The legislature’s Judiciary Committee today recommended the confirmation of nine white judicial appointees whose nominations had been held up by the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus. The nominations now will be considered by the House and Senate, where their fate could be linked to ongoing budget negotiations. A promise Gov. M. Jodi Rell made Monday […]

Town leaders are beginning to worry their budget needs have been placed on hold as focus at the Capitol seems to be on fixing the state’s budget first. “We are disappointed. We have made it very clear our towns need help,” said Jim Finley, executive director of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. With just one […]

Connecticut’s hopes of getting a balanced state budget for the next fiscal year may have been dealt a fatal blow by new warnings that nearly $366 million in proposed-but-not-approved federal aid is in jeopardy. Top legislative leaders from both parties conceded Monday any failure to receive the anticipated, expanded federal stimulus aid for health care […]

With the legislature’s adjournment deadline of May 5 fast approaching, the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus suddenly found itself with new political muscle Monday. Its members staged an ad hoc filibuster over Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s nomination of 10 white lawyers to the Superior Court and pressed for Rell to nominate a minority lawyer. Their […]

Tom Marsh, the Republican first selectman of Chester, announced today he is running for governor as an independent. An excerpt of his announcement: “On January 14th, after much careful consideration, my wife Kathy and I drove to Hartford and submitted the paperwork necessary to form an Exploratory Committee for statewide office. As a result of […]

The legislature’s Judiciary Committee today postponed a confirmation vote on an all-white class of nine judicial nominees after an ad hoc filibuster by black and Puerto Rican legislators. Members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus are pressuring Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s administration to add a minority lawyer to what may be her last group […]

The House Majority Leader today said she plans to introduce legislation that will make it illegal to pay someone to register voters. “Any practice like this is fraught with the potential for voter fraud,” said Rep. Denise W. Merrill, D-Mansfield, who is a candidate for secretary of the state. The issue arose after the Stamford […]

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood gave Connecticut a face-saving pat on the back Monday, saying the state is well-positioned to obtain federal transportation stimulus dollars to develop a high-speed rail corridor from New Haven to Springfield. “Connecticut has its act together,” LaHood said. “And Connecticut will be connected with intercity, high-speed passenger rail because of […]

Gov. M. Jodi Rell came to work today on the 8:38 a.m. Amtrak out of New Haven, commuting with Connecticut’s other high-profile lame duck, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. They shared a car with the U.S. transportation secretary, Ray LaHood, and other VIPs from Massachusetts and Connecticut to talk about federal dollars for high-speed rail from […]

Della Fothergill says she is able to work full time because the state helps pay for her childcare expenses. But before the 28 year-old single mother was able to begin receiving the Care 4 Kids subsidy, she had to wait for the Department of Social Services to begin accepting applications again. She said she would […]

Forget next year’s $726 million budget shortfall, and the billions in deficits projected for the years ahead. Right now, for this brief moment, the current state budget may actually be in the black. Neglected in all the deficit angst, that short-term fiscal good news came in a report from the Office of Policy and Management, […]

Marijuana may turn a new shade of green if Sen. Robert J. Kane has his way: He sees the illegal substance as a potential pot of tax money for Connecticut’s municipalities. “This is easy money,” said Kane, R-Watertown, who wants to allow towns to collect a tax on marijuana and other controlled substances seized by […]

Democratic legislative leaders today said they will not act on the deal between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and the Judicial Branch over nine judicial nominations until an overall budget agreement is reached. “A few weeks ago I made it clear to the governor, that with the issue of judges and the judicial [branch] budget, […]

Lawmakers and representatives of education groups moved closer Thursday to crafting a bill designed to shake up Connecticut’s public schools and help the state qualify for millions of dollars in federal school reform funds. Among other things, the bill would require more rigorous evaluations of teachers, a fast-track training program for principals and tougher graduation […]