DRIVERS SHOULD EXPECT DELAYS ON I-395
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE TO SPEAK AT COAST GUARD ACADEMY GRADUATION
New London — Vice President Mike Pence will be the keynote speaker at the Coast Guard Academy’s graduation on May 23, the academy announced Friday afternoon.
“It’s a great honor for us to host the Vice President and to have him present commissions to the members of the graduating class,” Superintendent Rear Adm. James E. Rendón said in a prepared statement. “This is a wonderful opportunity to highlight our Academy and recognize our newest leaders for the service they will render to our Coast Guard and the nation.”
This will be Pence’s first visit to the academy as vice president.
The president and vice president address the graduating classes at the five federal service academies on a rotating basis. Last year, President Donald Trump addressed Coast Guard Academy cadets, indicating his support for building more Coast Guard icebreakers and telling cadets not to let “the critics and naysayers get in the way of your dreams.” Pence addressed Naval Academy cadets last year.
The graduation ceremony, which takes place on the academy’s Cadet Memorial Field except in cases of bad weather, is not open to the public.
Mashantucket — Workers who clean Foxwoods Resort Casino voted Friday to join a labor union, the New England Joint Board of Unite Here announced Friday night.
The vote was 163 to 131. Voting took place throughout the day and was conducted by the Mashantucket Employment Rights Office.
The union represents hospitality, gaming and manufacturing workers in New England.
The workers began organizing with the New England Joint Board more than a year ago, saying they had concerns about their working conditions. The predominantly immigrant workforce cited the threat of outsourcing as a prime motivating factor.
Unite Here became the fifth union to represent workers employed by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, which owns Foxwoods.
SUB BASE COMMANDER TO TALK AT LA GRUA
Stonington — Capt. Paul Whitescarver, commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base, will discuss the base’s history and its mission and role in an ever-changing world of fiscal challenges and dynamic threats as part of La Grua Center’s Military Matters Lecture Series.
The talk, at 6 p.m. April 26, is open to the public with a suggested donation of $5. A Q&A and wine reception will follow. Free parking is available in the Stonington Commons parking lot, 32 Water St.
Whitescarver became the 51st commanding officer of the base in December 2015. A native of Roanoke, Va., he enlisted in the Navy in August 1980, serving 11 years in the enlisted ranks before being selected for the Enlisted Commissioning Program. Graduating from Virginia Tech in 1991 with a degree in economics, he then completed his initial officer nuclear power and submarine training.
At sea, he has served in the submarines USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (SSN 708), USS Norfolk (SSN 714), and USS Alabama (SSBN 731). He commanded USS Scranton (SSN 752) from 2009 to 2012. Ashore, his assignments have included service on the Joint Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations staff. Prior to taking command in Groton, he served on the staff of the commander of Submarine Forces Atlantic in Norfolk, Va., as the operations officer.
For more information, visit www.lagruacenter.org. Roadwork planned for I-395 Drivers should expect delays next week on a six-mile stretch of Interstate 395 between Montville and Norwich, where the state Department of Transportation is
Groton — Southeastern Connecticut residents this week mourned the sudden closure of North End Deli, a beloved spot in the Groton Shoppers Mart on Poquonnock Road for nearly 30 years.
A sign taped in the door this week reads, “We are sad to announce that as of today we are closing the doors to the North End, but want to thank you all for 30 years of fun, memories, & patronage.”
The owner, Maurice Beebe, could not be reached for comment on Thursday or Friday.
Beebe and his sister, Vivian, opened the business in 1989. It started off as a “basic deli selling meat and grinders,” Beebe told The Day in September.
The eatery grew to at least 100 seats and expanded to serving sweet and savory breakfast items, burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, cake and more.
North End Deli became a staple
Drivers should expect delays next week on a six-mile stretch of Interstate 395 between Montville and Norwich, where the state Department of Transportation plans a surveying project.
State Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R-East Lyme, said Friday in a news release that DOT plans left lane closures for the project between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday between Route 2A in Montville and Exit 14 in Norwich. Cheeseman noted the schedule may be shifted depending on the weather or other unforeseen conditions.
Crash attenuator vehicles and signs will help guide motorists through the work zone.