A journalist’s research into a sensational murder case nearly a century old has prompted a complex freedom of information case over missing psychiatric records, Marie P. Grady reports at the Connecticut Law Tribune. The case involved suspected serial killer Amy Archer Gilligan, owner of a Windsor old age home who was accused of poisoning her […]

As fewer people rely on landline phones, more states are moving away from regulation of the telephone industry, Pamela M. Prah reports at Stateline.org. More than a quarter of all households are now wireless-only, according to federal statistics, double the number that have only landline service. (Connecticut is a lagger, with only 13.6 percent of […]

Political attitudes have become more doctrinaire at both ends of the political spectrum, a new study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds, but the center is increasingly populated by voters whose views defy traditional conservative or liberal classification. In its first “political typology” study since 2005, Pew found the […]

At least 600,000 young adults have taken advantage of a provision in the federal health reform law that allows them to maintain coverage under their parents’ health plans until age 26, according to a survey of insurers by Kaiser Health News. The number of people taking advantage of the provision appears to be growing more […]

Many environmentalists view measuring a person’s carbon footprint–an assessment of the environmental impact of day-to-day activities–as a valuable educational tool that can lead to earth-friendly lifestyle changes. That may be true for people already committed to environmentalism, a new study suggests, but the practice could backfire with other people. The study involved 212 college students […]

Growing numbers of people are failing to pay back their federally-guaranteed student loans, and more of them are being referred to the Justice Department for possible legal action, Marty Roney says at USA Today. The US Department of Education reported making 5,293 referrals to Justice last year, nearly six times the number in 2006.  An […]

As newsrooms across the country have been shrinking, the public relations industry has boomed, John Sullivan reports at Pro Publica. In a story co-published with the Columbia Journalism Review, Sullivan says the number of newspaper reporters and editors has fallen from a high of 56,900 in 1990 to 41,600 this year. Newspaper advertising revenue declined […]

After seeing Democratic candidates battered in 2010 by Republican groups that raised money from anonymous donors, supporters of President Barack Obama are forming similar organizations in preparation for his 2012 re-election bid, Jeanne Cummings reports at Politico. The move reflects a reversal of Obama’s past rejection of outside money and criticism of anonymous donations made […]

Charter schools have flourished in the last decade, with enthusiastic backing from parents and bi-partisan political support. But their advocates fear the rapid growth could be stalled by a shortage of high-quality leaders, Sarah Butrymowicz says at the Hechinger Report. Public schools across the U.S. are also facing a leadership void, but charters face unique […]

Raise taxes on the rich and they’ll move out of state! That’s one of the principal arguments against increasing tax rates on the highest earners–what is commonly referred to as a “millionaire tax.” But is that really the case? After studying tax and migration patterns in New Jersey, which bumped its top rate for filers […]

The most effective teachers are the ones who can explain complicated subjects so clearly that their students get it the first time, right? Maybe not, Nate Kornell says at Miller-McCune. A “growing mountain of research” suggests that struggling for understanding is a key part of the learning process. In one experiment, researchers got high school […]

Even as Congress slices $38 billion from the current year’s budget and gears up to slash hundreds of billions more from the next, some programs seem impervious to cuts, David A. Fahrenthold says at the Washington Post. He cites four: One spends federal money to store cotton bales. Another offers scholars a chance to study […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Citizenship & Immigration Services to delay the deportation of Mariano Cardoso, a 22-year-old New Britain resident who is one month from finishing his degree at Capitol Community College. Cardoso’s parents entered the United States illegally from Mexico when he was 22 months old, […]