With the state now spending a quarter-million-dollars a year responding to concerns about the exploding black bear population, environmental officials are considering proposing a regular bear-hunting season for the first time in the state. “Conflicts with humans are increasing every year,” said Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection […]

Stamford — Improved diagnostics, more research and controlling animal populations are keys to stemming the rapid growth of Lyme disease in New England, experts said Thursday at a forum at the University of Connecticut’s Stamford campus. Hosted by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the forum was held in anticipation of congressional review of his proposal to […]

With three Naugatuck Valley communities conducting separate investigations of corruption allegations involving taxes and municipal finances, questions are being raised about whether tighter controls on local tax collectors’ offices are needed. “The public is wondering just what the heck is going on,” said Eugene Driscoll, editor of the Valley Independent Sentinel, a nonprofit local news […]

Transportation is heavily financed by public money in the form of subsidies or direct taxes. But those sources are never a certainty — illustrated by a New York judge’s ruling last week that could end the state’s payroll mobility tax. The tax, and four other related fees that the judge also deemed unconstitutional, contribute nearly […]

Bridgeport — At a new, 14,500-square-foot facility in Bridgeport’s South End, three men spend their weekdays deconstructing old mattresses to be recycled. “I enjoy myself,” said 44-year-old Angel Morales, who walks from his house a few blocks away to arrive at the plant at 5:30 each weekday morning. (Since there’s no air-conditioning, the employees like […]

Bridgeport — State Rep. Andres Ayala Jr. won a three-way Democratic primary for the state Senate’s 23rd District seat, defeating incumbent Edwin A. Gomes and blocking the return of former Sen. Ernest Newton II to the state Capitol after a prison sentence. With a primary victory usually tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic city, […]

Correction: Bruce Becker of Becker + Becker built New Haven’s highest residential tower at 360 State St. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Carter Winstanley was the builder. New Haven — After years of planning and re-planning, contentious public hearings and workshops, and budget cuts, the city is poised to begin construction […]

Danbury — When Mayor Mark Boughton talks about his city’s downtown revitalization zone, he sometimes calls it “La Zona.” It is hard to know whether he is being flip or sincere, considering that his city has been less than welcoming toward its Spanish-speaking population in the past. But this much is certain: Engaging the city’s […]

More than 50 photos of Connecticut politicians are scheduled to be on display at the Legislative Office Building starting Wednesday morning. The photos by Stamford photographer Tim Coffey capture these public servants — former and present — in settings of their choice. The collection is known as “Connecticut’s Political Landscape” and is Coffey’s second exhibition at […]

The recent announcement that Bridgeport’s Steelpointe development — 30 years in the making — will finally get an anchor tenant has brought hope to a city that some say is on the brink of revitalization. But not everyone is convinced that Steelpointe will create meaningful opportunities for the residents of Bridgeport. The city had an […]