Berlin — Teachers’ anger toward Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, seems to have diminished at the town hall meetings where he has been trying to sell his education reforms. “I would love for you to give me some ideas,” Malloy told a half-full auditorium in Catherine M. McGee Middle School on Wednesday evening. “I would love […]
March 2012
Posted inNews
‘Electability’ the new buzzword in U.S. Senate race
The U.S. Senate campaign of Linda McMahon is stepping up criticism of former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays, a tacit acknowledgement of the bounce that her rival for the GOP nomination is getting from a poll showing him in a tie with leading Democrats. Shays is trying to turn the Republican primary into a test of […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Home care workers vote to unionize
In a controversial election, home care workers who are paid through state programs voted to join the New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1199, SEIU, by a vote of 1,228 to 365. The union announced the vote totals Thursday. The vote follows an executive order Gov. Dannel P. Malloy issued in September, allowing the […]
Posted inNews
Enthusiasm gap: GOP voter registration is so-so
Connecticut Republicans have picked up more than 5,000 voters since Jan. 1, including 3,878 new voters and 1,515 unaffiliated voters who switched to the GOP, allowing them to vote in the April 24 presidential primary. But those numbers compare poorly with 2008. In 2008, 6,300 new voters registered as Republicans in the 90 days prior […]
Posted inNews
Lamont quotes Reagan, tweaks Lieberman in HuffPo
The subject is war, a familar topic for Ned Lamont’s time in the public eye. Lamont, who was a political phenom in 2006 when he ran against Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman as an anti-war candidate, makes the case for containment in a HuffPo piece today. He sees everyone from President Obama to Mitt Romney too […]
Posted inNews
Spending cap, deficit projection, limit options for budget
The legislature’s budget-writing committee is expected to make few major changes Thursday as it reports out Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s $20.7 billion proposal for the fiscal year that starts July 1, finding itself largely constrained by the constitutional spending cap and a projected deficit 15 months away. “We’ve tried to fix any of the holes […]
Posted inNews
Legislature adopts ‘circuit breaker’ on gas tax
The House and Senate voted unanimously Wednesday afternoon to adopt a circuit-breaker measure that would freeze state fuel taxes for the next 15 months, giving some protection to consumers who pay the nation’s highest gasoline taxes and some election-year cover to state legislators. But majority Democrats in both chambers also rejected Republican amendments to cancel […]
Posted inNews
In court’s shadow, others connect health to housing
Washington — As lawyers at the Supreme Court this week battle over the future of the Affordable Care Act, housing advocates and others down the street were hoping the act could eventually play a major role in revitalizing public and subsidized housing. “The health centers around you will be looking for new patients,” said Alex […]
Posted inEducation
CEA, Malloy take to Twitter
The state’s largest teachers unions may be encouraging their members to no longer attend the governor’s town hall meetings, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to get a live recount of what’s happending. The Connecticut Education Association for the first time began live tweeting during Wednesday’s forum in Berlin. And it seems the Malloy […]
Posted inEducation
Malloy to legislators: No waiting
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy made clear in a letter to state legislators Wednesday afternoon that he is not interested in a one-year study period on the education reforms he is pushing. He’s also calling on lawmakers not to allow special interest groups to dictate their vote. “I am concerned that some people think we can wait […]
Posted inHealth
Some insurers paying patients who agree to get cheaper care
In recent years, insurers have tried to cajole consumers into using less-expensive health-care providers by promising lower co-payments and other cost-sharing breaks for members who select those doctors and hospitals. Lately, they’re trying an even more direct approach: cash rewards. Some Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield members in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Indiana can […]
Posted inHealth
Affordable housing advocates fill in some blanks
Washington — Researchers from the Department of Housing and Urban Development stood in front of about 25 housing advocates from all over the country Tuesday morning with a question: “What should we be focusing on our research attention on?” Todd Richardson asked. “Do you see research gaps? Things that we haven’t really looked at?” He […]
Posted inHealth
Supreme Court sharply divided over individual mandate
Washington — On the second day of oral arguments over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, a divided Supreme Court turned its attention to whether Congress had the authority to require most Americans to have health insurance.
Posted inNews
Governor reacts diplomatically to education vote
One day after legislators substantially watered-down his proposed education reforms, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy opted for a resolute, if diplomatic, approach to the revisions by the Education Committee. “What I like is that everyone admits that this is not the final bill,” Malloy told reporters Tuesday. “I’ll certainly be speaking to legislative leadership about that… There […]
Posted inNews
Malloy will ask lawmakers to make emergency cuts if deficit lingers into May
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy warned his department heads Tuesday he will ask lawmakers to consider emergency spending cuts in May if the administration cannot erase a small deficit in the current state budget — which closes on June 30 — over the next month. “I just ask you to take every step you can,” the […]