Concerned that the state’s public colleges and universities are spending too much on administration, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants to require that all non-teaching hiring at the state’s public colleges and universities be approved by his budget office. “It’s an added control mechanism that we make sure we are actually spending as much money as […]
Malloy wants to vet non-faculty hires by colleges and universities
Proposal to give Bradley board more power picks up support
While running for governor, Dannel P. Malloy insisted that Bradley International Airport should become more nimble to compete for air traffic and generate economic activity. Now, the legislature is reviving an old idea to achieve that goal: a bill giving the airport’s governing board more autonomy. Eric J. Brown, associate council of the Connecticut Business […]
Malloy seeks authority to make emergency cuts to local aid
A week after winning accolades from municipal officials for proposing a budget that largely maintains state aid to cities and towns, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is under fire for seeking authority to reduce that assistance unilaterally if the state’s financial problems worsen. Allowing the governor to reduce aid mid-year “is non-negotiable for us,” James Finley, […]
Has the time come for the ‘Infrastructure Bank’?
WASHINGTON–At first blush, it would seem the stars have finally aligned for a long-stalled bill creating a national “Infrastructure Bank,” a proposal pushed for years by top Connecticut lawmakers. The idea has gained prominence at a time when available federal transportation funds are far short of the nation’s needs, and lawmakers are looking for new […]
How to become a citizen: Keep the right answers to yourself
After 12 years in the U.S., ProPublica reporter Dafna Linzer became a citizen last month. All it took, she says, was steep filing fees, mounds of paperwork, and a willingness to provide the wrong answers if necessary to questions on the citizenship test. The 100 questions and answers that make up the test–applicants must get […]
More good news for Pratt & Whitney
Washington has delivered some big wins to Pratt & Whitney this month. The Pentagon announced today that it would award a $35 billion tanker contract to Boeing, with Pratt set to supply parts and two engines for each of the 179 planes. The engines will be assembled in Middletown, to the delight of the Connecticut […]
Justice Department decision on DOMA not the week’s only gay rights victory
The announcement by the Obama Justice Department that it would no longer defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act grabbed all the headlines Wednesday, John Gramlich says at Stateline.org, but it wasn’t the day’s only good news for gay rights supporters. In Maryland, the Senate voted in favor of a bill to allow same-sex marriage, […]
Poll: Voters support a mix of tax hikes, spending cuts — in the abstract, at least
There’s good news and not-so good news for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and his budget in a new poll by the Yankee Institute, a conservative think tank. In a one-day survey conducted Sunday night, four days after he proposed a $1.5 billion tax increase and $1.8 billion in spending cuts, about 70 percent of respondents […]
Malloy has another White House visit on his schedule
Gov. Dannel Malloy is headed to Washington again. He’s one of a dozen or so Democratic governors who’ve been invited to the White House to talk to President Barack Obama about jobs and the economy. The White House said the discussions will focus on “ways Washington and the states can work together to grow the […]
Rolling Stone: Lieberman a target of savvy “psy-ops” effort
Sen. Joe Lieberman isn’t exactly a military dove when it comes to support for the current U.S. military campaigns in Iraq or Afghanistan. But apparently a military commander in Afghanistan, three-star Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, still thought Lieberman needed to be targeted with a sophisticated “psychological operations” campaign, aimed at manipulating U.S. policymakers into providing […]
Early childhood department needed to attack achievement gap
Connecticut, we have a problem. We’re no longer leading our nation in educational achievement, and the source of this problem begins early. Too many of our children arrive at the kindergarten door unprepared. In 2009, 67.7% of kindergarteners from poor school districts had a preschool experience, compared with 95.9% from wealthier districts. Is it any […]
Early childhood department needed to attack achievement gap
Connecticut, we have a problem. We’re no longer leading our nation in educational achievement, and the source of this problem begins early. Too many of our children arrive at the kindergarten door unprepared. In 2009, 67.7% of kindergarteners from poor school districts had a preschool experience, compared with 95.9% from wealthier districts. Is it any […]
Students, towns, businesses oppose Malloy vo-tech plan
Anthony Tarantino came to the state Capitol Wednesday with a message for state lawmakers: Leave his vocational-technical school alone. “Why would you change something if it’s not broken? If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” the senior, who is studying carpentry at Wilcox Technical High School in Meriden, told members of the Education Committee. Tarantino […]
Justice Department won’t oppose DOMA challenge by state couples
A lawsuit filed in Connecticut is central to the Obama administration’s surprise decision Wednesday to end its defense of a federal law that denies a range of benefits to same-sex couples by defining marriage as being between a man and woman. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Department of Justice will not defend against […]
Labor rallies for Wisconsin, cheers Malloy — for now
Some 300 union members gathered Wednesday outside the Capitol to show solidarity for Wisconsin’s embattled public-sector workers–but relatively few Connecticut state employees turned out. And while the crowd, composed largely of private-sector labor and unionized school teachers and other municipal employees, roared its approval for Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, state union leaders said that was […]

