In emotional back-to-back debates, the Connecticut Senate and House overwhelmingly voted for one of the nation’s most comprehensive gun laws Wednesday and Thursday, a long-awaited response to one of the nation’s worst mass shootings, the Sandy Hook school massacre. The Democrat-dominated legislature passed the sweeping measure with significant Republican support, a rare bipartisan gesture on […]
Connecticut General Assembly passes bipartisan gun bill
A Map: NYC Citi Bike share program up and running
By: Georgia Lobb Here’s a map of the new Citi Bike stations in NYC, which sprawl across Manhattan and into Brooklyn and Queens. The bike stations, which are represented by the blue dots on the map, were picked specifically by New Yorkers. “DOT invited New Yorkers to help shape the system, and we received tens […]
A study: The dangers of being a vulnerable user in NYC
By: Georgia Lobb Photo courtesy of Destructiod.com This week the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery published a study that examined vulnerable roadway users in New York City between 2008-2011. The study, conducted by the NYU Langone Medical Center, surveyed over 1,400 cyclists or pedestrians who were admitted to Bellevue Hospital due to a […]
‘Threats’ related to gun law lead legislators to contact Capitol Police
With tighter and more restrictive gun laws going into effect, as many as a dozen legislators contacted the State Capitol Police because they were concerned for their safety. Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford, said he “received several threats,” but he did not want to share the specifics. Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, said she also received several […]
Esty gets help from senior Democrat
Washington — Just because Congress is on a two-week spring break doesn’t mean lawmakers aren’t busy pressing their agendas. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, held a telephonic town hall Thursday with the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, to press Democratic priorities and bash a GOP budget promoted […]
Connecticut Senate roll call on gun-control bill
ConnecticutState Senatevote on gun-control bill District State Senator Party Vote 23 Ayala, Andres D Y 13 Bartolomeo, Danté D Y 26 Boucher, Toni R Y 5 Bye, Beth D Y 4 Cassano, Steve D Y 30 Chapin, Clark J. R N 2 Coleman, Eric D. D Y 17 Crisco, Joseph J. D Y 9 Doyle, […]
More than 100 suspects arrested in massive drug bust
More than 100 people have been arrested after federal agents busted what they say are two large-scale trafficking operations bringing heroin and cocaine into Connecticut. About 700 officers carried out dawn raids Wednesday to make the arrests. The drug trafficking operations were said to have been headquartered in New London, but multiple law enforcement agencies […]
Gun owners to lawmakers: Battle to block new controls is just beginning
See update at bottom of story Resigned to defeat for now, hundreds of gun owners descended Wednesday on the Connecticut General Assembly to launch the next wave in a long-running battle to preserve firearm ownership rights. Arriving on buses sponsored by the National Rifle Association, sportsmen and gun enthusiasts from across Connecticut packed the halls […]
Monitor: Budget cuts to child welfare agency compromise reforms
Budget cuts by state lawmakers are threatening the effort to reform the Department of Children and Families, an agency under federal court oversight for failing too many abused and neglected children, the court monitor reported Tuesday. “It is very concerning that the state has chosen to reduce and freeze staffing without acknowledging that the complexity […]
Bipartisan deal makes Connecticut a symbol on guns
Connecticut’s bipartisan compromise on gun control generated a run on gun shops Tuesday, enthusiastic praise from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, laudatory national press attention and plans for a visit to Hartford next week by President Obama, who cannot find compromise or bipartisanship in Washington, D.C. “This is a good moment,” Malloy said. “We have a […]
In gun bill, boosts in coverage for mental health, substance abuse
They’re not as eye-catching as the expanded assault weapons ban or a new restriction on large-capacity magazines. But the bipartisan agreement legislative leaders crafted in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School also includes changes to insurance laws agreed to by both health plans and patient advocates. And they say the provisions will […]
NRA: Conn. gun-control proposal ‘totally inadequate’ in preventing school shootings
Washington — The National Rifle Association tapped a Newtown parent who lost a son in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings to help it unveil a proposal Tuesday that recommended putting armed personnel in the nation’s schools. At a press conference Tuesday, Mark Mattioli, whose son James died in the Sandy Hook massacre, supported the […]
Mission: to mint primary care physicians
Michael Ellison has a tough assignment. He’s the associate dean of admissions choosing the first class of a brand new medical school, the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. “We have over 1,600 applicants, and we will interview 400 for 60 spots,” Ellison says. The school has a very specific mission: […]
Obama to visit Connecticut, push gun violence agenda
Gearing up for a big push for national gun-control legislation, President Barack Obama will visit Connecticut Monday, the White House confirmed. “President Obama will travel to the University of Hartford where he will continue asking the American people to join him in calling on Congress to pass common-sense measures to reduce gun violence,” a spokesman […]
Are some students too young for kindergarten?
A bill that would have raised the minimum age for students to enter kindergarten — a move that would delay the start of public school for about 1,600 students a year — has failed to gather the support of legislators on the Education Committee. Rep. Andy Fleischmann, the committee’s co-chairman, said during a meeting last […]

