Denise Merrill officially enters race for secretary of the state

House Majority Leader Denise W. Merrill, D-Mansfield, formally began her campaign for secretary of the state today in Mansfield. “There are few duties more important than ensuring that our Democracy is working, that every citizen’s rights and privileges are protected, and every vote is counted appropriately,” Merrill said. She is seeking to succeed Susan Bysiewicz, […]

With steep increases in college tuition and ominous predictions for the state’s economy, it is time to rethink strategies for paying for Connecticut’s public colleges, says state Higher Education Commissioner Michael Meotti. Meotti echoed the warnings in a new national study showing that many states, including Connecticut, have slipped in their support for higher education […]

As a civil rights lawyer, he sued the U.S. Navy over a bombing range in Puerto Rico. As a foundation president, he influenced the passage of a health-care reform law last year. Juan A. Figueroa is a singular candidate for governor in several respects, including being the only Latino in a crowded field. But the […]

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal was grilled on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” today about whether he has higher standards of integrity than the man he hopes to replace in the U.S. Senate, fellow Democrat Christopher Dodd. The cross-examination by the show’s host, former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough, may have been an attempt to be even-handed, following Democratic […]

U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon kept smiling, but her appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” turned tense this morning as analyst Lawrence O’Donnell accused her wrestling company, the WWE, of exploiting its performers. “You make money off the blood of people who destroyed themselves for a living for you, and you did nothing as far as […]

Parents would have the authority to shake up or even close failing public schools in Connecticut under a proposal outlined by members of the legislature’s Black and Puerto Rican Caucus Thursday. That idea and others, including income tax breaks for teachers who work longer hours in troubled schools, are intended to take on the chronic […]

The Connecticut Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a protracted and politically charged labor case that pits Gov. M. Jodi Rell against high-ranking state police officers. At issue is whether the Rell administration must recognize a union formed by state police captains and lieutenants in 2006, as ordered by the State Board of Labor Relations […]

Other candidates get to run for governor. Lt. Gov. Michael C. Fedele must walk a tightrope. Like the rest of the pack, he distances himself from the $18.9 billion budget that Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed last week, but he does so politely, almost apologetically. “In the new budget, I probably would have gone more […]

When Jennifer Zampi was laid off from her job in November, her first thought was to make sure she could continue to feed herself and her two children. She immediately applied for food assistance. Three months later, she’s still waiting. “I am never able to get everything I need when I go to the store, ” […]

Republican State Chairman Chris Healy undercut Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Thursday over the Republican governor’s efforts to preserve one of her legacies: the Citizens’ Election Program. Healy issued a statement criticizing efforts by Rell and legislative Democrats to salvage a program that created a voluntary system of publicly financing campaigns. The state is under […]

The state Department of Labor will staff its telephone call centers for filing unemployment claims from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Monday, which are state holidays, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said today. “Despite some early signs of improvement in the economy, our state continues to struggle with record unemployment levels – and […]

James A. Amann came to the State Capitol today to formally end his campaign for governor and make some goodbyes. Amann, the former speaker of the House, stood with supporters in the Hall of the Flags as he ended a campaign that never gained traction. “It’s been a great 28 years,” Amann said of his […]

Other candidates get to run for governor. Lt. Gov. Michael C. Fedele must walk a tightrope. Like the rest of the pack, he distances himself from the $18.9 billion budget that Gov. M. Jodi Rell proposed last week, but he does so politely, almost apologetically. “In the new budget, I probably would have gone more […]

She enjoys student teaching, carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average and expects to complete her master’s degree in the summer, but Stephanie Salafia’s dream of becoming a public school teacher is on hold. She is one of hundreds of prospective elementary and preschool teachers in Connecticut who have failed a required exam testing their […]

The snow was late in reaching Hartford today, but Gov. M. Jodi Rell still pushed the region’s employers to release their employees early to keep to the highways clear for the afternoon rush. “By late morning, the snowfall was already beginning to take a toll on driving conditions in Fairfield County and along the Interstate […]