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.
Malloy calls Trump’s transgender ban ‘ignorant’ and ‘troubling’
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.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Balancing the state budget is not a game
Have you ever played Jenga, the game where you try to preserve a structure built out of wooden blocks while at the same time you remove pieces one at a time?
If so, you know that there is a limit to how many building blocks you can remove before the whole tower comes tumbling down. Jenga offers an analogy for today’s ongoing efforts to remove pieces from the state budget without crippling state government or the people it serves. The big difference is that the state budget is no game, and what topples are not wooden blocks, but people’s lives.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Preparing Connecticut’s cybersecurity strategy
Connecticut’s cybersecurity strategic plan is an initial step on a road we must travel. Its success will be measured by the breadth and depth of its acceptance by Connecticut’s citizens.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
U.S. House votes to block Plum Island sale
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill that would block the sale of Plum Island — a strip of land in Long Island Sound — to the highest bidder. The voice vote on the bill was a substantial win for environmentalists, conservationists and Connecticut lawmakers who want to preserve the island as a natural habitat — but only if the Senate follows suit.
Posted inTransportation
Amtrak loses bid to operate new Hartford commuter rail
A joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts was chosen over Amtrak and three other bidders Monday as operator of the Hartford Line, a commuter rail service to New Haven and Springfield that will open next year with a deep federal operating subsidy.
Posted inMoney, Politics
House approves union concessions deal
The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives Monday evening narrowly approved the state employees’ concessions deal that is expected to save as much as $1.57 billion this fiscal year and next combined. The concessions package, which workers ratified earlier this month, tentatively is scheduled to go before the Senate on July 31.
Posted inPolitics
Scanlon weighing a run for comptroller
Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, whose path to a Connecticut Senate seat was foreclosed by the decision of state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. , D-Branford, to run for re-election instead of governor, is considering a campaign for the statewide office of comptroller now held by Kevin P. Lembo.
Posted inHousing, Politics
Legislature musters enough votes to override Malloy housing veto
The General Assembly dealt a blow to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s housing agenda Monday after legislators voted narrowly to override his veto of a bill that loosens the state’s affordable housing standards.
Posted inMoney
Nappier: CT pension investments earned big returns
Connecticut’s cash-starved pension funds for state employees and municipal teachers got a big boost last fiscal year, state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier reported Monday.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Murphy demands answers from Price on anti-Obamacare videos
WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy and two of his Democratic colleagues in the Senate, are questioning whether Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price misused taxpayer money through advertising and public relations efforts aimed at undermining the Affordable Care Act.