Legislators target the achievement gap

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 […]

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 […]

On the same day last year, the state House of Representatives took up two bills that mandated increased health insurance coverage for various medical conditions. One passed overwhelmingly and was celebrated by Gov. M. Jodi Rell at a bill-signing ceremony. The other divided the House on party lines and provoked a veto. The successful measure […]

Legislators are proposing a plan to rescue the state’s taxpayer-funded campaign finance program by significantly lowering the bar for participation by minor-party candidates. Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg (D-Milford), co-chairman of the committee responsible for election laws, said the proposal would save the Citizens’ Election Program so candidates can rely on money for their already-launched campaigns. […]

Governor M. Jodi Rell today designated Wednesday as a day of mourning for the five men killed Sunday in an explosion at the Kleen Energy power plant in Middletown.  Rell ordered Connecticut state flags to be flown at half-staff from sunup to sundown and asked residents to observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m., […]

University of Connecticut officials will recommend a tuition increase next week that, if adopted, will mark a milepost in the long trend of shifting public higher education costs to students. The 5.8 percent increase in tuition and fees would mark the first time that revenue from students would exceed the state’s contribution to running Connecticut’s […]