After a 15-hour filibuster in the U.S. Senate and a 26-hour sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House in the past week and a half, members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation conceded Friday that new gun legislation is probably dead in 2016.
New gun laws virtually dead this year, CT lawmakers concede
Posted inNews
State largely stops enrolling new families for child care subsidies
The state has retreated from its previous decision to cut off child care subsidies currently provided to thousands of low-income parents so they can work, and will instead largely stop accepting new families into the program starting Aug. 1.
Posted inHealth
16 overdoses, two dead in six hours in New Haven
A toxic batch of heroin laced with fentanyl appears to have hit New Haven, with firefighters and cops rushing to rescue 16 different people who overdosed on drugs — at least two of them fatally — between 3:30 and 9:30 p.m. Thursday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
It is time to demand more for Connecticut children
For working parents, finding and affording quality child care can be a source of significant stress and serious economic burden. Research shows that the birth of a child is one of the leading triggers of poverty in this country. The cost of child care alone, especially child care for very young children, can be prohibitive. A year of infant care can easily cost more than a year of tuition at a state college. That is why Care 4 Kids, Connecticut’s child care subsidy program, is so important. It subsidizes the cost of child care on a sliding scale, making it possible for low-income parents to pay for the care that allows them to work.
Posted inEducation, Justice
Free college courses to be offered to CT inmates
Under a new federal pilot program, hundreds of inmates at seven state prisons throughout Connecticut will soon be offered the chance to earn a college degree or certificate — for free.
Posted inPolitics
Larson plotted House revolt clandestinely with Lewis
WASHINGTON – Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis was the face of the unprecedented uprising by House Democrats seeking votes on gun control measures, but it was Rep. John Larson who was the behind-the-scenes planner of the insurrection and who kept it on course for more than 16 hours.
Posted inJustice, Money
State troopers to remain outside urban courthouses another week
As most state Judicial Branch layoffs took effect Thursday — including elimination of 101 marshal posts — the branch announced state police troopers would be retained for a second week to patrol outside of courthouses in four major cities.
Posted inEducation
Legislative leaders call UConn ‘tone deaf’ over raises for top staff
Legislative leaders Thursday blasted hefty pay increases University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst awarded to four senior staff members as the state and public university grapple with big budget cuts.
Posted inJustice, Money
CT court officials say deep budget cuts left them few options
As Connecticut’s Judicial Branch moves ahead this week and next with a major reorganization driven by deep budget cuts, its leaders warn even they aren’t entirely certain what the full impact will be, though they agree with the court marshals union that security is being stretched to a highly questionable degree.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Ferries are not the answer for Connecticut commuters
Recently, New York City Mayor DeBlasio announced a $325 million plan to re-introduce ferry boat service to the five boroughs, charging the same fare as subways. The mayor says these boats could carry 4.5 million passengers a year.
So why don’t we have ferries in Connecticut? There are several reasons:
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Animal agriculture — not automobiles — the greater threat to our air
A response to Legislature fiddles while Connecticut’s carbon dioxide levels rise by Don Strait: Like most other so-called “environmentalists,” Mr. Strait completely ignores the greater source of environmental degradation. Fifty-one percent of all greenhouse gases emitted is due to animal agriculture — NOT the fossil fuels we burn.
Posted inPolitics
GOP cuts off Dems’ revolt, CT lawmakers say they won’t quit
Updated at 2 p.m.
WASHINGTON — House Republicans pulled the plug on a revolt by Democrats led by Connecticut Rep. John Larson and civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis by adjourning in the middle of the night for the long July 4th break. Larson and other Democrats vowed to continue fighting for votes on gun control measures.
Posted inPolitics
Trump’s fundraising woes extend to Connecticut
Washington – Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has raised less than $50,000 in political cash in Connecticut, while Democratic rival Hillary Clinton pulled in $3.6 million, the latest filings with the Federal Elections Commission shows. Trump’s money deficit in the state is in line with the yawning gap with Clinton he has in fundraising across the nation
Posted inHealth
First Access Health CT transition fair for Medicaid is a bust
DANBURY — Some 14,000 low-income parents will lose their state-sponsored Medicaid health insurance coverage Aug. 1, so Connecticut’s health care insurance exchange held an enrollment fair Wednesday to help them find a replacement plan. Nobody came.
Posted inEducation, Justice
Court: UConn can withhold names of animal researchers, for now
The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a trial judge used the wrong legal standard when he ordered the University of Connecticut to give an animal-rights group the names of researchers who had violated animal-research protocols. The university withheld the names to protect the researchers from potential abuse by animal-rights activists.