The Newtown Action Alliance, a gun-control group formed after the Sandy Hook shooting of December, has demanded House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., allow votes on dozens of gun control bills that run the gamut from an assault weapons ban to establishing federal funding research on gun violence.
May 21, 2018
Posted inPolitics
Joseph H. Harper Jr., a legislative icon, dies at 70
Joseph Harper, a Falstaffian, old-school Democratic politician who zealously protected his New Britain district while playing a pivotal role in the 1991 budget fight that led to passage of the income tax in Connecticut, died Sunday. He was 70.
Posted inEducation
Susan Herbst to step down as UConn president in 2019
Susan Herbst told the University of Connecticut community in an email Monday she will step down next summer after eight years as the 15th president of the state’s flagship university, a tumultuous time of dealing with budget constraints. UConn will be recruiting a successor in the midst of a gubernatorial campaign.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
All students should have access to AP courses, and I am living proof
I took my first advanced placement class – world history—when I was a sophomore in high school. This year, I’m a junior currently taking three AP courses. Next year, I’ll take four more. As a student of color who lives in Hartford, this makes me unique. It doesn’t have to. Studies have shown that students of color and students from low-income communities do not have fair access to Advanced Placement classes. That’s true in nearby New York, right here in Connecticut, and across the country. I am proof of what happens when that access is granted.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Dysfunctional schools are crippling our children — and it’s our fault
I’ve taught English at Capital Preparatory Magnet School in Hartford for six years. We currently have five math teachers for grades 6-12, and during my tenure, I’ve seen eight other math teachers come and go. Some left for other opportunities. Some left because they were unprepared for the demands of this job; at least one left teaching all together. Three left mid-year, forcing us to use a long-term sub while we looked for a suitable replacement.
Posted inJustice
Sex offender registry: More harm than good?
Public sex offender registries, created In the 1990s in response to a number of horrific crimes against children, are getting a second look as critics across the country demand changes, saying the registries are based on false assumptions, are a waste of money and do more harm than good.
Posted inHealth
Vermont legislators pass a drug importation law. So what?
This week, Vermont passed a first-in-the-nation law that would facilitate the state’s importation of prescription drugs wholesale from Canada. It represents the state’s effort to tackle head-on the issue of constantly climbing drug prices.