Himes has abandoned traditional duties to plead for hospital supplies and reach out in Spanish to his district’s hardest-hit residents.
Fairfield County
Posted inEducation
Unaccompanied minors are moving to Connecticut in record numbers
The number of young migrants joining relatives or sponsors in the state tripled in the past year, and the largest portion of that group settled in Fairfield County.
Posted inPolitics
Arora puts up big money in bid to unseat Himes
WASHINGTON – With his base in wealthy Fairfield County, Rep. Jim Himes is a top campaign fundraiser, but the Democrat has a new Republican challenger who says he plans to rival the incumbent in raising political money.
Posted inTransportation
Northeast rail plan stymied by lack of funding, concerns in Fairfield County
WASHINGTON — An ambitious — and to some in Connecticut controversial — plan to overhaul the railroad in the Northeast Corridor has come to a full stop, a victim to lack of funding. There also has been pushback to the plan from Fairfield County residents who fear the impact of laying down new high-speed-ready tracks and other development near their neighborhoods.
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
CT rebellion against federal rail plan grows — and may have impact
WASHINGTON — A rebellion that began in Old Lyme and has spread along coastal Connecticut is pressing the federal government to make big changes in an ambitious plan to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast, and to turn the proposal into merely “aspirational” recommendations.
Posted inTransportation
Feeling heat from CT, feds say they may alter high-speed rail plan
WASHINGTON — In the staredown between the Federal Railroad Administration and opponents of a part of its plan in Connecticut to bring high-speed rail to the Northeast Corridor, the federal government has blinked. It has agreed to consider additional input from those concerned about the route the plan would take in Connecticut, and more importantly, the FRA is willing to modify that plan.
Posted inPolitics
In Darien, residents hope Trump will bring economic growth
DARIEN — There is a cautious optimism about the next four years in much of lower Fairfield County. Many residents are hopeful that President-elect Donald J. Trump will usher in an era of economic growth not seen over the last eight years. This is the second in a series of visits to Connecticut towns leading up to the inauguration.
Posted inPolitics
Rail overhaul plan is both a winner and a loser in CT
WASHINGTON — Connecticut officials have been more critical than those in any other state of the Federal Railroad Administration’s plan to overhaul train service in the Northeast Corridor, yet some of its strongest critics admit they like much of the plan.
Posted inPolitics
In 4th Congressional District, Shaban gears up to take on Himes
The race to represent Fairfield County in Congress pits a former Rhodes scholar and Wall Street whiz kid against an attorney and former semi-pro football star with roots in local politics.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
To make them jobs, let’s find out who really lives in Fairfield County
If the region wants to attract companies to the area and keep them here for the foreseeable future, not because of tax breaks or loans, then they need to properly understand the regions assets, and those assets are people, and right now it seems clear that not enough work has been done to know who lives in Fairfield County today.
Posted inPolitics
Clinton surges in CT fundraising; GOP candidates trail Dems
WASHINGTON — Connecticut donations to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign surged in the first three months of this year, thanks in part to a January fundraiser held in the state by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. So far, Connecticut residents have invested at least $6.7 million in the presidential race.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Who sets Connecticut’s speed limits anyway?
Crawling along I-95 the other day in the usual bumper-to-bumper traffic, I snickered when I noticed the “Speed Limit 55” sign alongside the highway. I wish! Of course, when the highway is not jammed, speeds are more like 70 mph, with the legal limit, unfortunately, rarely being enforced. Which got me thinking: who sets speed limits on our highways and by what criteria?
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Massive rail plan leaves Connecticut hopeful but mystified
Proposals to reinvent the Northeast Corridor rail system could impact Connecticut more than any other state. But a lack of detail in the plans is causing exasperation even among those who have been pushing for rail improvements for decades, and it has environmentalists worrying whether losses will outweigh the benefits.
Posted inCT Viewpoints, Talking Transportation
Transportation affects nearly everything in Connecticut
While this column often is a rant about failing commuter rail service or an occasional rave for overdue investment in our highways, when you think about it, transportation is really an issue that affects many aspects of our lives: where we live, shop and go to work.
Posted inPolitics
CT kicks in nearly $3 million to presidential candidates
WASHINGTON — As a group, Republican candidates have the edge in campaign fundraising over Democrats in Connecticut, but individually Hillary Clinton continues to lead the pack with more than $1 million raised in the state.