As the economy soured over the past few years, enrollment of low-income families on the state’s HUSKY health insurance plan has spiked to an all-time high, a trend that is costing the state unprecedented amounts to cover. Enrollment in HUSKY has increased by 10 percent in the past year and by 15 percent since the […]

Proposals to close prisons and speed up inmate releases have become increasingly popular in recent years as state officials grapple with continuing budget deficits of massive proportions. But while Connecticut’s inmate population has receded from the record mark of nearly 20,000 two years ago, research from criminal justice planners says the number of prisoners the […]

A new curriculum, better support from local school officials, and the promise of a remodeled building should give Stamford’s troubled J.M. Wright Technical High School the boost it needs to re-open by 2014, a new report says. State officials closed the school last year because of plummeting enrollment, but a report to the State Board […]

The death of a Rocky Hill student in a school bus crash earlier this year has spurred a new law, signed today by Gov. M. Jodi Rell, that provides tax incentives to school systems that use buses with 3-point seat belts. The new law exempts school systems from paying about half of the sales tax on buses equipped with […]

Last month, childcare centers were bracing themselves for another round of major budget cuts from the state as lawmakers grappled with closing a billion dollar budget hole. But this week 5,500 childcare centers in Connecticut are opening their mail to find a check from the state for thousands of dollars — a third piece of […]

Democrat Dan Malloy’s campaign for governor could receive as much as $2.18 million Thursday when he is expected to become the first statewide candidate approved for public financing under the Citizens’ Election Program. But the only Republican gubernatorial candidate seeking public financing for his campaign, Lt. Gov. Michael C. Fedele, is not expected to raise […]

State government’s credit card still carries a large balance, but it’s no longer on pace to shatter its limit. That’s due to dozens of projects being scrapped and modest revenue growth that expanded Connecticut’s borrowing capacity. According to new estimates from state Treasurer Denise L. Nappier, the state will enter the new fiscal year on […]

Governor Rell has signed the highly touted ‘school reform’ bill, a bill that passed both chambers of the General Assembly overwhelmingly, garnering 31 votes in the Senate and 106 in the House. The Mirror describes the bill as the product of an “unlikely coalition” and the Governor’s press statement says “all of the interested parties […]

State Comptroller Nancy Wyman certified a $166.9 million surplus this afternoon for the fiscal year that ends on June 30. The latest monthly figure, up $61.9 million from the comptroller’s May forecast, also stands $27.6 million above the surplus target the legislature and Gov. M. Jodi Rell are counting on to help balance spending in […]

Richard Blumenthal’s U.S. Senate campaign is beginning its television advertising today with three spots that present him as a crusading attorney general on behalf of consumers. All three commercials feature the faces and voices of individuals who say they were helped by Blumenthal, including a Prospect man named Gary who says the attorney general intervened […]

He was the party-endorsed candidate in 10 previous races for public office, and Rob Simmons ultimately couldn’t bring himself to wage an 11th as a challenger in a Republican primary for U.S. Senate. When it was noted at last week’s farewell press conference that Connecticut Democrats had long ago lost their inhibitions about primaries, Simmons […]

After an unsuccessful first try, Connecticut’s second effort to win millions of dollars in federal education funds arrives in Washington, D.C today with much better odds, the state’s top education official says. Backed by a broad new education law, greater support from local school officials, and a coalition of public and private partners, the state […]

Despite hopes for an early resolution, state officials are still waiting to to see whether Congress will provide more than $360 million in extra stimulus aid – money already built into the new state budget. A major stimulus expansion bill advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday – but only after being stripped […]

Kevin Lembo has been labeled a nerd his whole life, and he’s OK with that. He’s even been campaigning to become the next chief fiscal watchdog on his nerd-like ways. “I take it as a compliment,” Lembo said, the endorsed Democrat candidate for state comptroller. “I enjoy being a nerd and diving into these policies […]