CT COVID-19 Update: 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is scheduled to provide a briefing on the latest regarding COVID-19 and other topics today at 4 p.m.

More about Public Health

Artificial Intelligence

Senate Approves AI Bill After Passionate Debate

HARTFORD, CT – The Senate Wednesday passed a bill to regulate artificial intelligence after a passionate debate over whether the rules will protect state residents…

by John Ferraro April 25, 2024, 5:00 amApril 25, 2024, 12:42 am

Criminal Justice

Advocates Call For Changes To Police Traffic Stops

HARTFORD, CT – Advocates and lawmakers gathered inside the state Capitol on a rainy Wednesday morning to call for passage of a bill to reduce…

by Jamil Ragland April 24, 2024, 4:39 pmApril 24, 2024, 5:24 pm

Congress

Biden Administration Eliminates ‘Gun Show Loophole’

Connecticut’s Congressional delegates have been celebrating the Biden administration’s announcement last week of a ruling allowing them to close the gun-show loophole in an effort…

by Izetta Asikainen and Coral Aponte April 19, 2024, 1:30 pmApril 20, 2024, 12:08 am

Opinion

Analysis | The Governor Could Be Making A Big Mistake

Healthcare analyst Ellen Andrews details the state HUSKY insurance program’s checkered history with managed care following news that the Lamont administration is considering returning to…

by Ellen Andrews, Ph.D. April 16, 2024, 10:00 amApril 16, 2024, 1:30 pm

Public Health

Senate Votes To Create Task Forces To Study Hate Speech, Universal Intake For Behavioral Health

The state Senate voted Wednesday to advance bills creating task forces to study behavioral health and the effect of hate speech on children.

by Hudson Kamphausen April 11, 2024, 11:00 amApril 11, 2024, 1:17 am

Public Safety

General Assembly Considers Codifying OSHA Minimum Safety Standards For Volunteer Emergency Responders

A long list of unwritten safety rules for emergency responders around the state could be codified under a bill that was voted through the public…

by Hudson Kamphausen April 9, 2024, 3:47 pmApril 11, 2024, 1:06 am

Public Health

Funding For Tick-Borne Disease Research Boosted, Blumenthal Says

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal has announced millions in federal funding to fight tick-borne diseases such as Lyme, Babesiosis, and Powassan across the country. Among the…

by Brian Scott-Smith April 9, 2024, 2:20 pmApril 9, 2024, 3:57 pm

Health Care

State Reaches Donor Record But More Than 1,000 Await Transplants

NEW LONDON, CT – Organ donations from deceased state residents reached a new high in 2023, but more than 1,000 people continue to await life-saving…

by Brian Scott-Smith April 9, 2024, 5:00 amApril 9, 2024, 2:01 am

Utilities

Murphy, Blumenthal Join Arulampalam To Announce $4.5 Million In Federal Flood Control Funds

HARTFORD, CT – U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy announced $4.5 million in new federal funding to improve flood control infrastructure in Hartford’s north…

by Hudson Kamphausen April 8, 2024, 5:00 amApril 11, 2024, 1:06 am

State Budget

Reentry Welcome Centers For Formerly Incarcerated Seek Financial Support

Local and state elected officials, advocates, and the formerly incarcerated gathered Friday at the Hartford Reentry Welcome Center to call on the Connecticut General Assembly…

by Jamil Ragland March 22, 2024, 3:12 pmMarch 22, 2024, 10:00 pm

More COVID-19 Coverage

Public Health

Connecticut Officials Urge Residents to Receive Seasonal Vaccines Amid First Flu, RSV Deaths

Public health officials in Connecticut reminded residents to stay current with their seasonal vaccines Thursday as the state reported its first deaths of the viral… Keep reading

by Hugh McQuaid November 9, 2023, 1:47 pmNovember 9, 2023, 1:47 pm

Health Care

CDC Director Boosts New Covid Booster

The nation’s top public health official swung by Fair Haven Thursday morning with a vaccine-promoting message: Covid is still with us, and so now is the…

