tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1 2009-07-03T01:48:19Z a Connecticut news site that understands the usual media offerings just...aren't...enough. Updated daily, we feature original reporting on the state's political, legal and business universe, including a healthy focus on our struggling health care system. Movable Type 3.34 tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4656 2009-07-02T22:49:17Z 2009-07-03T01:48:19Z

Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed seven bills Thursday, including one that would have required chain restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus. "Does it come as a surprise to anyone that a vegetable salad is healthier and more...

Christine Stuart Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed seven bills Thursday, including one that would have required chain restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus. "Does it come as a surprise to anyone that a vegetable salad is healthier and more nutritious than a bacon cheeseburger?" Rell said regarding the menu labeling bill. "There has been a growing and troubling tendency by some to legislate nearly every aspect of our lives and society, including personal responsibility." "Rarely is the consumer's choice as clear as a salad versus a bacon cheeseburger," Sen. Jonathan Harris, the bill's main proponent, said. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4655 2009-07-02T19:35:17Z 2009-07-03T01:51:41Z

When two key Democrats first released the 615-page US Senate bill to reform health care in this country they failed to describe what they meant by a 'public option.' The incomplete proposal carried a roughly $1 trillion price tag....

Christine Stuart When two key Democrats first released the 615-page US Senate bill to reform health care in this country they failed to describe what they meant by a 'public option.' The incomplete proposal carried a roughly $1 trillion price tag. But U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd said Thursday in a conference call with reporters that the new language creates a "strong" public option that will cost about $611.4 billion over 10 years--not the roughly $1 trillion originally estimated. In this letter to members of the Congressional Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Dodd and US Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts detail the government-run public option and the fees it would charge employers who do not provide coverage for their employees. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4654 2009-07-02T12:55:15Z 2009-07-02T13:01:50Z

Guess what. Restaurants hire illegal immigrants. Why prosecute one man out of thousands? That was the reaction of New Haven attorney Diane Polan Tuesday when asked about the guilty plea entered earlier in the day in federal court by...

Eugene Driscoll http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/ Guess what. Restaurants hire illegal immigrants. Why prosecute one man out of thousands? That was the reaction of New Haven attorney Diane Polan Tuesday when asked about the guilty plea entered earlier in the day in federal court by her client, Andrew Adames of Oxford. Adames, 43, owns the restaurant chain Senor Pancho's, with locations in Litchfield, Monroe, Prospect and Southbury. Click here to continue reading Eugene's report. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4653 2009-07-01T21:34:48Z 2009-07-02T12:59:03Z

When Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a $1.3 billion executive order Tuesday to keep government running while a budget deal is negotiated she failed to fund at least four programs which help individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Shawn...

Christine Stuart When Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed a $1.3 billion executive order Tuesday to keep government running while a budget deal is negotiated she failed to fund at least four programs which help individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Shawn M. Lang, director of public policy with the CT AIDS Resource Coalition, said the news came as a surprise to advocates who rely on the state funding to operate programs, such as the needle-exchange program that helps prevent the spread of HIV among drug users. "It was a very, very poor decision," Lang said Wednesday afternoon in a phone interview. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4652 2009-07-01T18:56:53Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

As promised Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell has vetoed the Democrats' budget proposal saying, "It is neither balanced nor remotely realistic." The veto came Wednesday as she met privately at the governor's residence with legislative leaders in an effort...

Christine Stuart As promised Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell has vetoed the Democrats' budget proposal saying, "It is neither balanced nor remotely realistic." The veto came Wednesday as she met privately at the governor's residence with legislative leaders in an effort to craft a new two-year budget. According to sources, the two sides met for close to seven hours Tuesday, the same day Rell signed an executive order to continue state services without a budget in place. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4651 2009-07-01T13:22:11Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has a bipartisan group of senators ready to help pass health care reform -- minus a government-run insurance plan. During a New Haven stop to support overall reform, Connecticut's independent fourth-term senator gave his strongest...

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has a bipartisan group of senators ready to help pass health care reform -- minus a government-run insurance plan. During a New Haven stop to support overall reform, Connecticut's independent fourth-term senator gave his strongest statement to date opposing Democrats' and President Obama's call for a "public option" health care plan. Click here to continue reading Paul's report. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4650 2009-07-01T01:25:12Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

With the fiscal year ending Tuesday and no state budget agreement between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders, local elected officials gathered at the state Capitol to express their concerns about what the future may hold for...

Christine Stuart With the fiscal year ending Tuesday and no state budget agreement between Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders, local elected officials gathered at the state Capitol to express their concerns about what the future may hold for cities and towns. "Tomorrow we start putting our local tax dollars at risk," New Haven Mayor John DeStefano said Tuesday. He said the failure of the governor and legislature to reach a deal means the $7 to $10 million a month New Haven spends on school construction may be at risk because the state will be unable to make progress payments. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4649 2009-06-30T21:55:08Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

After being asked to defend them in a federal lawsuit, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal advised officials at the Office of State Ethics Tuesday that they cannot force the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport to register as a lobbyist. The...

Christine Stuart After being asked to defend them in a federal lawsuit, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal advised officials at the Office of State Ethics Tuesday that they cannot force the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport to register as a lobbyist. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport filed a federal lawsuit against the Office of State Ethics in May after officials told the church it needs to register as a lobbyist to hold rallies at the state Capitol and use its Web site to oppose legislation.]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4648 2009-06-30T18:32:05Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

Keepsake ultrasounds, a recent trend popularized by expecting mothers, may soon become passé when the state enforces its limitations on the practice Wednesday. Effective July 1, ultrasounds that serve no diagnostic or medical purpose and are not ordered by...

