Hartford — Democrat Chris Murphy tried to be the voice of fiscal reason in the U.S. Senate race Thursday, accusing Republican Linda McMahon of proposing $4 trillion in tax cuts over the next decade without offsetting spending reductions. But Murphy quickly encountered the challenges of fiscal restraint in an election year: Asked about the popular, […]
An election-year struggle for the fiscal high ground
Posted inNews
National party help both a blessing and a curse for Roraback
Washington — State Sen. Andrew Roraback announced Thursday he has raised $554,605 in campaign funds in the last three months, about as much money as Elizabeth Esty, his Democratic rival for the 5th District congressional seat. “I’m proud that so many people across the 5th District and Connecticut are supporting me and helping our campaign […]
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Not a ‘buyout’ for college presidents, an ‘expedited’ separation process
In reaction to what one official says is internal dissent over a new law governing remedial education, members of the state’s community college governing board were notified this week that their staff has offered 12 college presidents an expedited exit from their contracts. The 15-member Board of Regents for Higher Education was also informed for the […]
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Connecticut Republicans run from Romney on Medicare
Washington — They embrace Mitt Romney’s bid for the White House, but Connecticut Republicans part ways with him on his controversial plan for Medicare. At the first presidential debate Wednesday night, GOP presidential nominee Romney promoted a plan his vice presidential pick, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, has proposed to keep the Medicare system solvent. According […]
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Obama opens lead in Connecticut, while Senate race stays close
Republican Linda McMahon and Democrat Chris Murphy remain essentially tied in Connecticut’s slugfest of a U.S. Senate race, while President Obama has opened a 12-percentage point lead over Mitt Romney in the state, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. In a survey of likely voters conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2, Murphy […]
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Hit-and-run campaigns for the U.S. Senate
Meriden — The U.S. Senate campaigns of Democrat Chris Murphy and Republican Linda McMahon played cat-and-mouse Wednesday over Social Security, Medicare and personal character. Thirty minutes before Murphy told residents at a nursing home that McMahon’s election would be a threat to their benefits, McMahon released a pre-emptive ad attacking Murphy’s veracity. “Chris Murphy attacks […]
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Severe weather’s effects on infrastructure worry public transit agencies
As public transit ridership hits all-time highs, agencies are worried about the effects of erratic weather patterns and the increasing number of extreme weather events on an aging transit infrastructure. The nasty system of storms that ripped through Connecticut two weeks ago is a perfect example. Metro-North trains on the New Haven Line began sliding […]
Posted inPolitics
Roraback uses snippet of snippy Esty in new ad
The congressional campaign of Republican Andrew Roraback is using old public-access video of Democrat Elizabeth Esty telling opponents of a local tax increase in Cheshire, “You’re always welcome to move to one of our neighboring towns.” In a television ad going on the air Thursday, the snippy snippet is used twice in 30 seconds. The […]
Posted inEducation
Malloy on the future of community college presidents
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said his administration is not involved in any attempt to force out the 12 current community college presidents. The Connecticut Mirror reported Tuesday that the president of the state’s largest community college sent an email to her faculty informing them that the community college presidents risk termination if they do not […]
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Malloy rules out Obama post
His own polling is just so-so, and President Obama’s re-election is looking like a relatively decent bet. So, would Gov. Dannel P. Malloy be interested in a post in a second Obama administration, if offered? “No,” Malloy told reporters Wednesday. “Absolutely not.”
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Council of Small Towns taps Gara to succeed Russell as director
The Connecticut Council of Small Towns this week named its public policy director, Betsy Gara, to succeed retiring executive director Bart Russell. Gara has extensive experience in organizational management, legislative and regulatory policy analysis and advocacy, media relations and membership services. A lawyer by training, Betsy is a resident of the COST-member town of Durham. […]
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Be glad you’re not watching TV in Montana
Feel awash in political ads? Over the last three weeks, viewers have been subjected to 3,588 television commercials related to the race for Connecticut’s open U.S. Senate seat, according to a report released today by the Wesleyan Media Project. But that only ranks the state as 13th by advertising volume, though not by dollars. The poor […]
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Top education officials refute MCC president’s memo about buyouts
Three top higher education officials are strongly refuting a report that the state’s 12 community college presidents risk termination if they do not accept a buyout offer by the end of the month. Michael Meotti, executive vice president of the state college system, and the co-chairs of the legislature’s Higher Education Committee all are directly […]
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Dairymen: If milk prices skyrocket, Congress is to blame
Washington — The price of a gallon of milk could top $7 soon, and if that happens Congress would be to blame, the nation’s milk producers say. The reason the price of milk and other dairy products could skyrocket is that the two federal programs that help regulate dairy prices expired Sept. 30 because Congress […]
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Blumenthal, advocates for elderly target ‘chemical restraint’ abuse at care facilities
Calling it a form of chemical restraint, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and advocates for the elderly Tuesday blasted the practice of prescribing antipsychotic drugs for dementia patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. “It is a form of elder abuse. It’s chemical restraint — no less pernicious and insidious than physical restraint of patients […]