NEWTOWN
1 CONSPIRACY TALK- SHOW HOST MUST RELEASE RECORDS
A conspiracy extremist being sued for defamation by Sandy Hook families was ordered by a judge on Friday to turn over marketing and business records from his Infowars internet program.
Alex Jones, the Texasbased talk- show host, was sued in May by an FBI agent and seven families who lost loved ones in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, claiming he “developed, amplified and perpetuated claims that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged and that the 26 families who lost loves ones that day are paid actors who faked their relatives’ deaths.”
On Friday, an attorney for the families called Jones a conspiracy profiteer.
“From the beginning we have alleged that Alex Jones and his financial network trafficked in lies and hate in order to profit from the grief of Sandy Hook families,” said attorney Chris Mattei . “That is what we intend to prove, and today’s ruling advances our effort.”
The families’ lawsuit against Jones is separate from a similar defamation claim filed in April by three other parents of children who died in the Sandy Hook massacre.
Jones did not immediately return a call for comment on Friday to his production studio in Austin.
— rryser@ newstimes. com
STATEWIDE 1 STILL TIME TO ENROLL IN HEALTH CARE PLAN
With the clock ticking, Access Health CT’s latest statistics show they are closing in on last year’s numbers.
As of Friday afternoon there are now 109,126 Connecticut residents enrolled in insurance plans through the exchange. The deadline for enrolling was extended to Jan. 15.
Last year 114,000 Connecticut residents enrolled in plans sold on the exchange.
The deadline for Connecticut residents to enroll was originally Dec. 15, but it was extended. Coverage starts Feb. 1 for anyone who enrolled in a plan after Dec. 15.
On Friday, U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy was in Hartford where he was encouraging those who haven’t signed up yet to enroll.
“We’ve only got a couple days to get the message out,” Murphy said at an unrelated event earlier in the day in New Haven before heading to Hartford. “I’m going to Hartford to try and get the word out.”
Consumers had an additional month to choose plans as they experience bigger increases in monthly premiums even though the increases approved by insurance regulators were lower.
Officials and politicians have been thrown a curveball this year by a Texas judge’s ruling late last year that threw out the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
Connecticut, along with other states, have filed an appeal.
FAIRFIELD 1 CONDO PROPOSAL REJECTED BY P& Z
A developer’s proposed zoning change application was shot down by the Planning and Zoning Commission, along with their special permit application to build a six- unit condominium on Old Post Road.
The proposed changes are regarding 780 and 766 Old Post Road — 780 Old Post Road is a landlocked property located between businesses on the Post Road and the latter address. John Curran is the current owner of 766 Old Post Road, while James Stirling owns the 780 property.
Commissioner Meg Francis, from the get- go, summarized her opposition to the proposed development.
“I find that this does not fit with the Old Post Road district character or historic designation of the surrounding neighborhood,” Francis said. “A zone change is not something I’m comfortable with.”
— humberto. juarez@ hearstmedia
ct. com