Whistleblower reforms wait for another year, tougher budget

Despite a warning that the state employee “whistleblower” process is inefficient and unable to promptly review a growing backlog of cases, the General Assembly failed to adopt several proposals from its chief investigative and policy review panel. But the co-chairmen of the Program Review and Investigations Committee said recently they would re-introduce their plan in […]

Connecticut’s largest electric utility company believes the state’s budget signed into law earlier this month leaves their 1.2 million customers picking up the tab to close the budget hole. Meanwhile, some other utility customers may never be hit with the surcharge of some $3 a month, or may pay for a much shorter time, said […]

WINSTED – After skipping classes and failing courses at Canton High School, Christina Brevigleiri decided to switch to a much smaller charter school – so small that she no longer felt unnoticed. The Explorations Charter School turned out to be a better fit, a tiny rural academy where students mix academics with activities such as […]

As the economy continues to sour, the number of homeless people in the state’s capital city continues to rise, a report released today announced. “This provides us with more evidence to do the right thing,” Sen. Jonathan A. Harris, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the legislature’s public health committee, said as the report was released at […]

In the race to land endorsements before next week’s nominating conventions, Gov. M. Jodi Rell isn’t playing hard to get. She’s not playing, period. The popular governor said Thursday she will endorse none of her would-be successors as governor, nor will she cast a vote as a super-delegate to next week’s Republican nominating convention. “I […]

Though motorists could be seeing some modest relief at the pumps by Memorial Day, the gradual rise in oil prices over the past year has gasoline marketers and retailers pressing for new safeguards against price gouging – by both private corporations and state government. Associations representing 560 petroleum marketers and 450 gasoline station owners recently […]

It was the last meeting of the school year for the Connecticut State University System’s Board of Trustees, and farewells were in order. There was the valediction to the student members of the board, given praise by the board’s chairman, a plaque thanking them for their service, a handshake and a chance to speak, followed […]

I’ve never heard anyone complain that the biggest problems with our democracy is that elected official don’t spend enough time raising money and that there aren’t enough special interests influencing what gets done in Washington. The public has seen firsthand the impact corporate money has on important issues and knows better. Just look at the […]

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson, D-1st District, intends to endorse Dan Malloy for governor Friday, citing Malloy’s support of campaign finance reform and his partnership with Comptroller Nancy S. Wyman. The endorsement by Larson, who has represented Greater Hartford in Congress for a dozen years, comes as the Democratic race for governor has narrowed to […]

Rudy Marconi ended his campaign for governor today by endorsing one of the two remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination, Ned Lamont. With a week before the Democratic nomination convention, Marconi’s withdrawal completes the rapid transformation of a five-candidate field into a two-man race between Lamont and Dan Malloy. Juan Figueroa dropped out for money […]

The state auditors recently suggested reconvening the Connecticut Progress Council, a “permanent” fiscal accountability agency that stopped functioning after issuing one report 14 years ago. A second panel charged in the early 1990s with finding $10 million in annual state budget savings through efficiencies “never met or filed annual reports,” according to another report from […]

An intense lobbying effort over a major energy bill passed last week on the final day of the regular legislative session has shifted from the General Assembly to an uncommitted Gov. M. Jodi Rell. An email blast to AARP members, who number nearly 600,000 in Connecticut, has generated scores of phone calls urging Rell to […]

During his brief tenure as president of the University of Connecticut, Michael Hogan battled a souring economy and won some crucial victories but also made some controversial moves that caused observers to scratch their heads. “It’s been sort of a rocky ride here for him,” said UConn Board of Trustees member Thomas Ritter. “He did […]

The legislative session that just ended will not go down in history as anyone’s favorite. But Connecticut’s children won some important victories, or I should say: won some important victories, again. The legislature stood by Raise the Age, a reform that moved 16-year-olds to the juvenile justice system on Jan. 1, 2010. Before that, we’d […]

Five days before the Democratic state convention is to endorse a candidate for attorney general, the Connecticut Supreme Court will hear arguments over Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz’s qualifications for the office. Oral arguments will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the state’s Supreme Court in Hartford. The Democratic convention begins Friday and will endorse candidates […]