Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose hawkish views hurt him politically in his home state, will be a star witness Tuesday at a hearing organized by House Republicans, who are critical of President Obama’s attempt to reach an agreement with Iran over nuclear weapons.
As Iran deal nears, Lieberman prepares to help its GOP critics
Posted inEducation, Politics
Board of Regents planning for departure of its president
The Board of Regents for Higher Education, the governing board of the state’s largest public college system, is planning for the departure of its embattled president, Gregory Gray. It is unclear if the board intends to force his departure, but sources say they already have identified at least one candidate for interim CEO.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Ojakian to leave as Malloy’s chief of staff
Mark Ojakian, the chief of staff to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy since the second year of the Malloy administration, is stepping down later this year. But he may not be entirely departing: A source close to the governor said Ojakian will remain “a close adviser.” His name already has surfaced for an interim post in higher education.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Giving young offenders a second chance means system-wide reform
Early in my time as superintendent in New London, staff at one of our schools found a young teen nearly unconscious from a substance overdose, an empty bottle next to him. He had tried to commit suicide. Technically he should have been suspended and then expelled for a series of violations of district policies. But […]
Posted inPolitics
ConnDOT’s early stumbles, successes in development
In fits and starts, transit-oriented development projects, TODs in planning jargon, are taking root in Connecticut, a state expanding mass transit with the Hartford-to-New Britain busway, commuter rail service from Springfield to Hartford to New Haven expected by 2017, and Metro-North improvements from New Haven to New York.
Posted inHealth
How Jackson Lab and CT fit Obama’s vision for medical research
FARMINGTON – President Obama is pushing to devote millions of dollars and significant emphasis to a field of research known as precision medicine, and a top White House science advisor said Friday that Connecticut — and the research institute lured here with significant state funds — are leaders in the field.
Posted inNews
Murphy one of three senators compromised in federal data hack
WASHINGTON Sen. Chris Murphy’s disclosure that he is a victim of the massive hacking of personal data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management was the third by a member of Congress and an indication that lawmakers, whose employment records are usually kept in the House and Senate, were not immune to the massive cyberattack.
Posted inHealth
DSS call-wait time plummets (to 17 minutes) after changes
Wait times for callers to reach a worker at the state Department of Social Services fell dramatically in June following changes meant to improve how the agency handles calls. On average, people calling the social service agency waited 17 minutes on hold to reach a worker — down from 87 minutes last July.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Here’s a heads up on concussions, Connecticut
Youth sports in Connecticut got a little safer after the last legislative session thanks to the legislature’s vote on an important concussion education bill. The new legislation requires Connecticut youth athletic operators to annually make available a concussion information sheet to each youth athlete (ages 7-19) and parent/guardian. This will affect all youth who engage in sports outside of school.
Posted inHealth
CT insurers lower rate hike requests on Obamacare plans
In filings with state regulators, the companies cited varying reasons for lowering their proposed rate hikes for 2016 – ranging from lower claims costs to plans to cover a narrower network of health care providers.
Posted inPolitics
Confederate flag debate roils Congress
WASHINGTON – As South Carolina prepared to take the historic step of removing the Confederate battle flag from its capitol building, members of Congress on Thursday engaged in a bitter dispute over the controversial emblem. “It was bizarre,” said Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal: Inaction on highway bill could ‘devastate’ plans to fix CT roads
WASHINGTON – Congress faces a looming deadline to approve a highway bill if it wants to keep federal transportation dollars from slowing to a trickle in a few weeks, but there’s no consensus on what to do. To press the GOP to action, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other Democrats unveiled a plan Thursday.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut joins national trend on sentencing reforms
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy joined some of the nation’s most conservative governors Thursday by signing legislation intended to lower incarceration rates for non-violent crime, a reversal of the get-tough-on-crime trend that produced an explosion in prison populations.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Of Connecticut’s stuck legislation, bridges, commuter trains and parking garage
Remember Gov. Dannel Malloy’s stealth proposal for a “Transit Corridor Development Authority,” described by some as “eminent domain on steroids?” Well, the initial idea to allow the state to acquire any land within a half-mile of train stations was modified, then killed in the legislature. And that’s not the only thing that got stuck recently.
Posted inEducation, Politics
CT lawmakers join other Dems in opposing House education bill
WASHINGTON — A bill that would overhaul federal education law and replace the controversial No Child Left Behind Act was approved in the House of Representatives Thursday without a single Democratic vote. Rep Elizabeth Esty said the bill “guts education funding…and turns our back on our schools, our communities, and our children.”