Washington — Congress is splitting into two camps — hawks and doves — on the question of whether the U.S. should launch air strikes against the Syrian government, and the Connecticut congressional delegation is mirroring that division. The Obama administration is seeking international support for air strikes on Syria in light of the reported use […]
Split on Syria: Connecticut lawmakers disagree about use of air strikes
Posted inHealth
Easier enrollment process could mean thousands more with coverage under Obamacare, researchers say
Having a seamless, one-stop shopping process for state residents to enroll in health care coverage could ensure that an additional 26,000 people get insurance, and 36,000 avoid losing their coverage, according to research released this week.
Posted inNews
Burnishing his legacy, Lieberman to leave his official papers to Library of Congress
Washington — Former Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is spending his leftover campaign cash on efforts to preserve his legacy, including the organization of 1,500 boxes of personal and professional papers he has donated to the Library of Congress. Lieberman, who retired at the beginning of the year, has transferred nearly half a million dollars from […]
Posted inNews
Darien man named a White House fellow
Justin Finnegan of Darien, the co-founder of a social entrepreneurship program, was named Tuesday to the 2013-2014 class of White House Fellows, a program that offers direct experience working at the highest levels of government. His bio as provided by the White House: Justin Finnegan, Darien, CT, is Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Mountain […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Many out-of-state companies win in state’s commercial renewable energy program
The long-awaited list of energy companies that applied for and won clean energy projects through the state’s revamped commercial renewable energy incentive program shows a hefty chunk of the work could send a lot of the money out-of-state. (The lists are here: CL&P ZREC-LREC applicant.pdf, and here: UI ZREC-LREC applicants.xls.)
Posted inNews
Fundraiser sentenced to 38 months in prison in case that derailed congressional campaign
New Haven — Robert Braddock Jr., the chief fundraiser for former House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan’s ill-fated congressional campaign, was sentenced to 38 months in prison and fined $7,500 Tuesday for conspiring to trade Donovan’s influence for $27,500 in illegal campaign contributions. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton said the sentence she imposed on Braddock, […]
Posted inNews
With exploratory committee, Boucher joins GOP gubernatorial contenders
Naugatuck – State Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, opened an exploratory campaign for governor Tuesday in the struggling industrial town where she arrived as a 5-year-old immigrant from Italy nearly six decades ago. Boucher, 63, a state legislator for 17 years, representing some of the state’s wealthiest communities, announced her exploratory candidacy in a gazebo on […]
Posted inNews
Medical marijuana regulations win approval despite concerns about federal law
A divided legislative panel on Tuesday approved regulations to govern the state’s medical marijuana program, a set of rules that drew praise for its comprehensive nature, as well as concerns from legislators worried about conflicts with federal law. The vote clears the way for the state to begin seeking applications from those hoping to produce […]
Posted inNews
Connecticut courts wary of budget cuts
Washington — Earlier this month, dozens of federal judges, including Judge Alvin W. Thompson, who sits on the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, wrote to congressional leaders to say that a 5 percent budget cut “forces us to slash operations to the bone.” The budget cut, a result of sequestration — automatic federal spending cuts imposed […]
Posted inPolitics
Murphy urges cool heads over Syria
Washington — Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., may agree with President Obama on many things, but not on Syria. On Tuesday, Murphy said in a statement that he opposed Obama’s consideration of the use of force against the government of Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of using chemical weapons against opponents in the country’s civil war. Murphy […]
Posted inPolitics
Malloy taps West Hartford lawyer to head state’s right-to-know panel
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy named West Hartford attorney Owen P. Eagan on Tuesday to serve as chairman of the state’s Freedom of Information Commission. “The Freedom of Information Commission has a critical mission, to ensure that the public is informed about government operations and that they have access to public records,” Malloy said. “Owen has […]
Posted inNews
Supreme Court overturns award that was issue in Blumenthal’s 2010 campaign
The Connecticut Supreme Court Monday dismissed a small company’s $18.3 million defamation claim against the state that became an issue in the U.S Senate campaign of Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in 2010. Conservatives said the case, which pitted the state against a small computer supply company accused of fraud, was an example of Blumenthal’s willingness […]
Posted inMoney
State’s energy efficiency plan comes with higher customer fees
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s release of the state’s first long-term energy efficiency strategy is receiving widespread praise from environmental groups. And that’s even with proposed increases to ratepayer fees to fund it.
Posted inEducation
Must the state provide every Hartford student a seat in an integrated school?
As a court-ordered deadline approaches for state officials to outline how they will desegregate Hartford’s public schools, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy drew a line in the sand on what he is willing to agree to. Thirty-seven percent of Hartford students attended integrated schools last school year –- 4 percentage points shy of the 41 percent […]
Posted inNews
Malloy’s job growth claim proves overblown
Despite his claim to the contrary this week, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is not the only chief executive to hold office in recent history while Connecticut has grown jobs. In fact, it doesn’t even take much leafing through the history books to find someone whose tenure included more job growth. Gov. John G. Rowland, who […]