Rep. Chris Murphy raised more than $900,000 for his U.S. Senate campaign in the 2nd fundraising quarter. A news release from his campaign this morning said he raised $925,000 in the 2nd Quarter, bringing his total so far this year to more $2 million. The campaign ended the 2nd quarter with more than $1.6 million […]
Murphy raises $925,000 in 2nd quarter
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Agency head: Malloy’s undermining watchdogs’ fiscal autonomy
The state’s watchdog agencies were promised fiscal autonomy when they were merged last month into the Office of Government Accountability, but one agency head is complaining that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy overstepped his authority by naming an acting director to cut OGA’s budget. Carol Carson, executive director of the division of state ethics within the […]
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Feeding the hungry press on a summer afternoon in D.C.
WASHINGTON — How do you comment on debt-and-budget negotiations that are being conducted in secret, with little to go on save rumors and leaked tidbits? And what if you are a ranking member of Congress who is out of the loop? That was Rep. John Larson’s challenge Thursday, when the Democratic Caucus chairman stepped into […]
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Delegation divided on trade deals
WASHINGTON — Sen. Joseph Lieberman says three trade deals pending in Congress could do more to create jobs than anything else lawmakers are debating right now. Sen. Richard Blumenthal says they could undermine workers’ rights, environmental protections, and America’s strained manufacturers. Those two divergent views help to explain why the three agreements with Colombia, Panama, […]
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Malloy’s cuts to watchdogs have nothing to do with deficit
Like other agency heads, State Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri is contemplating how to cut her office’s budget, and possibly its staff. It comes amid a surge in the office’s caseload, helping consumers with health insurance problems. But unlike most other agencies, the cuts to the Office of the Healthcare Advocate’s budget won’t save the state […]
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Solar industry applauds incentives, waits for details
NEW HAVEN — The four dozen members of Connecticut’s solar industry packed in a steamy corner room at Gateway Community College had come for answers about how the massive energy legislation passed this session would affect their industry. What they got were two thick wads of printouts and nearly 90 minutes of explanation from a […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Wilson-Foley challenges Connecticut Democrats over debt
Republican businesswoman Lisa Wilson-Foley made a move Thursday in her campaign for Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District. She said she will ask voters to sign an open letter addressed to Democrats U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Independent U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman asking them to adopt a “Balanced Budget Amendment” before voting […]
Posted inHealth
Report: Connecticut one of the least obese states, but still needs improvement
Connecticut is one of the nation’s least obese states, but that’s no reason to celebrate, according to a report released Thursday. “Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health, which along with the Robert Wood […]
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Calling Malloy a liar, Rowland provokes Occhiogrosso
When someone attacks your guy in politics, you can go one of two ways: ignore it or escalate. Roy Occhiogrosso, the governor’s senior adviser, chose the latter today as he responded to John Rowland calling his boss a “pathological liar.” “It’s a bit like Snooki calling someone cheap,” Occhiogrosso said. Rowland, a convicted felon who […]
Posted inHealth, Money
Medicare officials will fix error that could have cost CT hospitals $30 million
The federal Medicare and Medicaid agency has agreed to correct a $30 million mistake how it calculates payments to Connecticut hospitals. The Connecticut Hospital Association first caught the error, a provision in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ complex reimbursement rules. The CHA determined that the error would have cost one hospital in Rep. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics
Donovan raises $230,000 for 5th District contest
House Speaker Chris Donovan has raised more than $230,000 in the 2nd quarter for his bid to represent Connecticut’s 5th congressional district, his campaign said Thursday. Donovan announced his bid in mid-May, getting a later start than other contenders in the crowded contest to replace Rep. Chris Murphy. Murphy is running for the U.S. Senate. […]
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State authorizes takeover of Bridgeport schools
By a single vote, the State Board of Education on Wednesday gave Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch the “miracle” he says is needed to turn around the troubled schools in the state’s largest city: a takeover by the state of Connecticut. “The status quo in the Bridgeport Public School System is not OK,” Finch told the state […]
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Malloy edges toward renewed concession talks
NEW BRITAIN — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took a small step Wednesday toward renewed talks about concessions with unionized state employees when he said he likely would send an aide to inquire how labor leaders hope to revise their contract amendment ratification rules. But the governor also warned that without clear direction first from labor […]
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In debt crisis, doctors see an opportunity
WASHINGTON — With spending cuts central to the debate on the national debt, health interests are understandably nervous. Advocate for the poor worry about Medicaid. Hospitals already are airing commercials, pre-emptively defending against cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. But doctors’ groups, led by the American Medical Association, have a different outlook. They see the […]
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Wilson-Foley touts business in congressional run
Lisa Wilson-Foley aimed high in her first try for public office: Offering herself as an outsider with business acumen, she ran for lieutenant governor in 2010, narrowly losing in a Republican primary. Now she’s using the same niche to run for an open seat in the state’s 5th Congressional District. Wilson-Foley, an entrepreneur who started […]