As Connecticut begins its second month without a state budget next week, the cost to cities and towns will take a big leap, topping $100 million.
Budget standoff about to take a big toll on cities and towns
Posted inHealth, Politics
Senate fails to repeal Obamacare
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans failed early Friday to win approval of a “skinny” bill they hoped would grow into a full-fledged repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act, putting an end to efforts to eliminate Obamacare, at least for now. The dramatic vote in the middle of the night is a boost to Connecticut Democrats who fought the GOP campaign to repeal the ACA.
Posted inTransportation
DOT valued expertise over price in Hartford rail competition
Connecticut rejected the lowest of five bidders for the contract to operate train service on the new Hartford Line, instead picking the overall top scorer in a ranking system that valued expertise and experience over price, according to scoring sheets released Thursday by the Department of Transportation.
Posted inMoney
AG opinion strikes middle ground on cutting wages, benefits
A formal opinion released Thursday by Attorney General George Jepsen warns of legal peril in rewriting state-employee contracts through legislation, but notes the free hand legislators have after contracts expire and the flexibility the courts have granted in some cases in the event of extreme fiscal emergencies.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
New charter seats will strip Bridgeport Public Schools of resources
On July 19, the unelected, governor-appointed Connecticut State Board of Education approved 504 additional seats in state charter schools for next year, with 154 of those seats going to Capital Preparatory Harbor School in Bridgeport. Go figure: Connecticut is in a budget crisis with every expense being monitored, yet new charter school seats, which cost the state $11,000 each, are being initiated. The cost will be more than $5.5 million.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut’s Medicaid efficiency is at the providers’ expense
If Connecticut residents are wondering what Connecticut’s “secret sauce” is to rank us tops in efficient Medicaid spending, it’s a combination of Inadequate and flat Medicaid reimbursement to home health providers, a State Plan Amendment cutting Medicaid behavioral home health nursing rates by 15 percent and other factors — all at the suffering and demise of our Medicaid provider community.
Posted inCities & Towns
In Meriden, there is action near the station as development ramps up
Officials hope the trend toward transit-oriented development, or TOD, will lessen traffic congestion, reduce pollution and create dense and lively town centers that can attract bright young workers – the ones the General Electrics and Aetnas say they want.
Posted inNews
Immigrant mom who took refuge in a church can go home
Hundreds of immigrant rights activists took to the streets of Fair Haven to celebrate — rather than protest as planned — after a 43-year-old woman taking sanctuary in a neighborhood church won a stay allowing her to remain in the country.
Posted inPolitics
House defense bill dashes hopes for increased EB sub production
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House is poised to throw cold water on plans to increase the rate of submarine building at Electric Boat. That’s because a defense spending bill the House hopes to vote on Friday does not contain language or money that would allow the Navy to purchase the next block of Virginia-class submarines and increase a two-a-year production rate to three.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy calls Trump’s transgender ban ‘ignorant’ and ‘troubling’
Hours after President Donald Trump tweeted that transgender individuals would no longer be accepted or allowed in the military, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a largely symbolic executive order strengthening the state’s nondiscrimination policies in the military.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
Connecticut updates goals for energy, climate change
Connecticut published a draft of its overdue comprehensive energy strategy Wednesday at a tumultuous time as the Trump administration steps away from international climate accords and the state faces the threatened loss of its biggest source of carbon-free power, the Millstone Power Station.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Seeking a debt-free college education
Attending a college is something most of us dream about as teenagers. We look forward to becoming doctors, police officers, artists, nurses, etc. When the time comes to enroll in a college, the last thing on our minds is the price and how much it’ll all cost in the end. All we are excited for is this new journey and becoming young adults.
When I first started college in the fall of 2012 at Central Connecticut State University, financial aid covered my yearly tuition in its entirety. Today, however, five years later, I maxed out of the money I can borrow from financial aid, and now all my stress comes from figuring out how to pay for college.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Senate clears first test on Obamacare repeal, but final victory not assured
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans and the White House had a win Tuesday on a procedural vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but a final victory is not guaranteed. It was just a first step in a series of dozens of votes that will determine whether Senate Republicans can pass a health care bill.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
Millstone cool to Malloy’s ordered study of nukes’ viability
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at resolving hotly contested questions about the economic viability of the Millstone Power Station, a nuclear-powered generator of electricity crucial to Connecticut’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The plant’s owner warned it needs immediate changes to keep Millstone open.
Posted inJustice
As nation listens, immigrant mom embraces new role
Originally worried about negative attention from going public with her story, Chavarria has now embraced her role as a figure in a national debate. “It’s good that people know [my situation]. It’s important for us, for everybody; not only for me,” she said.