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Connecticut sales tax is competitive with most other states’

Though a popular target for critics, Connecticut’s sales tax burden is fairly modest when compared with sales taxes in other states, according to a report from nonpartisan legislative analysts. And while Connecticut’s base sales tax rate rose last year for the first time in nearly two decades, neither a state panel examining business-related taxes nor […]

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Teacher job losses decline even though federal money dries up

Despite the shutoff of federal stimulus funding for the school year that just began, the state — surprisingly — lost fewer teaching jobs than when nearly $1 billion was being funneled into Connecticut schools. “It’s the smallest reduction we’ve had in years by far,” said Joseph Cirasuolo, executive director of the state superintendents’ association. “It’s […]

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Saint Raphael, Yale-New Haven hospitals to close merger Tuesday

New Haven — Yale-New Haven Hospital will officially acquire the Hospital of Saint Raphael Tuesday, creating one of the largest hospitals in the United States with 1,519 beds. Both hospitals will close the more than $160 million deal and hold a press conference Tuesday featuring hospital officials and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. The deal […]

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After firing too soon in 2010, McMahon’s attacks on Murphy are well-timed

The U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Linda McMahon announced today it has filed an ethics complaint against her Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, accusing him of accepting favorable mortgage terms from Webster Bank. The campaign gave the story to Politico last night, ensuring that news of the complaint with the Office of Congressional Ethics […]

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Murphy, McMahon spar over personal financial woes

U.S. Senate candidates Linda McMahon and Chris Murphy dueled over their respective personal financial woes Friday. McMahon, a Republican, challenged her Democratic rival to disclose more details behind the July 2008 mortgage he obtained despite missing payments on an earlier mortgage. Meanwhile, Murphy pressed the Greenwich businesswoman to share more about the bankruptcy she and […]

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Survey finds manufacturing thriving in Connecticut; other businesses struggle more

Rocky Hill — Two percent of Connecticut businesses are very optimistic about their economic recovery, and 15 percent still consider the state to be an ideal place to do business, according to a 2012 survey of businesses in the state. And it was a good year for manufacturers, with nearly two-thirds of those surveyed reporting […]

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A new day — in Charlotte, N.C.! — for gay and lesbian delegates

Charlotte, N.C. — On the way to the Democratic National Convention, Lori J. Pelletier and her wife, Val, made a pilgrimage to the Providence Road Baptist Church, whose pastor preaches the extermination of gays and lesbians. The Connecticut couple stood outside the church in Maiden, N.C., about a 45-minute drive from Charlotte, held up a […]

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Hospital merger talks falter in Waterbury when women’s advocates object to reproductive services plan

Merger talks between two Waterbury hospitals and a Texas company have reached an impasse over how to offer reproductive services for women. All parties have pledged to continue meeting, but their previously quiet negotiations spilled into public view this week when the state’s Permanent Commission on the Status of Women objected to the most recent […]

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