Calls are coming from all quarters for an investigation of Eversource and how badly prepared the company was for Tropical Storm Isaias. The loudest outcry comes from Gov. Ned Lamont and officials of the Public Utility Regulatory Agency (PURA). As the governor and PURA regulators thump their chests in outrage, I want to ask: didn’t Eversource apprise them of their preparations, or lack thereof, in pre-storm meetings? Oh, wait. There weren’t any pre-Isaias meetings, were there?

While debating a long overdue relief bill, a choice has been presented between preventing a catastrophic wave of evictions and housing those who are already experiencing homelessness. This is a false and harmful choice.

In general, legislators, advocates, government officials, and others tend to agree in theory that affordable housing is important when it comes to supporting our state’s most vulnerable, spurring economic development, and diversifying our towns and cities. However, the exact methodology by which Connecticut could implement meaningful reform is often a point of great contention.

The loss of electricity that started on Tuesday afternoon and still has no restoration date for many communities in Connecticut was caused by more than gusty winds. Eversource was clearly unprepared. Because it knew the storm was coming and was supposed to have learned some lessons from previous hurricanes, Gov. Ned Lamont and state legislatures have been properly very critical of the Eversource monopoly and its top executives

Nursing home residents and their loved ones need help to understand the wisdom in allowing nursing homes to pause testing if facilities have no new cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff for 14 days.

First let me give a heartfelt thank you to the state’s essential workers – hospital personnel, nurses, doctors, police, firefighters, EMTs, grocery workers, etc. that have been at work serving Connecticut citizens without interruption since March. The biggest question facing Connecticut, right now, is will there be school in the fall?

Mayor of New Haven Justin Elicker’s recent Op-Ed of July 16, 2020 entitled “Let’s tax Connecticut’s Segregation” was, finally, a cogent and direct explanation of why Connecticut continues to have the highest minority achievement gap in the country, and why without addressing the issue of using property taxes to fund almost all local costs, Connecticut will continue to sustain the egregious state of keeping towns like Darien, Westport, New Canaan and so many others flush with amenities for their children, while other places with greater poverty can barely sustain the basics for their schools.

Everything needs a limiting principle to protect it from excess, to keep it from transitioning from positive to negative and doing more harm than good.

If we asked 25 different people what “defund the police” means, we would likely get 25 different definitions. Our definition focuses on where the investment should take place while recognizing that public safety is a priority.

My wife and I are in the same position as parents across our state. We have three children going into eighth, ninth and 10th grades. Back to school issues have consumed our discussions.

Five months after Gov. Ned Lamont’s Executive Order closing schools, surveys show students, teachers and families split in terms of their expectations and comfort returning to classrooms (surveys from CEA, AFT and SDE). Public health guidelines will rightly impact the manner in which education can be delivered in Connecticut this fall, but that is only […]

One of the most dynamic and striking figures in American history, General George S. Patton, was famous for saying “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Those words, which were uttered 75 years ago at a time of world crisis when he was leading the Third Army through France and Germany, ring true today, albeit during a different kind of crisis — but one that poses a lethal and devastating impact if not addressed decisively.

Ethan Lindenberger’s decision to become up-to-date with his vaccinations when he turned 18 against his mother’s wishes has become a story representative of teenage rebellion in 21st century America. Gone are the days of attending rock-and-roll concerts or creating a MySpace profile without your parents’ consent. In an age of anti-vaccine movements and the World Health Organization naming vaccine hesitancy and refusal one of the “biggest global health threats,” teenage rebellion means taking charge of one’s own immunization decisions.

While two- and four-year degrees have traditionally been touted as a foolproof buffer during recessions, this is no normal recession that we are in. Connecticut’s leaders must scrutinize long-held assumptions about the benefits of degrees versus certificates and sub-baccalaureate programs in job placement, and look toward more creative ways to help workers prepare for Connecticut’s post-COVID economy and our long-term goal of building a happy, stable, and productive workforce.

After a summer of uncertainty, schools across the state will be welcoming students back to campus at the end of August in varying capacities. But something important is missing. The biggest threat to campus safety is one of the primary reasons why students are coming back to school in the first place: they want their social lives back.