Connecticut could separate itself from its neighbors in a big way this year as it considers setting several new standards to ensure reliable electric service. The Two Storm Panel — which will release its assessment next week of Connecticut’s emergency readiness in the aftermath of August’s Tropical Storm Irene and the Oct. 29 nor’easter — […]

It’s expensive to be poor. And it’s compounded by a struggling economy. In response, Connecticut is one of many states pushing financial literacy training. The Connecticut Association for Human Services (CAHS) and Citi Community Development (CCD) have announced a new effort to set up low-income people with “safe” bank accounts and basic financial education. It’s called […]

Connecticut’s economy crawled out of the Great Recession at a snail’s pace in 2011, and the New Year isn’t expected to bring much change. But while Connecticut’s economic fate rests largely with global factors, economists say state policymakers’ responses to five crucial challenges could shape whether that recovery accelerates, or grinds to a halt. Key […]

The state Supreme Court named a Columbia law professor and political scientist Friday as a special master to supervise the drawing of new congressional districts. Democrats and Republicans concurred on the choice, while sharply disagreeing on what factors should shape the new map. With the appointment of Nathaniel Persily, one of two academics nominated by […]

Two reports released Thursday give disappointing figures in two key categories in Connecticut education: the number of students dropping out of high school, and the number of high school graduates who go on to college. And, the reports are accurate — unlike those released for years that were accused of being based on “funny math.” […]

It’s not the first time he’s been a punch line, or worse. Over nearly 24 years in Washington, Joseph I. Lieberman’s been called everything from the “conscience of the Senate” to an “unprincipled troll.” But on this winter day, two months shy of his 70th birthday, Lieberman is red-faced with laughter, reacting to a female […]

After dropping by nearly 4 percent in 2011, Connecticut’s prison population is on pace to dip below 17,000 inmates in early January after hitting an 11-year-low earlier this month, according to the state’s Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division. And former state Rep. Michael P. Lawlor, who has led the division for the past year, […]

After the bumper 2011 legislative session, you might expect a modest wish list from Connecticut legislators, environmentalists and conservation advocates for 2012. Not happening. Nearly a year after those groups and the Malloy administration began an energy and environmental reform quest that resulted in the new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, an unprecedented comprehensive […]

No one was eager to speculate today if the stroke suffered by Sen. Edith G. Prague, D-Columbia, will end her three-decade career in Hartford as a state representative, a commissioner of aging during the administration of Lowell P. Weicker Jr., and a state senator since 1995. Prague, who turned 86 in November, is the oldest […]