It’s not just Gov. Dannel P. Malloy describing his budget as an exercise in “shared sacrifice.” In New York, those are the same words Gov. Andrew Cuomo is using to characterize his budget, but New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is saying that a budget deal reached Sunday may make Cuomo look good politically, but it […]
Malloy, Cuomo, Christie, Obama, etc., all share “shared sacrifice”
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Radiation tests negative on Connecticut water
Tests on rainwater in Connecticut have not replicated the elevated radiation levels detected last week in Massachusetts, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said today. “There have been a number of reports in the news about low levels of radiation found elsewhere in the country as a result of Japan’s earthquake and subsequent tsunami and its effect […]
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States balancing budgets by cutting tax credits for poor
As Connecticut considers establishing its first earned income tax credit for low-income working families, other states are going in the opposite direction, cutting or eliminating existing credits to help balance their budgets, Pamela M. Prah reports at Stateline.org. Currently, 23 states and the District of Columbia offer earned income tax credits based on a percentage […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A grown-up choice on teacher layoffs
Connecticut’s grown ups have an unprecedented opportunity this year to make decisions that will put our students’ needs first. Tightened budgets at the state and district levels have us all thinking: how can we be doing things better? Is there a way to approach these painful cuts that allows us to weigh potential reductions against […]
Posted inEducation
A grown-up choice on teacher layoffs
Connecticut’s grown ups have an unprecedented opportunity this year to make decisions that will put our students’ needs first. Tightened budgets at the state and district levels have us all thinking: how can we be doing things better? Is there a way to approach these painful cuts that allows us to weigh potential reductions against […]
Posted inNews
Bill to allow towns to cut school spending advances
A bill to allow cities and towns to cut school budgets when enrollment declines–opposed by educators but backed by municipal leaders and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy–won key approval from the legislature’s Education Committee Friday. Local governments are currently barred by state law from cutting the amount they spend on education, even in towns where enrollment […]
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Yale, St. Raphael open hospital merger talks, joining trend
Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael announced plans Friday to explore a merger that would produce one hospital with two campuses in New Haven. The news came just three days after St. Mary’s Hospital disclosed plans to form a joint venture making the Waterbury hospital part of a small national chain. Experts […]
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Malloy: No concessions would mean ‘nasty and ugly’ budget
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Friday he has begun work on an “ugly” alternative budget in case talks with state employees do no not yield significant savings in the next month. “I am preparing recommendations with respect to what that would look like,” Malloy said. “I hope we don’t have to go there. It would […]
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Malloy administration says no to school reformers’ funding plan
Hundreds of students, parents and school choice advocates journeyed to the state Capitol this week to back a proposal that would boost support of magnet, charter and other school alternatives, but Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s budget director says the administration doesn’t support the plan. The plan, referred to as “money follows the child,” would shift […]
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Hospitals working to keep patients from coming back
NEWINGTON–Gina Corraccio set up her laptop on Frank Silva’s kitchen table and began quizzing her patient. What had he cooked in the past week? Was he having trouble with routine activities, like making the bed? And why had he been gaining weight? Ever since Silva got out of the hospital in January, part of Corraccio’s […]
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Mandatory paid sick leave a bad idea for Connecticut’s restaurants
The restaurant industry in Connecticut has not been immune to the economic crisis that has faced our state; we have seen some very challenging days. People were saving wherever they could, and that meant spending less on eating out, which created a tough climate for our restaurants. But most have survived and are looking forward […]
Posted inHealth
Mandatory paid sick leave a bad idea for Connecticut’s restaurants
The restaurant industry in Connecticut has not been immune to the economic crisis that has faced our state; we have seen some very challenging days. People were saving wherever they could, and that meant spending less on eating out, which created a tough climate for our restaurants. But most have survived and are looking forward […]
Posted inNews
So much for tradition: CCM praises aid levels
They used to be known as the Caucus of Crying Mayors, so reliably did the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities show up at the State Capitol to bemoan inadequate state aid or unfunded mandates. Not this year. In the midst of a national budget meltdown that has prompted other governors to slash local aid, CCM on […]
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Pentagon orders halt to work on Pratt engine rival
WASHINGTON–The Department of Defense today issued a stop-work order on production of the Joint Strike Fighter’s alternate engine, knocking out the rival to Connecticut-based Pratt & Whitney, which makes the military fighter plane’s main engine. But even as Connecticut lawmakers applauded the Pentagon’s move, GE and Rolls Royce, which are developing the alternate engine, vowed […]
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Legislators consider raising dropout age again
One year after raising the dropout age to 17–and before that change even takes effect–legislators are considering another change to require that students stay in school until they graduate or turn 18. “We can’t have the dropout rate as high as it is,” said Tom Murphy, spokesman for the State Department of Education. “Something has […]