State officials Thursday announced plans to close by June 30 two state-run facilities that provide residential care for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The move was pegged as a “change in strategic direction” as the state looks to outsource those services to private providers to save money.
State to close two centers for those with intellectual disabilities
Posted inMoney, Politics
Battle over CT’s credit card heats up as Malloy raises limit again
The partisan debate over Connecticut’s credit card intensified Thursday as Gov. Dannel P. Malloy boosted state government’s self-imposed borrowing limit by $200 million.
Posted inMoney
Connecticut jobless rate was 5.5% in February
Connecticut’s private sector gained “a solid 5,000 jobs” in February as its unemployment rate remained at 5.5 percent, according to the monthly labor report released Thursday by the state Department of Labor.
Posted inEducation
Session notes: Tuition hikes net mixed reactions from legislators
Proposed tuition and fee increases of $480 for the four regional public universities and $141 for the 12 community colleges have been called “fair” by the college president, “disturbing” by a Republican legislator and “inevitable” by the House chair of the Higher Education Committee.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Restore cuts to community health centers, avert looming crisis
There is a brewing health care crisis in Connecticut, and it involves the state’s poorest and most vulnerable population of people. The good news is there is still time to solve it. Despite Connecticut being the richest state in the country, there are still hundreds of thousands of people here who live at or below the poverty line. These are working people, people who do their best to support themselves and their families but who still depend on the basic core safety net of services provided by the state of Connecticut. For most of this population, there is only one place to turn for health care services – Federally Qualified Health Centers.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Invest in after-school programs to ensure Connecticut’s future
After-school programs are needed to provide Connecticut students a safe and supervised space, to keep them involved in academic enrichment activities that create lifelong learners, and to support working the families who drive this state. If fortunate programs like ours are forced to make difficult decisions, how are other programs going to continue providing this valuable resource? Investment in quality after-school programs is needed now more than ever to support a stable and equitable future for all in Connecticut.
Posted inPolitics
Three CT delegates could share pivotal GOP convention role
WASHINGTON — As Republicans gather in Cleveland this summer to select their presidential candidate, three delegates from Connecticut will be among those arbiters of convention rules who could wield enormous power if there is a nomination fight.
Posted inNews
GAO: F-35 engine ‘not performing at expected levels’
WASHINGTON — Federal investigators said Wednesday that Pratt & Whitney’s engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter still is “not performing at expected levels” and is one of many glitches still plaguing the nation’s next generation of fighters. A Pratt & Whitney spokesman emphasized big improvements in the reliability of the engine.
Posted inEducation
Session notes: School security standards updated
School security safety standards created after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School have been updated by state officials to ensure that experts provide feedback on fire and safety drills each year and that plans are in place for recovery from an emergency.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy to employees: Layoffs, yes; early retirement, no
The legislature is poised to vote Tuesday on spending cuts to close a current year deficit, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy bluntly warned state employees Wednesday that layoffs remain an essential element of his plan to balance next year’s budget.
Posted inJustice
Pew tracks sharp rise in ‘punishment rate’ in CT
As the General Assembly considers reforms intended to divert younger defendants from prison, a national study concludes that Connecticut moved farther than nearly every state in embracing harsher punishment over a 30-year period marked by soaring U.S. incarceration rates.
Posted inHealth
Critics urge more transparency in Anthem-Cigna merger review
Saying that “all eyes will be on Connecticut,” critics of two pending mergers of major health insurers have asked the state’s insurance commissioner to take steps they say would increase transparency in the review of Anthem’s proposed acquisition of Cigna.
Posted inEducation
Tuition hike pitched for public college system
It’s almost certain to become more expensive to attend the Connecticut State Universities and community colleges. Board of Regents President Mark Ojakian on Wednesday recommended state residents pay $480 more to attend the four regional state universities — a 5 percent increase — and $347 more to enroll in community colleges.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Protect Connecticut’s state forests with a constitutional amendment
It is not an overstatement to say that most Connecticut residents believe that land designated as state parks and forests is protected from sale or development now and in the future.
Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
CT Mastery Exam Task Force has unique opportunity to fix assessment system
The Connecticut legislature’s Mastery Examination Task Force has a unique opportunity to design and determine a Connecticut Assessment System that can meet the needs of our students, satisfy their parents, and inform student learning for teachers while – at the same time – fulfilling the state’s obligations under the Every Student Succeeds Act.