The Asylum Street Starbucks in Hartford was buzzing with orders Tuesday — right until 2:15 p.m. That’s when it became one of some 8,000 locations closed for mandatory anti-bias training.
When Starbucks closes for anti-bias training ‘it can’t be ignored’
Posted inPolitics
Arulampalam quits as Democrats debate diversity
Arunan Arulampalam ended his campaign for the Democratic nomination for state treasurer Tuesday with a concession and a challenge: He declined to risk a potentially racially divisive primary, but challenged Democrats to look at diversity with a broader lens than a tradition of nominating only African-Americans for treasurer.
Posted inPolitics
Can Ms. Hayes go to Washington?
Jahana Hayes thinks what Washington, D.C. needs is a schoolteacher — one of the nation’s top teachers, in fact. And though the 2016 national hadn’t expected to get into politics, here she is, running for Congress.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
An attorney for the people, or an attorney for the state?
As we head toward primary season in the attorney general race in both parties, candidates are saying they’ll use the office to fight – or support – Donald Trump. One Democrat says he would be “first in line” to challenge the “Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act” if it passes Congress. Another promises to sue payday lenders under Dodd-Frank if Trump fails to act. Meanwhile, in the Republican primary, one candidate says the race is “critical to #MAGA,” tagging the President’s Twitter account. But setting Trump aside for a moment, there are many roles of an attorney general that are not so sexy and not clear cut.
Posted inMoney
Already deep in debt, Connecticut struggles with extremes of wealth and income
The growing gap between Connecticut’s richest and poorest citizens, which already outstrips that in most other states, has widened dramatically since the last recession. First in a series.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
On Memorial Day, reverence and sadness
On this Memorial Day, a Connecticut writer remembers his great uncle who, like millions of others, made the ultimate sacrifice against tyranny and oppression.
Captain William George Gabain, my great uncle, died 100 years ago in the Great War, now known as World War I. He was killed in action in northern France, as he was trying to make sure that all of his men had heard the order to withdraw in the face of an overwhelming German advance. He and several other soldiers in The Rifle Brigade of the British Expeditionary Force were last seen surrounded by enemy troops.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
On Memorial Day, a story of false pride
On this Memorial Day, imagine this. It’s late in the year 2007. A company of Connecticut Army National Guard troops are stationed somewhere in Iraq, let’s say a small village called Daskara Nahr. This village, once a hotbed of Islamic extremist activity, has been pacified and is now considered a model converted territory run by a trusted village chieftain allegedly known to be cooperative and friendly with the coalition troops assigned to stand guard duty and supervise the “Democratization program.”
Posted inCT Viewpoints
These CRISPR-modified crops don’t count as GMOs
To feed the burgeoning human population, it is vital that the world figures out ways to boost food production. Increasing crop yields through conventional plant breeding is inefficient – the outcomes are unpredictable and it can take years to decades to create a new strain. On the other hand, powerful genetically modified plant technologies can quickly yield new plant varieties, but their adoption has been controversial. Many consumers and countries have rejected GMO foods even though extensive studies have proved they are safe to consume. But now a new genome editing technology known as CRISPR may offer a good alternative.
Posted inNews
Danbury doctor removes largest tumor he’s ever seen
On Valentine’s Day, a team of surgeons, physicians and medical staff at Danbury Hospital successfully removed a 132-pound benign tumor from a 38-year-old woman in a single five-hour surgery. In this conversation, Dr. Vaagn Andikyan, who led the team, tells us about the unusual case.
Posted inNews
A time for remembering — and politicking
It’s the run-up to Memorial Day, when parades and solemn ceremonies mark the sacrifices made by members of the American military. It is also a time for politicking, and there is no shortage of that as candidates for elective office maneuver to raise their public profiles both here and in Washington, D.C.
Posted inNews
For $24M, Pfizer settles kickback case related to copay assistance
Pfizer will pay the government nearly $24 million as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that it funneled money through a foundation resulting in illegal kickbacks.
Posted inNews, Politics
What Facebook’s new political ad system misses
Facebook’s long-awaited change in how it handles political advertisements is only a first step toward addressing a problem intrinsic to a social network built on the viral sharing of user posts.
Posted inNews, Politics
White House objects to three-subs-a-year plan
WASHINGTON – The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has objected to a provision in a massive defense bill approved by the House Thursday that would press the Navy to procure two additional Virginia-class subs in 2022 and 2023. The White House said those additional subs, manufactured by Electric Boat, exceeds President Donald Trump’s request for 10 subs, not 12, in the Navy’s next contract with EB.
Posted inMoney
Connecticut ‘locks’ into new budgetary restraints in three weeks
In less than three weeks state government will contractually bind itself to a new series of budgetary controls for the next five years despite numerous warnings the maneuver could cause fiscal chaos.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Liberals, be grateful for conservative court’s ruling on sports betting
Liberals are not in the habit of expressing gratitude for the five conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, especially since one of them, Justice Neil Gorsuch, presides where some liberals believe President Obama’s nominee should rightly be. But liberals should be grateful, at least this week, in the wake of a ruling that struck down a federal anti-gambling law because the decision strengthens blue-state resistance to President Donald Trump. Moreover, it might deepen appreciation for something liberals historically dislike: federalism and the doctrine of state’s rights.