It is “likely, but not yet determined” that Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor will seek a waiver from federal No Child Left Behind requirements. That was the message Pryor relayed to State Board of Education members last week, despite the state having already informed the U.S. Department of Education they do intend to apply and Gov. […]
Will the state seek a waiver to federal education requirements?
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Utility puts price tag on better safeguards against power outages
The state’s largest electric utility insisted Wednesday it could reduce outages by up to 40 percent a decade from now with a 10-year improvement plan that would gradualy add more than $13 to the average residential monthly bill. Connecticut Light & Power Co. unveiled a plan to invest an extra $2.2 billion in tree-trimming, line […]
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Malloy refuses lawyer’s call to slow Irene disciplinary hearings
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy brushed aside a lawyer’s complaint today that his administration was moving too quickly against 24 state employees suspected of fraudulently obtaining disaster aid after Tropical Storm Irene. “The reality about Connecticut’s government is it routinely moved too slow, if at all, particularly in incidents like this,” Malloy said. “I think what […]
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Malloy wants strong casinos, ‘aggressive lottery’
Empire City Casino, a new look for a century-old harness-racing track in Yonkers, N.Y., now has 5,300 slot machines to entice some of the gamblers who used to speed by on their way north to Connecticut’s tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Rhode Island has new casinos in Lincoln and Newport, offering thousands of slots […]
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Murphy hits Lowe’s for dropping sponsorship of ‘All-American Muslim’
U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5th District, is leading a congressional charge against Lowe’s, the home-improvement chain, for dropping its sponsorship of a reality TV show following Muslims in Dearborn, Michigan. Sponsors of the show have taken heat from a conservative group in Florida. With U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th, and 28 other members of Congress, […]
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Governor cool to DeStefano plan to let non-citizen residents vote
Gov. Dannel P. reacted cooly today to an idea recently floated by his 2006 rival for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, New Haven Mayor John DeStefano, to allow non-citizen residents to vote in local elections. “It’s not an idea that I’m particularly comfortable with,” Malloy said. “I think there are obligations that run with citizenship, and […]
Posted inEducation, Health
School Arrests Bring New Scrutiny, Reforms
Hundreds of children in Connecticut schools are being arrested for behavior that, in an earlier time, most likely led to them being sent to the principal’s office. A story by the Connecticut Health Investigative Team — at c-hit.org — reports that data collected by the state’s judicial department show that more than 700 arrests were […]
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STOCK Act clears Lieberman’s committee
We’ll see if it gets anywhere, but the Senate’s Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee voted 7-2 today for the STOCK Act, the bill barring members of Congress from trading on inside information. It is a measure suddenly popular after a “60 Minutes” expose. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, the chairman of the panel, said the […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
State’s face is red (not green)
When the U.S. Green Building Council — the folks who brought us the LEED certification system for buildings — released its inaugural list of “Best of Green Schools” Connecticut with its fuel-cell and solar-powered schools was notable by its absence. What’s worse, who’s the sponsor for the USGBC’s Center for Green Schools, which oversaw the awards and other […]
Posted inEducation
Early education participation in CT among the highest in the country
Connecticut has more of 3- and 4-year olds attending preschool than every state except New Jersey, according to the College Board’s annual progress report. While the state also ranks near the top in the percent of black and hispanic students having an early education, many more caucasian students have an early education. Almost 10 percent […]
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Progressive tax advocates say Connecticut should follow New York’s example
A progressive tax coalition offered a polite I-told-you-so to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the legislature after New York officials agreed last week to keep their top income tax rate nearly one-third higher than Connecticut’s. Better Choices for Connecticut, a coalition of labor and other progressive advocacy groups, also challenged officials to launch a panel […]
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Milford nursing home locks out unionized workers
The operator of a Milford nursing home locked out its 78 unionized employees Tuesday following what it said was a failure of the union to accept a final contract offer or make “significant and meaningful counterproposals.” HealthBridge Management said that trained and qualified nursing assistants and other service and maintenance workers are replacing the unionized […]
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Parents of those at Southbury Training School defend costs
A group of family members with disabled relatives living at the state-run Southbury Training School are refuting a legislative report released earlier this year that found it cost up to 2.5 times more than contracting with private group homes. In a letter to legislative leaders, the Southbury Training School and Home Association said the finding […]
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Recession expands Connecticut’s pockets of poverty
Though Connecticut’s overall economic health remains higher than that of most states, the last recession dramatically expanded the income gap that sparked the Occupy movement, both in Hartford and nationally, according to a new report from the University of Connecticut. University economists, who released the latest issue Monday of their quarterly economic journal, also warned […]
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UConn wants to raise tuition and fees by 5.8 percent next year
Saying they are having a hard time offering the necessary courses students need to graduate on time, University of Connecticut officials are considering a 5.8 percent increase in tuition and fees for in-state students next year. UConn President Susan Herbst: ‘We’ve got to boost the number of faculty.’ “I’ve had students crying in my office. […]