All that complaining you did about the hot, smoggy summer — turns out you had every reason to whine. Preliminary data from the Environmental Protection Agency shows that from April to September, Connecticut had the worst air quality in New England with the number of bad air days nearly doubling since last year. For the […]
October 2, 2012
Posted inPolitics
McGee over Canty in do-over primary
Brandon McGee of Hartford topped Leo Canty of Windsor on Tuesday in the court-ordered continuation of a Democratic primary that resulted in a tie after two recounts. The Courant reports that Canty, a long-time official in the American Federation of Teachers, blames the late flow of a money into the race by an education reform […]
Posted inNews
When a candidate’s spouse is powerful, the goal of a campaign donation can be … complicated
Hartford — As part of his line of attack, Republican Andrew Roraback criticizes his Democratic rival Elizabeth Esty for accepting campaign cash from companies and green groups that have business before her husband Dan Esty, commissioner of the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. “She’s shaking down businesses and companies regulated by her husband’s […]
Posted inNews
School suspension rates drop, but minority students still over-represented
A new state law has significantly reduced the number of students being suspended from school, but it has not diminished Connecticut’s racial disparity in use of the disciplinary technique. During the 2010-11 school year — when the law went into effect — the number of out-of-school suspensions statewide dropped by 19 percent, or 9,835 incidents, newly […]
Posted inNews
Marijuana legalization advocates see Connecticut law as national model
A coalition advocating legalization of marijuana nationwide predicted Tuesday that Connecticut’s new statute allowing palliative use of the drug will become a national model that will help achieve its goal. “Medical marijuana is something we really need to look hard at from a national perspective,” said Thomas Leto, president of the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Medical Marijuana Chamber […]
Posted inNews
Blumenthal, advocates for elderly target ‘chemical restraint’ abuse at care facilities
Calling it a form of chemical restraint, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and advocates for the elderly Tuesday blasted the practice of prescribing antipsychotic drugs for dementia patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. “It is a form of elder abuse. It’s chemical restraint — no less pernicious and insidious than physical restraint of patients […]
Posted inNews
Dairymen: If milk prices skyrocket, Congress is to blame
Washington — The price of a gallon of milk could top $7 soon, and if that happens Congress would be to blame, the nation’s milk producers say. The reason the price of milk and other dairy products could skyrocket is that the two federal programs that help regulate dairy prices expired Sept. 30 because Congress […]
Posted inNews
Top education officials refute MCC president’s memo about buyouts
Three top higher education officials are strongly refuting a report that the state’s 12 community college presidents risk termination if they do not accept a buyout offer by the end of the month. Michael Meotti, executive vice president of the state college system, and the co-chairs of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee all are directly […]