Student loan debt is growing as more borrowers fall into delinquency and default — including thousands of Connecticut residents.
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 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.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Here’s how much CT gasoline prices have gone up
Prices for regular unleaded gasoline in CT have jumped from less than $3 per gallon in late February to about $3.50 per gallon this week.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Affordable housing in CT has increased slightly in 15 years
The amount of affordable housing in Connecticut has risen from 159,520 units in 2011 to 186,170 units in 2025, or about 16.7%.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
More nips are being bought in CT — some advocates are worried
About 94 million ‘nip’ bottles of alcohol are sold in CT each year, but some say the environmental and social costs aren’t worth the revenue.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
CT homelessness is up, and federal support remains uncertain
The federal government tried to take money away from programs supporting housing in CT. The state would have lost up to $98 million per year.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
International migration to CT is down, Census finds
About half as many people moved to CT from other countries from July 2024-June 2025 compared to the previous year, slowing population growth.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Snow and cold scrambled CT’s power grid. Here’s how it stayed up
As more than a foot of snow fell on parts of CT on Jan. 25, a massive shift was taking place within power plants across New England.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Some CT colleges show downward trends in return on investment
A degree from Yale had a bigger long-term payoff than other CT colleges, but associate’s degrees and certificates had high initial payoffs.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
Lamont’s top words in his 8 State of the State addresses
“Housing” was one of Lamont’s most-said words this year, coming up 25 times in his annual State of the State address.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
How much does your town get in Lamont’s budget plan for FY27?
Gov. Ned Lamont’s spending plan maintains a $95 million increase for K-12 schools that lawmakers began this fiscal year.
Posted inCharting Connecticut
More bear sightings reported in CT in 2025. Which town had most?
CT received more than 12,000 reports of bear sightings in 2025, more than double from a decade ago. One town provided the most reports.
Posted inImmigration
Immigration enforcement drives health concerns in CT
CT residents who fear they or a loved one could be deported say they are facing mounting mental and physical health problems.