Fiscal Watchdog: Novocaine Is Wearing Off
by | Oct 15, 2021 12:18 pm | Comments (1)
Keith Phaneuf follows the money. And all roads lead back to Connecticut’s financial capacity.
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State
Erik Johnson Caught In Revolving Door
by | Oct 5, 2021 8:44 am | Comments (3)
Nora Grace-Flood Photo
Erik Johnson at community meeting Monday night: No one told me.
Hamden economic development chief Erik Johnson has agreed to pay a $2,500 fine for taking a voluntary trip through a revolving door.
At Fundraiser, Bond Supporters Make Case For “Underdog” Bid
by | Oct 1, 2021 3:42 pm | Comments (6)
Jorge A. Martinez, Jr. Photo
Bond at Portofino’s: I’ll continue Denise Merrill’s agenda.
It’s not the resume that counts most. It’s the talent.
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Brackeen Campaign Taps 3rd-Quarter Support At East Rock Brewing
by | Sep 27, 2021 10:27 am | Comments (0)
Isaac Yu Photo
Brackeen with Rev. Steve Cousin at East Rock fundraiser.
Upper Westville Darryl Brackeen took his quest to demonstrate viability as a statewide candidate to a tap room in New Haven’s Goatville neighborhood, with a fundraiser at East Rock Brewing Company.
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State Bars Subsidies For Greer’s Companies
by | Sep 17, 2021 3:14 pm | Comments (5)
Chris Peak photo
Rabbi Greer: For the first time in recent memory, his companies are not allowed to participate in annual state tax credit program.
Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo
DRS Chief Boughton: Did what mayor, alders wouldn’t.
New Haven said yes to steering more money to companies controlled by imprisoned sex predator Daniel Greer. The state has now said no.
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Guv To Red-State Employers: Move To Our Pro-Choice State!
by | Sep 10, 2021 3:15 pm | Comments (3)
Red-state laws effectively banning abortion might be bad news for women seeking to terminate pregnancies — but could they be good news for Connecticut’s economy?
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Welcome To Looney’s World
by | Sep 10, 2021 12:27 pm | Comments (20)
Paul Bass Photo
Senate prez Martin Looney at WNHH FM: “Government can work.”
Light up a joint. Place $10 on the Mets. Don’t worry about a local tax hike. It’s OK: This is the new Connecticut — the one Martin Looney promised would arrive this year.
State Honors 2 New Haven Arts Heroes
by | Sep 2, 2021 9:01 am | Comments (2)
Thomas Breen photo
Lucy Gellman and Kim Weston, back stage at Infinity Hall.
Two New Haven “arts heroes” got their due Wednesday night — in the form of statewide recognition of their contributions to Connecticut culture.
Brackeen Steps Toward Statewide Run
by | Aug 20, 2021 8:20 am | Comments (27)
Paul Bass Photo
Darryl Brackeen announcing “exploratory” secretary of the state run.
Speaking up for Brackeen’s candidacy (clockwise from top left): Alder Richard Furlow, State Rep. Robyn Porter, (Hillhouse classmate) Jayuan Carter, emcee Frank E. Brady, Rev. Kelcy Steele, Mayor Justin Elicker.
A hundred friends and affiliated politicos poured into a newish downtown bar to wish Darryl Brackeen a happy 33rd birthday — by boosting his “exploration” of seeking the office of Connecticut’s guardian of democracy.
Working Families Catch A (Tax) Break
by | Aug 17, 2021 2:44 pm | Comments (4)
Sophie Sonnenfeld Photo
Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday with Junta staff and, at left, State Rep. Al Paolillo.
Guess who’s getting a bigger tax break in Connecticut?
$400M Still Available In State Rental Aid
by | Jul 30, 2021 3:00 pm | Comments (2)
Thomas Breen photo
UniteCT Director Dawn Parker (right) with Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz and Mayor Elicker.
As the federal eviction moratorium is set to expire this weekend, local and state officials gathered at City Hall to urge tenants who are behind on rent to tap into $400 million in pandemic-era relief designed to keep Connecticut families in their homes.
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For Work & Family, Holdouts Get Vax’d
by | Jul 26, 2021 1:03 pm | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen photos
Shahkim Khalil gets his shot, for his kid and his job.
Lamont Douglass gets his shot, because work required it.
After nearly half a year on the fence, Lamont Douglass decided Monday to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Why now, so relatively late in the pandemic? Because his employer required him to.
Cycletrack Construction Start Celebrated
by | Jul 23, 2021 9:45 am | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen photo
Cyclists, get ready. A protected bike track is on the way.
The long-delayed Edgewood Cycletrack spun a wheel or two closer to fruition, as city staffers and cycling advocates gathered to celebrate the construction underway on the new 2.1‑mile protected bike path.
State Getting $300M In Opioid Blood Money To Tackle Addiction
by | Jul 21, 2021 2:52 pm | Comments (5)
Big Pharma companies that killed countless Americans by pushing and lying about their highly addictive painkillers will send Connecticut $300 million over 18 years to help the state deal with the wreckage.
