It seems like a reasonable standard: No town shall receive less state money to help run its schools than it did in the previous year. But in practice this means several Connecticut school districts in the wealthiest towns — towns that have fewer high-need students — are receiving more money from the state than they would otherwise be entitled to while needier districts get less.
Fairfield County
Coverage of issues affecting residents in Connecticut’s southwestern-most county.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Malloy on rail vs. highway expansion: ‘All of the above’
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Thursday his new transportation vision includes the widening of I-95 from New York to Rhode Island, a colossal undertaking that he insists can co-exist with his commitment to the continued expansion of mass transit.
Posted inEducation
Special Report: Education, Diversity and Change in Fairfield County
Fairfield County, a region marked by sharp disparities in income and in urban and suburban life, faces particular challenges in assuring all its residents a quality education. Today, a special report, “Education, Diversity and Change in Fairfield County,” explores the issue through in-depth policy reporting, interactive maps and charts, photo galleries and opinion pieces written by teachers from the Connecticut Writing Project at Fairfield University.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Transportation a second-term priority for Malloy
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy outlined a major second-term policy goal Wednesday for the first time since his re-election, saying he will engage the public and political establishment in a broad discussion of how Connecticut must invest in transportation to compete economically in the 21st Century.
Posted inPolitics
On Sunday before election, Obama will be in Bridgeport
President Obama is more than making up to Gov. Dannel P. Malloy for canceling a mid-week rally in Bridgeport last week, coming instead in campaign primettime — the Sunday before the election.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Stamford joins pioneering energy-saving program
Stamford has become the sixth city in the nation and the first in New England to join a national program called the 2030 Districts. It’s designed to reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions without relying on government. It’s entirely voluntary and there are no penalties if goals aren’t met.
Posted inPolitics
White House confirms Obama to stump for Malloy in Bridgeport
Washington –The White House has confirmed that President Obama will campaign for Gov. Dannel Malloy in Bridgeport next week. “On October 15, the president will travel to Bridgeport, Connecticut for a campaign rally with Connecticut Democrats featuring Governor Dan Malloy,” a White House official said. “Additional details will be made available in the coming days.” […]
Posted inPolitics
Without a public word, Obama slips out of Greenwich
President Obama dropped in Tuesday night on friends in backcountry Greenwich for dinner and a big-ticket fundraiser benefitting Democratic U.S. Senate candidates. Admission ranged from $10,000 to $32,400.
Posted inPolitics
Aged rail bridge becomes exhibit in the politics of transportation
Problems with the Walk Bridge and transportation in general are prominent issues in this year’s campaigns. Thursday an announcement of funding to replace the aging railroad bridge became a political focus.
Posted inPolitics
CT Senators clash again with feds over Danbury prisoners
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are again at loggerheads with the federal Bureau of Prisons over the fates of about 200 female prisoners who were transferred out of state while serving sentences at the federal prison in Danbury.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
Malloy releases $3 million Walk Bridge repair plan
Gov. Dannel Malloy on Thursday released a $3 million plan to make emergency repairs on the crippled Walk Railroad Bridge over the Norwalk River.
Posted inEducation
Bridgeport open to taking in immigrant kids
WASHINGTON – Bridgeport is exploring whether it has the facilities that would meet federal requirements to host some of the Central American migrant children who are in overcrowded federal holding centers along the borders, a city spokesman said.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Feds give Connecticut relatively little for recovery from Sandy
WASHINGTON — Of $16 billion in special federal disaster funds released for recovery projects in states damaged by Hurricane Sandy, Connecticut has been awarded only about 1 percent. It’s an amount some local officials say is not enough to help rebuild.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Neglected bridge makes deferred maintenance a losing bet
By making replacement of an 118-year-old rail bridge a second-term funding priority, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy took a gamble won by other governors, but not him. The odds of winning federal funding to fix the malfunctioning bridge are slim, which makes deferred maintenance — a quiet crisis plaguing the length of the Boston-Washington rail corridor — into an urgent election-year issue in Connecticut.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Success NOT guaranteed for unique Stratford reef project
An artificial reef project that uses huge concrete objects called Reef Balls is an attempt to stop erosion on the shoreline in Stratford. The problem is, no one is sure whether the experiment — a first for Connecticut — will work.
