It was a contradictory monthly jobs report issued Monday in Connecticut: Unemployment fell to 5.2 percent in September, but the state also recorded a net loss of 7,600 jobs, the first drop in five months.
Unemployment down, but so were jobs in September
Posted inMoney
Questions about the last recession complicate CT’s budget woes
As Connecticut officials try to balance the state budget, they grapple with a question many other states and the federal government still can’t answer: How much damage was done to the economy during the last recession?
Posted inPolitics
Koch brother hosting fundraiser for Blumenthal rival
WASHINGTON — Billionaire industrialist David Koch is hosting a high-dollar fundraiser Monday evening for August Wolf, a Republican who is running against Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Bloomfield: We use our state Alliance funds well – and get results
Over the past two years, 98 percent of the state Alliance funds provided to Bloomfield Public Schools – approximately $1.7 million – have been invested in education-reform programs. An Oct. 8, 2015 story published by CT Mirror (“Schools Redirected Money Intended for Reforms, Officials Say”) was misinterpreted by some of our constituents who surmised that Bloomfield was among the districts allegedly misdirecting funds. I would like to reaffirm that Bloomfield Public Schools is in full compliance with how those Alliance funds are spent. Also, any budget carry-over money connected to those funds is invested in reform-related programs, specifically our Extended Learning program, which features 20 additional days of summer school.
Posted inHealth
Mental health funding tradeoff draws criticism, praise
To avoid cutting $4.7 million from mental health and substance abuse treatment, the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is delaying new programs, including funding for a care coordination program intended to help patients who frequently end up in the emergency room.
Posted inHealth, Money
CT’s hospital spending and taxes, explained
As state lawmakers debate the state’s treatment of hospitals, here’s a look at what Connecticut spends on hospitals, how it’s changed over the years and what the governor’s recent cuts to the industry affect.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Social emotional learning reduces suspensions and makes schools safer
Out-of-school suspensions are indicative of gaps in supportive services that must be present to ensure students have the necessary supports to thrive and succeed. Social emotional learning drives down high rates of suspension, expulsion, class disruptions and chronic absenteeism and improves school safety
Posted inPolitics
CT kicks in nearly $3 million to presidential candidates
WASHINGTON — As a group, Republican candidates have the edge in campaign fundraising over Democrats in Connecticut, but individually Hillary Clinton continues to lead the pack with more than $1 million raised in the state.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut’s Week in Washington
Members of the Connecticut delegation weighed in this week on gun control, Medicare and Medicaid coverage for prostheses, and the looming sale of Plum Island in Long Island Sound. But the all-Democratic delegation just sat back and watched the GOP struggle over naming a new speaker of the House.
Posted inNews
Dueling guidance about pelvic exams leaves women confused
It’s the latest battle over screening: Should healthy women skip annual pelvic exams?
Posted inCT Viewpoints
The U.S. and Connecticut should do our share to welcome refugees
I reject Dale Dauphinais’ anti-refugee alarmism. If sometimes hard to quantify, the benefits the U.S. and Connecticut derive from accepting a moderate number of refugees exceed the costs.
Posted inPolitics
New push to stop Plum Island sale
WASHINGTON — A new effort to sell Plum Island in Long Island Sound has intensified a tug of war that pits Connecticut lawmakers and environmentalists against the federal government. the island’s owner.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Strengthen domestic violence training for Connecticut’s judges
Judge Gill’s essay actually provides a compelling snapshot of limitations that serve to constrict policy and practice related to helping victims of domestic violence stay safe. Judge Gill offers clear evidence as to how and why our judicial system must do better.
Posted inPolitics
Bill Clinton honored at UConn for human rights
STORRS – It was a wistful Bill Clinton who took the stage Thursday night to accept a human rights award, a 69-year-old grandfather with a raspy voice, weighted with regret for abuses he failed to stop as president, buoyed by hope for good works to come.
Posted inHealth
Access Health CT says uninsured rate lower than Census figures
Connecticut’s health insurance exchange released an analysis Thursday suggesting that the state’s uninsured rate this year is 3.8 percent, but that figure comes with some caveats.