The state’s watchdog agencies were promised fiscal autonomy when they were merged last month into the Office of Government Accountability, but one agency head is complaining that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy overstepped his authority by naming an acting director to cut OGA’s budget. Carol Carson, executive director of the division of state ethics within the […]
July 7, 2011 @ 12:00 am
Posted inNews
Feeding the hungry press on a summer afternoon in D.C.
WASHINGTON — How do you comment on debt-and-budget negotiations that are being conducted in secret, with little to go on save rumors and leaked tidbits? And what if you are a ranking member of Congress who is out of the loop? That was Rep. John Larson’s challenge Thursday, when the Democratic Caucus chairman stepped into […]
Posted inNews
Delegation divided on trade deals
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joseph Lieberman says three trade deals pending in Congress could do more to create jobs than anything else lawmakers are debating right now. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says they could undermine workers’ rights, environmental protections, and America’s strained manufacturers. Those two divergent views help to explain why the three agreements with Colombia, Panama, […]
Posted inNews
Malloy’s cuts to watchdogs have nothing to do with deficit
Like other agency heads, State Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri is contemplating how to cut her office’s budget, and possibly its staff. It comes amid a surge in the office’s caseload, helping consumers with health insurance problems. But unlike most other agencies, the cuts to the Office of the Healthcare Advocate’s budget won’t save the state […]
Posted inNews
Solar industry applauds incentives, waits for details
NEW HAVEN — The four dozen members of Connecticut’s solar industry packed in a steamy corner room at Gateway Community College had come for answers about how the massive energy legislation passed this session would affect their industry. What they got were two thick wads of printouts and nearly 90 minutes of explanation from a […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Wilson-Foley challenges Connecticut Democrats over debt
Republican businesswoman Lisa Wilson-Foley made a move Thursday in her campaign for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. She said she will ask voters to sign an open letter addressed to Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Independent U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman asking them to adopt a “Balanced Budget Amendment” before voting […]
Posted inHealth
Report: Connecticut one of the least obese states, but still needs improvement
Connecticut is one of the nation’s least obese states, but that’s no reason to celebrate, according to a report released Thursday. “Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, which along with the Robert Wood […]
Posted inPolitics
Calling Malloy a liar, Rowland provokes Occhiogrosso
When someone attacks your guy in politics, you can go one of two ways: ignore it or escalate. Roy Occhiogrosso, the governor’s senior adviser, chose the latter today as he responded to John Rowland calling his boss a “pathological liar.” “It’s a bit like Snooki calling someone cheap,” Occhiogrosso said. Rowland, a convicted felon who […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare officials will fix error that could have cost CT hospitals $30 million
The federal Medicare and Medicaid agency has agreed to correct a $30 million mistake how it calculates payments to Connecticut hospitals. The Connecticut Hospital Association first caught the error, a provision in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ complex reimbursement rules. The CHA determined that the error would have cost one hospital in Rep. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Donovan raises $230,000 for 5th District contest
House Speaker Chris Donovan has raised more than $230,000 in the 2nd quarter for his bid to represent Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, his campaign said Thursday. Donovan announced his bid in mid-May, getting a later start than other contenders in the crowded contest to replace Rep. Chris Murphy. Murphy is running for the U.S. Senate. […]