Yes, Mother Nature is extending her wrath upon us again. The Metropolitan Transit Authority tells us to expect more delays on public transit as we get hit by wind, snow, sleet, rain, and maybe also cats and dogs. In other news, the election happened yesterday. I don’t write a lot about air travel, but this […]
Another storm! Oh, and the election!
Posted inEducation
State desegregation efforts move forward
The State Board of Education Wednesday gave the nod to a plan aimed at desegregating Hartford largely black and Hispanic schools. It’s also an effort for the state to comply with a Supreme Court order to end the inequalities caused by this racial isolation. The Mirror provided a detailed explanation of the proposal last week, […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Politics
Would Mr. Esty head (back) to Washington?
With Elizabeth Esty now headed to Washington as the state’s newest member of Congress, it’s somewhat logical to wonder whether her husband Dan — the commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection — might also head there where here served for a number of years in the Environmental Protection Agency. Apparently this occurred […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money, Politics
Election adds to shake-up on Energy and Technology Committee
The touch of shake-up the election gave to the General Assembly is likely to have an outsized effect on the Energy and Technology Committee. But it’s not clear yet — and likely won’t be until next year — just what that effect will be. Energy co-chairwoman Rep. Vickie Nardello, D-Prospect, was a surprise loser in her […]
Posted inEducation
Teacher union names new leader
Melodie Peters, a longtime state senator from the southeastern part of the state, has been named the president of The American Federation of Teachers’ Connecticut Chapter, the state’s second-largest teachers’ union She is a former nurse, and has no background in teaching. AFT-Connecticut also represents health care workers, higher education faculty and municipal employees. AFT […]
Posted inHealth, Politics
Obamacare supporters declare victory too
The federal health reform law known as Obamacare cleared its second major obstacle with President Obama’s re-election Tuesday, and the law’s boosters were quick to declare victory.
Posted inNews
Composed, even in defeat, McMahon bows out
Stamford — Her three-year, nearly $100 million odyssey was at a disappointing end, but Linda McMahon was in no hurry to leave. Ever on script, McMahon did what was expected of a losing candidate, placing a phone call to the winner of Connecticut’s most expensive Senate race, U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy. Unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon […]
Posted inNews
Democrats retain advantages in state House and Senate
Democrats played defense on Election Day, retaining their advantages in both chambers of the General Assembly and narrowly escaping one scenario in which they would have lost significant control over the next state budget. According to unofficial results, Democrats won 22 of 36 seats in the Senate, the same margin they held over Republicans for […]
Posted inNews
Esty beats Roraback, keeping congressional delegation for Dems
Waterbury — Elizabeth Esty won the race for Connecticut’s only open House seat, keeping in Democratic hands a district the GOP had hoped to recapture. Esty, a former Cheshire councilwoman and one-term state legislator once considered a longshot to even win the primary, defeated state Sen. Andrew Roraback, a Goshen Republican who campaigned as an […]
Posted inNews
Murphy victorious over McMahon in contentious U.S. Senate race
Buoyed by a retooled campaign, presidential coattails and lots of outside cash, Democrat Chris Murphy decisively won Connecticut’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday, overcoming an unprecedented $97 million in spending by Republican Linda McMahon during two seamless, back-to-back campaigns. Chris Murphy, the apparent victor in the race for Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seat. (Photo by Uma […]
Posted inNews
As Connecticut’s results start to come in……
Polls in Connecticut, on this most unusual Election Day, have closed. Here’s a quick view of what’s been happening in the state, at election parties, at polling places and at candidate headquarters: In Bridgeport While turnout numbers weren’t available from Bridgeport’s Registrar of Voters, polling places across the city showed that voters made a […]
Posted inNews
Voter turnout through late afternoon runs close to 2008 levels
With long voter lines reported in many communities, voter turnout could match the 78 percent mark achieved during the landmark 2008 presidential race, the state’s chief elections official reported late Tuesday afternoon. “I think we’re going to hit 75 to 80 percent, and we could even be on the high side,” Secretary of the State […]
Posted inNews
Bird habitats feel Sandy’s effects
As with Tropical Storm Irene, the effect of storm Sandy on the bird population of Connecticut and its habitats may not be known until next year’s nesting season. But the folks who keep an eye on these things think there will be both good and bad news then. A Great Frigatebird glides overhead The one thing […]
Posted inNews
Getting to the polls — harder than you think
Check out the graph below, courtesy of Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog, from the Washington Post. It’s a breakdown of reasons registered voters gave for not voting in the 2008 election. This graph represents about 15 million people: So out of 15 million people, 5.3 percent — nearly 800,000 — didn’t vote because of transportation problems. That’s […]
Posted inPolitics
McMahon dresses her city workers like Murphy supporters
The U.S. Senate campaign of Republican Linda McMahon outfitted its urban poll standers today in purple T-shirts styled after those worn by SEIU, the liberal union that is backing Democrat Chris Murphy. “It clearly is a rip off of our shirts,” said Paul Filson, the political director of SEIU, which represents many minority health care […]