It wasn’t until Friday that Susan Herbst was formally inaugurated as the University of Connecticut’s 15th president, but long before the ceremony celebrating her arrival she was engaged in the challenges facing the school. Since being sworn in three months ago, Herbst has made several major decisions for the university, including finding new leadership for […]

Ninety-six percent of the employees covered by the state health care plan have enrolled in a new wellness plan that was the subject of controversy surrounding a union concession package earlier this year. State Comptroller Kevin Lembo announced Friday that more than 50,000 state employees enrolled in the Health Enhancement Program, which begins Oct. 1. […]

Republican Linda McMahon is much better known than her three main rivals in next year’s U.S. Senate race, but most of those who know enough to form an opinion say it’s a negative one, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. And while McMahon is widely favored over former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays among […]

WASHINGTON–Proponents of President Barack Obama’s $25 billion school construction plan have billed it as a doubly-good deal: American school kids would get spiffier schools and construction workers would get much-needed jobs. “Basic infrastructure is critically important to our economics and to our kids’ future,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a 3rd District Democrat who began drafting […]

As local budget problems mounted in recent years, New Britain’s public schools relied heavily on federal funds not only to salvage teaching jobs but to develop an array of acclaimed career and technical programs. But like many other towns and cities, New Britain now is bracing for sharp reductions in federal support. Across the state, […]

The Connecticut Citizen Action Group has endorsed challenger Mary-Jane Foster in the Bridgeport mayoral race, potentially giving Foster some organizing muscle in the last two weeks of a campaign now in overtime, thanks to a court decision. Few endorsements are game-changers, but a nod from CCAG usually brings expertise and volunteers. The statewide grass-roots group […]

While social media such as Facebook and Twitter have been blamed for contributing to teen ills from narcissism to cyberbullying, a new study by the Knight Foundation says they also raise students’ appreciation for the First Amendment and its guarantee of free speech rights. As the use of social media has expanded, the percentage of […]

The new state panel charged with ensuring fairness in Connecticut’s education financing system hit its first quandary Thursday: How do you fix the program when decades of political compromises and nearly $3.8 billion in under-funding have left virtually all communities–rich and poor alike–feeling short-changed? In its first detailed briefing on state education financing, the Education […]

MASHANTUCKET–In the midst of a jobs tour calculated to convince business he is their ally and advocate, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy stressed his common cause with labor today at the annual convention of the Connecticut AFL-CIO. Malloy, the first Democratic governor in 20 years, acknowledged obvious tensions with labor since he exacted a labor-savings agreement […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s energetic performance during Tropical Storm Irene got great reviews, but it did not lift his anemic approval rating, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Seventy-nine percent of voters approved how Malloy oversaw the state’s response to a storm that knocked out power to more than half the state, and […]

WATERBURY–James H. Gatling took no pleasure in describing his corporation, New Opportunities Inc., with a workforce of 550, as one of the region’s largest employers. New Opportunities is a non-profit provider of social services, and Gatling told two visiting legislative leaders Wednesday that its status as a major employer is all they need to know […]