The legislature’s Labor and Public Employees Committee voted along party lines today to endorse increasing the $8.25 minimum wage. That’s the easy part of raising the wage for the first time in three years. Getting a vote in the Senate and House seems unlikely. The Senate refused to bring a minimum wage bill to a […]
Labor committee endorses longshot minimum wage raise
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Ash tree beetle bores further into state
The invasive and destructive beetle that attacks ash trees seems to have dug in even more deeply here. The emerald ash borer, which turned up in five New Haven County communities last summer after being held at bay for years across the border in New York, has been found in three more communities.
Posted inPolitics
Malloy supports Marcus on eve of confirmation hearing
On the eve of her confirmation hearing, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Thursday he has learned nothing about Shelley Marcus of Branford that would disqualify her since nominating her as a judge. But the legal advice Marcus gave to participants involved in a “gifting table,” which is a form of pyramid scheme, is likely to […]
Posted inPolitics
Jepsen joins amicus briefs supporting gay marriage
As one of the states that has legalized same-sex marriage, Connecticut has joined a dozen other states in filing amicus briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to support lower court decisions striking down the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage under federal law to the union of a man and a woman. “Discrimination based […]
Posted inPolitics
U.S. House Democrats name Himes as lead fundraiser
Washington — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the political organization in charge of raising campaign cash and planning strategy to get Democrats elected to the U.S. House, has named Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, as its lead fundraiser. Himes will succeed Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., as the DCCC Finance Committee chairman, said Rep. Steve Israel, […]
Posted inNews
Newtown residents push for assault weapons ban
Washington — Nearly three dozen Newtown residents, including family members of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, have joined an 11th hour effort to win congressional support for an assault weapons ban. “The damage done by an assault weapon, compared to a regular gun, is horrific,” said William Begg, an emergency room doctor […]
Posted inNews
Mental health panel to endorse educator training, case management, not outpatient commitment
A bipartisan legislative panel crafting policy changes in response to the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School is expected to recommend that case management be available to people with serious mental illness and that educators receive “mental health first aid” training to recognize signs of problems. The committee will also recommend creating a task force […]
Posted inNews
The price of attending UConn to rise by 5.1%
The University of Connecticut is raising student fees by $116 next fall, when a previously approved tuition increase is to take effect: State residents will pay $574 more in tuition and fees, a 5.1 percent increase. For students living on campus, the cost will jump $954. The increase brings the price for Connecticut residents to […]
Posted inNews
Finally, a store that competes on price, vintage & lobbyist
America’s leading wine retailer, Total Wine & More, opened its first outlet in Connecticut Dec. 6, hiring 50 employees to staff a 35,000-square-foot superstore in Norwalk. With 88 other stores in 15 states, Total Wine tends to be a game-changer wherever it goes, offering everything from a $1.49 California sparkler to a Bordeaux that fetches […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
UTC Power reaches the edge
While you were still busy clearing snow from the February blizzard, a storied piece of Connecticut’s business and energy history underwent a massive transformation. UTC Power, the fuel cell division of United Technologies was purchased by ClearEdge Power, a West Coast relative newcomer to the world of fuel cells that UTC all but invented.
Posted inHealth
Americans uncomfortable around mentally ill despite acknowledging discrimination
The public has a contradictory view of mental illness, according to a new poll. While most Americans believe people with such ailments are the victims of prejudice and discrimination, a substantial portion of the public say they have qualms about working in the same place or having their children attend a school where someone with a […]
Posted inNews
Bill would bar minors from violent video games in public
Mindful of the Newtown massacre, a legislative committee Tuesday considered a bill that would bar minors from using violent, point-and-shoot video games at public arcades and other businesses. Sen. Toni Harp, D-New Haven, who proposed the bill before the Children’s Committee, said these games inadvertently teach children that shooting people is easy, virtually harmless and […]
Posted inNews
Senators quietly craft a compromise on guns
Washington — Away from Washington’s heated debate on gun control, a bipartisan group of senators — none from Connecticut — are trying to salvage part of President Obama’s gun-control agenda. “We’re getting there. We’re working on things,” said Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat who has earned top marks from the National Rifle […]
Posted inNews
Energy auction proposal sparks consumer backlash
It was a little item, stashed in the revenue side of the slide show that accompanied Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget address earlier this month. “Energy auction. Convert about 800,000 electric ratepayers to an electric rate below their current standard offer. Savings to these ratepayers of approximately $65 per year. The state would auction the […]
Posted inNews
Traffic Breakdown: Connecticut’s Deadliest Roads for Pedestrians
By: Georgia Lobb Green drops represent pedestrians killed under the age of 15 years. Blue drops: Aged 16-59. Purple: Older than 60 years. From the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. View a larger, more detailed map here. The non-profit advocacy organization Tri-State Transportation Campaign issued a report this afternoon showing that 100 pedestrians were killed on roads […]