Gov. Dannel P. Malloy had no explanation today for why commissioners held over from the administration of his predecessor received longevity payments — the retention bonuses received by many state employees, including those who were work for the General Assembly. “Actually, I will look into it,” Malloy said after a speech to the chamber of […]

One prominent doctor called it the greatest risk to health. Another called it a threat to national security. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called it a scandal. The topic at a town hall meeting in Hartford Tuesday wasn’t cancer, radiation or any other medical concern that frequently makes headlines. It was health disparities, the well–documented but […]

The legislature’s Republican minority offered a no-tax alternative to Gov. Dannel Malloy’s budget today in which the goodies are obvious and served in big portions, but most of the bitter medicine comes in smaller doses spread throughout their spending plan. The GOP says its plan would eliminate the state’s projected $3.2 billion deficit without a […]

WASHINGTON–The Supreme Court waded into the political and environmental thicket of global warming Tuesday, in a case that will determine whether Connecticut and other states can force power plants to reduce their heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. The line of questioning from the justices did not point to any easy conclusions about how they might rule […]

Even for a small state, where politicians understand that yesterday’s opponent might be tomorrow’s ally, this one is a bit of a head-scratcher: Rob Simmons is volunteering to help U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal reach out to Vietnam veterans. Simmons, a Republican former congressman and Vietnam veteran who ran for the U.S. Senate last year, says […]

With his 50th birthday coming up fast (Aug. 4, according to his Hawaiian birth certificate) President Barack Obama has taken to musing on middle age, Amie Parnes reports at Politico. “We’ve been governing for 2½ years,” Obama told supporters on a conference call this month. “I don’t look that young anymore. I’m grayer, I have […]

University of Connecticut Provost Peter J. Nicholls has announced an immediate hiring freeze of all non-teaching staff to help cut a $46 million deficit facing the university. “I have informed the deans that searches for non-teaching staff will be placed on hold until such time as we have a chance to discuss their plans,” he […]

Connecticut education officials have given the state’s for-profit colleges a vote of confidence, but leaders elsewhere have questions, David Harrison reports at Stateline.org. Last year the federal Education Department began drafting new regulations to govern for-profit higher education institutions following a report that found the the schools misled students about graduation and job placement rates […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is speeding toward a budget milestone as the legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee prepares to amend and approve his record $1.5 billion tax increase. Malloy: Proposed nuke tax will fail The administration and legislative leaders are negotiating final changes, which are expected to include the restoration of sales-tax exemptions sought […]

On a visit to a Vermont homeless shelter for veterans, Maj. L. Tammy Duckworth met a man who lived there with his wife and two young children. She asked if he was looking for a job. No, he told her. He was a member of the Vermont National Guard, and he was getting ready to […]

WASHINGTON–The smoldering debate over climate change will move from Congress to the Supreme Court on Tuesday, when the justices take up a high-profile Connecticut case to determine whether states have the power to curb polluting greenhouse gases. Democrat Richard Blumenthal brought the suit, along with a handful of other state attorneys general, in a 2004 […]

The last time Connecticut had something akin to an energy department, Jimmy Carter was president and the nation faced the aftereffects of the Arab oil embargo: crude oil had risen to $14.53 a barrel–$53.02 in today’s dollars–and the average price for a gallon of gasoline was 62 cents–$2.26 today. They would be a relief now […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy predicted today that the legislature will abandon a proposal to impose a $335 million tax on the generation of nuclear power at Millstone in Waterford. Appearing on WTNH’s “Ask the Governor,” Malloy brushed off a question about the impact the of the tax, saying he doubted it would ever reach his […]