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Connecticut spends $125,000 advertising stimulus funding
Connecticut has spent “approximately $125,000” on signs advertising that project funding came from federal stimulus grants, according to state officials. State Recovery Act coordinator Matt Fritz said the figure includes $96,000 for signs related to transportation...
$2 million claim pending against CT in embryo mix-up
Connecticut faces a $2 million potential lawsuit from a woman whose only two fertilized embryos were mistakenly implanted in another woman at a private clinic affiliated with the University of Connecticut Health Center. The state has already paid a $45,000 settlement...
It could happen here: Pool party police
Watch out, you might be eating too close to your pool. The Goldwater Institute in Arizona points out that if local officials are cracking down on pool parties, their budget isn’t tight enough. In Arizona, resorts have taken to throwing pool parties because of the...
Leaders outnumber rank and file in General Assembly, extra pay costs more than $700,000
In a marathon, one runner leads the pack. In an army, one leader stands at the head. In the Connecticut General Assembly, everyone’s a leader. In the 36-member Senate, there are 36 leaders. The House is less Utopian with only two out of three state representatives...
It could happen here: Ladies night ban
Minnesota has banned bar specials that only apply to women. However, the tradition of ladies night continues despite a decree by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights dating back to 1994. In a more recent move, the department is targeting five unnamed bars in the...
Spending cap a potential area of agreement for Foley and Malloy
What would Connecticut’s budget deficit look like if the state had an aggressive spending cap? This is the question raised by a Mercatus Center report, State Spending Restraint: An Analysis of the Path Not Taken. In response to the study the two major-party candidates...
Computers stay boxed for two years at Banking Dept.
According to Moore’s law, computers double in speed every two years. According to the state Auditors of Public Accounts, $75,572 worth of computer hardware sat around unused at the state Department of Banking for two years – allowing processor speeds to double before...
It could happen here: Blogger tax
The Philadelphia “blogger tax,” $50 a year or $300 lifetime, is really just a tax on non-wage income. In any case, it’s a bad idea. Cities in Connecticut have tossed around revenue ideas similar to this, like a sales tax add-on and other ideas pushed by the...
Blumenthal Craigslist crusade ignores local adult ads
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called on Craigslist Wednesday to shut down its “adult services” advertising section. Blumenthal and 17 other state attorneys general are targeting Craigslist, but what about companies with operations in Connecticut? Craigslist is...
Blumenthal’s podium well-worn, state trooper’s cost $1,440
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal uses a 20-plus-year-old desktop podium for his press conferences, while the state police officer who stands guard at Blumenthal’s 55 Elm St. office has one that cost $1,440. The Attorney General’s office bought the podium, a Forbes...