Former Gov. Jodi Rell may very well be looking to be a factor in the race for governor in 2014. She barely engaged the legislature in her six years as governor, choosing “reading days” in Brookfield over the back and forth that takes place… Read more »
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill Thursday that will increase the minimum wage in Connecticut to $9 dollars by 2015. The increase will be implemented in two parts: it will rise from the current $8.25 to $8.70 on January 1, 2014, and… Read more »
Some of the majority state Senate Democrats in the General Assembly are certainly not wild about parts of the new, two-year spending plan passed by the state House of Representatives just after 5am Sunday morning. However, they are expected to follow suit, approve the budget and… Read more »
As state lawmakers have debated the merits of requiring labels on foods with genetically engineered ingredients last week, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal has been involved with a similar debate on the federal level. Early Friday morning, the state House of Representatives passed an amended bill which… Read more »
State House Minority Leader Larry Cafero is on his heels (or worse). Senate Minority Leader John McKinney is on his toes (but still part of the legislature). 2010 nominee Tom Foley seems a bit clueless about legislation in general. So who is the big… Read more »
Connecticut business owners, legislators, farmers, and residents rallied outside the capitol Tuesday morning to press state legislators to move on a bill that would require labels on genetically modified foods. Their calls were answered Tuesday night when the state Senate took up a bipartisan… Read more »
Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton is inviting the public to participate in the second “Mayor’s Citizens Government Academy.” This eight-week academy allows individuals an opportunity to learn about city government through first-hand experience and gain exposure to the wide range of government services, functions, and… Read more »
Connecticut moved one step closer to becoming the 42nd state to license tattoo artists when the House passed legislation to regulate the industry last week. The bill passed the House on a 122-13 vote. It now heads to the Senate. Some lawmakers were shocked… Read more »
Legislators already created a privately-funded foundation to help those who responded to the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, but there’s still legislation pending that would provide individuals access to workers’ compensation benefits if they are emotionally impaired after a traumatic event. … Read more »
It wasn’t long after State Senator Harp announced Monday she would file papers to run for mayor of New Haven that a powerful ally emerged: Senate Majority Marty Looney, who represents the parts of New Haven that Harp does not, is putting his considerable… Read more »
United States presidents have danced with Hollywood’s image-makers since the 1920s, a phenomenon Dr. Burton W. Peretti, professor of history at Western Connecticut State University, explores in a new book, The Leading Man. Peretti shows that George Washington set the stage for presidents… Read more »
Last December, majority Democrats and minority Republicans in the General Assembly came together to pass a deficit mitigation plan that eased the state’s budget shortfall. Last week, the legislation that addressed post-Sandy Hook issues was hailed as a bipartisan effort (although there were many… Read more »
The Keystone XL Pipeline is a proposed $3.3 billion 875-mile pipeline project which would stretch from Alberta, Canada to oil refineries in the Gulf Coast areas of Texas and Louisiana. Its purpose would be to deliver up to 830,000 barrels of crude oil obtained… Read more »
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a list of 149 contract control towers that will close nationwide following federal sequestration. These airports include six in Connecticut: Danbury, Oxford, New Haven, Bridgeport, and Groton (New London). The towers are set to close over a… Read more »
United States Senator Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, appeared today at Hartford-Brainard Airport in defense of an amendment to prevent the furlough of hundreds of air traffic controllers at small airports nationwide. Blumenthal touted the “totally bipartisan” amendment that would prevent six control towers in Connecticut… Read more »
Let’s just say that I’m happy another reporter has experienced my frustration with City Hall when it comes to the city of Danbury complying with the Freedom of Information Law. Recently, my friend Andy Thibault had to deal with the hoops and red… Read more »
Six Connecticut airports are scheduled to close their air traffic control towers as a result of the sequester, a group of cuts to federal spending, which took effect on March 1. The legislated budget cuts seek to reduce government spending by $85 billion total,… Read more »
Lawmakers in the House and Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to pass an emergency certified bill to establish a privately-funded foundation to assist school staff and first responders suffering from psychological trauma as a result of the Newtown shooting. The foundation will be funded… Read more »
Is life on Facebook really eternal? Uploaded sonogram pictures and anticipatory status updates have made it commonplace for people to be on social networks before they are born, and several laws are now making it not only common, but legal to have an… Read more »
It happened quickly, and near the end of the night. It even involved Jack Nicholson, who for reasons I’ll wit upon in a moment may have been acting on more than one stage while beaming in First Lady Michelle Obama to reveal and award… Read more »
Much was made of the bipartisan spirit with which Connecticut legislative leaders announced the formation of the special task force charged with coming up with legislation to deal with post-Newtown issues. It seems that spirit has given way to politics as usual, as several lawmakers tell… Read more »
Depending upon which lawmaker you speak to, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s two-year budget is either visionary or disingenuous. The two-year $43.8 billion budget increases spending 9.7 percent and makes radical changes to municipal funding. The budget stays within the state’s spending cap, but… Read more »
In 2009, Danbury became the first city in Connecticut to enter into the 287g program, which allowed for trained members of the Danbury Police Department to act as federal immigration officials. The controversial program has often been cited as a cause for the city’s… Read more »
Gun control legislation has been a pervasive topic ever since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut this past December. The issue, which has traditionally been third rail for politicians, has gained so much attention that lawmakers may be forced to… Read more »
The deadline to submit legislation has passed and so far Connecticut lawmakers have submitted an estimated 27 bills aimed at preventing gun violence and improving school safety and mental health. The legislation is a response to the shooting that claimed the lives of… Read more »