to oppose new spending without offsets elsewhere.

Judge Tells Defendant He Needs New "Shtick"

A Connecticut judge has told a convicted burglar he needs to change his "shtick." The Day of New London reports Judge Susan Handy gave her advice Tuesday to 53-year-old Andrew Kendzierski as she sentenced him to 2 1/2 years in prison for probation violation and fifth-degree larceny. Handy told him, "It's not working for you." Kendzierski was arrested in August, five months after completing a 5 1/2 year prison term for burglarizing and burning an 18th century Stonington farmhouse. He then charged with stealing a generator and tools from a house in Preston. He pleaded guilty under the Alford Doctrine, meaning he didn't agree with the allegations but didn't want to go to trial. Kendzierski apologized in court, saying he has "a stupid habit of trusting the wrong people." Handy replied that he needs to stop blaming others.