Keep reading

by Thomas Breen October 6, 2023, 10:30 amOctober 6, 2023, 4:05 pm

Public Health

COVID Infections on the Rise in Connecticut Prisons

The number of incarcerated people housed in the Department of Correction’s COVID Recovery Unit has increased during the month of September, according to the agency,… Keep reading

by Hugh McQuaid September 14, 2023, 5:00 amSeptember 13, 2023, 7:10 pm

Public Health

Health Officials Report Rising COVID Cases as School Resumes

The new school year is starting next week and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking an increasing number of new COVID cases… Keep reading

by Christine Stuart, Former Editor-In-Chief August 25, 2023, 5:00 amAugust 25, 2023, 1:20 am

Legal / Civil Courts

State Supreme Court Grapples With Scope of Pandemic-Era Legal Immunity for Providers

Connecticut’s Supreme Court sought to define the scope of emergency pandemic legal immunity for healthcare providers in a pair of rulings last week, which skirted…

Keep reading

by Hugh McQuaid August 14, 2023, 12:57 pmAugust 14, 2023, 6:26 pm

Public Health

Blumenthal Pushes for $791M in COVID-19 Testing Funds Amid Rising Cases

With COVID-19 cases on the rise once again, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is making a push to secure funding for testing in Congress’ budget. Keep reading

by Mike Savino August 8, 2023, 5:00 amAugust 8, 2023, 1:09 am

Pandemic Fallout

Performance Measures Were Written Into The State’s Telework Policy, But Lamont Administration Maintains Status Quo

When the state of Connecticut wrote its policy on teleworking state employees, it included a provision for establishing performance measures to evaluate remote workers. Afterall,… Keep reading

by Gary Kleeblatt August 2, 2023, 5:00 amDecember 9, 2023, 12:12 am

Pandemic Fallout

OPM Chief: Consolidation of State Offices – Made Possible By Teleworking – Should Begin Next Year

A consolidation and reduction of state office space should be underway next year – made possible because about 13,000 of the executive branch’s 31,000 state… Keep reading

by Gary Kleeblatt July 27, 2023, 7:30 pmFebruary 21, 2024, 3:07 pm

Public Health

Senate Masking Requirements Return Amid New COVID Cases

Senate leaders have reinstituted masking and COVID testing requirements this week in response to a number of cases among members of the chamber in the… Keep reading

by Hugh McQuaid May 30, 2023, 11:46 amMay 30, 2023, 12:08 pm

Public Health

It’s Official: COVID-19 Emergency Ends

Gov. Ned Lamont joined hospital officials in New Haven to declare an official end to the COVID-19 public health emergency — and reflect on lessons for the… Keep reading

by Thomas Breen May 11, 2023, 12:00 pmMay 11, 2023, 11:43 am

State Budget

Connecticut Completes Hero Pay Program for Essential Workers

State Comptroller Sean Scanlon announced that the Premium Pay program, also known as Hero Pay, has concluded after providing one-time payments of up to $1,000… Keep reading

by Staff Report April 26, 2023, 12:09 pmApril 26, 2023, 4:36 pm

Bonding and Debt

Money For Public School HVAC Improvements Tops Bond Commission’s Agenda Thursday

With public school districts across Connecticut realizing they need to upgrade their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems following the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Ned… Keep reading

by Kevin Flood April 5, 2023, 3:34 pmApril 5, 2023, 4:14 pm

Transportation

Community Leaders Worry Reinstatement Of Bus Fares Will Be A Hardship For Many

Advocates say the impending return of fares for all buses and ADA para-transit on April 1 will mean people will have a difficult time getting… Keep reading

by Julie Martin Banks March 21, 2023, 5:00 amMarch 20, 2023, 10:45 pm

Education

Chronic Absenteeism Improved With Home Visits

A Connecticut Education Department report released in December 2020 showed a sharp rise in absenteeism among students at the start of the pandemic so it… Keep reading

by Christine Stuart, Former Editor-In-Chief January 20, 2023, 12:00 pmMarch 5, 2024, 8:00 pm

Housing

Attorneys Report Successful First Year for ‘Right to Counsel’ Program

The state’s Right To Counsel program was not only successful in helping many tenants with avoiding eviction in 2022, but it also saved nearly $6… Keep reading

by Julie Martin Banks January 6, 2023, 10:00 amFebruary 25, 2024, 3:38 pm