Eight groups have signed a letter asking the Office of State Ethics to look into what they say are possible conflicts of interest among members of the board that oversees the state’s health insurance exchange. The request, written on the letterhead of Citizens for Economic Opportunity, points to board members Mickey Herbert, Robert Scalletar and […]
Critics seek ethics inquiry into exchange board
Posted inPolitics
Can Democrats make the Occupy movement their Tea Party?
Hoping that the movement can become their Tea Party, Democrats are lining up to identify with Occupy Wall Street. But like Republicans in the early days of the Tea Party, they are not quite sure how to harness the anger and energy on display in New York and smaller encampments around the country. U.S. Rep. […]
Posted inNews
Business owners challenge teeth whitening restrictions
Until recently, you could find Stephen Barraco’s Smile Bright teeth whitening products in hair and nail salons, selling for a fraction of what you might pay in a dentist’s office. But now, Barraco’s Branford-based business is limited to the Internet, and he’s laid off his five employees –the result, he says, of a declaratory ruling […]
Posted inNews
DOD flies Malloy to Kuwait
Surprise, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is in Kuwait. With no public announcement, Malloy flew Monday to Washington at the invitation of Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, then left that evening for the Persian Gulf state to visit U.S. troops with Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a fellow Democrat. Asked about the governor’s whereabouts on Monday, his […]
Posted inNews
Town leaders rip storm response, while utilities talk options to beef up electric system
While Connecticut’s municipal leaders blasted the state’s largest electric utility Tuesday for responding sluggishly to record-setting power outages after the Oct. 29 nor’easter, Connecticut Light & Power Co. officials outlined several options to a state study panel to better safeguard the electric infrastructure. “Where were these people?” Roxbury First Selectwoman Barbara Henry told Gov. Dannel […]
Posted inNews
Time is running short on redistricting negotiations
The sessions are private, not listed on any public schedule. But the eight legislators responsible for drawing new congressional and state legislative district maps are meeting nearly daily, racing to meet a Nov. 30 deadline. “If we don’t, it’s not for lack of trying, I’ll tell you that,” said House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero […]
Posted inNews
More legislators earn failing grades on environment
According to the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, the state’s legislators are slipping as environmental watchdogs. But curiously absent among the 12 votes the CTLCV used to make that assessment is the huge energy bill that created the new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and set in motion dozens of programs designed to revamp […]
Posted inNews
Teachers say they should write their own professional standards
No one can evaluate a teacher’s performance in the classroom quite like another teacher, educators, union members and administrators testified at a public hearing Monday night. The Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, wants state legislators to remove the State Department of Education’s (SDE) authority to set professional standards for teachers. Rather, CEA […]
Posted inNews
UConn heads for funding cliff for research
Researchers at the University of Connecticut have recently learned how to create grass that is immune from many weather conditions. UConn scientists are also determined to show that feeding chickens cinnamon and oregano helps curb the persistence of salmonella. What they haven’t found is an increase in research dollars, as funding for research is on the decline […]
Posted inUncategorized
PCSW: Malloy fails to deliver on pledge to fill half his senior jobs with women
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has named women to 34.4 percent of high-level posts in his administration, falling short of a campaign pledge to fill half the top jobs with women, according to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. The numbers are similar to the administration of his predecessor, Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who […]
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Lawmakers’ environmental scorecard drops
According to the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, the state’s legislators are slipping as environmental watchdogs. But curiously absent among the 12 votes the CTLCV used to make that assessment – the huge energy bill that created the new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and set in motion dozens of programs designed to revamp […]
Posted inPolitics
Bernier invitation declares him the GOP frontrunner in 5th CD
In an invitation to a Washington fundraiser sent by a veterans’ political group, Justin Bernier is proclaimed to the be the frontrunner for the Republican nomination in the crowded 5th Congressional District. “Justin Bernier is the frontrunner for the ‘open seat’ in CD5 — Connecticut’s most Republican district. Bernier has outraised all GOP competitors in […]
Posted inHealth
See who wants what from the super committee
With the Congressional super committee’s much-awaited recommendations for trimming the federal deficit due next week, Kaiser Health News has compiled a guide to what health care interest groups are asking for and what they’re telling committee members. Read it here.
Posted inNews
Blumenthal discusses ‘Pathways Back to Work’ bill
NEW HAVEN — U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal Monday announced his Pathways Back to Work Act — one that seeks to address unemployment by borrowing pieces of President Obama’s larger jobs bill. “The major task ahead is making sure that we fill jobs that exist and create new ones so we can put Connecticut back to […]
Posted inNews
New commissioner looks for schools that are succeeding
MERIDEN – When unionized teachers in Meriden’s public schools needed more time to examine student test data, they voluntarily added extra classroom time to their schedules to make room for regular weekly data review meetings. That simple solution, the result of informal talks between the union president and school superintendent, was cited Monday by the […]