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Connecticut data show men earn more than females regardless of whether they go to college, a gap widening over time. (Adobe Stock)

Friday, September 20, 2024

U.S. gender wage gap grows for the first time in a decade

New research shows the gender wage gap widened for the first time in two decades. The Census Bureau found full-time working women make 82.7 cents …

Para 2029, la proporci�n estimada de afiliados de Connecticut que se beneficiar�n del l�mite de gastos de bolsillo de Medicare ser� superior a la de 30 estados y el Distrito de Columbia. (Adobe Stock)

Límite de Medicare ayuda a reducir costos de medicamentos en CT

Un nuevo informe encuentra que los residentes de Connecticut se beneficiarán del nuevo límite de gastos de bolsillo de Medicare. Se estima …

Some places with camping bans preventing people from sleeping in public areas include Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and the cities of San Diego, Calif., and Portland, Oregon. (Adobe Stock)

SCOTUS homelessness case can have ripple effects in CT

The Supreme Court case Grants Pass v. Gloria Johnson could upend homeless populations in Connecticut and nationwide. The case centers around whether …

A new report from Connecticut Voices for Children suggested one of the best ways to improve Connecticut's tax system would be by providing increased tax transparency for residents. (Adobe Stock)

Report: State tax system leaves CT residents struggling

A new report brands Connecticut's tax system as "regressive" for low- to middle-income residents and uses a report from the state to make its point…

The Annie E. Casey Foundation finds Connecticut's 13% child poverty rate in 2021 was 4% lower than the national average. (Adobe Stock)

CT lawmakers considering state child tax credit bill

Child tax credit legislation is being considered in Connecticut. The state is one of several without such a credit, though a child tax rebate was …

The State of Reentry report finds 93% of people with sentences ending in six months had a substance use problem and 81% had a moderate to serious substance use problem. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT formerly incarcerated people face reentry challenges

A new report finds Connecticut's recently released prison population is facing reentry challenges. The State of Reentry report found resources and …

La Administraci�n de Informaci�n Energ�tica de EE. UU. encuentra que los precios del gas natural de Connecticut han aumentado constantemente desde finales de la d�cada de 2000, alcanzando un m�ximo en agosto de 2022 de 31,68 d�lares por cada mil pies c�bicos. (Adobe Stock)

Audiencia pública escucha sobre aumentos de tarifas por compañías de gas

Hoy [viernes] es la audiencia pública final para que los contribuyentes de Connecticut comenten sobre dos aumentos de tarifas propuestos para los…

As of the 2023-2024 school year, Connecticut has 11.2% educators of color, teaching a population made up of 52.5% students of color. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT student diversity outpaces educator diversity

The latest report finds large diversity gaps between Connecticut students and teachers. The Diversity Gap Update finds there are more students of …

A report by DataHaven showed health inequities have led to around 14,000 deaths in Connecticut, predominantly among the state's Black population. (Adobe Stock)

Survey: Discrimination rampant in CT, US health care

Despite efforts to the contrary, people across Connecticut and the U.S. experienced discrimination in health care. A DataHaven report found between 1…

The Economic Policy Institute found the number of child labor law violations increased from 1,012 in 2015 to 3,876 in 2022. (Adobe Stock)

Bill in Congress poses stronger penalties for child labor violations

A bill in Congress with a Connecticut House sponsor aims to reduce child labor in the United States. Called the "Children Harmed in Life-Threatening …

The latest Crime in Connecticut report showed investments for prevention and services for system-involved youth helped bring the crime rate down in 2022. More than $37 million went to prevention and intervention programs along with juvenile review boards. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Crime drops in Connecticut; more work needed

Good news for Connecticut residents: The state saw a 4% overall decrease in crime in 2022. The latest "Crime in Connecticut" annual report shows a 13…

Connecticut had the third-highest number of Black people incarcerated across the country, behind New Jersey and Wisconsin. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Black adults make up majority of CT prison population

A recent report found Black people make up the majority of Connecticut's prison population. The Prison Policy Initiative brief reported Black people …

The United Way of Connecticut's ALICE report found 39% of people in Connecticut live below the threshold of $33,120 per year. In some communities, it could be as high as 68% of households. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT 'unaffordable' for many, despite state intervention

A new analysis found financial hardship is growing in Connecticut. United Way of Connecticut's ALICE Report focuses on those who are Asset Limited…

According to a new report, pay differences based on workers' gender, race and ethnicity all contribute to persistent wage inequality in the state. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT Economic, Job Growth Lags Behind U.S.

