By: Georgia Lobb Photo courtesy of CT Work Zone Saftey Facebook Page National Work Zone Awareness week began in 1997 in Virginia as a small effort to get people thinking about the safety of road workers. Now, it’s a national annual event that has helped to decrease the number of fatalities on the road by […]
This week is Work Zone Awareness week in Connecticut
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Why did gun control fail?
Washington — Even gun control supporters knew congressional approval of new gun restrictions would be difficult, but their stunning defeat in the Senate this week prompted new looks at the gun lobby’s relationship with Washington lawmakers. “I was astonished,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., of the failure to secure 60 votes in the Senate to […]
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Barnes, exchange board want to limit health insurers’ profits, administrative costs
Concerned that high health insurance costs could undermine federal health reform, Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes on Thursday suggested changing state law to limit health insurance carriers’ administrative costs and profits beyond what federal law requires. The board of the state’s health insurance exchange — the authority that oversees a health insurance […]
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Legislators vote to rescind governor’s power to appoint college president
The General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a bill that revokes the governor’s authority to appoint the president of the state’s largest public college system. The bill, instead, will place the responsibility of selecting a president and setting all the employment terms for the leader solely with the 15-member Board of Regents. The top position at […]
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Budget panels not expected to drift too far from Malloy’s $43.8 billion plan
The legislature’s two budget-writing panels on Friday will unveil their counter-proposals to the $43.8 billion, two-year fiscal plan Gov. Dannel P. Malloy offered in February — but don’t look for any huge changes in the bottom line. Leaders for both the Appropriations and Finance, Revenue & Bonding committees have said they have tried to keep […]
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Sandy Hook parents watch as gun bill dies in Congress
Washington — A push by the White House and lobbying by the parents of children massacred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School failed Wednesday to convince the Senate to consider a relatively modest gun-control measure: An expansion of background checks for firearms purchases. “All in all, this was a pretty shameful day for Washington,” said […]
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Proposal would decriminalize sending children to the wrong school
Calling the practice of arresting parents who send their child to the wrong school unconstitutional, the Senate chairman of legislature’s Judiciary Committee and the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus are calling for change. Sen. Eric Coleman, D-Bloomfield, said the criminal penalties that parents and grandparents face need to be immediately removed and he plans to […]
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Democrats, GOP split on ballot reforms
After a partisan debate on ballot access, a divided state House of Representatives voted Wednesday for the second time in two years to place on the ballot a constitutional amendment potentially opening the door to early voting in Connecticut. With the Senate set to endorse the same amendment, it will be up to voters to […]
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Report: State economy headed for crisis
Connecticut’s massive long-term debt, deep pockets of poverty and more than 20 years of stagnant job growth threaten to sink the state’s economy for decades unless major reforms are enacted, according to a report Wednesday from a national fiscal responsibility group and the University of Connecticut’s economic think-tank. Comeback America Initiative founder David M. Walker […]
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‘The single greatest preventable cause of mental illness’
Children often get referred to Marcy Kane’s mental health agency because of behavior: They’re not listening, they’re failing in school, they’ve kicked other kids or are having headaches and stomach aches. Sometimes the symptoms suggest anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But often, the root cause is something else: sexual abuse, domestic violence, the loss […]
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“The single greatest preventable cause of mental illness”
Children often get referred to Marcy Kane’s mental health agency because of behavior: They’re not listening, they’re failing in school, they’ve kicked other kids or are having headaches and stomach aches. Sometimes the symptoms suggest anxiety or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But often, the root cause is something else: sexual abuse, domestic violence, the loss […]
Posted inPolitics
Connecticut reaction swift to U.S. Senate failure on gun control
Connecticut politicians reacted strong to the failure by the U.S. Senate to pass even a watered-down effort to expand federal background checks for gun purchases in response to the Newtown school massacre. House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, used just three words to describe his reaction: “Disappointment. Colossal disappointment.” Cafero, who found himself […]
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New Rides for Ridgefield program seeks to improve quality of life for senior citizens
By: Georgia Lobb Earlier this week, we posted about about how Connecticut seeks to improve safety for vulnerable users. We mentioned a new program called Rides for Ridgefield, which is an organization that is hoping to improve the quality of life in Ridgefield, CT, by offering a variety of option for senior citizens who can’t […]
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Panel proposes borrowing to avoid tax on power plants
A key legislative panel adopted plans Tuesday to end a controversial tax on power plants this summer — but the lawmakers would finance it with borrowing and by delaying other debt costs that would be paid off after the November 2014 elections. Majority Democrats on the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee defended the borrowing, arguing […]
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Gun control bill stalls as supporters seek votes
Washington – Proposed gun legislation in the Senate stalled Tuesday as its supporters scrambled to reach a 60-vote majority needed for consideration of amendments to the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., hoped to hold a vote Tuesday on a compromise measure that would expand FBI background checks on potential gun buyers, but exempt people-to-people […]