Washington — In one of the most creative attacks on a presidential candidate, at least in recent history, a couple of Connecticut political activists are trying to raise political cash from dog lovers who are howling mad at how Mitt Romney years ago treated his dog. To hound the presumptive GOP nominee, Martin Dunleavy, a former New […]

The U.S. Department of Labor has advised the Malloy administration that opening Connecticut’s state employee and retiree health plan to nonprofits and small businesses could jeopardize the legal protections it now enjoys as a government plan. The advisory opinion sought by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy could undermine a health care pooling bill passed last year […]

When a child is referred to a Connecticut court, the state’s juvenile justice system is largely colorblind. New state data from 2011 show that whether a youth is black, white or Latino, he has about a 50 percent chance of having his case dismissed. Similarly, about 30 percent of all youths — regardless of skin […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took two long walks through the State Capitol tonight, senior staff and security detail in tow, for a little backslapping — and one sharp elbow. His presence in the building indicated he probably harbored hopes of a breakthrough on the interconnected issues of budget and education reform, but he downplayed chances […]

A controversial proposal to give collective bargaining rights to certain home care workers and daycare providers is headed to the governor’s desk, completing a process begun less than seven months ago with two executive orders. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy plans to sign the bill, which passed the Senate 22 to 14 on a party-line vote […]

With time running short, the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus tried Thursday to nudge forward some of the education reforms that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says are needed to turn around troubled urban schools. But the caucus, which includes 22 of the General Assembly’s 187 members, offered a mixed message at a press conference, […]

The Senate overwhelmingly stymied a bid Thursday by Connecticut’s judges to remove their salaries from political debate, dramatically scaling back a measure creating a new judicial compensation study panel. The bill, which now heads to the House of Representatives, still would ensure that any pay raises the panel endorses for judges would be included in […]

The state Senate overwhelmingly approved a measure late Wednesday guaranteeing communities can negotiate working conditions with labor unions before public projects are put out to bid. The measure allowing so-called “project labor agreements,” spurred in part by a legal battle over school construction work in Hartford, passed 32-3 and now heads to the House of […]

Washington — West Hartford-based Colt Defense LLC has lost an $84 million Army contract to a competitor and, like an increasing number of federal contractors, it’s not taking rejection sitting down. In awarding the lucrative contract for 70,000 to 100,000 rifles, the Army Contracting Command preferred the bid of Remington in Ilion, N.Y. That prompted […]

You don’t see this every day: The speaker, majority leader and minority leader all on the losing side of a 74-69 vote in the state House of Representatives. On a bipartisan vote, the House on Thursday gutted a bill aimed at loosening the requirements for bringing a medical malpractice lawsuit, an issue that has sharply divided […]