Katy Nally http://ctnewsjunkie.com Keepsake ultrasounds, a recent trend popularized by expecting mothers, may soon become passé when the state enforces its limitations on the practice Wednesday. Effective July 1, ultrasounds that serve no diagnostic or medical purpose and are not ordered by a health professional will be banned in Connecticut. However, Gina Beaudoin, the owner of A Tiny Perspective in Glastonbury, a company that provides families with keepsake ultrasound photos and DVD recordings, was quick to point out that her practice does in fact serve both a diagnostic and a medical purpose. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4647 2009-06-30T14:18:44Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Monday that she has an executive order ready to go in case there's no budget agreement by Tuesday, the last day of the fiscal year. The governor and legislative leaders met Tuesday, but neither...

Christine Stuart Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Monday that she has an executive order ready to go in case there's no budget agreement by Tuesday, the last day of the fiscal year. The governor and legislative leaders met Tuesday, but neither side was talking. Both sides have been at odds for several months over how to deal with a two-year estimated deficit that could be as much as $8.8 billion. "We're certainly meeting and it would be our goal obviously to have a budget agreement in place before the end of the fiscal year, but on a personal note I think it's more important that we get it right rather than simply making it happen," Rell said Monday. Legislative leaders were asked for comment Monday, but failed to provide any. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4646 2009-06-29T23:00:11Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

The New Haven 20 returned to the steps where they launched a landmark Supreme Court case -- to proclaim victory and "vindication" in a ruling that promises to change the course of civil rights law in the country. Frank...

The New Haven 20 returned to the steps where they launched a landmark Supreme Court case -- to proclaim victory and "vindication" in a ruling that promises to change the course of civil rights law in the country. Frank Ricci (at right in photo), who's now in line for a lieutenant's promotion that has eluded him for five years, heralded the decision as "tremendous." Click here, here, and here to read the New Haven Independent's coverage of the release of the decision. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4645 2009-06-29T19:58:13Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

While financier Bernard Madoff was being sentenced to 150 years in prison for swindling investors Monday, Connecticut's Gov. M. Jodi Rell was signing a bill, which will allow the state to go after white collar criminals and recoup at...

Christine Stuart While financier Bernard Madoff was being sentenced to 150 years in prison for swindling investors Monday, Connecticut's Gov. M. Jodi Rell was signing a bill, which will allow the state to go after white collar criminals and recoup at least a portion of a victim's losses. In the Hartford office of the Center for Children's Advocacy--one of Madoff's many victims--Rell signed the legislation as Rep. Patricia Dillon, D-New Haven, the bill's main proponent, looked over her shoulder. The bill allows the state to seize the assets of those convicted of swindling people, Dillon said. She said the federal government usually has a bigger role in securities fraud prosecutions, but in the case of Madoff, "they were asleep at the wheel." ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4644 2009-06-29T17:54:40Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

(Updated 12:00 p.m.) New Haven has lost the firefighters promotion case -- and national civil rights law is being reinterpreted as a result. That was the upshot Monday morning as the long-awaited Supreme Court decision came down in the...

Paul Bass and Thomas Macmillan http://www.newhavenindependent.org (Updated 12:00 p.m.) New Haven has lost the firefighters promotion case -- and national civil rights law is being reinterpreted as a result. That was the upshot Monday morning as the long-awaited Supreme Court decision came down in the case known as Ricci v. DeStefano The case was filed by 20 city firefighters -- 19 white, one Hispanic -- who said the city violated their rights by ignoring the results of 2004 promotional exams because no black firefighters scored high enough to qualify. The Supreme Court's justices, voting 5-4, agreed. Click here to continue reading the New Haven Independent's report. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4643 2009-06-29T13:39:51Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

What's the ballroom polka got to do to get some respect in this state? Yes, it was another year of disappointment for Ansonia's Peter Danielczuk. He's tried unsuccessfully for three years to have the Ballroom Polka named the official...

Ann Marie Somma http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/ What's the ballroom polka got to do to get some respect in this state? Yes, it was another year of disappointment for Ansonia's Peter Danielczuk. He's tried unsuccessfully for three years to have the Ballroom Polka named the official state polka. "I'm disappointed. I thought this might have been the year for the state polka song," said Danielczuk, an Ansonia native known as "Connecticut's Prince of Polka Music." Click here to continue reading Ann Marie's report. ]]> tag:www.ctnewsjunkie.com,2009://1.4642 2009-06-28T20:12:01Z 2009-07-02T12:59:04Z

Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders met Sunday at the governor's residence in Hartford. About an hour into the meeting, Rell's spokesman Chris Cooper joined the group of reporters at end of the mansion's gated driveway and...

Christine Stuart Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell and legislative leaders met Sunday at the governor's residence in Hartford. About an hour into the meeting, Rell's spokesman Chris Cooper joined the group of reporters at end of the mansion's gated driveway and said there would be no comment on Sunday's negotiations, but he added that an update would be provided Monday. Sunday was the first time the leaders of the legislature's Democratic majority and Republican minority have met with Rell since June 3. The governor called legislative leaders to her residence Saturday after promising to veto the Democratic budget proposal passed late last week. Rell criticized the Democratic budget proposal for increasing taxes $2.5 billion. Democratic leaders have criticized Rell's budget proposal for eliminating state services and programs targeted at low and middle-income earners. Even though both sides remain hopeful, there's no guarantee they'll be able to reach a budget compromise before the start of the new fiscal year, July 1. Click here and here to read more about the events leading up to Sunday's talk. ]]>