A new report found Connecticut's economic growth is lagging, post-pandemic. The data showed, using the pandemic-induced recession as a baseline…

A Connecticut Voices for Children report found 39% of renters in the state who were not current on rent payments felt they would be evicted in the next two months. The rate was higher for Black and Latino renters, at 54% and 56% respectively. (Adobe Stock)

Report: CT Needs Long-Term Solutions to Eviction Crisis

A new report outlines long-term solutions for what it calls Connecticut's eviction crisis. The Connecticut Fair Housing Coalition found there were 21…

Since continuous Medicaid renewals were terminated, more than 1.6 million people have been disenrolled from Medicaid so far, according to data from 28 states and the District of Columbia. (Adobe Stock)

CT Works on Post-Pandemic Medicaid Redeterminations

Like other states, Connecticut is in the middle of a yearlong process of re-determining people's eligibility for Medicaid. When the Covid-19 public …

Connecticut voters will be asked to add an amendment about no-excuse absentee voting in November 2024. This is when any voter can request a mail-in ballot, rather than have to submit an application to receive a ballot. (Adobe Stock)

CT House Passes Early Voting Plan, Senate Takes Up Bill

Connecticut's House of Representatives has passed a bill implementing an early-voting plan. Elements of the plan include requiring the Secretary of …

A 2023 Gallup-Lumina Foundation Poll found 36% of Black bachelor-degree students have other responsibilities, such as being a caregiver or working at a full-time job, compared with 18% of other students. (Adobe Stock)

Report Shows Decline in Black Students Enrolling in CT

Black student enrollment in college is declining, according to a recent report. The Lumina Foundation's Level Up report found more than 300,000 Black …

In 2022, Connecticut became the 47th state to allow early voting when the Early Voting Amendment. But, voter rights advocates feel more needs to be done to guarantee people's rights to vote. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Calling for Passage of CT Voting Rights Act

Connecticut advocates are calling on the General Assembly to pass the state's Voting Rights Act. The bill would enshrine the protections of the …

En 2022, Connecticut se convirti� en el estado n�mero 47 en permitir la votaci�n anticipada cuando se aprob� la Enmienda de Votaci�n Anticipada. Pero, los defensores de los derechos de los votantes sienten que se necesita hacer m�s para garantizar el derecho al voto de las personas. (Adobe Stock)

Defensores piden aprobación de Ley de Derechos Electorales en CT

Defensores en Connecticut piden a la Asamblea General que apruebe la Ley de Derechos Electorales del estado. El proyecto de ley consagraría las …

A report from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation found children and young adults will be disproportionately affected by the loss of pandemic-era Medicaid coverage protections. About 4.6 million of those who could lose coverage are Latino. (Adobe Stock)

CT Hispanic Population Faces Risk of Medicaid Coverage Loss

When the pandemic ends this spring, Medicaid's "continuous coverage" requirement will end with it. In Connecticut, the state will start checking …

According to 2019 data from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, of the 11 million people incarcerated yearly, about 15% have been homeless. Conversely, around 48,000 people going into homeless shelters each year come, nearly directly, from prisons or jails. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Public-Housing Policies Exclude People with Criminal Records

A new report calls for public housing authorities to change certain policies to prevent excluding people with criminal records. The Prison Policy …

In Scotland, proposed legislation would seek to pardon the more than 3,800 people accused of witchcraft, with around 2,500 executed between 1563 and 1736. (Adobe Stock)

Legislation Seeks to Exonerate CT Witch Trial Victims

Proposed legislation would exonerate all people tried and convicted during the Connecticut Witch Trials more than 300 years ago. Between 1647 and 1697…

Numerous members of Congress have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging them to add $368 Million to the National Labor Relations Board's funding. (Adobe Stock)

Labor Advocates Want Congress to Approve NLRB Funding Boost

Labor advocates are asking Congress to better fund the National Labor Relations Board in its upcoming budget. The NLRB budget has declined 25% …

According to the Giffords Law Center, guns are the leading cause of death for Americans under age 18. (Adobe Stock)

A Decade after Sandy Hook, Assault-Weapons Ban Demands Continue

On the ten-year anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a local organization is still working to see a national assault-weapons …

According to UCLA's 2022 Hollywood Diversity report, white actors made up the majority of film leads, 61.1%, in 2021. In that same year, Black actors were at 15.5% of all leads, Latino actors were 7.1% of leads, and Asian actors were 5.6% of all film leads. Multiracial actors made up 10.3% of leads, meaning they had the most proportional representation in film. (Adobe Stock)

Accent Bias Remains Prevalent in Pop Culture

As television and film have become diverse, there are still some areas people feel are not being addressed. Accent bias is one of them. Saadia Khan…

According to a 2022 report, the pre-tax income for median Black and Latino households in Connecticut is $49,000. Meanwhile, their white counterparts have pre-tax incomes of about $86,000. (Adobe Stock)

