TaShun Bowden-Lewis, who’s wanted to work in public defense since she was a child, has spent her career fighting for clients in Connecticut.
Best of 2022
Posted inHousing
BEST OF 2022: At Griswold Hills in Newington, the state’s affordable housing law has worked the way it was intended
Can CT’s affordable housing shortage be resolved without what one critic has called the “sledgehammer” of 8-30g?
Posted inPolitics
BEST OF 2022: Small shifts in power hide big changes within Connecticut General Assembly
More than half of the seats in the CT House and nearly two-thirds in the Senate will have turned over since 2018, some more than once.
Posted inEconomic Development
BEST OF 2022: In eastern CT, Electric Boat military contracts launch economic boom
Submarine work is on the upswing once again, and eastern CT — with 41 towns and a population of roughly 435,000 — is steadying for the boom.
Posted inMoney
BEST OF 2022: Save or spend? Connecticut legislators could upend budget rules in 2023
CT has saved $9 billion since 2017, but some say the budget constraints need to be loosened as pressures hit families and workers.
Posted inHousing
BEST OF 2022: Fighting back: How some Connecticut tenants are organizing to improve their housing
At least five tenants unions have formed in Connecticut to help renters address issues like maintenance problems, rent raises and evictions.
Posted inGovernment
BEST OF 2022: How Connecticut’s influence in Congress will change with divided government
With a narrow GOP House majority, CT Democrats will lose committee chairmanships but say they’ll still have leverage in crafting policy.
Posted inHealth
BEST OF 2022: Housekeepers know they’re essential. They want to get treated like it.
Many housekeepers at Connecticut hospitals say COVID-19 pandemic benefits have only come after prolonged demands for recognition, if at all.
Posted inPolitics
BEST OF 2022: Lower turnout in cities hurt Lamont, but he made up for it in suburbs
Even though fewer people voted in CT’s cities in 2022 than in 2018, Gov. Ned Lamont managed to win by boosting his numbers in the suburbs.
Posted inHousing
BEST OF 2022: Connecticut towns got $1.5 billion from feds. They’ve budgeted roughly 1% for housing
The failure to spend federal stimulus funds on housing is a missed opportunity to make CT a more affordable place to live, advocates say.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
BEST OF 2022: How heat affects health: An overlooked outcome of climate change
Health professionals are realizing how much climate change — especially more heat — can lead to cascading effects on human health.
Posted inInvestigations
BEST OF 2022: Overdue fire inspections: Waterbury fatal blazes highlight statewide problem
CT fire marshals say they can’t always meet the requirement that every residence with three or more units be inspected annually.
Posted inPolitics
BEST OF 2022: Chris Murphy and Connecticut’s gun safety movement get their moment
Sen. Chris Murphy negotiated and shepherded into passage America’s first significant gun safety law in three decades. Then he flew home to celebrate.
Posted inJustice
BEST OF 2022: The problem of cash bail in CT: ‘They just cannot claw their way out’
There are fewer people imprisoned today than in 2008. But the cash bail system can still keep people locked up, unable to buy their way out.
Posted inHealth
BEST OF 2022: A quarter of Connecticut doctors work for big hospitals. Is that good for patients?
As the health care industry becomes more concentrated, private practices struggle to compete with big systems. Instead, they’re joining them.