Washington — Democratic state Rep William Tong may not be as well-known to Connecticut voters as his rivals in the U.S. Senate race are — but he’s a big name in the nation’s Asian community. According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, about one-third of the donations to Tong’s campaign have come from Asian […]
Tong big figure in nation’s Asian community
Posted inNews
Senate approves bills to reshape police behavior
The state Senate capped a day of debate on police behavior Thursday by overwhelmingly adopting a measure to revitalize faltering state efforts to monitor and prohibit racial profiling of motorists. Earlier Thursday the Democratic-controlled Senate voted 24-11, largely along party lines, to approve a bill to protect citizens’ right to record police officers performing their […]
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State on pace to close another prison next fiscal year
After closing two prisons in 2011, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration is well on pace to close a third in the coming fiscal year, running ahead of projections in its ongoing effort to downsize Connecticut’s inmate population. And Malloy’s chief criminal justice policy adviser said Wednesday that while risk-reduction credits, a new home confinement program, […]
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State areas cited in national report linking achievement gap, housing inequality
Connecticut features prominently in a new Brookings Institution report about housing and education inequality — and not in a good way. The study, “Housing Costs, Zoning, and Access to High-Scoring Schools,” found that restrictive zoning laws were highly correlated with educational achievement gaps in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. Three of the […]
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Education Reform: Plans to redesign teacher colleges stalled
At a time when state education reform has very much focused on improving teacher quality, the state’s colleges and prospective teachers are being let off the hook temporarily. Legislative committees have voted to delay for a year the enacting of proposals that would: Require a prospective teacher to have at least a B+ GPA;Increase the […]
Posted inPolitics
McMahon to release taxes
Linda McMahon said during a Senate debate tonight she will eventually release her tax returns. McMahon, who says she filed for an extension, did not say when they will be released. Her chief rival for the GOP nomination, Christopher Shays, and the three leading Democrats all have released their returns.
Posted inMoney
Unemployment rate drops but state still loses jobs
Despite losing 2,700 jobs in March, Connecticut’s unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent in March, according to the state Labor Department. That’s due in part to a correction in job growth estimates from the prior month. After originally estimating 4,900 jobs were added in February, the Labor Department now says 6,000 jobs were gained. The […]
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Crunch time for Donovan and the minimum wage
It is the question of the week: With just three weeks left in the session and a full plate of controversial bills on the calendar, how determined is House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan, D-Meriden, to force a minimum wage increase? The Senate Democratic majority signaled again Wednesday that they do not relish an election-year vote […]
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McMahon spending millions to build new campaign
Washington –– Republican Linda McMahon has spent nearly $4 million on her second bid for the Senate, using much of that money to rebuild her campaign and help reshape her message. Some of the money is financing a political advertising agency known for its attack ads. McMahon’s spending has strongly outpaced all of her rivals. […]
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At 200 years, fortress of medical research confronts the Information Age, Part II
Correction A quote was wrongly attributed in an earlier version of this story, and the story has been corrected. Tom Easley, publisher and managing director of the NEJM, said the following when asked about an $88 million estimate of its profits that appeared in Boston Magazine in 2005: “It’s not off by a factor of […]
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Can they just run a tape of today’s debate in 2013?
The Senate voted 21-14 for a resolution – if it is passed again next year by the General Assembly – to place a referendum question on the ballot in 2014 about absentee ballots: “Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to remove restrictions concerning absentee ballots and to permit a person to vote without […]
Posted inHealth
Venturing into veganism
New York Times health columnist Tara Parker-Pope this week explores the challenges that new devotees of veganism can face in a meat-based world. Online, go here.
Posted inEducation
The evolving position of unions on teacher tenure
Did the state’s largest teachers’ union backtrack on what changes it says must be made to how a teacher earns tenure? Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Wednesday the Connecticut Education Association has. “I will remind you that it was the CEA that in its presentation on reform actually called for ending tenure. I never did […]
Posted inPolitics
Murphy says he pays 22.4 percent in taxes
Following up on a promise made earlier this week, Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5th District, released his 2011 federal and state tax returns Wednesday. Murphy and his wife Catherine Holahan reported joint salaries of $220,125 and no other income except $160 from a refund on last year’s taxes. Murphy’s congressional salary is $174,000. Murphy and his […]
Posted inEducation, Health, Money
School-Based Mental Health and the Achievement Gap
According to a recent report issued by the General Assembly’s Legislative Program Review and Investigations Committee, “Students enrolled in a school-based health center gained three times as much classroom seat time as students not enrolled, and SBHCs significantly reduced the number of early dismissals from school in comparison with students who received school nursing services […]