Transcript John Mertens, Independent Party candidate for U.S. Senate: I’m John Mertens, I’m running for US Senate as an Independent in Connecticut. I’m a professor of engineering at Trinity College, I’ve been here for 20 years. I have also taught public policy and environmental science courses. I am running because my entire life I’ve [...]

Connecticut’s taxes became more hostile to business over the past year, according to the Tax Foundation, which ranked the state’s policies 47th out of the 50 states. Connecticut returned to the bottom 10 of the rankings for the first time since 2006 when it ranked 41.  Dr. Kail Padgitt, author of the report released Tuesday, [...]

Next week Connecticut will elect its 187-member legislature. Voters may be interested to learn that despite the legislature’s part-time designation, a quarter of its members don’t work another job. The 47 legislators without another income make a base salary of $28,000 a year. However, all 36 senators and 107 out of 151 representatives make an [...]

Editor’s Note: On Friday, October 22, Raising Hale published a story regarding the Attorney General’s handling of two similar cases entitled “Did Blumenthal go easy on a thieving party boss?“  The Attorney General’s office responded to the story with this letter to the editor.  (PDF) Dear Editor: Your recent story concerning the attorney general’s lawsuits [...]

Bodies aren’t the only things getting buried in a Stratford cemetery. There’s a story about political favoritism by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal that needs to be disinterred. Blumenthal typically pursues civil claims on behalf of consumers with aggression. However, two recent cases involving alleged misconduct in cemeteries show a contrast between Blumenthal’s usual method [...]

Connecticut Treasurer Denise Nappier defended her investments in real estate funds associated with basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson, saying the funds are too young for their performance to be criticized and that they still have the potential to increase in value. Nappier, through her spokesman, also blamed her immediate predecessor for the poor performance of [...]

The Hartford YMCA honored Earvin “Magic” Johnson Oct. 15 for his commitment to investing in urban areas. The State of Connecticut’s pension funds, managed by Treasurer Denise Nappier, have lost $15 million to date investing in two funds managed by Johnson’s company, Canyon-Johnson, as reported by Raising Hale. Nappier’s office did not comment before deadline, [...]

The Hartford YMCA will honor Earvin “Magic” Johnson Friday for his commitment to investments in urban and low-income neighborhoods. The state’s pension funds, managed by state Treasurer Denise Nappier, have lost more than $15 million of the $45.6 million they invested in two of Johnson’s urban real estate investment funds. The Johnson-related urban funds are [...]

The 2010 U.S. Census won’t affect Connecticut’s representation in Congress, according to a recent report by Election Data Services, because the state’s population is at the halfway point between the current five-seat delegation and the six seats it previously held. At an estimated 707,157 residents, the report predicts that Connecticut will have the ninth most-populous [...]

Connecticut’s two key financial reports for 2008-09 lacked critical information, according to a June report by the Auditors of Public Accounts. The auditors lacked the information to give a complete endorsement, called an “unqualified opinion,” in both cases. The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR, received a qualified opinion because an actuarial calculation for the [...]