Since Jan. 1, when a San Diego-based company called Veyo took over a program to drive Medicaid recipients to medical appointments, many patients have had to wait hours on hold when calling for rides; have missed or been late for critical medical appointments like dialysis, or were stranded at medical facilities when return rides didn’t arrive. The company is scrambling to fix the problems, its president said.
New transportation contractor for Medicaid patients off to rocky start
Posted inPolitics
With financing out of reach, Dan Drew ends race for governor
Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, the first Democrat in the race to succeed Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, ended his campaign Friday, two days after filing a finance report showing it with more debt than cash. His running mate, Rep. Liz Linehan of Cheshire, also quit the race for lieutenant governor.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Closing Simpson-Waverly School will do more harm than good
The superintendent of Hartford has proposed to close two schools and consolidate others mostly in the poorest and most segregated areas of the city in order to cut cost and avoid costly building renovations. The vote will take place in the next Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16. As professors who worked in the past several years in partnership with Simpson-Waverly Pre-K-8 school, we would like to suggest that such closure will do more harm than good and will be much more costly in the long run for the city of Hartford.
Posted inPolitics
GOP’s Fasano calls on Trump to apologize for immigration comments
The Connecticut Senate’s Republican leader, who had resolved not to be drawn into the controversies regularly generated by President Trump, called Friday for the president to apologize for reportedly referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa as “these people from shithole countries.” Sen. Len Fasano says he found the remarks to be racially offensive and impossible to ignore.
Posted inHealth, Money
Malloy says he won’t impose work requirements on Medicaid
WASHINGTON — Connecticut will not impose a work requirement on Connecticut Medicaid recipients, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, even as the Trump administration moved Thursday to allow states to do so. “The fact remains that the majority of individuals on Medicaid are working people, or those that cannot work, such as seniors and people with disabilities,” Malloy said.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Himes sole CT lawmaker to vote for NSA surveillance bill
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Himes was the only House member from Connecticut on Thursday to vote for a bill that would allow the National Security Agency to intercept without warrants calls or emails from suspected foreign terrorists outside the United States.
Posted inPolitics
Wooden, Linares open campaigns for treasurer
Shawn Wooden, the former president of the Hartford City Council, and state Sen. Art Linares, R-Westbrook, have opened campaigns to succeed Treasurer Denise L. Nappier, the Democrat who announced last week she would not seek a sixth term in 2018.
Posted inPolitics
Money woes, new competition may end Drew’s campaign
The gubernatorial campaign of Middletown Mayor Dan Drew is teetering with more debt than cash and the prospect of new competition for the Democratic nomination from two fundraising juggernauts, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Susan Bysiewicz, and a third candidate with the resources to self-fund a campaign, Ned Lamont.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Why I am running a primary against Rosa DeLauro
I am a Democrat. I believe in progressive values. So, the big question is, why challenge Rosa DeLauro in this year’s Democratic Primary?
The answer is an easy one.
Millennials reading this should take note of this fact: Rosa DeLauro has served longer than you have probably been alive.
We are in a time of transition. I regard this race not so much as an election to challenge an incumbent, but rather as one to offer voters a progressive alternative — one with a proven track record, vision, energy, and fresh ideas.
Posted inPolitics
GOP takes nine gubernatorial contenders on a bumpy test drive
Eleven candidates were invited, nine accepted and two bickered to the point that another proclaimed the night “an embarrassment.” And so it went Wednesday in the second of the Connecticut Republican Party’s five monthly showcases of the politicians vying to become the GOP nominee for governor in 2018.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Yale forensic psychiatrist aims to publicize Trump’s ‘dangerousness’
People from all over the country – and around the world – told psychiatrist Dr. Bandy Lee, an expert on violence, they were concerned about President Donald Trump’s mental state and his ability to serve in office. So she looked into the issue. Lee’s assessment that the president is a danger to the public is shared by others in the mental health field. But it also created a firestorm of criticism – from the president’s supporters and from others, too, including colleagues in the psychiatric field.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Deficit, program cuts will test bipartisan CT budget deal
The legislative cooperation that produced last October’s bipartisan state budget deal could face its toughest test starting next week as legislative leaders begin trying to close a deficit and find more funds for health care programs and municipal aid.
Posted inPolitics
State and local officials urge further aid for Puerto Rican arrivals
As Puerto Ricans continue to migrate to Connecticut in the wake of Hurricane Maria, state lawmakers and local officials Wednesday called for further aid to help Puerto Rican evacuees and announced a new multi-agency task force to tackle issues facing them.
Posted inJustice, Politics
Blumenthal slams Trump for failing to commit to a Mueller interview
WASHINGTON – Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Wednesday slammed President Trump for declining to say whether he would grant an interview to special counsel Robert Mueller and his team, who are investigating any possible collusion between Russian and the Trump campaign. Blumenthal said, “The president has a moral and legal duty to cooperate.”
Posted inMoney, Transportation
Malloy ready to stall hundreds of transportation projects
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy continued to set the stage Wednesday for a landmark 2018 transportation finance debate, outlining nearly 400 capital projects worth $4.3 billion that would be suspended over the next five years because of inadequate funding.