On July 17, Dr. Sten Vermund, Dean of the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), published a piece outlining his support for in-person teaching this fall. That day, the CDC reported 72,045 new COVID-19 cases in the United States, bringing the total to 3,630,587. Less than two weeks later, that number rose by 16.3%, crossing the 4 million case mark. Against this backdrop, Vermund’s case for in-person teaching is misleading and potentially calamitous.

The founding document of our country starts with “We The People…” When President Lincoln spoke up in favor of recognizing the rights of citizens of our country, he called our system “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Voting is the way most people participate in our government, from town council to […]

The dilemma of reopening is often framed as a choice between public health and economic growth, between life and livelihood. But for some families the trade-off is not so clear cut. Because of a long history of occupational segregation, working is riskier to their health, and the economic rewards are limited and insecure.

I have spent a fair amount of time lately obsessing over a new name for “The Washington Football Team.” And I think I’ve got it:

Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact all of our lives in ways we could never have anticipated – especially higher education.

There are 79 towns in Connecticut which don’t have municipal police departments. Over half a million Connecticut residents live in towns which either have no dedicated police presence or are serviced by a small cohort of state troopers. Then there are some cities and towns, like Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport, that are heavily policed. Cruisers dot the landscape like measles. Beat cops patrol neighborhoods at all hours of the day and surveillance, particularly of poor, Black and Latinx neighborhoods, is constant.

Imagine being a police officer in the State of Connecticut.  You wake up at 5:00 a.m. and head to your car, after saying goodbye to your family, knowing – that day as with every — you might never see them again. 

As confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. approaches 4.3 million and deaths approach 150,000 and disproportionately affect people of color, and as protests against systemic racism roil our nation, we must demand food justice as an essential element of health and wellness.

“I’ve had enough.  I’m done!” If you haven’t yet, I fear you may soon hear these words uttered by many of your friends, family members, and neighbors who work in law enforcement.  That’s because a growing number of our front-line police officers are tired of being used as a political piñata.  Understandably, many are considering ending their careers in law enforcement early.

The Connecticut House of Representatives’ bipartisan vote in support of no-excuse absentee ballot voting will provide a chance to test how well it works and whether the change should be made permanent, possibly with some tweaks. Voting by mail is clearly the easiest and safest way for most people to vote, especially during a pandemic.

The framers of our constitution created a demanding system of government: one that asks citizens to observe and judge our rulers, and make a choice of who shall wield power every two years. It is a duty that must not be taken lightly, as it remains the foundation of accountability in our democracy. Ensuring that the process is open, fair, and accessible should be the core principle of our institutions.

Connecticut public school teachers, like many of their colleagues across the nation and the world, have had to learn new methods to reach and teach our students, quite literally overnight.  We owe them our admiration and thanks.  We also need to recognize that a significant reason our teachers are able to meet Connecticut’s students’ needs is fueled by the fact that we have among the most educated teaching force in the nation. 

At the present time, Connecticut legislators need to be in the actual Legislative Office Building in order to cast their votes. Legislators can either be on the floor of the Legislative Office Building or in their offices when they vote, but they must be in the building for their vote to be counted.

Following the lead of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has now unveiled the sanctions he proposes to levy against what the Hartford Courant calls “defiant travelers.” We all know that where there are no sanctions, there is, practically speaking, no law.