Malloy, Democrats close on budget deal

Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy stood on the cusp of a deal Wednesday morning to end Connecticut’s 10-week budget impasse and avert huge cuts in municipal aid three weeks from now, sources said. But a few key issues remain unresolved. The House speaker’s optimism was evident in a Facebook post: A picture of white smoke swirling from a chimney that others called premature.