WASHINGTON–Members of Connecticut’s congressional delegation voiced deeply divergent views about the U.S. military role in Libya, as a fierce campaign against Col. Muammar el-Quaddafi’s forces continued to unfold. Some Democrats raised sharp questions about the scope of U.S. involvement in the military effort, as well as concerns about the White House’s lack of consultation with […]

CROMWELL–The University of Connecticut’s new president said Monday that while she plans to work closely with the state’s other colleges and universities, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was right to exempt UConn from his sweeping higher education reorganization plan. “Why would you fix something that’s not broken?” incoming president Susan Herbst asked. “All the indicators show […]

WASHINGTON–Social Security reform is suddenly all the rage on Capitol Hill. But lawmakers couldn’t be discussing the politically-volatile issue in more starkly different terms. “The Social Security system is scheduled to run out of money, and that would lead to enormous cuts” in benefits, warned Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut independent. “So the sooner we […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy listened to supporters and opponents of the Hartford to New Britain Busway for about three hours Monday in a private meeting at the State Capitol. A month ago, the governor promised both sides a face to face show down before he pushes the federal government to go ahead or stall the […]

It seems that you can’t take the attorney general out of Richard Blumenthal. On Monday, the freshman Democratic senator jumped on news that AT&T would purchase T-Mobile, creating the largest company in the wireless carrier market and raising significant anti-trust concerns. Blumenthal, who served as Connecticut’s AG for two decades before winning election to the […]

Newsweek recently asked 1,000 Americans to take the nation’s official citizenship test, and the results weren’t pretty: Twenty-nine percent couldn’t name the vice president; 73 percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War; 44 percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a […]

It’s been widely reported that digital technology has become indispensable to the popular uprisings in the Mideast, but it isn’t just a matter of heading down to the Verizon store for a new I-phone. As regimes under attack try to shut down the Internet or block cellphone services, The Economist reports, tech-savvy revolutionaries have turned […]

The swearing-in of Daniel C. Esty as the new commissioner of environmental protection blossomed Friday into a celebration for Esty and a milestone for an agency that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to quickly embrace a broader new mission. Conservation officers in red dress tunics and flat-brimmed Stetsons snapped to attention as Malloy and Esty […]

Two prospective buyers expressed interested in one or more of the four nursing homes in state receivership Friday, but a Superior Court judge declined to reschedule an upcoming hearing on a motion to close the homes. Court-appointed receiver Phyllis A. Belmonte recommended closing the homes after determining that they cannot generate enough income to cover […]

As state lawmakers move towards reducing administrative costs at Connecticut State University System following a barrage of criticism, administrators at CSUS are pointing to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Education to prove they are not top-heavy. In a report issued Friday, Acting Chancellor Louise H. Feroe says the federal figures show CSUS has […]

NEW BRITAIN–Sometime this spring, teachers in this cash-strapped school system will begin negotiating their next labor contract, and, once again, they will face an unpleasant choice: Give up pay raises or give up jobs. Here and in other beleaguered school systems across the state, many teachers and other union employees are foregoing raises and making […]

Rep. John Larson urged President Barack Obama to consult with Congress before taking any military action in Libya. The 1st District Democrat, a strong and early opponent of the Iraq war, said that while he applauded Obama for working with the international community to respond to the government crackdown in Libya, U.S. forces shouldn’t get […]

With Congress set to take a one-week recess, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3rd District, joined the House Democratic Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi on a trip to Italy. Pelosi was invited by the President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, “to mark the 150th anniversary of Italian unification,” according a release from the California Democrat’s […]