Republican delegates have selected Stamford native Steve Obsitnik as their nominee for the 4th Congressional District, hoping he will be able to unseat three-term U.S. Rep. Jim Himes. “Himes deserves a dishonorable discharge,” the Navy veteran said in his acceptance speech. “His moment of accountability will come Nov. 6.” Obsitnik, who early in his career […]
Congressional challengers line up
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Chronic Absenteeism on Education Department’s Radar
At Bulkeley High School in Hartford, teachers can expect that one of every four of their students will be absent every day. These teachers are not alone. Dozens of schools statewide, in all parts of Connecticut, also have dismal attendance rates. But is this a truancy problem? “We don’t know,” said Charlene Russell-Tucker, chief operating officer […]
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Report says state’s unfunded health care liabilities down, but by how much?
The Malloy administration Thursday announced a “dramatic” reduction in Connecticut’s future unfunded employee and retiree health care liabilities, but Republicans said the state should count on only a fraction of that. The figures at issue are part of an actuarial report by The Segal Co., which said the state has a $17.9 billion unfunded liability […]
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DeLauro facing tough fight over food stamps
Washington — When Jody Rodiger of Manchester volunteered to help Connecticut’s needy buy food, she never thought she would one day also depend on food stamps. “I advocated for it for years, I knew the program inside and out. But I never thought it would be for me,” Rodiger, 50, said. Like many who’ve recently […]
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New London school chief asks for state help
New London’s troubled public school system — struggling under what a scathing new state report describes as a hostile, dysfunctional political climate — should be next in line for state intervention, the system’s top official says. “The state must intervene in New London,” Superintendent of Schools Nicholas A. Fischer told the State Board of Education […]
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New London superintendent asks state to intervene
New London Superintendent Nicholas Fischer Superintendent Nicholas Fischer came before the State Board of Education on Thursday to ask them to intervene his 3,000-student district. “The state must intervene in New London,” he told the board and Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor. His proof that things have hit a breaking point: an audit outlining their dire […]
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Schools push struggling students online
So far, Connecticut’s venture into “virtual learning” has resulted in a hodgepodge of computer programs in various districts with no oversight by the State Department of Education or any other state agency.
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Hartford city hall opens health clinic
Across the country, health care providers, insurers, employers and politicians say they are trying to make it easier to be healthy. It’s even one of the cornerstones of the controversial Affordable Care Act, in which preventative care comes at no extra cost to the patient. Now, Hartford City Hall is joining in — with a […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
New racial profiling measure could clash with U.S. program
Early this year, Connecticut became one of the first states to adopt a federal program that helps law enforcement agents deport illegal immigrants more easily. But when the state legislature approved a new measure prohibiting racial profiling by police departments, that inadvertently set up a clash with the federal program. The federal measure, Secure Communities, […]
Posted inEducation
School segregation by the numbers
Of the 1,271 schools public schools in Connecticut, 38 of those schools lack diversity and do not mirror their districts’ overall student demographics. Each year the State Department of Education informs several districts that they are violating the law by having schools with demographics far less diverse than their district. This year six districts were cited: […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Should unused sick time = cash?
Should employees who don’t use all their sick days get paid for them when they leave a job? The board designing Connecticut’s health insurance exchange grappled with that and other employee benefits questions Thursday. The board is charged with creating and overseeing a marketplace for selling insurance to individuals and small businesses as part of […]
Posted inEducation
On state intervention in the worst schools…
State Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor on Thursday told state board members that the state will onlyintervene in “a small amount” of schools this upcoming school year. The education bill that was signed into law earlier this week gives the commissioner the authority to intervene in up to 25 school over the next three years. However, […]
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The fed who got Rowland gives up on Congress
Farmington — Mike Clark, the retired FBI agent who led the corruption investigation of former Gov. John Rowland, ended a campaign for Rowland’s old congressional seat Wednesday, concluding he had neither the money nor delegate support to wage a primary. His withdrawal two days before the GOP convention narrows the field to four, including an […]
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Malloy backs saving jobs bill killed in House-Senate fight
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is backing an effort to resurrect the bipartisan jobs bill that was killed in a game of political chicken by House and Senate Democratic leaders a week ago on the last day of the annual legislative session. “I have expressed my support for that in personal conversations with a number of […]