Flying Ice Thirteen years ago, Rep. Larry Cafero started trying to get a law passed that would fine drivers who failed to clean ice and snow from their roofs, thus creating a potential hazard for anything in their wake. When, in 2001, the Norwalk Republican, and House minority leader, first proposed the measure aimed at grounding […]
Politics & Ice in Connecticut
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First storm of 2014 tests CT’s new ‘flying ice’ ban
Besides leaving 10 inches of snow on the ground by Friday evening, Connecticut’s first winter storm of 2014 also should test the state’s new effort to control flying ice on its highways. According to a new law that took effect this week, truck drivers could be fined up to $1,250 if accumulated ice dislodges and […]
Posted inHealth
Obamacare coverage starts, but some CT customers are still waiting
More than 34,000 state residents were slated to begin new private insurance plans Wednesday as part of the federal health law. But as the new year began, many people who bought policies through the state’s health insurance exchange still hadn’t received their first premium bills, which must be paid by Jan. 10 to get coverage this month.
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Utah upbringing shaped Toni Harp’s vision
New Haven — Henry Nathaniel moved west to Utah to attend a college in order to avoid “paper bag tests” of his skin color. Two generations later, his adopted daughter found herself the only black student in a Salt Lake City middle school — where she learned lessons she would one day bring with her […]
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Chris Murphy’s winding road to Kiev
Washington – Chris Murphy followed a twisting road to Kiev. The early political career of Connecticut’s junior senator focused on education and health care. When he challenged a 12-term GOP incumbent to win a House seat in 2006, the hot issue was the Iraq War; but Murphy took on Rep. Nancy Johnson over the prescription […]
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Will extending jobless benefits help CT in the long run?
There’s little disagreement that the failure by Congress to renew extended unemployment benefits would hurt Connecticut’s economy in 2014. But as the last round of checks in the expanded program goes out this week, the state’s top leaders and economists had mixed views on whether extending it would help or hinder the Nutmeg State’s sluggish […]
Posted inHealth
6 questions about Obamacare in Conn. for 2014
Many of the major provisions of the federal health law known as Obamacare take effect today. Insurance companies will no longer be able to deny anyone coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Nearly everyone in the country will be required to have health insurance (although if you don’t have it today, you still have time to buy a plan before the penalty kicks in). And there are new requirements for what insurance plans must cover.
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Rowland asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear union layoffs case
Former Gov. John G. Rowland has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal of a lower court ruling that found his administration illegally used layoffs in 2003 to punish state employee unions. But counsel for the unions and state employees said Monday he’s skeptical that the nation’s highest court will hear the case, […]
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5 changes in CT health care to watch in 2014
The federal health law has gotten most of the attention in recent months, but even before it came along, the country’s health care system was undergoing significant shifts. Here are some big changes in health care you’re likely to notice in 2014. 1. You might get more nagging from your doctor’s office. For years, policymakers […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
McKinney, Malloy continue yearlong battle over Connecticut’s debt
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and one of his chief GOP rivals, Senate Minority Leader John P. McKinney, are ending 2013 as they began it — battling over Connecticut’s hefty credit card debt. The Fairfield lawmaker has been citing a new report that undercuts one of the governor’s chief defenses: that overall debt is less than […]
Posted inHealth
What to do if you’re still waiting for your Obamacare insurance bill
Coverage starts Wednesday for health plans sold through the state’s health insurance exchange, Access Health CT. But some people who signed up say they haven’t yet gotten their first month’s bill, which must be paid by Jan. 10 for the coverage to take effect.
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Malloy taps veteran HR officer to support CT’s watchdog agencies
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy named a veteran state human relations officer as the new head of support services for Connecticut’s watchdog agencies, replacing an administrator whose two-year tenure was marked by conflict. Shelby J. Brown of East Hartford will begin her new assignment as executive administrator at the Office of Government Accountability in an acting […]
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Democrats: CT minimum wage hike will lift thousands from poverty
The top Democrats in state government joined labor leaders Monday to highlight the minimum wage hike that takes effect this week, calling it a major step to help lift thousands of Connecticut households out of poverty. And Gov. Dannel P. Malloy also pledged his support for a proposal circulating among some Democrats in Congress to […]
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Foley uses Iraq in fundraising appeal to vets
Republican Tom Foley is using his civilian service as President George W. Bush’s director of private-sector development in Iraq as a hook for a fundraising letter to veterans, one of the end-of-year flurry of solicitations from politicians, including one from a U.S. senator not facing re-election until 2016. The goal is to pump the numbers […]
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Funding cap slows CT vo-tech schools’ growth
The state’s 16 vocational-technical high schools could enroll many more students and open its vacant classrooms if the district had the money. “It’s a reality we don’t have enough seats,” said Nivea L. Torres, the interim superintendent of the 10,800-student district funded almost entirely by the state. More than 6,000 students applied for the 3,000 […]