September 2010

Sen. Christopher Dodd says he’s thrilled not to be facing a very angry electorate this November and to instead be pondering other, less angst-ridden, opportunities this fall as he heads toward retirement. “I look clairvoyant,” Dodd told the Washington Economics Club at a swanky dinner in downtown Washington on Wednesday night.  “The only second thoughts […]

MIDDLETOWN–Gubernatorial candidates at an education forum Tuesday agreed on about as many points as they disagreed–starting with a consensus that good schools are vital to the state’s success. One issue on  which they differed, however, was rewarding teachers on the basis of their students’ performance. Republican nominee Tom Foley and Independent candidate Tom Marsh said […]

It’s not every poll that prompts a press conference. But Richard Blumenthal knew the importance Tuesday of showing a calm and confident face as his lead all but evaporated in a new Quinnipiac poll. “I didn’t need a poll to tell me this was going to be a tough race. I am a fighter,” Blumenthal […]

The proportion of Connecticut residents without health insurance held steady at 8.8 percent in 2009, while the rate of children without coverage dropped to 3.8 percent, according to census estimates released Tuesday. That might not be a bad showing for a year that included a recession and net job losses every month. But the figures […]

WILLIMANTIC – David G. Carter, head of the Connecticut State University System, announced Tuesday he will retire next year after more than two decades in the system, including the last four years as its chancellor. The surprise announcement came after a tumultuous year for Carter, who, along with the system’s Board of Trustees, has been […]

Angry voters have pushed Republican Linda McMahon to within a “statistically insignificant” three percentage points of Democrat Richard Blumenthal in their tightening race for U.S. Senate, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. In a survey of likely voters, Blumenthal leads 49 percent to 46 percent over the first-time, self-financed candidate for Senate. In […]

She’s been criticized for leaving more than $3 billion worth of fiscal problems for her successor to resolve, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell will have to take one crack herself later this fall at filling what effectively represents the largest budget deficit in state history. The administration began work earlier this month to meet its […]

When Connecticut twice failed to qualify for millions of dollars in school aid under the federal Race to the Top program this year, some critics blamed Gov. M. Jodi Rell for not taking a more active role in pushing school reform. The candidates running to replace Rell in the November election say it won’t happen […]

Democrat Dan Malloy a 10-percentage point lead over Republican Tom Foley in the governor’s race in Rasmussen poll released today. Malloy is favored by 50 percent of voters, compared to 40 percent for Foley. The poll is first by Rasmussen in which Foley’s support has emerged from the 30s.

Does it seem like you’ve already seen a thousand campaign commercials this year? You’re not imagining things. In just the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut, TV commercials have aired on average  nearly 100 times a day since the general-election phase of the campaign opened Aug. 11. And three of Republican Linda McMahon’s commercials have aired for […]

Five months after coming under fire for naming an all-white group of judges, Gov. M. Jodi Rell today submitted to the legislature a racially and ethnically diverse set of judicial nominations. Rell four nominees include an African-American public defender and immigrants from Korea and Pakistan. They may be her last judicial picks before leaving office […]

Local school districts, under pressure to cut costs as they face of dwindling resources, could save millions of dollars through regionalized bus transportation, education officials said Monday. If done right, shared bus services could reduce transportation costs for individual districts anywhere from 10 to 50 percent, with the smaller districts saving the most, leaders of […]

WASHINGTON–Linda McMahon and Richard Blumenthal differ sharply on a range of environmental issues, starting with the big one: climate change. But neither of the U.S. Senate candidates has a strong position on what should be done about it. Their differences begin with the basic question of what causes global warming, a phenomenon that many scientists […]

Tom Marsh draws from personal experience when he talks about health care. The Republican-turned-Independent Party candidate for governor speaks of having no health insurance just two months before his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, giving him an understanding of the pitfalls faced by people who can’t afford insurance. Tom Marsh He recalls caring for […]

Quinnipiac University will stir the pot again this week, releasing a Senate poll Tuesday. Based on their typical practice, a gubernatorial poll can be expected Wednesday. We should have the numbers posted by 7 a.m.