In an unusual footnote to the controversial merger of three state higher education institutions, Community College Chancellor Marc Herzog apparently retired as of May 31, notified his Board of Trustees on June 3 and–it was disclosed Monday–was rehired on a temporary basis effective June 1 for $14,500 a month on top of his $14,000 monthly […]
Community college chancellor retired and rehired with no notice
Hopes for a retirement incentive could sway concession vote
As state employees weigh the concession deal now being voted on by unions, one major factor is what workers rely on in assessing the prospects for an early retirement incentive offer: the insistence of a new governor that such an offer won’t be forthcoming, or the actions of four previous governors who have turned to […]
Concession deal likely to live or die with AFSCME
The fate of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s tentative concessions deal with unionized state employees likely rests with AFSCME Council 4, the largest, most diverse and most divided of the 15 state employee unions, whose members will not cast their last votes until Thursday. AFSCME is the only union in SEBAC, the State Employees Bargaining Agent […]
A Hamden doctor explores the changing medical landscape on his own
Through his Hamden internal medicine practice, Dr. Edward Rippel has become something of a pioneer. He takes his notes in a tablet computer and closely monitors patients with chronic conditions. Those who are overdue for a test get a reminder, part of an effort to more carefully manage patients’ health. Rippel isn’t the first doctor […]
Will your electric meter start spying on you?
We’re all aware of privacy concerns involving things like electronic medical records, social media networks and on-line financial transactions–but what about your electric bill? Or more specifically, your electricity usage, as tracked by the “smart grid” technology envisioned in the Obama Administration’s new “Policy Framework for the 21st-Century Grid.” That question got some attention at […]
Social enterprise: A new model for business innovation
We have been hearing about the need for business innovation from leaders in all sectors, from President Obama in his State of the Union speech to Commissioner Daniel Esty of Connecticut’s new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, who spoke before the Hartford Metro Alliance Partners’ Economic Development Council on the first of this […]
Social enterprise: A new model for business innovation
We have been hearing about the need for business innovation from leaders in all sectors, from President Obama in his State of the Union speech to Commissioner Daniel Esty of Connecticut’s new Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency, who spoke before the Hartford Metro Alliance Partners’ Economic Development Council on the first of this […]
Three state employee unions ratify concessions deal; 12 still to report
The drive by state employee union leaders to win ratification of a tentative concessions agreement ended the week with a flurry of votes in favor of the deal by major clerical, higher-education and health-care bargaining units. By Friday night, three of the 15 unions in the State Employees Bargain Agent Coalition had ratified the deal […]
DeJesús
Jeannette DeJesús, now special advisor to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on healthcare reform, was a founding member of the Board of Directors of The Connecticut News Project, publisher of The Connecticut Mirror. DeJesús, who has a degree in social work from New York University and a degree in public administration from Harvard, previously worked as […]
Hohler
Robert Hohler, executive director of the Melville Charitable Trust and a founding member of the Board of The Connecticut News Project, publisher of The Mirror, died on June 2, 2011 while hiking with his family in England. He was a civil rights activist who marched on Selma, Ala., with Martin Luther King, then helped produce […]
Unemployment stuck at 9.1% as Malloy touts job growth
ENFIELD–On a day when new data showed the state’s monthly unemployment rate unchanged at 9.1 percent, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy dropped by a Comcast call center that is adding 100 customer service jobs, bringing its state workforce to 1,600. Malloy applauded the cable-television company’s investment in a state-of-the-art call center in Enfield, saying he hoped […]
Task force to study how $2.9 billion in local aid is distributed
Connecticut’s cities and towns were spared major funding cuts in this year’s state budget–as long as state employees accept a concession deal–but they face the potential of a more fundamental upheaval: an overall assessment of how nearly $2.9 billion in aid is distributed among the 169 municipalities. Legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy agreed just […]
DSS trying to keep 1-year-olds from mistakenly losing health coverage
The state Department of Social Services is revising and shortening the notices sent to families of infants in an effort to keep thousands of children from mistakenly losing Medicaid coverage after their first birthday. The department is also trying to ensure that workers are alerted when babies are at risk of losing coverage, DSS officials […]
Cathy Malloy aims to raise awareness about sexual assault
NEW BRITAIN–Cathy Malloy, Connecticut’s new first lady, spent more than a decade running a rape crisis center, but often, acquaintances get the details wrong. “People introduce me all the time: ‘Here’s Cathy Malloy, the executive director of a domestic violence crisis center,’” she said. “You feel very odd having to say, ‘No, no, it’s sexual […]
State eliminating medical assistance program, 2 years after it was cut
Nearly 4,900 residents will lose their public health care coverage next month when the state eliminates a medical assistance program that lawmakers axed in 2009. The program was later reinstatated under a court order. The State Medical Assistance for Noncitizens program covers legal noncitizens who meet the criteria for Medicaid but have not been in […]

