CT’s Early Childhood Education Endowment is projected to receive less than a tenth of what lawmakers pledged last June.
Laura Tillman
Laura Tillman is CT Mirror’s Human Services Reporter. She shares responsibility for covering housing, child protection, mental health and addiction, developmental disabilities, and other vulnerable populations. Laura began her career in journalism at the Brownsville Herald in 2007, covering the U.S.–Mexico border, and worked as a statehouse reporter for the Associated Press in Mississippi. She was most recently a producer of the national security podcast “In the Room with Peter Bergen” and is the author of two nonfiction books: The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts (2016) and The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo Garcia (2023), which was just awarded the 2024 James Beard Award for literary writing. Her freelance work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. Laura holds a degree in International Studies from Vassar College and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Goucher College.
Posted inHuman Services
CT lawmakers advance nominations of major child welfare roles
A legislative panel voted to advance Elena Trueworthy for early childhood commissioner and Christina Ghio for the role of child advocate.
Posted inHealth
‘Unbelievably cruel’: Advocates decry threat to home care program
Lamont proposed ending Community First Choice, which provides at-home care to all who qualify. Families are confused, worried and angry.
Posted inEducation
CT bill draws homeschool families to Capitol in emotional hearing
The bill would require education officials to notify DCF when a family seeks to withdraw their children from the public school system.
Posted inEducation
CT advocates want $70M for Care4Kids from emergency fund
Advocates and child care providers are asking for $70M from an emergency fund created to address Trump administration cuts to programs.
Posted inHealth
CT’s new Medicaid prior authorization rule has advocates worried
New Medicaid prior-authorization rules have advocates in Connecticut concerned about patients losing access to their prescription drugs.
Posted inPolitics
Senate quickly votes to extend Lamont’s emergency power
The Senate voted 28-8 to extend Gov. Ned Lamont’s emergency powers to unilaterally draw on contingency funding to cope with federal cuts.
Posted inEducation
Lamont’s education budget diverges from Dems, backfills federal cuts
Lamont’s proposed budget diverged from some Democrats’ key priorities. It also included backfill for federal cuts to student loan programs.
Posted inPolitics
Medicaid cost, DCF oversight among CT lawmakers’ 2026 priorities
Connecticut legislators have lofty ambitions to tackle major health and human services challenges during the 2026 legislative session.
Posted inHuman Services
New details emerge on faked DCF call in ‘Mimi’ Torres-García case
A 10-year veteran at DCF met with a 21-year-old woman she believed to be Jacqueline ‘Mimi’ Torres-García, court testimony revealed.
Posted inHealth
How will CDC vaccine schedule changes affect CT residents?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced updates to its recommendations for childhood vaccines. Here’s what to know.
Posted inHuman Services
ABLE CT program expanded to disabled veterans, others
The ABLE CT program will allow more people with disabilities in CT to save money without jeopardizing their access to benefits.
Posted inHuman Services
Autopsy confirms ‘Mimi’ Torres-García’s cause of death was starvation
The autopsy confirmed the 11-year-old’s death was caused by child abuse and starvation. She weighed only 27 pounds, the report said,
Posted inHuman Services
Whiplash in CT as Trump administration reverses mental health, addiction cuts
One CT provider was scrambling to avoid layoffs when the Trump administration reversed its cuts to mental health, addiction services grants.
Posted inHartford
After ICE protest, Hartford police launch investigation
Hartford police are investigating the hit-and-run and pepper spraying of people near a protest of ICE’s actions in the Renee Good death.