Mayor Dan Drew of Middletown, a Democratic candidate for governor, is going to take the unusually early step Wednesday of naming a first-year state representative, Liz Linehan of Cheshire, as his choice for a running mate in 2018.
Early partnership: Dan Drew picks Liz Linehan as running mate
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Taxing the wealthy is the right thing to do — and necessary
More and more millionaires have come out and declared that they want to pay their fair share. Now, that message is just starting to percolate at the Capitol. We’re seeing the realization set in: Asking wealthy residents to step up and pay their fair share isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s the necessary thing to do.
Posted inEducation, Money, Politics
Malloy offers big compromise to end CT budget gridlock
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has offered a major compromise to end the state budget standoff, scaling back his proposed shift of teacher pension costs to cities and towns by half.
Posted inJustice, Politics
CT ‘dreamers’ march in D.C. as Trump punts DACA to Congress
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday ended a program that protected thousands of immigrant youth in Connecticut from deportation, placing the fate of those undocumented immigrants, brought to the United States as children, in the hands of a fractious Congress. Immigrant youths from Connecticut joined those from other states in converging on Washington in protest.
Posted inMoney
No CT budget deal yet as another target date nears
With rank-and-file state legislators still slated to return to the Capitol next week — potentially to adopt a new state budget — legislative leaders said Tuesday there talks still haven’t yielded consensus.
Posted inMoney, Politics
House plan would cut aid based on municipalities’ wealth
House Democratic leadership has a new plan to redistribute reduced non-education grants to cities and towns largely on the basis of wealth.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Dangerous waters: Connecticut’s worsening overdose epidemic
I recently spent a week at the outer Cape and saw large schools of seals close to the beach. When I mention this, the invariable response is “sharks.” Where there are seals, there will be sharks. It’s the nature of predators and prey. Which brings me to our worsening opioid-overdose epidemic, why it’s getting worse, and why it will deteriorate further if we don’t change our approach. The sharks are here. They want your children.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Freedom to join unions can fix our out-of-balance economy
On Labor Day, we recognize and honor the achievements of Connecticut’s working people. In 2017, this annual celebration comes at a critical time for our state and our nation. Collective action is on the rise – yet so are the attacks on our pay, health care, retirement security and rights on the job. As we enjoy the fellowship of our loved ones at a barbecue, fireworks or other community event, it also is important to reflect on the best ways working people can come together to build an economy that works for all of us.
Posted inEducation
Care4Kids enrollment down 7,500 since closing to new families
Care4Kids, which once helped low-income parents of more than 22,000 children pay for day care so they could work, has reduced its enrollment by one-third, a year after closing to virtually all new applicants.
Posted inEducation, Money
Municipal reaction to budget impasse: ‘Crippling,’ ‘devastating,’ ‘punishing’ and ‘unsustainable’
The governor’s budget chief recently asked municipal leaders to give him an update on their community’s fiscal health as pressure mounts at the State Capitol to cut state aid for cities and towns this fiscal year. About half responded, and from the largest city to the littlest town, their comments reflected their displeasure and vexation.
Posted inNews
Connecticut eyes on, hearts out to Houston
All eyes were on Houston this week, and Connecticut hearts went out to the thousands of Texans displaced by Hurricane Harvey. While attention was focused on the disaster there, however, the state’s own problems remained undiminished.
Posted inHealth
Pioneering gene therapy gets green light — and $475,000 price
The country’s first approved gene therapy — approved Wednesday to fight leukemia that resists standard therapies — will cost $475,000 for a one-time treatment, its manufacturer announced.
Posted inNews
Trump’s latest appointees include many former lobbyists
President Donald Trump has left hundreds of government jobs unfilled that require a vote by the Senate. Yet his administration has installed more than 1,000 people through political appointments at every major federal agency, handing over control of the government’s day-to-day operations to industry insiders and loyalists to an unprecedented degree.
Posted inJustice
As Trump ponders ‘dreamers’ future, Congress set to act
As thousands of Connecticut immigrant youths wait for President Donald Trump to decide whether to end their protections from deportation, Congress may be coming to their aid.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Why words still matter — Part II
Last January, the YWCA Greenwich hosted Why Words Still Matter, a program that explored the rise in hate speech and hate crimes, as well as how a community can monitor and respond to this behavior. A standing-room only crowd of concerned citizens, including high school students attended and engaged in this critically important discussion. Given the recent tragic events in Charlottesville, we want to share with you again the lessons learned at the YWCA Greenwich January forum.