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Sometimes great stories don’t get the readership they deserve. In those cases, blame the editors (we write the headlines).

Don’t sleep on these outstanding stories by our reporters. Here they are, in chronological order.

CT state fleet was supposed to be 50% electric by 2026. It’s nowhere close

In 2022, lawmakers set a goal to transition half of CT’s cars and light-duty trucks to battery-electric engines. Progress has been slow. (Published Feb. 13)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

People call GLP-1s life-changing. CT says it can’t afford them.

Weight loss drugs have surged in popularity. But Gov. Ned Lamont wants CT’s Medicaid program to discontinue covering them for obesity. (Published March 23)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Will Lamont’s universal pre-K plan prevail?

A bill could allow children to attend preschool for free or at a radically reduced cost. But many elements of the program are still unclear. (Published March 30)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Chris Murphy, a new ‘pugilistic populist,’ maps resistance to Trump

Chris Murphy says President Trump is bullying key institutions into submission. He wants to meet the moment with uncompromising defiance. (Published April 20)

Credit: Valerie Plesch / CT Mirror

Nearly 1 in 5 CT lawmakers are landlords. Could that affect policy?

Several lawmakers said they can’t help but be shaped by their experiences, and that those experiences help color policy debate. (Published April 27)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

With federal funding in flux, a CT farmer went back to Washington

The last time William Dellacamera went to Washington, D.C., he drove his tractor. This time, he took a train — but his message was the same. (Published May 11)

Credit: Lisa Hagen / CT Mirror

From an old ambulance, they help the growing homeless population

Homelessness is increasing in Connecticut, and groups that want to help are asking the state for more money as cases grow more complex. (Published May 25)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

New Haven pilot seeks to test CT baby bonds program — and close the racial wealth gap

Through a new pilot program, advocates hope to take another nation-leading step in CT’s effort to create wealth in marginalized communities. (Published June 26)

Wealth Accelerator director Yaw Owusu-Boahen explains the Cash Catalyst program during a launch event on June 25, 2025.
Credit: P.R. Lockhart / CT Mirror

Lamont nixed overdose prevention centers, but advocates fight on

People can use illegal substances at the centers with staff supervision. Advocates say they save lives. Others say they encourage drug use. (Published Aug. 3)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

CT could bond $390M for UConn Health, including Waterbury Hospital purchase

The $390 million in funding would cover the $13 million acquisition of Waterbury Hospital from Prospect Medical Holdings. (Published Oct. 14)

Credit: Jacqueline Rabe Thomas / CT Mirror

At Steadfast Farms, CT veteran is finding purpose through quail farming

Marine veteran Jared McCool opened Steadfast Farms in Bethlehem in 2017. Now, it’s capable of producing as many as 320,000 quail eggs a year. (Published Nov. 11)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

CT multilingual student enrollment down; Advocates cite ICE fears

Fewer English language learners are enrolled in CT public schools. Some advocates are citing families’ fears of immigration enforcement. (Published Dec. 10)

Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror

Elizabeth Hamilton joined CT Mirror as Executive Editor in 2018. She is a 20-year veteran of Connecticut newsrooms, including more than a decade at The Hartford Courant where she was Reporter of the Year in 2000 and where she won the newspaper’s prestigious Theodore Driscoll Investigative Award for a series of stories about deaths in group homes for the developmentally disabled. Elizabeth has a degree in history from the University of Connecticut and an MFA from Southern Connecticut State University, where she also teaches writing as an adjunct professor.

As CT Mirror's Managing Editor Stephen helps manage and support a staff of 16 reporters.  His career in daily journalism includes 20 years at The Hartford Courant, where he served as a member of the editorial board, data editor, breaking news editor and bureau chief.  Prior to that Stephen was city editor at the Casper Star-Tribune in Casper, Wyo., and the editor of the Daily Press in Craig, Colo.  He has won many awards for editorial writing, data journalism and breaking news. While he was breaking news editor, The Courant was a named finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news for its coverage of the Sandy Hook shootings.  Busemeyer is a Koeppel Journalism Fellow at Wesleyan University, where he teaches data journalism, and he has also taught at the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut and the University of Colorado.

Keila Torres Ocasio is enterprise editor at CT Mirror. Prior to joining CT Mirror, Keila was managing editor of the Connecticut Post, one of Hearst Connecticut Media’s largest dailies. Keila began her career as a reporter there after interning at the newspaper and held several roles at the company in the 15 years she worked for Hearst Connecticut, including as a columnist, business writer and editor. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Connecticut and a master’s degree in global media and communications from the University of Bridgeport.

Erica covered economic development for CT Mirror from 2021 to 2024. She is now CT Mirror's state policy editor. Before moving to Connecticut to join the staff, Erica worked in Los Angeles for public radio’s Marketplace and, before that, for the Wall Street Journal's L.A. bureau. She grew up in Minneapolis, Minn., graduated from Haverford College and earned a master’s in journalism from the University of Southern California.