The enormous unfunded pension liabilities of the State of Connecticut have hardly been discussed so far in the run up to the November gubernatorial election. Nevertheless, the question needs to be raised, for whoever is governor after the November election will inevitably have to reform the state’s employee pension plan or face the possibility of […]
Op-Ed: Reform the costly, overly generous, state pension system
Posted inNews
Op-Ed: Reform the costly, overly generous, state pension system
The enormous unfunded pension liabilities of the State of Connecticut have hardly been discussed so far in the run up to the November gubernatorial election. Nevertheless, the question needs to be raised, for whoever is governor after the November election will inevitably have to reform the state’s employee pension plan or face the possibility of […]
Posted inNews
Washington Watch, Week of Aug. 10
There must be something in the air in the dog days of summer, when Congress is on its August break, that brings on a crisis in Washington.
Posted inPolitics
A final, free-wheeling TV forum for Foley, McKinney
NEW HAVEN – In their final televised forum before the Republican primary for governor Tuesday, Tom Foley and John P. McKinney strived during a free-wheeling hour Sunday to undermine each other’s ability to be a credible voice for change against Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in November. The live WTNH, Channel 8 event was a contentious exercise in political branding.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut lawmakers skeptical of Obama’s engagement in Iraq
WASHINGTON – Connecticut lawmakers are skeptical of President Obama’s decision to approve “targeted” airstrikes on militants in Iraq and to drop food, water and medicine to civilians trapped by fighting in the mountains in the north of the country.
Posted inHealth
A hospital contract dispute in a changing health care landscape
Connecticut’s largest hospital network and largest insurer are in the midst of a contract dispute. And it’s happening against the backdrop of significant changes in health care that have implications for patients across the state: the consolidation of hospitals into larger networks, and efforts by insurers to change how they pay for care.
Posted inPolitics
McKinney takes hard, closing shot in GOP primary
John P. McKinney is closing his GOP primary campaign with a hard shot at frontrunner Tom Foley, branding him as “arrogant, ill-informed, uncaring” in a commercial that shows Foley scolding workers and a small-town first selectwoman outside a closing paper mill.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Obama to require CT federal contractors to disclose gender pay gaps
WASHINGTON – Continuing to use his executive authority to bypass a recalcitrant Congress, President Obama on Thursday proposed a new rule that would require federal contractors and subcontractors to disclose more information about pay to male and female employees.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Op-Ed: Don’t judge all charter schools by scandal around one
For the record, my colleagues and I who support charter schools are deeply disturbed by the scandal surrounding Family Urban Schools of Excellence (FUSE) — yet another charter school-related problem of criminal activity allegations. We are upset not only with the idea of anyone misusing public funds, but more selfishly perhaps, we know that we, as […]
Posted inNews
Op-Ed: Don’t judge all charter schools by scandal around one
For the record, my colleagues and I who support charter schools are deeply disturbed by the scandal surrounding Family Urban Schools of Excellence (FUSE) — yet another charter school-related problem of criminal activity allegations. We are upset not only with the idea of anyone misusing public funds, but more selfishly perhaps, we know that we, as […]
Posted inPolitics
For Pelto and Visconti, the long wait begins
Everyone knows Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is on the November ballot, and either Tom Foley or John P. McKinney will make the cut in next week’s GOP primary. But the status of two wild cards, Jonathan Pelto and Joe Visconti, won’t be known until after Aug. 20.
Posted inEducation, Money
UConn trustees endorse nearly $300M in projects tied to Next Gen CT
University of Connecticut officials gave final approval Wednesday to nearly $300 million in capital projects crucial to a 10-year plan to dramatically expand its science and technology programs. They also endorsed plans for a new multi-story research building, a large housing complex for science, engineering and math students and a 3,400-foot road extension to link the Storrs campus’s technology park with Route 44.
Posted inHealth, Politics
Malloy celebrates drop in uninsured, credits Obamacare
The percentage of Connecticut residents without health coverage has dropped by half since 2012, prior to implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to a survey by the state’s health exchange and a Gallup poll that found the state with one of the nation’s 10 largest reductions.
Posted inPolitics
As GOP primary winds down, Malloy pushes for debates
John P. McKinney greeted Metro-North riders at dawn Tuesday, then spoke to evening commuters on WTIC-AM. Tom Foley had no public events, another sign he is looking past next week’s Republican primary with McKinney to a fall rematch with a restive Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
Posted inHealth
Do public hearings influence what health insurance costs?
A Fairfield County couple traveled to Hartford in June to urge regulators not to let their son’s insurer raise its rates. A month later, the insurance department rejected the company’s proposal. But what role did the public hearing have in that decision? Not much, according to the department.