Higher Insurance Premiums For Unvaccinated?: CT News Digest

Good Friday morning Connecticut,

Good news on the weather front, as it's about to get much warmer for the next several days. Temperatures will rise into the upper 40s on Friday, 60s on Saturday with some rain showers and increasing wind gusts, and sunny and upper 40s on Sunday.

Next week's weather looks tranquil and warm through next Thursday, with temperatures in the 50s each day.

Higher insurance premiums for the unvaccinated in CT?

Hearst Connecticut columnist Dan Haar recently interviewed some leading state lawmakers, who told him there have been discussions about allowing insurance companies to charge non-vaccinated Connecticut residents more for health insurance.

House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, told Haar that “I’d have no problem with insurance companies saying you have to pay a higher premium per month if you’re not willing to get vaccinated."

About 20 percent of the state's residents are unvaccinated. And to be clear, Haar said the talks have been "informal" at the state level and no bill has been generated. There would be legal hurdles to overcome as the Affordable Care Act doesn't allow for such a proposal, but exceptions can be granted by the federal government. (Read the full story here).

Lamont to announce new state comptroller on Friday

Today at 10 a.m., Gov. Ned Lamont will hold a news conference in Hartford to announce the person he intends to appoint as state comptroller upon the anticipated resignation of Comptroller Kevin Lembo later this month. Patch will provide coverage of this story.

Possible hoarding situation complicates response to house fire

A fire that began in an attic of a Lanz Lane home in Ellington quickly spread and a "hoarding situation" made it a challenge for fire crews, Fox 61 report. No one was home at the time of the fire. An excavator was brought in to help crews reach the fire. (Read more at Fox 61).

Remains of a 24-year-old man who went missing in 2013 were found, police say

A Hamden man has been charged in connection with the killing of a man who went missing in 2013, according to police.

Bridgeport detectives exhumed the body of a man believed to Aryndel Castro on Thursday afternoon, according to officials. The body was buried under 5 feet of earth under the detached garage of a single-family home in the 1800 block of Bridgeport, according to police.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy on Friday to confirm the identity of the man. Castro, 24, was reported missing in September 2013.

Shawn Gibson, 45, of Lakeview Avenue in Hamden, was arrested Wednesday in connection with Castro's disappearance. He is accused of killing Castro with the assistance of Terrance Boyd, 55, of Columbia, South Carolina, according to police. Boyd was arrested Wednesday morning in Columbia, South Carolina.

Police believe Gibson, with Boyd's assistance, beat and choked Castro to death on Sept. 22, 2013, in room #1 of the rooming house at 941 Noble Ave., according to a news release.

"The evidence also suggests that the two men then engaged in an elaborate clean-up effort, purchasing cleaning supplies on multiple occasions at The Home Depot and renting vans twice, once from The Home Depot, and the other from U-Haul," police wrote in the news release. "They reportedly used these vans to move Castro's body more than once in the days following the murder."

During a post-arrest interview, police said Gibson acknowledged "disposing of the body and agreed to cooperate with detectives to recover Castro's remains," the news release states.
Gibson was charged with murder and was being held in lieu of a $250,000 bond.

The Connecticut Post reported that Boyd told police, according to the arrest warrant affidavit, that Castro stole tools from Gibson and he "didn't like it. He told me to go get the guy. Brought him to the house, beat him to death and then buried him." Read more at the Connecticut Post here.

See also:

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The local official, who was recently re-elected, died Wednesday, his office announced.>>>Read More.

DUI Driver, Passenger Fired Shots From Moving Car: PD

Two men have been arrested after police said they were firing gunshots into the air from a moving car while under the influence of alcohol.>>>Read More.

CT Coronavirus Positivity Rate Again Rises To Nearly 6.5%

A day after the rate had dipped below 5 percent, COVID-19 cases throughout the state have risen again..>>>Read more.

Here are the current conditions on CT's major roadways:

TOLLAND - Road Work on I-84 Westbound between Exits 68 and 67 (3.8 miles) in effect today until 3:00 pm. The left lane is closed. Reported Friday, December 10 at 8:53 am.

STAMFORD - Delays. I-95 Southbound is congested between Exits 9 and 5 (3.8 miles). Reported Friday, December 10 at 6:24 am.