Selenia Velez remembers the near-daily phone calls from the pre-school, alerting her that her 2-year-old son had acted out aggressively and needed to be picked up immediately. The calls went on for months, as Velez, 27, of Hartford, and her husband bounced between the pre-school and their son’s pediatrician, who recommended that they take him […]
State lags in kids’ mental health screening
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State official ‘optimistic’ that huge VA benefits backlog will be tamed
Buoyed by a visit from the head of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, state Veteran Affairs Commissioner Linda Schwartz said Friday she is optimistic for the first time in a long time about making it easier and quicker for Connecticut veterans to get their disability compensation benefits. She was reacting to Veterans Affairs Secretary […]
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Serious deficit awaits Malloy — or his successor — after 2014
After reminding people almost unceasingly for two years that he inherited — not created — the largest budget deficit in state history, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy struck a different tone this year when he presented his latest spending plan. “It no longer matters who caused those problems,” the governor said in his February budget address. […]
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Partisan battle erupts over sale of assets to cover pension payments
The partisan battle over state government’s finances heated up again this week after a top Republican lawmaker questioned the sale of pension fund assets to cover benefits owed to retired workers. But state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier countered Friday that “nothing constructive can be gained” by House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero’s comments, adding that state assets have to […]
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Major concessions deal undermined by bad guesses, secrecy
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is a historic agreement,” Gov. Dannel P. Malloy told the crowd assembled in the dark-paneled Old Judiciary Room of the state Capitol. Six months after insisting upon $2 billion in concessions from the state’s 45,000 workers, Malloy announced on Aug. 18, 2011, that unions had approved something worth more than $1.6 […]
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The short, fast life of a political gaffe
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy knew the drill. The last step in dealing with a political gaffe is address the press, take a few questions, smile and say something mildly dismissive like, “You know, we’re pretty much done with it.” And so it was that Malloy waited for reporters to surround him Thursday evening outside the […]
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California chancellor recommended as president of Regents system
A state Board of Regents’ presidential search committee voted Thursday to recommend a California community college chancellor to oversee Connecticut’s state university and community college system. Gregory W. Gray, chancellor of the Riverside Community College District, would become just the second president of the Regents’ system since its creation in 2011. The system includes the […]
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Connecticut lawmakers, advocates, pan GOP ‘family friendly’ bill
Washington — To try to repair strained relations with women voters, U.S. House Republicans plan a vote soon on what they call a “family friendly” bill that would allow employers to offer comp time instead of overtime pay. The bill is promoted as an effort to give hourly paid workers, especially women, more time with their children […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Mistrust of DEEP fuels enviros’ FOI request
Activists starkly signaled their distrust of the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Friday with a broad demand for records pertaining to the department’s evolving energy policy.
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Skies clear for Joint Strike Fighter
Washington — The Joint Strike Fighter, one of the most controversial defense programs in recent history, seems to have more lives than a cat. The stealth aircraft, known as the F-35, had to be grounded last month after a turbine cracked in one of its engines. But, despite its problem-wracked history, the F-35 seems finally to be […]
Posted inPolitics
Malloy reimburses People for White House party
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy moved today to shortcircuit controversy over People magazine paying his way last weekend to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner by personally reimbursing the magazine. “To remove a needless distraction when there are far more important public policy issues to deal with, Gov. Malloy has made the decision to personally reimburse People […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
Gun sales prevent some environmental sequester cuts at DEEP
A funny thing happened when the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection crunched sequester numbers to figure out how badly the nearly one-third of its operating budget that comes from federal funds would get hit.
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut mayors skip letter on air towers
Seventy mayors from across the nation signed a letter Tuesday urging the Federal Aviation Administration to reverse its decision to close air towers at 149 airports. Although six airports would be affected in Connecticut — all but Bradley International Airport — none of the state’s mayors signed the letter drafted by the Alliance for Aviation […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Senate passes controversial energy bill
A renewable energy bill that has set much of the environmental community against the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and legislative Democrats was passed Wednesday by the state Senate.