The CT Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/)
Updated at 8:50 p.m.
The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives Monday evening narrowly approved the state employees’ concessions deal that is expected to save as much as $1.57 billion this fiscal year and next combined. The concessions package, which workers ratified earlier this month, tentatively is scheduled to go before the Senate on July 31.
Originally worried about negative attention from going public with her story, Chavarria has now embraced her role as a figure in a national debate. “It’s good that people know [my situation]. It’s important for us, for everybody; not only for me,” she said.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would block the sale of Plum Island – a strip of land in Long Island Sound – to the highest bidder. That would be a substantial win for environmentalists, conservationists and Connecticut lawmakers who want to preserve the island as a natural habitat – but only if the Senate follows suit.
A joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts was chosen over Amtrak and three other bidders Monday as operator of the Hartford Line, a commuter rail service to New Haven and Springfield that will open next year with a deep federal operating subsidy.
Updated at 8:35 p.m.
The General Assembly dealt a blow to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s housing agenda Monday after legislators voted narrowly to override his veto of a bill that loosens the state’s affordable housing standards.
Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, whose path to a Connecticut Senate seat was foreclosed by the decision of state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. , D-Branford, to run for re-election instead of governor, is considering a campaign for the statewide office of comptroller now held by Kevin P. Lembo. Continue Reading →
Connecticut’s cash-starved pension funds for state employees and municipal teachers got a big boost last fiscal year, state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier reported Monday. Continue Reading →
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy and two of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, are questioning whether Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price misused taxpayer money through advertising and public relations efforts aimed at undermining the Affordable Care Act. Continue Reading →
Nearly half of Connecticut cities and towns participating in a recent survey have frozen spending or cut services in response to state budget gridlock and the associated threat of reduced municipal aid, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities reported Monday. Continue Reading →
Tim Herbst is on the summer Republican Town Committee circuit to talk about why his two terms as a young suburban CEO, shrinking an unfunded pension liability, striking savvy bargains with labor and offering relief from tax increases, makes him the Republicans’ best hope to win Connecticut’s open race for governor in 2018. But his elbows are out, even when trying to impress. Continue Reading →
Connecticut curbed per-person Medicaid spending more than any other state over a five-year period that included the first year of expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Continue Reading →
More than 200 people staged a vigil Sunday to support Nury Chavarria, 43, a single mother of four American citizens facing deportation for entering the country illegally. A resident of Connecticut for 24 years, she has taken up residence inside Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Church and plans to stay there until U.S. immigration authorities reconsider her case. Continue Reading →
State union employees vote to ratify a package of concessions to help the state solve its budget crisis, the biggest item in a week’s worth of state budget news. Meanwhile, the state creates more jobs, and Connecticut officials make their presence known in Washington, D.C. Continue Reading →
The resources for addiction and mental health services have always been limited, especially in rural areas like Litchfield County, but with more and more individuals in need, finding care has become an even more daunting endeavor. Kerri Johnson knows, because she has been there. In this Sunday Conversation, she teams up with John Simoncelli, executive director of Greenwoods Counseling Referrals in Litchfield, to talk about the problem. Continue Reading →
Federal health officials made more than $16 billion in improper payments to private Medicare Advantage health plans last year and need to crack down on billing errors by the insurers, a top congressional auditor has testified. Continue Reading →