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. …
An education revolution beckons. In Connecticut, who will lead?
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.
Posted inMoney
Mirror/AARP Google Hangout on choosing an electric supplier
Join us for our third Google Hangout as we have a conversation about state laws intended to help people weigh the risks and benefits of choosing a third-party electric supplier versus staying with the standard offer provided by your local utility, Eversource or United Illuminating. Shop carefully. Some retailers are offering rates cheaper than the standard offer, but they charge enrollment fees that can quickly exceed the modest savings.
Posted inPolitics
Quinnipiac poll: CT prefers Clinton over Trump, but likes neither
Connecticut voters favor Hillary Clinton over Donald J. Trump for president by only 7 percentage points, despite seeing her as better qualified on key measures by wide margins, while Bernie Sanders leads Trump by 19 points, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
On their 20th anniversary, Connecticut’s charter schools deserve support
Twenty years ago this weekend, Gov. John Rowland signed a bill into law and by doing so changed the trajectory of the lives of thousands of Connecticut children. The bill he signed established public charter schools in the Constitution State and was a monumental step forward that has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of children, and it will continue to do so in the coming decades.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy, Wyman hurry to declare Monday historic day for Clinton
The Associated Press declared Hillary Clinton the presumptive Democrat nominee for president Monday night on the basis of her win over the weekend in Puerto Rico and late commitments from superdelegates. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, superdelegates who officially endorsed Clinton a year ago, rushed to offer congratulations to her as the first woman to clinch a major-party nomination for president.
Posted inHealth
Major health insurers seek sharply higher rates in Connecticut
Some of Connecticut’s major health insurers are seeking rate increases far beyond medical inflation, including an average increase of 26.8 percent for the individual plans offered by the state’s biggest insurer, Anthem Health Plans, according to requests released Monday. The filings come as the insurance industry, state Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade and her department are under intense scrutiny over proposed mergers.