Dozens of minors under age 18 have been found to be involved in sex trafficking in recent years, officials and advocates say, and their first contact with authority often is the police. A proposed law would for the first time require that the state Department of Children and Families be notified of such cases. “Law […]

STORRS–Think of biofuel, and what comes to mind is vast acres of Midwest corn for ethanol, or a hobbyist fueling his tractor with old French fry fat. But in a lab at the University of Connecticut, researchers are looking into commercial-scale biofuel manufacturing using cooking oil, switchgrass and–perhaps most intriguing–algae. The UConn team has received […]

When Florida’s governor rejected $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds earlier this month, Connecticut politicians made an aggressive pitch to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for a slice of it. But they’re going to have to do more than ask. The federal Department of Transportation announced Friday a new competitive bidding process for the $2.4 billion. […]

(State Rep. Vincent J. Candelora is a Republican representing East Haven, North Branford and Wallingford. He is the deputy House minority leader) I believe this budget session is going to be less about party politics and more about courage.  Namely, which legislators will have the courage to stand up to the Governor’s budget proposal and […]

Daniel C. Esty, the governor’s nominee to oversee environmental and energy policy in Connecticut, weathered extensive questioning by Republicans at a confirmation hearing Thursday about his support for federal cap-and-trade legislation. After 2½ hours, legislators learned two things: Esty does not intend to push a carbon tax in Connecticut; and the noted author and Yale […]

An estimated $4.5 million in potential savings and lingering concerns over management of the state university system weren’t enough to overcome the skepticism of many legislators and college officials about Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s proposed shakeup in higher education Thursday. Members of the higher Education Committee and dozens of the people who testified on the […]

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy reached back again to his Stamford roots Thursday, this time to find someone to head Connecticut’s tourism promotion, a topic Malloy raised often during the campaign for governor as an example of the state’s failure to develop jobs. Malloy selected Christopher “Kip” Bergstrom, who has been executive director of Stamford’s urban […]

The state budget gets most of the public attention, but the Malloy administration has another major project to tackle this year: creating a health insurance marketplace known as the exchange. “The exchange is a cornerstone of health reform,” said Jeannette DeJesús, the governor’s special advisor on health care reform. “The exchange is a very significant […]

In a trend that began after the Cheshire home-invasion murders, Connecticut voters continue to say that the state’s ultimate penalty should be execution, not life in prison without chance of parole, according to a poll released today. A Quinnipiac University poll found voters support execution over life imprisonment, 48 percent to 43 percent, a change […]

WASHINGTON–Rep. Jim Himes, a former investment banker and non-profit housing advocate, probably doesn’t need a primer in mortgage finance issues or a lesson in the political firepower of the finance industry. But he’s getting a little of both anyway, as Congress dives into a high-stakes debate over how heavy the government’s hand should be in […]

Gee, is there a campaign finance deadline looming? Rep. John Larson’s fundraising schedule would suggest so. The 1st District Democrat has three Washington fundraisers scheduled in the next three weeks, according to the website “Party Time!” which tracks such events. On March 16, he’s having an evening reception at Zola’s Wine and Kitchen, with the […]

The SustiNet proposal, which would create a state-run health insurance plan, cleared the Insurance and Real Estate Committee Thursday by a 9 to 7 vote. The bill would create a public health insurance option called SustiNet by joining state-funded insurance pools under one authority, then allowing municipalities, small businesses, nonprofits and, ultimately, the public to […]

A month after Republican Linda McMahon lost her Senate bid to Democrat Richard Blumenthal, she told Republicans in Washington she wanted to meet with them, presumably about a possible 2012 race. But McMahon still hasn’t made her visit to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, keeping national party strategists guessing about her plans. “I haven’t heard […]

After surveying the official portraits of all 50 governors, the political trivia junkies at Smart Politics have found that  Republicans are eight times more likely than Democrats to wear flag pins on their lapels than Democrats, and three times more likely to wear red ties over blue. Republican governors also are slightly more likely to […]