Cancer often takes a heavy toll not only on people’s bodies but on their finances as well. And just as some types of cancer are more deadly than others, some types cause more financial pain, as recent research from Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows. When researchers examined bankruptcy rates in Washington state and compared them […]
The five cancers most likely to push you over the financial edge
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Navigating potential conflicts, a first lady finds a new job
One spouse lands his dream CEO job, but it’s 79 miles away. Faced with a horrible commute or living apart, the other spouse, also a senior executive, eventually finds a comparable job in the new city. It’s a familiar story in the age of two-career couples. But when the first spouse is Gov. Dannel P. […]
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DEEP’s first energy efficiency program ready to roll
After a balky start, due in no small part to the budget uncertainties in the first half of the year, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is on the verge of launching its first major energy efficiency initiative. Called Lead By Example–a name not uncommon around the nation for energy conservation programs–Connecticut’s is designed […]
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A new union leader assumes an influential role
To understand the power Mary Loftus Levine enjoys as the new leader of the state’s largest teachers union, one has to look no further than Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s remarks to a room full of school superintendents at their annual back-to-school pep talk. On what is one of the top issues for many superintendents — […]
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First Lady Malloy named head of Hartford-area non-profit
Connecticut’s first lady Cathy Malloy has been named the new leader of the Greater Hartford Arts Council, a non-profit organization a few blocks away from the State Capitol that helps organize Taste of Hartford, sends children to art camp during the summer and helped the beatification of Pope Park. Malloy stepped down from running a […]
Posted inHealth
Quinnipiac picks St. Vincent’s as primary partner for new medical school
Quinnipiac University has selected St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport to be the principal clinical partner of its new medical school, which is scheduled to begin classes in 2013. Under a five-year agreement between the two institutions, St. Vincent’s medical staff will take part in designing the medical school’s clinical curriculum and academic policies and […]
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Still looking for a candidate? There are hundreds to chose from–and counting
The field of actual and potential top-tier Republican presidential candidates may be thinning, but the number of hopefuls you never heard of keeps growing at the rate of nearly one a day, Eric Ostermeier reports at Smart Politics. As of Friday, 239 Americans had submitted statements of candidacy with the Federal Elections Commission. Since mid-August, […]
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Agencies predict a larger demand for smaller heating aid fund
While state officials have tentatively planned to compensate for cuts in federal winter heating assistance by scaling back aid levels to qualifying residents, nonprofit agencies warned Friday that the reduced funding will have to be spread even further, to some 20,000 more households than last year. The 12 nonprofit agencies that process applications for aid […]
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Are the stars aligning over Coltsville?
WASHINGTON–At first blush, the efforts by Connecticut’s congressional delegation to get the Coltsville Historic District designated as a national park look as quixotic as ever. As in past years, they’ve introduced the proposal in Congress, but it’s on a slow legislative track, with numerous obstacles in its path. But supporters say the political stars may […]
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Clinic provides ongoing care for childhood cancer survivors
Every June, Melissa Pandolfi heads to New Haven for what she calls “a physical, times 12.” She gets blood work, an electrocardiogram, bone scan, bone density scan, and chest X-ray, along with a document detailing her health risks and treatment history. “I look forward to going back, as much as I hate being pricked with […]
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Watchdog says environmental rules aren’t discouraging business
While there is growing sentiment at the Capitol that excessive regulations are slowing job growth here, there’s no evidence that Connecticut’s rules governing environmental protection are one of the culprits, according to the state’s chief environmental watchdog. But Karl Wagener, executive director of the state Council on Environmental Quality for the last 26 years, did […]
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Analysis: Forty percent of Medicare spending on common cancer screenings unnecessary
Forty percent of the money Medicare paid for breast, colon, prostate and cervical cancer screenings during a recent six-year period involved patients considered too old to receive them by an independent government task force, report Rochelle Sharpe and Elizabeth Lucas of the Center for Public Integrity’s iWatch News. That amounted to about $1.9 billion between […]
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Government employment down–but not everywhere
Times are tough for state and local governments, and their overall employment level is down nearly half a million in the last three years, according to Stateline.org. But government employment actually has increased in some states. At opposite ends of the spectrum are Wyoming, where the government workforce grew by 11.3 percent, and Nevada, which […]
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Advisory panel says essential health benefits package must be affordable
The government moved a step closer Friday toward defining what “essential benefits” would be offered by companies selling coverage to millions of Americans in new insurance exchanges. In a 297-page report, the Institute of Medicine, a federal advisory panel, laid out criteria and methods the Department of Health and Human Services should use in developing […]
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DCF makes modest gain in number of foster homes
The state Department of Children and Families has reversed a year-long decline in the number of foster homes available for abused and neglected children in its custody, the latest report by a federal court monitor says, but the increase has been slight, and leaves the agency well short of the court-mandated goal. The quarterly progress […]