While more regulations and urbanization have brought down the risk of wildfires, increased tree damage and loss in CT compounds the threat.
Sasha Allen
Sasha is a data reporting fellow with The Connecticut Mirror. She graduated from the University of Maryland in May with a degree in journalism and a minor in creative writing. For the past year Sasha was working part time for the Herald-Mail, a newspaper based in Western Maryland. She was also a reporter and copy editor for Capital News Service, the university’s wire service where she covered the state legislature, the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse, school board elections, youth mental health and climate change. Earlier in her college career, Sasha also interned at the Baltimore Magazine and wrote for numerous student publications including the Diamondback, the university’s independent, student-run newspaper.
Posted inPolitics
Amount of public testimony on bills is growing, but who’s writing it?
More than 43,800 pieces of written testimony were submitted during the 2026 legislative session, nearly a 250% increase compared to 2016.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
CT women having fewer babies means school enrollment falling too
Women in Connecticut are having fewer babies, and school enrollment numbers across the state are falling along with the fertility rate.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
CT’s legislative session in numbers: How many bills passed?
This session, 218 bills passed the House and Senate. They dealt with topics from bottle redemption fraud to accountability of ICE agents.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
More CT residents using 988 hotline; deaths by suicide fell in 2025
Before the number changed, CT had 1,500 and 2,500 calls to the suicide hotline per month. CT now gets 4,000 to 5,000 calls in most months.
Posted inGovernment, Politics
‘Glock switch’ bill is driving up gun sales in CT, dealers say
A proposed ban on the sale of ‘convertible pistols,’ HB5043 is driving up sales, but some gun dealers say a ban is the wrong idea.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Enrollment in SNAP food assistance program has dropped in CT
The number of Connecticut residents on SNAP has fallen by more than 32,500 people since July 2025, a 9% decrease.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Northeast region leads U.S. in inflation, boosted by energy, housing
Consumer prices rose 3.6% year-over-year in the Northeast region, higher than the national year-over-year inflation rate of 3.3%.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Slowly but steadily, CT libraries are recovering from COVID
More than 1 million residents are registered to borrow from CT public libraries — a number that grew last year for the first time in 5 years.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Loss of tax credits led to a drop-off in EV sales. Will they rebound?
Electric vehicle sales in Connecticut have fallen precipitously since the elimination of federal tax credits by the Trump administration.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Here’s another way UConn’s basketball teams are making history
For the sixth time, UConn’s women’s and men’s teams have both secured spots in the Final Four. No one else has done it more than once.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Student debt is up, especially on the East Coast
Student loan debt is growing as more borrowers fall into delinquency and default — including thousands of Connecticut residents.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT’s ‘nips’ surcharge: What to know and why it faces opposition
Consumers pay a five-cent surcharge for alcohol bottles under 50 mL. The program has generated millions in revenue, but some have concerns.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
CT had 2nd-highest electric bills in 2025, up slightly from 2024
Connecticut saw only a 3.8% increase in annual electric bills compared to 2024, but they are still among the biggest in the nation.
Posted inGovernment
Alternatives to burials becoming more common in CT
Burial rates are falling in CT and nationally as alternative methods — like water cremation, composting and green burials — gain popularity.
