by Paul Bluestein

I am speaking out about this because my friend Hal can’t.

Hal was an international systems analyst until his retirement after which he devoted his time to things he loved including music, theatre, painting, sailing, windsurfing, gardening, and photography. He volunteered for the CATCH Program in Bridgeport, and the Norwalk Senior Center. […]

by Skylar Haines

She loves nonfiction books about animals. She has a group of friends. She laughs and cries. She does her homework and sometimes struggles with silent letters on spelling quizzes. She tucks her hair behind her ears when trying to concentrate. She watches TV before her chores are done.

He plays soccer in […]

The CT Youth Count! is part of a statewide effort to better understand and end youth homelessness by 2020.

For the past three years, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness has led this data-gathering and awareness-raising census in which teams of youth and volunteers survey young people in cities and towns, rural areas, within youth-serving […]

by Mark Dubois

[This is] a topic that is much discussed by us who study and live the law, but little understood and appreciated by the public: the separation of powers.

The origin of the separation of powers is specifically credited to Montesquieu during the Enlightenment, who wrote of it in “The Spirit of the […]

by Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole

I do not think I have to convince you that we are living in very challenging times.

But in case you ask me for evidence that all is far from peaceful and just in our communities, our nation, and our world—let me recall with you that on August 12 in […]

by Bonnie Stewart

Farm Aid, an event synonymous with Willie Nelson, will visit Connecticut this year on September 28.  The event makes me think of the great Willie and Waylon (Jennings) country anthem where each chorus pleads “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys…” The duo continues their advice with “Let ’em […]

by William A. Hyatt

R3, or recruitment, retention, and reactivation, is the newest buzz word being bantered about Fish and Wildlife Agencies. At first glance, R3 seems like nothing new. After all, it is just another way of saying that our agencies need to pay close attention to the ever-changing interests and behavior of […]

by Kevin McLaughlin

As a rising senior at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, I find that there is one thing at the forefront of my mind, and the minds of all my fellow classmates who are entering their final year of college: post-graduation plans.

The mere mention of those three words […]

by Roger L. Kemp, PhD

The term “infrastructure” refers to the basic facilities and installations necessary for society to operate.

These include public transportation and communication systems (highways, airports, bridges, telephone lines, cellular telephone towers, post offices); educational and health facilities; water, gas, and electrical systems (dams, power lines, power plants, aqueducts); and such miscellaneous […]

by Caroline Goldstein

When you think of Connecticut, you might think of fall foliage, Gilmore Girls, big casinos, Mark Twain, Mystic Pizza, Yale University, country clubs, and commuters (and, if you’re Senator Chris Murphy, pizza to rival New York’s City’s). You might not think of Connecticut as a great state to start a small business—but […]

by Michele Jacklin and Jeffrey Daniels

Continuing their effort to draw the shade over the window of government accountability and transparency, General Assembly leaders have abandoned the longstanding practice of routinely transcribing the testimony presented at hundreds of public hearings held during legislative sessions.

The decision, made without the benefit of public input, marks the […]

by Martha Guidry

According to Forbes, an individual on social welfare in Connecticut collects on average $25/day, which equals over $9,000 a year.  A 2013 Hartford Courant article stated that a mother with two children participating in seven major welfare programs (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, food stamps, WIC housing assistance, utility assistance and […]

by Keith Hovan

I never imagined delivering a commencement speech. In fact I don’t remember any of the speeches from any of the commencements that I have ever attended. So I’m not expecting any of you to remember this one either.  Given that this speech is unlikely to be memorable I will attempt to make […]

by Mitchell W. Pearlman

In many respects, computers have made life easier. But they have also made life quite a bit more complicated. For example, before the computer age most government documents were on paper. Today, people not only need access to government information on computer media and in computer-readable formats, they need access to […]