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www.HartfordBusiness.com • March 19, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 5 East Hartford outlet mall officially dead East Hartford's proposed $105 million outlet mall is dead. Citing the rocky U.S. retail environment, Illinois developer Horizon Group Properties Inc. announced via email that it was no longer pursuing the 70-store Outlets Shoppes at Rentschler Field, in the shadow of Pratt & Whitney's main campus. Horizon CEO Gary J. Skoien said town and state officials have been notified the 282,000-square-foot project will not move forward. As recently as last November, weeks after Horizon had broken ground and amid concerns about the project's fate, Skoien had indicated that the development was still alive and that Horizon was pursuing options to salvage it. ESPN's John Skipper says he resigned over cocaine extortion plot Former ESPN President John Skipper said he resigned from his role because of a cocaine extortion plot, according to comments he made in an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter. In the interview, Skipper talked about how he used cocaine and had always been careful about his usage. However, a lapse of judgment led to Skipper's decision to buy cocaine from a new source, which had big consequences. "They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well," Skipper said. "I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign." During the interview, Skipper was asked whether there was ever any impropriety with women or whether allegations of sexual harassment or assault could ever arise. He vehemently denied that his resignation had anything to do with sexual misconduct. Skipper expressed deep regret at having to resign but said he realized there was no other option. — CNNMoney CT Water to merge with Calif. water utility Connecticut Water Service and a California water utility have agreed to merge in a $750 million deal they say will create the nation's third-largest water utility. SJW Group of San Jose, Calif., and Clinton-based Connecticut Water Service called their proposed combination "a merger of equals." Under terms of the deal, Connecticut Water shareholders will receive 1.1375 shares of SJW Group stock for each share, which translates to approximately $61.86 per share. The two said the merger would drive benefits for both shareholders and customers. In an interesting twist, SJW Group President and CEO Eric W. Thornburg was previously CEO of Connecticut Water, resigning last September. He would remain the leader of the combined company, while his Connecticut Water successor, David Benoit, will be president of the company's New England region. The company headquarters will remain in California. Deaf woman sues Hartford HealthCare for not providing interpreter A deaf woman from Windsor has filed suit in federal court against Hartford HealthCare (HHC), alleging her rights were violated when she wasn't provided sign language interpreters during her 12-day stay at Hartford Hospital last summer. Marisa Felix, who communicates primarily through American Sign Language, alleges the hospital violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A Hartford HealthCare spokesman declined to comment on the suit. In the suit, filed March 7 in U.S. District Court, Felix says she was repeatedly denied requests for qualified sign language interpreters. Hospital staff instead attempted to communicate by speaking to her, observing her gestures and giving her paperwork, which proved ineffective, the suit says. The hospital also tried using her son to communicate to her, but that also was ineffective, the suit says. Quality Construction + Butler Manufacturing = Repeat Customers www.borghesibuilding.com © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. 2155 East Main Street • Torrington, Connecticut 06790 The Belknap White Group, Hartford, CT | 2012 | 15,300 sq. ft. Northeast Beverage, Orange, CT 2006 | 97,000 sq. ft. Contact us at 1-855-BUILD-86 or visit us on the web. The proposed 70-store Outlets Shoppes at Rentschler Field is now officially dead. RENDERING | HBJ FILE