‘Exploring’ the political terrain: an awkward trek

They are a hardy bunch, these political explorers. Dan Malloy has been out there the longest, opening an exploratory campaign for governor on Feb. 3, 2009.  After 54 weeks crisscrossing the state, is he really uncertain about his plans? If you ask, he might give a knowing smile, but he is legally obligated to say […]

Along with concerns about technology, traffic jams, enforcement and lost federal grants, a new question is popping up in the debate over whether to restore tolls to Connecticut’s highways. Gubernatorial candidates, legislators and transportation advocates point to a series of controversial fuel tax hikes ordered five years ago, and the hundreds of millions of dollars […]

Can a coalition of bikers, Chris Dodd haters, gun owners, Ron Paul lovers, tax protesters, Libertarians and a preacher or two find happiness under the umbrella of constitutional fundamentalism? Connecticut is about to find out. Elements of the Tea Party, the ultimate outsiders group, are moving toward the mainstream, trying to channel an edgy energy […]

University of Connecticut undergraduates will face a 5.4 percent increase in tuition and fees next fall, university trustees decided Thursday after hearing a mixed message from students and faculty. The $530 increase, which brings total tuition and fees to $10,416, is slightly less than the 5.8 percent hike UConn officials had proposed a week ago. […]

Democratic chair Nancy DiNardo, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz and attorney Wesley Horton at Thurday’s news conference By going to court to resolve whether she meets the minimum statutory qualifications for attorney general, Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz conceded Thursday that the question has endangered her candidacy. “It is a significant question in […]

Connecticut will not receive a single dime from the $1.5 billion federal stimulus money available for transportation projects, which has a Transportation Committee member angry. “I’m dumbfounded. I can’t believe we didn’t receive even one of the awards.” said Rep. David McCluskey, D-West Hartford. The Connecticut Department of Transportation applied for $329 million for 13 separate projects […]

Can a coalition of bikers, Chris Dodd haters, gun owners, Ron Paul lovers, tax protesters, Libertarians and a preacher or two find happiness under the umbrella of constitutional fundamentalism? Connecticut is about to find out. Elements of the Tea Party, the ultimate outsiders group, are moving toward the mainstream, trying to channel an edgy energy […]

Despite the fiscal crisis confronting the state, a legislative committee has decided to hold a public hearing on a bill that would share the state’s sales tax with municipalities that participate in regional cooperation. “The state right now does not give towns many options for revenue and this is something they have been asking for […]

Just 16, and off to college? That could become an option for high school sophomores in Connecticut, one of eight states named Wednesday to pilot test a rigorous new system, including board examinations, that would mark a dramatic shift in the traditional notion of high school education. By fall of 2011, those states will begin […]

One of the incumbents’ perks in a legislative election year, bragging on state funds won for pet projects in the district, is getting turned on its head this year. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is asking legislators not only to hold off on new earmarks, but also to cancel projects that they have touted–but not yet […]

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz intends to ask a court to clarify if she meets the minimum qualifications to run for attorney general, answering a question that threatens to derail her candidacy. Bysiewicz will explain her plans at a press conference Thursday with Democratic State Chairwoman Nancy DiNardo and Wesley Horton, a lawyer who […]

Family and friends of the student from Rocky Hill killed in a school bus crash told a crowded room at the state Capitol today that a seat belt would have saved Vikas Parikh’s life, and called on the state lawmakers to require school buses have seat belts. “We fully believe our son would have been […]

Connecticut is among eight states that will pilot test a rigorous examination that could dramatically alter the notion of traditional high school education and allow students to graduate after their sophomore year, officials announced today. Each state will select 10 to 20 schools by fall of 2011 to begin testing a system of coursework and […]

The battle for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination was joined Tuesday, with Ned Lamont and Dan Malloy casting themselves as the outsider and the insider. As Malloy rolled out endorsements, the fruits of retail politics that has taken him to more than 100 Democratic town committees over the past year, Lamont reprised a theme from his […]

One of the incumbents’ perks in a legislative election year, bragging on state funds won for pet projects in the district, is getting turned on its head this year. Gov. M. Jodi Rell is asking legislators not only to hold off on new earmarks, but also to cancel projects that they have touted–but not yet […]