Gov. Dannel P. Malloy delivered an unusual Thanksgiving message Wednesday that reflected the tumult, turmoil and tragedy of a year which the U.S. has reeled from two mass shootings, devastating hurricanes, culture-changing disclosures of sexual harassment and predation, and a general coarsening of public discourse.
A governor’s Thanksgiving message in an unsettled time
Posted inPolitics
Larson, Courtney win tax break for homeowners with crumbling foundations
WASHINGTON – U.S. Reps. John Larson and Joe Courtney had good news Wednesday for Connecticut homeowners with crumbling foundations – the Internal Revenue Service will allow them to take a deduction for a casualty loss for money spent to fix crumbling foundations. But that tax relief may be short lived if Republicans in Congress succeed in overhauling the tax code.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The dangers and potential of ‘natural’ opioid kratom
Given the opioid addiction crisis, it would seem preposterous that an opioid is legal for use in the United States and can be purchased at tea stores, convenience stores, over the internet and, yes, even from vending machines. However, kratom is not your average opioid. The Drug Enforcement Agency found this out when it tried to ban the herb in 2016.
Posted inMoney, Politics
A fight to frame ’18: Trump & taxes vs. Malloy & budget
State Senate Democrats introduced President Trump and federal tax policy as issues in the 2018 race for control of the General Assembly on Tuesday with a withering dissection of how tax plans crafted by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress would hit middle-class taxpayers in the Northeast. A Republican leader countered that the legislature has bigger issues closer to home.
Posted inMoney
Malloy signs budget bill, but there’s this one other thing…
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill Tuesday that makes technical budget revisions he forced through a line-item veto, but he also raised a new complaint: The legislature improperly transferred a $2.9 million children’s health program to an account funded by assessments on the insurance industry.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Puerto Rico: Helping part of the USA, and part of Connecticut’s family
Connecticut is home to the largest proportion of Puerto Ricans in the continental United States, so it is expected that we will see one of the largest influxes of U.S. citizens coming from Puerto Rico to the mainland. Although it’s difficult to estimate the exact number of new arrivals, the state has received over 700 calls from people displaced from the Island and who need help.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
It’s time for truth to challenge power and privilege
Recently my daughter said to me, “Me too,” echoing the apparently rampant sexual harassment in our country, now and in the past. Most of us men do not see this, and some, unfortunately, practice it, especially men with power and position over women.
My daughter was speaking “truth to power.” She is a veteran teacher in New York City and an active member of an offshoot of Black Lives Matter. She and I agreed that the racial climate in the U.S. also requires a large dose of truth to power, challenging male privilege overlapping white privilege.
Posted inEconomic Development
CT allocates $13.6 million for cleaning up brownfields
Connecticut will spend $13.6 million to assess or redevelop brownfield sites in 14 municipalities, marking Connecticut officials’ latest effort to clean up polluted properties and spur economic development, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Monday.
Posted inJustice, Politics
CT lawmakers, NRA back gun buyer background check bill
WASHINGTON – Rep. Elizabeth Esty, usually at odds with gun rights groups over firearm legislation, is promoting a bill that the National Rifle Association likes, too. Esty, D-5th District, is a co-sponsor of the U.S. House version of the “Fix NICS Act of 2017,” legislation that aims to prevent individuals like the shooter in Sutherland, Texas, from slipping through the cracks of the federal gun buyer background check system.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT budget deficit crosses emergency action threshold
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy intensified pressure on the legislature Monday to come into special session to repair the new state budget, projecting a $203 million deficit that exceeds a key risk threshold.
Posted inJustice
Does peer review cast doubt on traffic-stop analysis?
Researchers earlier this month released their third annual statewide report analyzing traffic-stop data in an effort to find signs of potential racial profiling by police. Understanding the report isn’t a simple thumbs up or thumbs down, judging whether it’s right or wrong. “It’s not as easy as saying it’s valid or it’s not; there’s lots of stuff in there,” said Michael Smith, one of the peer reviewers.
Posted inHealth
Medicaid chief: Feds are willing to approve work requirements
The Trump administration has signaled its willingness to allow states to impose work requirements on some adult Medicaid enrollees, a long-sought goal for conservatives that is strongly opposed by Democrats and advocates for the poor.
Posted inNews
Rancor on top of rancor with some extra rancor
It was a week of particularly rancorous politics in a month of rancorous politics in a year of rancorous politics. It began with uproar over the past behavior of Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore of Alabama, accused of predatory sexual conduct toward women half his age; then swept up Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota.
Posted inEducation
Trump education nominee pleads ignorance on voucher studies
At his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, Mick Zais, the nominee to be second-in-command at the Department of Education, said that he was not aware of high-profile studies showing that school vouchers can hurt student achievement.
Posted inHealth
Anthem, Hartford HealthCare agree on new, retroactive contract
Hartford HealthCare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield said early Saturday they had reached agreement on a new, retroactive contract, ending a stalemate that had left Hartford HealthCare providers out of the Anthem insurance network since Oct. 1.