New Haven — A federal jury took less than three hours Tuesday to convict Robert Braddock Jr., a top campaign aide to former House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, on charges related to a conspiracy to bribe Donovan with illegal campaign contributions. The jury of nine men and three women convicted Braddock, 34, on all three […]
Jury convicts Donovan campaign aide in bribery case
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Donovan asserts innocence as corruption case goes to jury
New Haven – Former House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan asserted his innocence Tuesday outside U.S. District Court as jurors began deliberating whether a top campaign aide was guilty of conspiracy in the corruption case that derailed his 2012 congressional campaign. Donovan, a Meriden Democrat, arrived minutes after the government and defense made closing arguments in […]
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Speaker’s panel backs car tax repeal — some day
A legislative task force has endorsed the repeal of Connecticut’s car tax, but — like another group before them – doesn’t recommend relief for most taxpayers to begin before 2018. The Municipal Opportunities and Regional Efficiencies Commission created by House Speaker J. Brendan Sharkey, D-Hamden, also proposed a common statewide school calendar, new “master” regional […]
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Union files complaint against Bridgeport’s superintendent
The state’s largest teachers’ union has filed a complaint against Bridgeport, the state’s largest school district, claiming the superintendent is shutting out teachers and parents from important decisions. “The Board of Education of Bridgeport, through its superintent Paul Vallas, is not interested in following statutory mandates,” says the complaint filed Tuesday with the State Board of […]
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A DSS math problem: How many workers will it take to handle demand?
Testimony about the state Department of Social Services’ handling of Medicaid applications resembled something of a math problem Monday. At issue in the trial in U.S. District Court in Hartford is whether the department has enough employees to process Medicaid applications in time frames required by the federal government. And on Monday, each side offered […]
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Seaweed: It’s what’s for dinner
Thimble Islands – Brendan Smith sidles his small fishing boat, Mookie, alongside a row of basketball-size black buoys, bobbing barely a mile off Branford in the Thimble Island section of Long Island Sound. “That’s my floating long-line gear and those float on the surface,” he says. And then pointing to what looks like a dark […]
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Caterpillar to Butterfly: My transformation into an early childhood educator and business owner
This year’s All Our Kin conference theme is “Caterpillar to Butterfly,” a very relevant metaphor for the world of child care, which is constantly evolving. There are four stages to a butterfly’s life: the egg stage, the larvae (caterpillar) stage, the chrysalis stage and then the adult butterfly. It’s an amazing transformation: nature at its […]
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The deep cultural roots of military sex abuse
When Maureen Gard goes running, the flashbacks come: riding in her Marine platoon leader’s car, the jokes about her bra size, the fondling, and the pinning her down. She was 18 at the time and considered her platoon leader a friend when she went for a ride with him to a mall near their base in Virginia. They were classmates training to be Marine musicians. He drove fast, her cell phone fell between her legs, he reached down to get it, she said.
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Scott Walker offers CT GOP a conservative prescription
Stamford – Raucous union demonstrators outside a Connecticut Republicans’ fundraiser Monday showed that Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin remains a lightning rod for curtailing the collective-bargaining rights of public employees. But does Walker’s battles with labor in the Midwest make him a role model for GOP candidates considering a challenge next year to this state’s […]
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Metro-North tracks were inspected two days before crash
This story was revised May 22 to include additional information on the timing of track inspections. Washington — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority inspected the tracks involved in Friday’s derailment two days before the collision that left dozens injured, the Federal Railroad Administration said Monday. But a more rigorous federal inspection of the track had not been […]
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Rail chief says service to resume Wednesday
First the good news, and then the good news: Not only was the Monday commute in lower Fairfield County reasonable, but the president of Metro-North said full train service will return Wednesday morning. “We are confident that the reconstruction work, inspection and testing will be completed in time for a normal rush hour on Wednesday,” […]
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Proposal seeks to lay groundwork for better children’s mental health
In an effort that grew out of personal experience, advice from experts and the stories parents told in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the head of the legislature’s Committee on Children Monday unveiled a proposal aimed at making it easier for families to access mental health services for children. The […]
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State’s child advocate resigns
Jamey Bell has resigned as the state’s child advocate, she confirmed Monday. Her decision to leave comes seven months after becoming head of the watchdog agency overseeing state departments responsible for abused and neglected children. “I am leaving to lead the organization I spent most of my career at,” Bell said during an interview. Bell awaits board […]
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Defense rests without offering evidence in political corruption case
New Haven — The defense rested Monday without offering testimony in the conspiracy trial of Robert Braddock Jr., the campaign aide whose arrest a year ago opened a scandal that mortally wounded the congressional candidacy of Christopher G. Donovan. The jury in U.S. District Court will get the case Tuesday after closing arguments in a […]
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Laptop? Starbucks? Excedrin? Train commuters: Get ready for Monday
Updated: Sunday, 10 p.m. Bridgeport — Commuters in southwestern Connecticut should brace for a headache of a commute Monday. And Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday ….. Metro-North will provide bus service to commuters who normally travel on the tracks between Bridgeport and South Norwalk starting Monday morning. But officials say there are not nearly enough buses to […]