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Fitch Ratings downgraded the state of Connecticut on Friday one notch to A-plus because of a dimming economic outlook and a lack of fiscal flexibility, making it the third-lowest-rated U.S. state on Fitch's roster. The wealthiest U.S. state on a per capita personal income basis, Connecticut's economic growth has been "unusually slow and uncertain" during the current national economic expansion, and the state is expecting weak job growth in coming years, Fitch said. Those chronic economic challenges and Connecticut's high budgetary liabilities have constrained the state's ability to maneuver financially, Fitch analysts said of reasons for the downgrade. Revenue collections...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH)– Protesters have taken to the streets and are causing traffic delays Thursday morning, in support of graduate student-teachers who are fighting to start their own union at Yale. The spokesperson for the protesters in Local 33 of Unite Here, CJ Macklin, tells News 8 that eight protesters will sit down while eight “marshals” (other protesters) will stand around them for protection, at the intersection of Chapel Street and College Street. Macklin says that two of the protesters are former hunger strikers who say they have experienced sexual harassment, while another protester is a current hunger striker....

HAMDEN, Conn. (WTNH)- According to a new Quinnipiac University poll, President Donald Trump‘s approval rating with American voters is nearing an all time low. That’s according to the survey that was released on May 10th, 36 percent of voters said they have a negative opinion of Mr. Trump, down from 40 percent last year. The president also saw his numbers go down in the eyes of voters in categories that include honesty, being level headed, and sharing the values of Americans. The two qualities in which the President has not seen a drop in the eyes of the voters deal...

In January, Kehler Liddell was the first gallery in the state to present an exhibit of protest art stemming from the inauguration of the current president. That show focused on a myriad of human-rights and philosophical concerns. The New Haven art space is doing it again, this time zeroing in on one topic: the environmental devastation of global warming. "We have deemed ourselves gods of this planet, deciding to abuse and ravage our home, rather than cherish her many gifts," Elizabeth Asstle-O'Donnell, one of the artists in the show, said in an artist statement. Asstle-O'Donnell contributed a piece made of...

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH)– Undocumented immigrants will confront the speaker of the Connecticut house.They are expected to deliver thousands of petitions all in support of a bill that would allow undocumented college students to get financial aid. It should be an interesting sight at the Capitol complex Tuesday afternoon. About a dozen men and women, all undocumented immigrants, all students will show up at the office of Joe Aresimowicz wearing their caps and gowns. They will drop off petitions with thousands of signatures on them. Representative Aresimowicz is speaker of the house, and it’s his job to decide what gets voted...

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Hartford Courant Let's Buy The Whalers And Bring Them Back Home Bring Back The Whalers Hartford city councilman John Q. Gale has proposed a way for the Whalers to come back to Hartford. By JOHN Q. GALE Friday, May 5, 2017 Forbes Magazine says that the Carolina Hurricanes (our Hartford Whalers) National Hockey League franchise is worth $230 million. As the team has the lowest attendance in the league, this is likely an overstatement, but let's work with it. Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos Jr. said earlier this year that he would entertain offers for his team. What if all 38...

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) appeared on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” on Thursday to discuss the news from Wednesday's James Comey hearing. More specifically, the topic was the FBI director revealing that longtime Hillary Clinton advisor Huma Abedin forwarded classified emails to then-husband Anthony Weiner, ostensibly so he could print them out. “Do you believe that is a crime?” panelist Willie Geist asked to open the Blumenthal interview. “If there was classified information and it was improperly passed to a person unauthorized to receive it? Yes, it’s a crime,” the senator replied. ”Without knowing what the intentions were and so forth, there...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — President Donald Trump has reappointed Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to serve on a bipartisan group of governors that reviews matters involving the National Guard and homeland defense, despite past clashes between the two men.

HARTFORD >> Connecticut’s income tax collections plummeted at the end of April leaving Connecticut with a gaping $5.2 billion hole in its budget for this year and the next two fiscal years. Revenues are down about $413 million this fiscal year, and another $597 million and $865 million in fiscal year 2018 and 2019, respectively, according to the latest estimates. That means the budget hole lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy will have to fill after depleting the $235 million rainy day fund is about $5.2 billion. “The precipitous drop in revenue we experienced in late April creates major...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you most likely know that ESPN just went through massive layoffs. The reason behind the layoffs? Don't miss the politics factor. How many times have you or someone you know said the following, “Why doesn’t ESPN just stick to sports?” or “Since when did ESPN become a political channel?” Well, apparently Linda Cohn, who has been with the network for over 25 years, thinks politics IS partly to blame for the layoffs. In an interview this past Friday with WABC’s “Bernie and Sid Show,” Cohn spoke about the loss of viewership the network...

Male students who talk too much in class are oppressing their female peers, a Wesleyan University student contends in a recent op-ed. Tara Joy, a freshman who came to Wesleyan from an all-girls high school, writes in The Wesleyan Argus about how the excitement of her first year of college was dashed by the realization that some of the men in her classes “talked constantly.”

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BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (WTNH)– Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is filing the papers Friday to become the latest Democrat seeking the nomination for Governor. Ganim, who served seven years in federal prison for corruption while in office, made a remarkable comeback in the Bridgeport municipal election in November of 2015. The Bridgeport mayor has asked the State Elections Enforcement Commission for a decision on whether or not he can qualify for public financing. The public financing law appears to forbid public funding for those convicted of corruption. The agency is expected to rule on his request sometime next month.

HARTFORD – Toll talk is back at the State Capitol. Some lawmakers say it will drive billions into the state over the next two decades and others want to put the brakes on the idea.At a hearing, Monday, the proposal to bring electronic tolls to Connecticut highways was discussed, with public comment both for and against it.State accountants said the way Connecticut funds transportation will no longer be sustainable in the next four years and a new revenue source is needed.“This doesn't make any sense at all," State Sen. Toni Boucher said. "This is just another name for another tax...

Connecticut, a state making its mark in both microgrid and fuel cell technology, today will put yet another microgrid into operation, this one in Hartford’s Parkville neighborhood. microgrid and fuel cellConstellation, Bloom Energy and the city plan to announce completion of the 800-kW fuel cell microgrid this afternoon at a ribbon cutting. The microgrid will generate clean energy, manage electricity costs and supply emergency power for public buildings and businesses. The fuel cell uses natural gas to produce electricity. The state helped fund the project with about $2 million through its Microgrid Grant Program. Hartford was among nine grant winners...

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Taxes could soon be on the rise if a new house bill passes. House bill 7322 seeks to increase the sales tax up to 6.99 percent from its current rate of 6.35 percent and increase the income tax for some state residents. Other aspects of the bill would help towns generate more money by increasing state owned property payments. Properties like colleges and hospitals owned by the state would see an increase of their payments to their towns by roughly 23 percent. If the bill passes, regional governments would be responsible for creating plans to help pay for that. Another...

Wesleyan University — rated one of the worst in the nation for free speech by a nonprofit watchdog group — is slated to roll out a new center dedicated to advancing social justice, an effort estimated to cost more than $200,000 annually to promote various “gender, queer, students of color” causes.

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