They’re big (5,200 pounds), bright (yellow or orange-striped) and, in the coming weeks, will be navigating the streets of Connecticut. The new wheelchair-accessible cabs that are expected to soon be on the roads in the Hartford and New Haven areas will dramatically increase the on-demand transportation options for people who use wheelchairs. Metro Taxi President […]
Wheelchair-accessible cabs to be deployed, but advocates still fighting
Posted inNews
Redistricting creates two open House districts
The state House redistricting map is out. Some obvious winners and losers are in Hartford, Windsor and Milford. The map creates two open seats: One that straddles the Hartford-Windsor line; the other is in Milford. One reasonable interpretation: Rep. Marie Kirkley-Bey, D-Hartford, whose district now shifts sharply toward Windsor, is about to retire. The same […]
Posted inHealth
Griffin Hospital requires flu shots for workers, reports full compliance
All Griffin Hospital employees have complied with a new policy requiring them to get flu shots, the Derby Hospital announced Wednesday. Between Sept. 27 and Nov. 1, 1,275 full and part-time employees got the flu vaccine, which was provided free. Volunteers, students and physicians were also required to get vaccinated. The hospital allowed exemptions for […]
Posted inHealth
Northeast contains highest percentage of elderly in the U.S.
The Northeast represents the region with the highest percentage of its population aged 65 and older at 14.1 percent, according to new 2010 U.S. Census data released Wednesday. Connecticut also makes the top five states possessing the largest percent of the total population aged 85 and older. The Northeast’s elderly population is the highest percentage […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Advocates ask HHS to intervene in exchange board composition
A small business owner and critic of the state’s health insurance exchange board has asked a top federal health official to intervene and urge Connecticut leaders to change the board’s composition.
Posted inMoney
We lose boasting rights in this (green) category
Thanks to Talking Points Memo’s IdeaLab for pointing us to NPR.org, which has done a cool map tracking how various parts of the country rate in terms of buying hybrid and electric vehicles http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/where-do-hybrid-electric-cars-sell-best.php. The San Francisco area (wow, who would have imagined?) that beats out all others in this category: 8.4 percent of […]
Posted inMoney
We lose boasting rights in this (green) category
Thanks to Talking Points Memo’s IdeaLab for pointing us to NPR.org, which has done a cool map tracking how various parts of the country rate in terms of buying hybrid and electric vehicles http://idealab.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/where-do-hybrid-electric-cars-sell-best.php. The San Francisco area (wow, who would have imagined?) that beats out all others in this category: 8.4 percent of […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Thinking About Job Creation? Look Close to Home
We are delighted that the Connecticut legislature and Governor Malloy have approved a $1.1 billion jobs bill that will foster economic growth and job creation. We are especially pleased that the jobs bill focuses on small businesses, and includes money for loans and tax credits for new hires and job training. While for many, however, […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Thinking About Job Creation? Look Close to Home
We are delighted that the Connecticut legislature and Governor Malloy have approved a $1.1 billion jobs bill that will foster economic growth and job creation. We are especially pleased that the jobs bill focuses on small businesses, and includes money for loans and tax credits for new hires and job training. While for many, however, […]
Posted inNews
Budget chief calls for legislature to tackle cash-starved pension system
Now that state legislators have closed the largest budget deficit in Connecticut history, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration has a new challenge: Fix a state employee pension system on a collision course with fiscal collapse in about two decades. Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes, Malloy’s budget chief, presented the challenge Tuesday to […]
Posted inNews
Fiscal analysts leave large question mark over small budget surplus
Three months after the largest state budget deficit in Connecticut history was resolved, the budget remains modestly in the black — for now. But budget analysts both for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly put a big asterisk next to surplus figures Tuesday, warning that could change quickly — for better or for […]
Posted inNews
NU creates a $30 million fund for customers hit hardest by storm
Northeast Utilities today announced $30 million in rebates for the 230,000 customers left in the dark for at least a week after the Oct. 29 snowstorm, triple the original offer made three weeks ago to cope with the public-relations disaster. At the suggestion of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the rebate program will be overseen by […]
Posted inNews
Teacher training a key to school reform, commissioner says
NEW BRITAIN – It is one of the state’s largest suppliers of new schoolteachers, but after Central Connecticut State University sends its graduates into the classroom, it knows little about how they perform. That was among the issues raised Monday as state Education Commissioner Stefan Pryor met CCSU faculty and administrators to zero in on […]
Posted inNews
Redistricting: House reaches deal, while Senate talks continue
Negotiators for Democrats and Republicans have agreed on a new legislative map for the 151 state House districts, while their state Senate counterparts worked late Monday night in hopes of beating a constitutional deadline of Wednesday. A bigger challenge appears to be new congressional districts. While these need relatively minor modifications to balance their populations […]
Posted inNews
Cyber Monday shoppers might still owe sales taxes
Connecticut consumers recovering from what has become the single-largest online shopping day of the year — informally called Cyber Monday — might want to take a second look at their receipts. Because regardless of a new statute designed to force online retailers to collect and remit sales taxes, many still don’t do it for different […]