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 […]
McKinney, Malloy continue yearlong battle over Connecticut’s debt
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 […]
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Veteran HR officer tapped as head of 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 is to begin her new assignment as executive administrator at the Office of Government Accountability in an […]
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A year of grappling with the impossible
It was a where-were-you-when-you-heard-about-it? event. I stood in the small newsroom of WNPR, staring up at a TV with a half-dozen others. A producer sat at her computer, scanning the initial reports coming in from other news outlets. “CBS radio says 26 are dead,” she said in a flat tone, while a reporter standing behind her thrust […]
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Part of Newtown report zeroes in on the mystery that was Adam Lanza
The Connecticut state police released thousands of pages worth of reports Friday afternoon from their investigation into the Dec. 14, 2012, shooting in Newtown that claimed 26 lives. The state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which includes the state police division, posted more than 840 pdf files of written reports, 22 additional files […]
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CT state college system discloses merit pay hikes
The state’s merged public college system released details Friday on merit pay increases, which averaged 2 percent for each of 278 officials and administrators. The raises, which were awarded Friday but are retroactive to early September, are in addition to the 3 percent cost-of-living increase the Board of Regents for Higher Education granted these non-union […]
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Thank You, from The Connecticut Mirror
Dear Friends, Thank you. Thank you to every individual, business, organization and foundation that sees the value in what our staff produces every day of the year. Thank you for your continuing support of The Connecticut Mirror, which now has the largest Capitol bureau in Hartford and is the only state news organization with a […]
Posted inHealth
When getting Medicaid now means repaying the state later
This story has been updated. To read the new part, click here. Thousands of Connecticut residents will become eligible for Medicaid Jan. 1, and for some, the coverage will come with an often-overlooked trade-off: When they die, the state could dock their estates to repay the medical costs it covered. So-called “recovery” of the assets […]
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SUBMIT: “2014: Looking Ahead – Your View”
Are you a lawmaker with a strong opinion on policy in the coming year? An advocacy group sensing strong trends in health, education or a social issue facing Connecticut? An academic whose research may shed light on some aspect of life in Connecticut next year? Or are you a Connecticut resident and want to […]
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Bradford to retire as public safety commissioner
Reuben F. Bradford, a former state trooper and NFL security director who is Connecticut’s first black public-safety chief, will retire Feb. 1 as commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the agency that includes the Connecticut State Police. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s office announced Bradford’s plans Thursday. Bradford, 67, returned to a demanding job in […]
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Aiming to end bias against CT’s older unemployed
Ending a longtime discriminatory practice against the unemployed topped a list of recommendations from the state legislature’s chief investigative panel to help more of Connecticut’s older residents find work. The Program Review and Investigations Committee also recommended expanding education and training opportunities for seniors, increasing access to small business subsidies and promoting the state’s apprenticeship […]