Eyebrows were raised in various corners of the State Capitol today over the Government Administration Elections Committee leaving Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s Election Day registration bill off the committee’s agenda. The panel reported a number of election reforms out of the committee today, but the panel’s co-chair, Sen. Gayle Slossberg, D-Milford, said she had some unresolved […]
Eyebrows raised over GAE not taking up Malloy’s proposal
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Environment co-chairs endorse Esty over Donovan in 5th
We don’t report a lot of endorsements. Most are too predictable, and few matter. Not sure if these matter, but they are not predictable: two committee co-chairs endorsed Elizabeth Esty today over House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan in the race for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District. Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, and Sen. […]
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Not an endorsement, but Malloy and Murphy to co-host party for Young Dems
Could the gov be edging toward an endorsement in the Senate race? The Young Democrats have posted this Facebook invite: Immediately following the JJB Dinner at the CT Convention Center, please head over to the annual After Party. Join our honorary Co-Hosts, Gov. Dannel Malloy and Congressman Chris Murphy, for food, drinks, and a good […]
Posted inHealth
HealthBridge seeks hearing to contest nursing home closure denial
HealthBridge Management, which is seeking to close the Wethersfield nursing home it operates, has asked for a hearing to contest the denial of an application to shut down the facility. Social Services Commissioner Roderick L. Bremby denied the application to close Wethersfield Health Care Center last week, saying the company had not provided enough financial […]
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State’s recovery picks up speed, but still has years to go
Hartford — The good news is that Connecticut’s economic rebound is accelerating. The bad news, according to the University of Connecticut’s latest quarterly economic journal, is that the pace still remains slower than any recovery in recent history — and it will take several more years to undo the damage of the last recession. Connecticut […]
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Providers: Communications glitch keeping patients from getting meds
The insulin Gary Spinner prescribed was making his diabetic patient itch, so Spinner switched her to another type of insulin. But the next time the woman, a 62-year-old factory worker, came to see him, Spinner learned she’d run out of insulin after being told at the pharmacy that her insurance wouldn’t pay for it. She […]
Posted inEducation
Two approaches to preschool access
Gov. Malloy on universal preschool: 'We simply have to get it done.' When it comes to preschool education, New Jersey and Connecticut are a tale of two states. In New Jersey, the courts mandated access to preschool for every child in the state’s poorest school districts. In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants the state to get […]
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Showdown on citizen environmental action statute
Environmental and business groups are marshalling forces for an anticipated showdown Friday that pits part of the cornerstone of state environmental law against development and job creation. At issue is legislation that would restrict using environmental grounds to block development projects. Supporters say it’s needed because the existing language in the landmark Connecticut Environmental Protection Act […]
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Larson presses for Election Weekend
Rep. John Larson wants Election Day to go European. He, and another member of the Democratic House leadership, Rep. Steve Israel of New York, have introduced a bill that would move Election Day from its traditional spot of the first Tuesday in November to the first full weekend of that month. They argue that would […]
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A night of trying to separate fact, fiction on education
Torrington — Mike Baziruk had a microphone, his talking points, a packed auditorium at Torrington High School and, most importantly, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy‘s attention. It was his turn to play a game of fact or fiction with Malloy over the governor’s proposed education reform and budget package. “How can the [vocational] technical high school […]
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Pentagon and Congress square off over base closings
Washington — The Pentagon warned a congressional panel Thursday that if a hostile Congress fails to approve a new Base Closing and Realignment Commission, it would act on its own to close bases. “If Congress does not authorize additional BRAC rounds, the department will be forced to use its authority to begin to close and […]
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Partisan battle lines drawn over spending cap debate
Democrats on the Appropriations Committee lined up Thursday behind Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposal to place more state expenditures outside Connecticut’s constitutional spending cap, while Republicans criticized the changes as evidence of deteriorating state finances. At a public hearing, Democrats said that the cap’s history is repeatedly marked by exceptions that prove this budget-regulating mechanism simply […]
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Can early education help close the achievement gap?
West Hartford — Four-year-old Mercello Razuri had big plans to send his grandmother a letter. As he wrote the address and put play stamps on the envelope, his classmate at the University of Hartford Magnet School interrupted to ask what exactly he was up to. “I’m writing the address so the mailman knows where to […]
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A patient survival guide, from a mother who learned too late
A picture of a smiling boy filled the screen behind Helen Haskell. “This is my son Lewis, who died basically from what’s called failure to rescue in the hospital,” she told the audience at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center Wednesday. Eleven years ago, Lewis Blackman, then 15, went to a South Carolina hospital for […]
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Sometimes, public policy is deeply personal
The sight of the burly, bearded Barry Williams zipping around the State Capitol complex on a Segway was a vivid first-year memory for Rep. Ernest Hewett, D-New London, who arrived in Hartford in 2005. “All of a sudden, you disappeared,” Hewett told Williams. “And I didn’t know what happened to you.” Williams told Hewett and […]