Page 5 - Kassi Jackson News Today

In an age of bitter partisanship, Republicans and Democrats often disagree on the biggest issues of the day. But in an unexpected twist, 22 Connecticut Republicans voted early Wednesday morning to support a Democratic-written budget because it contains no new tax increases. After a debate lasting about three hours, the state House of Representatives voted 116-31 with four members absent ...

For the first time in 15 years, New Britain’s fire chief will have a second in command. This year’s budget restores the long-vacant assistant chief position, and Chief Raul Ortiz says it will help expand training, modernize policies and improve public service.

As Connecticut emerges from this crisis and considers how to better prepare for the next one, some officials and experts have a simple suggestion: invest in the state’s public health infrastructure.

From what began as one homeless man’s request for a pair of shoes around five years ago, has now grown into a group effort from everyone from Hartford Police to the Podiatric Medical Association to help some community members not only receive a new pair of shoes and socks, but access to the COVID-19 vaccine as well.

The Flavors Kitchen food truck, specializing in Jamaican cuisine, has entered into a longterm agreement with the Simsbury Historical Society to serve food in the society's back parking lot. Online orders can be picked up there, and there's also seating for eating in the lot, amid the society's historic 18th and 19th century buildings.

Negotiators are pushing for a comprehensive budget deal in which Democratic legislators would back off from their high-profile push for major tax increases in exchange for multiple Democratic priorities.

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, child mental health services are severely overburdened, providers say, as rates of anxiety, depression and other behavioral health issues among adolescents surge.

A bill that would revise local zoning laws in Connecticut to encourage the development of more affordable housing notched a legislative victory Thursday. But the measure, which was the subject of a four-hour debate in the House of Representatives, is far less sweeping than the proposals initially promoted by activists. The bill, which now moves to the state Senate for consideration, was ...

Some residents dropped their masks in grocery stores and gyms, while others opted to wear them for a while longer.

Some Connecticut educators are pushing for remote learning to remain even as COVID-19 fades; others hope to jettison the virtual world for the in-person classroom.