Weekly wrap-up

OLIO

These are the stories that have caught my attention this week.

The state has returned to a kind of sanity as both Richard Blumenthal and Dan Malloy have regained decent leads over their opponents in their respective upcoming elections.

UConn is making itself look fairly ridiculous as it tries to defend itself against the NCAA.

Coach Jim Calhoun and other University of Connecticut officials spent Friday behind closed doors with NCAA investigators, hoping to convince them that the school has done enough to punish itself for recruiting violations in the men's basketball program ...

The school last week acknowledged violations stemming from the recruitment of former player Nate Miles, but denied an allegation that Calhoun failed to foster an atmosphere of compliance in the program.

Needless to say, the university is willing to throw itself under the bus, but when it comes to St. Jim, he remains sacrosanct. This is a pretty telling position and goes to show, when it comes to the University of Connecticut and its men's basketball coach, there's little question as to which is more important.

Finally, I was saddened to hear of Solomon' Burke's death last weekend. Number 89 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time died doing what he did best: performing.

Burke died on a plane [in Amsterdam] after arriving on a flight from Los Angeles, airport police said. Burke's family said on his Web site the singer died of natural causes, but did not elaborate. He had been scheduled to perform a show Tuesday in an Amsterdam church converted into a concert hall.

The seventy-year-old Burke had trouble walking in his last years due to his excess weight, but even while sitting down, he could deliver his version of "rock and soul" with the best of them.


Requiescat in pace.