Connecticut has received a commitment of $40 million in federal stimulus funding to add double tracking to part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line – the first step toward providing high-speed commuter rail service in the corridor. The award, to be annonced in Philadelphia today, is part of $8 billion in federal funds designatd for […]

Oz Griebel launched his campaign for governor today, but the buzz belonged to former U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. After a charity roast Wednesday night in Greenwich, Shays  sounded like he was ready to become a candidate: “I feel that I have a voice that can make a contribution, win or lose,” Shays told the Greenwich Time. […]

State of the Union edition. Two essentials: A transcript, from the New York Times, and a link from CBS to what probably will be the longest-remembered moment of the night, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s judicially-tempered reprise of “You lie!” Healthcare: Sam Stein at The Huffington Post notes that much of Obama’s address was aimed […]

Want to handicap the odds of saving the state’s voluntary system of publicly financing campaigns? The Senate majority leader is optimistic about the legislature revising the law, which was found unconstitutional last summer. The Senate minority leader is betting against it. “I think we are coming close to the point where it is too late,” […]

Tom Foley knows how to cut at least $150,000 in state spending: He pledges to forgo a salary if elected governor. Foley, an independently wealthy businessman who is the early frontrunner for the Republican nomination, makes the pledge in “A Plan Forward for Connecticut” posted Wednesday night on his campaign web site. As for as […]

Connecticut’s restrictions on charter schools could jeopardize its chances of winning millions in federal stimulus money, an outspoken school reform advocate told state officials Wednesday. Unless the state removes barriers to the growth of charters, “we are not going to be competitive” in the federal school reform competition known as Race to the Top, Alex […]

Young workers are leaving Connecticut at alarming rates, in part because of the lack of affordable housing. But House Majority Leader Denise W. Merrill and the chairman of the state’s Planning and Development Committee Brendan J. Sharkey said Wednesday the state can and should do only so much to address the problem. “There’s no money. […]

Common Cause today bolstered its efforts to save the public financing of campaigns in Connecticut with a poll showing support for the reforms passed in 2005 after the resignation of Gov. John G. Rowland. The group is trying to nudge legislators to cure legal defects in the law that could kill the Citizens Election Program […]

Connecticut needs a half-billion-dollar answer to its fiscal woes – and state Comptroller Nancy S. Wyman (left) told a crowded room on Tuesday there are only so many options. “People really don’t want to hear it, but the fact is we’re going to have to cut spending. We’re maybe going to do some more borrowing […]

Rep. Matthew Lesser Three thoughts are animating Themis Klarides these days: A soldier can never have too many socks, the New York Yankees are the best baseball team ever, and the Republican Party is the way of the future. But if you followed the deputy House minority leader on the popular social networking sites Facebook […]

an independent source of news and information about our state’s government, politics and public policy. From dealing with Connecticut’s budget crisis to choosing its top officials, 2010 will be a year of critical decisions. We hope you’ll be with us as we cover it all. Our goal is to bring you in-depth coverage of the […]

The Republican field for governor is about to grow by one: Oz Griebel, a Greater Hartford business leader, intends to announce his candidacy at noon Thursday on the north steps of the State Capitol. Griebel is the president and chief executive officer of the Metro Hartford Alliance, which serves as the region’s chamber of commerce. […]

Two state Senate leaders want Connecticut to become the third state in the country to set standards for how high schools handle athletes with concussions. With the support of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, the senators today proposed legislation requiring that athletes with suspected concussions be benched until getting medical clearance. “The mantra has become, […]

A national survey released today found that nearly 15 percent of households in Connecticut struggled to buy food in 2009. The report by the Food Research and Action Center says that 18.7 percent of households with children said they did not have enough money to adequately feed their families. The findings are consistent with statistics […]

As magnet schools sprouted across the state following the court order to desegregate schools in Hartford, so did a patchwork of financial formulas designed to pay for them. The state also has developed formulas to pay for charter schools and suburban school choice programs, two other strategies for promoting school integration. Here are the latest […]