It wasn’t a debate, nor was there any real news to come from it. Wednesday night’s Univision forum, which took place in Miami, seemed to be just an opportunity for the two presidential candidates to do whatever they had to do to win over the crucial Latino vote in November. The forum called the “Gran […]
Was the Univision presidential forum valuable?
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State jobless rate records biggest jump since ’76
The Connecticut jobless rate jumped from 8.5 percent to 9 percent in August, the biggest one-month increase in 36 years, the state Department of Labor reported today. The state lost 6,800 jobs. “It looks as if we are seeing a slowdown in growth,” said Andy Condon, director of the Office of Research at the Connecticut […]
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DOT’s $35 million secret — (shhhh… it’s a parking garage)
Stamford is soon to get a $35 million overhaul of parking at its train station, but city officials and residents have virtually no idea of what’s coming — and they’re unlikely to get it anytime soon. “The process is a confidential one,” said James Redeker, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation (DOT), which owns […]
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Malloy seeks modest change in expected pension fund earnings
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to inject more economic reality into the state employee pension fund, embracing slightly more conservative expectations for fund investment earnings. But the change endorsed by the governor and adopted this morning by the State Retirement Committee falls shy of a tougher standard proposed by a Wall Street credit rating agency. […]
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Roraback touts ‘record of bipartisanship’ in first TV ad
Republican Andrew Roraback’s first general-election commercial in the 5th Congressional District talks about his “bipartisanship” and “independence and effectiveness.” The piece is not exactly an embrace of the GOP House majority. Roraback is seen meeting with various constituents while a voiceover promises that the House candidate will fight the gridlock in Washington, D.C. Democrats, including […]
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Blumenthal vows to halt new fee for homebuyers
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Thursday attended the first event held by the new Senate Consumer Caucus — a briefing to determine whether consumers should have more rights over their credit scores — then tackled another consumer issue, a proposed increase in fees charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The mortgage giants are prepared to […]
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Confidence gap? UConn/Courant national poll finds expectation of an Obama win
President Obama has only a slim lead over Mitt Romney in a UConn/Hartford Courant national poll released early today, but the Democratic president is expected to win by twice as many voters as those who predict a GOP victory. Is Obama, who was the beneficiary of an enthusiasm gap in 2008, benefiting from a confidence […]
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Lieberman, Blumenthal split on Middle East attacks
Washington — Sen. Joe Lieberman on Wednesday echoed the chorus of Republican leaders saying that the violent protests against the United States that started in the Middle East last week were planned. “This to me looked very organized,” Lieberman said after the Homeland Security Committee meeting. “I supposed accidents happen but to have this occur […]
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Helping children with substance issues: Are insurance companies not covering treatment?
Kelli Belardi says a cancer diagnosis for her son would be preferrable to what she’s going through. “At least then he would receive treatment,” the single mother said of her yearlong battle with her insurance company to cover in-patient treatment to treat her son’s drug abuse problems. Things escalated with the teenager after he was […]
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American Cancer Society gears up for historic prevention study
The American Cancer Society is recruiting more than 6,000 volunteers in Connecticut and Massachusetts for a historic survey to try to discover new ways to prevent cancer. In greater Hartford, the group will recruit at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, The University of Connecticut Health Center, UTC Aerospace Systems, the Wheeler Regional YMCA and […]
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Trinks drops out, leaving Canty vs. McGee in court-ordered primary
A Hartford Superior Court judge has ordered a new election to select the Democratic nominee in the 5th Assembly District of Hartford and Windsor. Script writers out there, take note. Here is a real-life plot twist: With Leo Canty and Brandon McGee tied in a three-way race, it came down to a disputed absentee ballot that […]
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UConn/Courant poll gives Murphy lead within margin of error
Another poll, another conclusion that the U.S. Senate race is close. A University of Connecticut/Hartford Courant poll released today shows Democrat Chris Murphy with a lead over Republican Linda McMahon that is within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points. He leads, 37 percent to 33 percent. “Right now, this […]
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McMahon has hugs for everyone — except Mitt Romney
Naugatuck – U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon ambled through the Senior Center, stopping for hugs and photos, and chatting with women about the coupons they offer fellow seniors looking to save on cat food, soap and toilet paper. “You’d be surprised, people take them,” said Lucie Morrissette, who organizes the coupons weekly and also delivers […]
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Lawmakers reheat debate over prison-sentence reduction program
Republican state legislators continued their attacks Tuesday on the controversial prison sentence reduction credit program, holding a partisan hearing that Democrats blasted as a campaign season stunt. GOP members of the Judiciary Committee as well as top Republican leaders invited their Democratic counterparts, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration and members of the Board of Pardons […]
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New national health report warns of rise in obesity rates
If Connecticut remains on its current trajectory, 46.5 percent of adults in the state will be obese by the year 2030, according to a national report released today. As the same time, hundreds of thousands of adults will develop diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and other obesity-related diseases. This will drive up Connecticut health costs […]