A few weeks after balancing the state budget entirely with spending cuts, the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is already warning state agencies to start planning for big reductions in discretionary spending in the following two fiscal years.
CT agencies told to start planning for big cuts for 2017-18
Posted inNews
BIA says Schaghticoke petition is lacking
WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Indian Affairs on Thursday said a petition for recognition from the Schaghticoke Indian Tribe is incomplete, missing four key elements that would allow the application to move forward. “The department finds your recently submissions of material…do not meet the requirements for a documented petition,” the BIA said.
Posted inMoney
Malloy vetoes tax breaks passed on final night of session
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed two bills Thursday, siding with municipalities on one that would have allowed 100-percent property tax breaks in perpetuity for non-profit and for-profit arts entities. The other would have enhanced legislative oversight over economic-development incentives, and Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo called that veto “deeply troubling.”
Posted inPolitics
Angry, yet pragmatic, CT AFL-CIO assesses role in 2016 elections
The Connecticut AFL-CIO vented Thursday at Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Democratic legislators, but the labor federation will convene again Friday, probably to endorse some of the same Democrats accused of betraying labor on the state budget. The reason is a labor report card: The best-ranked Republicans have lifetime scores of 60 percent, lower than the worst-ranked Democrat.
Posted inEducation
CT dangles in-state tuition to entice students across the border
Connecticut public college officials hope to lure college-bound students from Massachusetts this fall by offering them in-state tuition rates if they enroll in Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
An education revolution beckons. In Connecticut, who will lead?
Recently I had the opportunity to testify before the Education Committee of the Connecticut Legislature. I commented that education policy in our state sadly resembles the phenomenon of the “Macarena.” Play along for a moment. Let your mind drift back 20 years or so to any random wedding. …
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Better outcomes in CT juvenile justice — and potentially savings, too
With the state’s new fiscal reality as background, the Children’s League of Connecticut has offered a number of policy based solutions meant to improve the quality of life for youth and families served by the Connecticut juvenile justice system. In many cases these concepts will result in lower costs to taxpayers and in all cases we believe our suggestions will result in better outcomes for youth and their families — which should be everyone’s goal.
Posted inJustice
At CT’s juvenile jail, a spike in staff injuries
Updated at 7:30 a.m.
The number of youth incarcerated at the state’s controversial jail for juvenile offenders may have reached a record low, but the number of staff being injured in assaults or while physically restraining residents has shot up.
Posted inJustice, Money, Politics
Judicial Branch to cut community programs
Facing $77 million in cuts under the finalized budget, the state’s Judicial Branch has announced new actions to close the gap, including a plan to scale back community-based programs for juvenile and adult offenders.
Posted inPolitics
Economy, budget drop Malloy’s approval to all-time low of 24%
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s approval rating hit a low of 24 percent Wednesday in a new Quinnipiac University poll, reflecting voter dismay over a chronic fiscal crisis that has come to define his six years as governor, most recently requiring service reductions and state employee layoffs.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Enjoy your car, but remember Big Brother is watching
You may feel that your car is your last private refuge in this busy world. But there’s someone along for the ride: Big Brother. And you’d be surprised what he knows about you, thanks to modern technology.
Posted inAnnouncements
David Daley, Salon editor, is the Mirror’s new CEO/publisher
David Daley, the editor-in-chief of Salon.com, has been named the new CEO/Publisher of the Connecticut News Project, publisher of the CTMirror and its sister websites TrendCT and CT Viewpoints.
Posted inPolitics
Official numbers show historic turnout for CT primaries
The overall turnout for the presidential primaries in April was higher than Connecticut has seen in at least 40 years.
Posted inPolitics
In Connecticut at least, Clinton and Sanders agree on delegates
On a night when the Democratic presidential race eased to an end, the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders worked together to uneventfully conclude Connecticut’s delegate selections for the Democratic National Convention, winning ratification by the party’s state central committee for a final group of 19 delegates.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal aims to help families who lost art to Nazis
WASHINGTON — Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Sen. Ted Cruz rarely see eye to eye on issues, but they are partners in an effort to change federal law to help victims of the greatt art theft – the massive Nazi confiscations during World War II. “The time is long past to return the ill-gotten gains of that unspeakable horror,” Blumenthal said.