Students in the Cities, Suburbs & Schools seminar at Trinity College and I had the privilege of designing online data visualizations with CT Mirror journalists Jacqueline Rabe Thomas and Alvin Chang, which they recently published in their January 15, 2014 story, “By the numbers: Integrating schools in CT.”
CT Mirror gets it right — then wrong — with Trinity students’ Sheff data visualizations
Posted inHealth
Obamacare Q&A: Switching insurance plans, February deadlines and free coverage
In today’s Obamacare Q&A: How to switch exchange insurance plans, when February premiums are due, and what you need to do if you qualify for a plan with a $0 premium.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Will Malloy spend Connecticut’s shaky surplus on election-year tax cut?
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy finally has a chance to trumpet a large budget surplus, even though much of it stands on shaky underpinnings. And Republicans suspect the Democratic governor will use it next month to pay for an election-year tax cut — even though a larger deficit has been forecast for just a year from now.
Posted inPolitics
CT Dems, GOP make pitch on MLK Day
On a holiday dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King Jr., Connecticut Democrats and Republicans engaged Monday in election-year politicking with blunt appeals to one of the most reliable Democratic voting blocs, African-Americans.
Posted inNews
CT defense industry wins big in U.S. budget bill
Washington – The massive omnibus spending bill creates winners and losers – and at first blush it seems that Connecticut is chiefly in the winner’s column.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Connecticut school segregation, education funding and Tom Foley
Is breaking the link between race, poverty, housing and school segregation an intractable problem in Connecticut? Judging from our recent stories by education reporter Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, it would seem so.
Posted inEducation, Politics
Malloy to again push for centralized early education office
Political bickering last year stalled legislation creating an Office of Early Education, which led Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to sign an executive order creating the office temporarily to prevent a disruption to the thousands of providers that receive child care subsidies. On Monday, the Democratic governor announced he plans to again propose legislation for the legislature to approve in […]
Posted inAnnouncements
The Connecticut Mirror announces ‘Small State, Big Debate: Inequality’ event
The Connecticut Mirror, the state’s award-winning, nonprofit public policy news organization, will hold its first statewide event, “Small State, Big Debate: Inequality,” on Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at the University of Hartford.
Posted inPolitics
A little Connecticut PAC that provoked a big response
Leadership Connecticut PAC, the Republican political action committee that drew fire from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy this week and attracted street-theater protests Thursday night outside a cigar bar in New Haven, is an obscure player that pumped a modest $10,500 into the state’s multi-million-dollar political economy during the 2012 election cycle.
Posted inPolitics
Sign of times: Metal detectors coming to Connecticut Capitol
Without a formal vote or public hearing, the Connecticut General Assembly’s four top leaders have approved the installation of metal detectors at the State Capitol complex, embracing an oft-rejected precaution now common at courthouses, congressional offices, federal buildings and many other public institutions.
Posted inMoney
Connecticut companies worry they’ll lose valuable R&D tax break
Washington – Corporations like Pfizer, United Technologies, Alexion and others spend millions on research each year, hoping to develop new products or processes that contribute to their bottom line.
Posted inPolitics
Blumenthal says Obama’s NSA reforms only first step
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who has introduced legislation to rein in NSA spying, said President Obama’s announced reforms of the agency are “stronger in principle than prescription.” While he praised the president for moving to address concerns abroad and at home about the NSA’s operations, Blumenthal said he would continue to press for approval of his legislation, saying Congress must “provide precision and details” to the president’s reforms.
Posted inEducation
U.S. Education Secretary heading to Hartford
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be in Hartford on Tuesday at a Hartford Public School to talk about higher education. Duncan will be joined for the afternoon event by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his education commissioner and U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra.
Posted inHealth
Sorry, you’re in jail: Access Health CT applicants wrongly considered incarcerated
Some people applying for coverage through the state’s health insurance exchange are coming upon a potentially upsetting glitch: The system informs them they’re incarcerated. The glitch has affected .5 percent to 1 percent of the exchange’s customers, said James Wadleigh, chief information officer for Access Health CT, the state’s exchange.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Maximum security is no place for traumatized girls
Across the country, states are closing or downsizing juvenile justice facilities. This has been happening during an unprecedented reduction in youth crime. Juvenile courts and state juvenile justice agencies are finding that they can protect the public and improve the lives of youth by using community resources more and relying less on institutions.