Washington — On the day a report disclosed Connecticut’s beaches as among the dirtiest in the nation, a group of advocates for Long Island Sound traveled to Washington to ask for help. Curtis Johnson, senior attorney for the New Haven-based Connecticut Fund for the Environment, was part of the group that met with U.S. Environmental […]

Washington — After keeping America waiting for months, the Supreme Court is set to issue an opinion that will define Barack Obama’s presidency and touch the lives of nearly every American. The high court Monday held back its decision on a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, and it is now expected to issue its […]

Washington — Five years ago Congress took what it considered big steps to curb the free trips lawmakers receive from special interests, but their popularity is on the rise again. In the past 18 months, Connecticut lawmakers, and members of their staff, have flown to Israel, Belgium, China, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Turkey and spots […]

Washington — Hartford-based Aetna insurance has come under scrutiny by an ethics watchdog in Washington for giving more than $7 million to groups that plan to blitz the airwaves this year with attack ads targeting Democrats. In a filing with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Aetna unwittingly disclosed it gave more than $3.3 million […]

Washington — Hundreds of AARP leaders, including a group from Connecticut, hit Capitol Hill Wednesday to make sure lawmakers know how older Americans feel about proposed changes to Medicare and Social Security — and to remind them of the political clout of seniors. The AARP has recently surveyed its members to gauge support of a […]

Washington — For the first time ever, Connecticut’s congressional delegation and other members of the U.S. House and Senate must now disclose information about their personal mortgages. They can thank former Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd, whose controversial receipt of a questionable home mortgage deal four years ago inspired the new requirement. Among members of the […]

Washington — President Obama’s move to halt the deportation of immigrant youths is being praised as “life-changing” by advocates in Connecticut and across the nation, but its impact is unclear among disaffected Hispanic voters upset at the administration’s record-setting deportation rate. A poll by Latino Decisions taken earlier this year in swing states with large […]

Washington — While Connecticut’s congressional delegation says another round of base closings is dead on arrival, supporters of the Navy’s submarine base in the Groton area already on the defensive. “We’re preparing like crazy as if it were happening tomorrow,” New London Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said of another Base Closing and Realignment Commission, or […]

Washington — If Linda McMahon is elected to the Senate, she could become the wealthiest member of an already very wealthy club. According to her financial disclosure report for 2011, McMahon and her husband Vince had $90 million to $350 million worth of assets. Assets and income are reported in ranges, making it difficult to […]

Washington — If you are price shopping for a college education, you may want to avoid certain schools in Connecticut, the Obama administration says. In the 2010-2011 academic year, Connecticut College in New London was most expensive college in the country and Quinnipiac University in Hamden one of the highest-cost schools after grants and scholarships […]

Washington — In a recount of a very close referendum, New London residents in November narrowly rejected a plan to sell nearly 10 acres of the city’s Riverside Park to the U.S. Coast Guard to expand operations at its military academy. As soon as the New London vote was finalized, $4.9 million appropriated by Congress […]