Sen. President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, said in a telephone interview Thursday night that post-operative blood tests show that the kidney transplanted Tuesday from his friend, Superior Court Judge Brian T. Fischer, is functioning well.
News
Posted inPolitics
Trump zings F-35, asks Boeing to offer F-18 alternative
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump on Thursday again slammed Lockheed Martin’s F-35 “cost overruns,” saying on Twitter he’s asked Boeing to compete with an updated version of the venerable F-18.
Posted inPolitics
Deal gives Democrats edge in evenly split CT Senate
Senate Democrats and Republicans finalized a deal Thursday on how an evenly divided Senate will operate in 2017, agreeing that Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, will remain as the top leader, while sharing some authority with the GOP.
Posted inEducation
Another push to delay linking teacher evaluations with test scores
More time is needed before requiring that teachers be evaluated based in part on student test scores, says the panel the State Board of Education relies on for advice in such matters. The state board has pushed back the deadline for doing so year after year, and the last time members said it would be the last.
Posted inHealth
Aetna-Humana antitrust trial wraps up before questioning judge
WASHINGTON — The antitrust trial over a proposed merger between Aetna and Humana wrapped up Wednesday, with U.S. District Court Judge John Bates asking probing questions of both Justice Department lawyers seeking to block the deal and attorneys for the insurers defending their plan.
Posted inPolitics
Looney’s to do list: Legalize pot, raise minimum wage, etc.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, was busy before his hospitalization Tuesday for a kidney transplant, filing bills that would, among other things, create a paid family-and-medical leave system, raise the minimum wage and legalize marijuana. He also would offer a benefit for organ donors, though not retroactively.
Posted inEducation
School choice: Betting the odds
With more than 40 schools in the Hartford region’s school choice lottery, the odds of landing a seat vary based on what school and what grade a student’s family is seeking. While the odds for some schools are a sure bet, others can be a long shot.
Posted inPolitics
Sen. Looney’s kidney transplant called a success
Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, was described by a spokesman as “doing fine” Tuesday night after receiving a kidney donated by a friend, Superior Court Judge Brian T. Fischer of New Haven.
Posted inHealth, Justice
Witness at Anthem-Cigna antitrust trial says merger would hurt CT
WASHINGTON — Government witness David Dranove, a Northwestern University health care economics professor, said Tuesday the merger would result in higher prices and poorer care in many metropolitan areas and in certain states, including Connecticut, that already have few choices of health insurers.
Posted inMoney
Malloy administration says cost-cutting has reduced CT budget deficit
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration scaled back its deficit forecast Tuesday for the current fiscal year, citing additional savings in the Judicial Branch and in fringe benefit costs.
Posted inNews
Murphy touts passage of his anti-propaganda bill
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Tuesday that passage last week of a bipartisan measure he co-sponsored will strengthen the U.S. government’s ability to track and combat disinformation and propaganda overseas, especially by Russia.
Posted inPolitics
Talks stall, then resume over how to run a divided CT Senate
Negotiations over how to share power in an evenly divided Connecticut Senate progressed over the weekend before being suspended Monday as Senate President Pro Tem Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, broke away to prepare for a kidney transplant Tuesday at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
Posted inNews
In subdued ceremony, Connecticut casts its electoral votes
Seven electors dropped signed paper ballots into a wooden box in the state Senate on Monday, casting Connecticut’s seven Electoral College votes for Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine, the Democrats who carried the state, won the national popular vote and lost the presidency.
Posted inHealth
Pharmacists offer overdose-reversing drug, but say demand muted
Some customers thank Ed Schreiner for making naloxone available at his pharmacy. The bin with brochures about the drug, which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is often empty. But since last year, only about a dozen people have asked Schreiner to prescribe the drug. Other pharmacists said they’ve been similarly surprised by the low demand, given the state’s ongoing opioid crisis.
Posted inHealth
St. Francis to test marijuana as alternative to opioids
The study will be the first state-approved research on medical marijuana, part of a law passed this spring that grants immunity under state law to those participating in approved studies.