Officials shared no theories Friday night on what prompted a 20-year-old gunman to kill 26 students and adults at a Newtown elementary school, a national tragedy that left President Obama choked up and wiping away tears as he addressed the deaths from the White House. “I know there is not a parent in America who […]
Mark Pazniokas
Mark is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.
Posted inNews
In tough times, every new job is celebrated
Hartford — Up against an anemic economy, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was back on the road Thursday, visiting a new commercial tenant at a repurposed Colt Armory to promote his frenetic efforts to encourage job growth in Connecticut. “I’ve been the governor for less than two years,” Malloy said. “In that period of time, we […]
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Big Jim Wagner, sergeant at arms of the Connecticut House, dies at 75
James R. Wagner, 75, who was sergeant at arms in the Connecticut House of Representatives for 22 years, died Monday of complications from bladder cancer. Wagner served in the Marines and the National Guard and was a member of the Governor’s Foot Guard. He is survived by his longtime companion, Lynn England, a former employee of […]
Posted inPolitics
Jokes to a business audience? Humbug!
Cromwell — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reinforced today that there’s a new tradition at the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce’s annual holiday breakfast: Expect a serious speech reviewing the challenges facing Connecticut, not a comedy roast. “I don’t do poems,” Malloy said. “I don’t do humor well.” As was the case a year ago in his […]
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Occhiogrosso departs at mid-term
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today announced the long-planned departure of his senior adviser, Roy Occhiogrosso, a move that deprives Malloy of his public voice and closest confidant as he begins the two-year march towards the 2014 campaign. Occhiogrosso, 47, who has been framing issues and political messages for Malloy since the governor’s first unsuccessful run […]
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The Lieberman farewell tour comes to Hartford
U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman brought his farewell tour to the State Capitol on Monday, a visit to where he began 42 years ago as a state legislator, the first rung on a ladder that took him to the heights of national politics. “It’s a sentimental time, but the most persistent emotion I feel is […]
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GOP weighs giving cover to a Democratic governor
The General Assembly’s Republican minority faces a stark choice: Help a Democratic governor shape a politically risky deficit-mitigation plan, or risk being seen as obstructionist or, even worse, irrelevant. By agreeing to come to the table for the start of deficit-reduction talks on Monday, the GOP minority leaders, Rep. Lawrence F. Cafero Jr. of Norwalk […]
Posted inMoney
General Assembly returns Dec. 19 for special session on deficit
The General Assembly has tentatively scheduled a special session for Dec. 19 to vote on a deficit mitigation plan now being prepared by the administration of Gov Dannel P. Malloy in consultation with legislative leaders. House members have been told to plan on a sesssion on the 19th, while the Senate leadership is telling members […]
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Senate confirms Shea for U.S. District Court in Connecticut
The U.S. Senate voted 72 to 23 Wednesday night to confirm Michael P. Shea as a U.S. District Court judge in Connecticut, filling the vacancy created by the elevation of Christopher Droney to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Shea, 45, a native of Hartford, is a partner at Day Pitney. He […]
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The hype and hope of social-impact bonds
Connecticut took a sober look Tuesday at an intoxicating idea for these tough fiscal times: Use private capital to underwrite new, innovative programs that produce a return for investors only if they solve a social problem. In other words, pay only for success. Goldman Sachs is underwriting a $9.6 million effort to fight recidivism by […]
Posted inPolitics
Women won 28 percent of General Assembly seats in 2012
A compilation by Rutgers University finds Connecticut ranked in the top 10 in the percentage of women winning state legislative seats in 2012: With women winning 53 of 187 seats, the new General Assembly will be 28.3 percent female. Colorado topped the list at 40 percent. South Carolina was at the bottom with 10 percent. […]
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Pressed from left and right, a governor plunges ahead
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is one of about 30 governors facing budget shortfalls, a cold comfort as he approaches a re-election campaign with the task of explaining why a record $1.5 billion tax increase in 2011 failed to keep Connecticut in the black. The Democratic governor is confronted with a double-barreled political challenge: Still facing […]
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Connecticut was seventh in voter turnout in 2012
Connecticut had a voter turnout of 74 percent in the 2012 presidential election, ranking the state seventh in the nation, though lower than the state’s turnout of about 78 percent in 2008 and 2004. Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced the turnout numbers today as she formally certified election results that gave Democrats a […]
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Holder, Malloy give a new look at an old idea on guns
New Haven — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy gave a high-profile roll out Tuesday to an anti-gun violence strategy that targets hundreds of young minority men deemed most likely to kill or be killed in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven. In an era of tight resources and a political unwillingness […]
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Murphy raised $4.5 million online, while McMahon gave her campaign $7.1 million in final weeks
The manager of Democrat Chris Murphy’s victorious U.S. Senate campaign told supporters Thursday that Murphy raised nearly 45 percent of his $10.5 million through online, grass-roots organizations, while records show that Republican Linda McMahon loaned her losing camaign $7.1 million in the two weeks before the election. Federal election records list three late loans McMahon […]