Conventional wisdom blames the current labor shortage on overly generous federal unemployment benefits. Such benefits can pay nearly as much as an hourly worker’s salary but are taken away upon accepting a job, making it reasonable to believe they could discourage a return to work. However, recent research shows that the impact of these benefits is likely small.
No, generous unemployment benefits are not driving the labor shortage
Posted inNews
Backed by new CDC report, Lamont stands firm on school mask mandate
Gov. Ned Lamont visited a school district where the superintendent says masks are not an issue.
Posted inEducation
Vaccinated? Connecticut schools now asking teachers for proof
School districts are required to record the vaccination status of all school employees, but not many have done it yet.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
What their actions say about the values of our leaders, including Lamont’s
Time and again we’ve learned that the abuse of women and girls is enabled by a network of third parties surrounding men in positions of authority and power. Jeffrey Epstein had Ghislaine Maxwell. Harvey Weinstein had his attorneys as did former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Connecticut’s university system offers an example, too.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
How widespread are PFAS chemicals? CT officials are about to inspect more than 2,400 locations
Over the next two years, some 2,400 sites in Connecticut will be inspected for possible contamination with PFAS chemicals.
Posted inEducation
What we know about masks, students, and COVID spread: A guide
The research is shaky. Here’s why many experts recommend masks anyway.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Some western Connecticut towns will soon have a new glass recycling program
There’s “good glass” and there’s “bad glass.”
Posted inInvestigations
Escapes from Afghanistan, coordinated from a home office in Connecticut
An ‘ops center’ for rescues in Kabul was a study in Connecticut across from the bedroom of 7-year-old twin girls.
Posted inHousing
After court ends federal evictions moratorium, CT officials mull next steps
Connecticut legislators must decide soon whether to act to protect tens of thousands of at-risk renters.
Posted inPhotos
‘Spark for your life’: For 20 years, a Hartford grocery store has served a diverse population
Some would call Appletree a world market. But for customers, many of whom are immigrants, Appletree offers flavors of home.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Power outages suck. Clean energy can change that.
For electric power, this century has been a saga of innovation. Today, utility companies like Con Edison are equipping buildings with smart electricity meters. Tech companies are redesigning homes around solar panels, batteries, and smart devices. Utility regulators are experimenting with new electric delivery rates and rebate programs. And grid operators are bringing them all together.
Posted inMoney
Some schools need better air control systems. But who will pay?
For years Connecticut hasn’t helped towns fund many air system upgrades in schools. Does that work in times of COVID?
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Polarized politics: A reason to get vaccinated, not to refuse to
Politics has become so polarized that people are refusing a highly effective vaccine for COVID – risking their lives and others. First some facts:
Posted inCT Viewpoints
A new job for Gitmo
The race is on to exfiltrate the Afghans who helped us fight the Taliban, now that our 20-year effort to re-invent Afghanistan has ended. It’s a race, because if the Taliban finds and identifies them in Afghanistan, their throats will be slit.
Posted inPolitics
CT House speaker: Lawmakers should get COVID vaccinations or weekly tests
The House speaker says lawmakers and legislative employees should expect to meet the same standard as executive branch employees.