Hartford Courant Being Sued for Plagiarism

The Hartford Courant, the nation's "oldest continually published newspaper," is being sued by the Journal Inquirer of Manchester. The Inquirer claims that the Courant published 11 of their stories without attribution. It seems the Courant has made it a habit--of late--to display other papers' writings. Articles from Middletown, Norwich and other regionals around the state have found their way into the pages of the Courant.

In this case, three wrongs don't make a right. After declaring bankrupcy late last year, the newspaper--like many around the country--made dozens of cuts in the newsroom. Now, to make matters worse, their crediblity is on the line. It seems like one hard blow after the other. But I'm sure they will survive this. Afterall, print is not dead...yet.

One final thought to the Jounral Inquirer: I respect your publication and the hard work that the writers and editors put into their product, but, the Hartford Courant is well, the Hartford Courant--an enterprise of the Tribune Company. I guess that means they should know better...

BREAKING NEWS: Gov. Jodi Rell Will Not Seek Re-Election

In a press conference held this afternoon Gov. Jodi Rell, R-CT, announced that she will not be seeking re-election in 2010. Rell offered no specific reason for the decision but did site "soul searching" and a talk with her family as key decision making factors. The 63-year-old Rell came into office in 2004 when John Rowland resigned amid a corruption investigation. Rell was elected to her own four year term in 2006.

Since taking office Rell has signed gay marriage into state law making Connecticut one of the first states to recgonize it as a legal transaction, and helped the state penial system make big bucks by allowing prisonmates to remain in state.

CT Democratic hopefuls are reeling over the announcement looking to winning one back for the blue team.

Stamford mayor Dannel Malloy and former Senate hopeful Ned Lamont are vying for the seat come next November.

2nd Yale Student Dead: Can Connecticut Schools Keep Your Child Safe?

Both the Universityof Connecticut and Yale University have experienced horrible deaths this semester. The first, Annie Le, a California graduate, was brutual murdered and stuffed in a wall in a campus labratory. Then one of UConn's star athletes, Jasper T. Howard (affectionately "Jazz") was stabbed to death in front of the Student Union after a homecoming party.

Just to be clear, I am not making light of the deaths of these two young students. But I am endeavoring to shed light on a scarcely talked about topic: the safety of Connecticut schools.

This sad and undeniable fact comes on the heels of yet another death at Yale University, one of the country's top two Ivy League schools. 19-year-old Andre Narcisse, a sophomore, was found dead in his dorm room late Sunday morning. Reportedly, roommates found him unresponsive and called emergencies personnel.

Almost every kid in the country dreams of being accepted to Yale. But after this fall's dreary turn of events, who would actually want to go?

Has Yale become unsafe for would-be students? Are the intellectual minds of the young safe in New Haven, Connecticut. As a student at Howard Univerisy in DC we spoke at length about safety and the role of campus police--especially after a student was chased into a dorm and sexual assaulted in the bathroom, and after another student was shot and killed just blocks away from the main campus.

I seems to me the officials at Yale are not having this discussion. Campus safety is first.

All else is secondary.

Bridgeport: Loaded Gun Found in Central High School

Bridgeport police called a lockdown on Central High School Friday morning after students tipped off school police that a loaded hand gun was brought into the building. Two students, 15 and 16 were taken into custody for bringing the weapon into school. The superintendent was called to investigate the incident. Officials are not sure how the gun, which was hidden in the backpack of the 15-year-old suspect, got passed the school's medal deterors.

Bridgeport's public high schools are no strangers to adolescent violence. Like much of the nation, Central was on edge in the late 1990's in the wake of the Columbine shooting in Colorado. Central, however, has never experienced such outragous, senseless violence. Though gang violence and individual disputes have long disrupted the educational atmosphere of Bridgeport's largest public high school.

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UPDATE: Baseball Analyst Stikes Out at ESPN

ESPN announced yesterday that Baseball Tonight analyst Steve Phillips was terminated from the company on Sunday just days after his affair with a production assistant became public. Both Phillips, 46 and mistress, Brooke Hundley, 22, were fired from the sports news franchise. In a statement released by ESPN the company said "his ability to be an effective representative for ESPN has been significantly and irreparably damaged, and it became evident that it was time to part ways." Reportedly, Phillips has checked into a treatment facility for sexual addicts.

It looks like Phillips is 0-2 in the mistress department. An earlier trist with a Met intern back in the late 1990's didn't lead to his eventual termination, but did lead to a sexual harrassment lawsuit. Phillips is also looking at "a simpler kind of life" as his wife of 18 years has filed for divorce after being harrassed by Hundley. The former production assistant reportedly lost it when Phillips decided to end the affair. Hundley sent harrassing calls and text messages to Phillips' wife and contacted his teenaged son on Facebook. Phillips has openly acknowledging his affair with the paranoid post-grad. Thus confirming his own mental instability.

3 Men Arrested in UConn Killing

A 21-year-old Bloomfield man was arrested today in the stabbing death of Uconn cornerback Jasper T. Howard. Howard, a 20-year-old sophomore from Miami, was killed outside of a campus party on Oct. 18.

John William Lomax III was arrested early this morning and charged with mruder in the Howard case. Two other assailant, Hakim Muhammad, 20 and Jamal Todd, 21 have also been charged with conspiracy to committ first-degree assault and reckless endangerment respectively. Both Lomax and Muhammad are from the same housing complex in Bloomfield, while Todd is from Hartford.

A candlelight vigil was held on the UConn campus on Wednesday. Hundreds of students attended the vigil which was in part lead by Howard's teammates. The players lead the crowd in prayers and gave tribute to their fellow Huskie by holding up a hand sign representing Miami's Little Haiti community, a gesture Howard brought with him to Connecticut. The players also presented UConn football coach Randy Edsall with a letterman jacket with a picture of Howard, affectionately called "Jazz" on the back.

The news of Lomax's arrest comes on the heals of Howard's funeral held in Miami yesterday morning. Edsall and the entire UConn team attended the funeral, some said it was their way of paying their last respects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGuCxdZs_ns