Connecticut needs to make significant changes in a wide range of areas–including education, transportation, export strategy, regulatory systems and its very business base–if it hopes to break a growing cycle of jobless recoveries, a panel of economic experts said Thursday. “You have every reason to expect success,” Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter told […]
Experts say major change needed to restore job growth
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Malloy opens economic summit, saying the state ‘gets it’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy opened an economic summit in Hartford today by promising a standing-room audience of business executives, union leaders, educators and public officials that Connecticut is poised to reinvent itself and its business climate. After months of touring companies and pitching his administration as business friendly, the first Democratic governor in 20 years […]
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Esty faulted by Malloy on communications, not ethics
On the question of whether his old consulting business poses a conflict with his new public role as a state commissioner, Daniel C. Esty has the governor and the state ethics code on his side. But will it be enough? To function as the state’s first commissioner of energy and environmental protection, Esty acknowledged Wednesday […]
Posted inMoney
Senate GOP urges Malloy to stop longevity bonuses for non-union employees
Minority Republicans in the state Senate urged Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday to rescind planned October longevity payments and to work to stop the practice going forward. “We urge you to act to restore the trust that is critical to your effectiveness as a leader of our state,” Senate Republicans, who hold 14 out […]
Posted inMoney
Senate GOP urges Malloy to cancel October longevity bonuses for non-union employees
Minority Republicans in the state Senate urged Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Thursday to rescind planned October longevity payments and to work to stop the practice going forward. “We urge you to act to restore the trust that is critical to your effectiveness as a leader of our state,” Senate Republicans, who hold 14 out […]
Posted inHealth
Healthy People: Nation’s health improved, but disparities persist
Smoking rates decreased, cancer deaths fell and fatal cases of coronary heart disease dropped in the U.S. during the first decade of the 21st century. But racial and ethnic disparities in health persisted, and across the board, obesity grew dramatically, federal and state officials said Thursday during a webinar to review Healthy People 2010, a […]
Posted inEducation
ConnCAN names new leader
Patrick Riccards has been tapped to lead ConnCAN, one of the state’s top education reform groups. Riccards takes over the reins from Alex Johnston as the state heads into a legislative session in February that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has promised to focus on education. Riccards has worked for the American Institutes for Research, International […]
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Yale researchers analyze 300,000 free throws, say “hot hand” effect is real
The existence of “hot” streaks among athletes–periods of consistent high performance–has been a matter of contention among scientists, some of whom have found that the idea is likely a myth. But after analyzing thousands of free throws taken by National Basketball Association players, Yale School of Medicine researchers say there’s evidence that the “hot hand” […]
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Things may get worse for ‘worst’ hospitals, study warns
Rating the best hospitals has become commonplace, with U.S. News, research firms and various Internet sites routinely issuing detailed rankings. Now some health researchers have come up with a way to evaluate which hospitals are the worst. In a new paper for Health Affairs, Ashish Jha, John Orav and Arnold Epstein classified 3,229 hospitals by quality, using […]
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Report notes large racial disparities in school discipline
A new report says minority students are subject to disciplinary action in school at rates far higher than than than their white counterparts, at a high cost to themselves and their families. The report, written by Daniel J. Losen of The Civil Rights Project at UCLA and published by the National Education Policy Center at […]
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Tables turned, Breyer and Scalia quizzed as witnesses
WASHINGTON — It’s not every day a senator gets to quiz Supreme Court justices. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked about the corrosive effects of partisanship on judicial confirmations. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut pushed for the high court’s oral arguments to be televised. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois asked about tougher judicial ethics rules. The […]
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Administration tells towns that job-growth projects come first
A quartet of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s top staffers offered municipal leaders simple advice Wednesday for obtaining state aid in this economy: Projects that employ people, or stand to create new jobs are good. Those ready to begin right away are better. Commissioners Daniel Esty, James P. Redeker and Catherine Smith, along with Office of […]
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A ‘change agent’ seeks consensus on school reform
When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy tabbed Stefan Pryor, a charter school founder, as the state’s next education commissioner, the appointment raised eyebrows among some in public education circles. Would Pryor, whose career has been shaped both inside and outside the education arena, be able to win over a public school establishment that viewed some charter […]
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State spells out its bid for Race to Top money
With two weeks to spare, state education officials today said they have finalized what will be included in Connecticut’s latest bid for federal Race to the Top funds: They propose to create a new office for early childhood education and better assess entering kindergarten students and the quality of preschool programs. Stefan Pryor, the state’s […]
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Malloy promises to maintain state aid next year
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had good news today for what might be his most loyal constituency, telling municipal officials that he is confident of protecting local aid no matter what fiscal challenges confront him in the next fiscal year. “It is our full expectation that we will honor our commitments already made to you, no […]