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New Union Station Deal Draws Near
by | Jul 20, 2021 1:08 pm | Comments (13)
Thomas Breen photo
Union Station: Final details of next iteration being hammered out.
Zoom
Hausladen at Monday meeting: Details ready by September.
A planned new 55-year accord between the city and the state over the future of Union Station is in the final stages of negotiation, with formal submission of a detailed “lease and funding” document expected within two months.
Senators Hit Roadblock: Their Governor
by | Jul 1, 2021 5:16 pm | Comments (16)
Paul Bass Photo
Cabrera and Winfield at WNHH FM Thursday for session debrief.
Gary Winfield and Jorge Cabrera joined fellow state lawmakers in seizing a chance this year to move Connecticut in a more just direction — and found a governor from their own party standing in the way.
Tourism Chief Sees Booming Summer
by | Jun 28, 2021 8:48 am | Comments (4)
A mixture of caution and restlessness will turn Connecticut into a booming travel destination this summer, predicts Connecticut Interim Director of Tourism Christine Castonguay.
Castonguay joined WNHH FM’s “Municipal Voice,” produced and hosted by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, to discuss why more tourists might say, “Yes to Connecticut.”
DuBois-Walton Hits Mayor On Taxes, Breaks
by | Jun 24, 2021 8:15 pm | Comments (29)
Thomas Breen photo
DuBois-Walton at presser: Mayor’s job is to find way to do what’s right.
If something appears wrong — like city government OK’ing, with almost no questions asked, $900,000 in state tax breaks for companies accused of fraud and controlled by an imprisoned sex predator — what should a mayor do?
Mayoral candidate Karen DuBois-Walton offered an answer Thursday that differed from the one offered by her opponent: Find a legal way to do what’s right.
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State Legalizes Adult Marijuana Use
by | Jun 22, 2021 4:22 pm | Comments (22)
Winfield at signing: “We didn’t just talk about equity. We built it in.”
It’s official: Gov. Ned Lamont gave the final needed signature Tuesday to make recreational cannabis use legal in Connecticut for adults over 21 as of July 1.
State Budget Result: City’s PILOT Doubles+
by | Jun 9, 2021 9:19 pm | Comments (11)
New Haven can expect to receive $90 million this coming year in state payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) — more than twice as much as last year.
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Subsidy OK’d For Sex Predator’s Companies
by | Jun 8, 2021 10:58 am | Comments (35)
Thomas Breen pre-pandemic file photos
Alder Roth: But… Board Prez Walker-Myers: Stop right there.
Thomas Breen Photo
DuBois-Walton: City Hall should have audited Greer’s companies before giving alders list recommendation.
The Board of Alders overwhelmingly voted to approve another $900,000 in state tax credits for six companies controlled by imprisoned sex predator Rabbi Daniel Greer — and shut down two alders’ attempts to discuss allegations of fraud by those companies.
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Alders OK $26.3M Fed Aid Plan
by | Jun 8, 2021 8:40 am | Comments (1)
Zoom photo
Monday night’s Board of Alders meeting.
Tens of millions of dollars of federal pandemic-era aid flowed in and out of the Aldermanic Chambers, as city legislators approved a $26.3 million spending plan with one vote, and accepted another $25.3 million in federal aid with a second.
Greer Companies’ Tax Credits Advance
by | Jun 4, 2021 4:23 pm | Comments (9)
File photos
Brackeen (center), Schroeter (right): It’s up to the state. Winter (left): It’s up to us, too.
Chris Peak pre-pandemic file photo
Rabbi Daniel Greer: City Hall claims it no choice but to continue funneling tax breaks his way.
A city alder pushed back against the Elicker administration after it doubled down on greenlighting another $900,000 in housing-rehab tax credits for companies accused of fraud and controlled by an imprisoned sex predator.
Mayors Issue PILOT Plea
by | Jun 4, 2021 11:57 am | Comments (7)
Thomas Breen photo
Mayor Elicker: “Fully fund the tiered PILOT program.”
The city’s fiscal future hangs in the balance as state lawmakers and the governor play chicken on municipal aid — and as Mayor Justin Elicker weighs whether or not to sign an alder-approved city budget that assumes a hefty fiscal bump from Hartford.
Alleged Murderer’s Parents Show Support
by | Jun 1, 2021 3:14 pm | Comments (3)
Thomas Breen photos
Qinxuan Pan (right) with defense attorney William Gerace in court Tuesday.
Gerace meets with Pan’s parents, Hao Pan and Hong Huang, after the hearing.
Qinxuan Pan’s parents drove down from Massachusetts Tuesday to quietly show support for their incarcerated son, who appeared in court in person for the first time to face charges that he allegedly murdered Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang.
“It is sorry this happened,” Pan’s mom, Hong Huang, said after the brief procedural hearing.
When asked how she and her husband, Hao Pan, felt to watch their son appear in court in the ongoing murder case, Huang said, “Sad. Only one word. Sad.”