Weigh In at Online Forum: Make CT Tax System More Fair

A group that advocates for low- and middle-income families in Connecticut says there must be ways to make the state tax system more fair. A …

Despite 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources so far this year, 71% of voters across the political spectrum oppose book bans, according to a survey by the American Library Association. (Adobe Stock)

CT Libraries Observe Banned Books Week

As "Banned Books Week" comes to a close, Connecticut libraries have been celebrating with great fervor - despite numerous book bans and challenges…

An annual report shows Connecticut ranks highly compared to other states for children's health and education, but finds a lack of investment by the state has slowed this growth and even led to some decline. (Adobe Stock)

Investment Needed for CT Children to Thrive, Report Says

More investment is needed across Connecticut to support the economic well-being and education of children, according to a new annual report. The …

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case Roe v. Wade is overturned. (Adobe Stock)

Reproductive Freedom Defense Act Heads to CT Governor's Desk

Connecticut lawmakers, state officials and pro-choice advocates gathered at the state Capitol on Tuesday, one day after a leaked draft opinion …

Reforms that advocates say helped lower youth incarceration rates include the state raising the minimum age for which adolescents could be charged with most crimes as an adult to 18 in 2012. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Number of Youth Incarcerated in US Much Higher Than Documented

Young people in the U.S. were incarcerated in juvenile facilities 240,000 times in 2019, according to a new report, and current methods significantly …

The Connecticut Health Foundation report suggests local public health departments can play a bigger role in addressing disparities. In a 2021 survey, 86% of respondents said they had a great or fair amount of trust in local health officials and health-care workers. (Adobe Stock)

CT Report: After 2 Years of COVID, Lessons Learned on Racial-Health Equity

March marks two years since COVID-19 first devastated the lives of people across the country. A new report aims to look at lessons learned in …

Since the law took effect in 1997, Connecticut has gone from charging people $31,755 a year for<br />their incarceration to $90,885, a roughly 280% increase. (Adobe Stock)

ACLU Class-Action Suit Challenges CT Prison Debt Law

The ACLU of Connecticut has sued the governor's and attorney general's offices, saying the state's prison debt law violates the excessive-fines …

With the expiration of the federal Child Tax Credit, the Recovery For All Coalition is calling for a state-level child tax credit of $600 per child for families earning less than $210,000 a year. (Adobe Stock)

CT Coalition Calls for Public Investments Ahead of Legislative Session

A coalition of Connecticut's labor and community organizations has sent a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont and lawmakers outlining public investments they …

Other policy recommendations in the report include mandating that officers complete 40 hours of racial bias and youth-specific training prior to interacting with students. (Adobe Stock)

Report: School Officers Don't Make Students Feel Safer

A new report shows the presence of police officers in school settings contributed to more referrals to law enforcement, particularly for students of …

From left, Andrea Comer, committee chairwoman, Connecticut Social Equity Council, and Carlton Highsmith, Joseph Carbone and Fred McKinney announce the Alliance for Cannabis Equity on Tuesday in Hamden, Conn. (The Narrative Project)

Alliance: Prioritize Racial Justice in CT Marijuana Industry

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Connecticut is among several states working on what its new recreational marijuana industry will look like, and a new coalition …

The town of Simsbury plans to preserve the remaining tobacco barns on the Meadowood farmland, some of which have been lost to solar-farm development. (Kesha Lambert)

Town Purchases, Preserves CT Tobacco Farm Where MLK Jr. Worked

SIMSBURY, Conn. - A northern Connecticut town now owns a former tobacco farm where Martin Luther King Jr. spent some of his teenage years. More …

One of Connecticut's largest job sectors is government. The growth rate gap in that sector<br />has widened and is a contributing factor in the state's weak job growth. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Connecticut's Economic Growth Still Slowed by Great Recession

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Connecticut's economy has shrunk since the 2008 Great Recession, and combined with highly inequitable wage distribution, that has …

On average, Black minors in the United States were five times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts in 2015. The rate had fallen to 4.4 times by 2019. (Adobe Stock)

Racial Disparities in CT Juvenile Facilities Higher than US Trends

HARTFORD, Conn. -- While there has been a decline in youth incarceration overall, a report on data gathered just before the pandemic shows …

Between 2009 and 2017, when 'raise the age' laws were implemented, Connecticut saw an 85% decrease in the number of minors housed at its Mason Youth Correctional Institute. (Adobe Stock)

With Fewer CT Youths in Jail, Advocates See Path for More Reforms

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A new report shows Connecticut has been able to decrease the number of young people in its juvenile-justice system since …

According to the 2021 Kids Count Data Book, the number of Connecticut children ages 3 and 4 not enrolled in preschool has dropped in the last decade, from 38% in 2009-2011 to 34% in 2017-2019. (Adobe Stock)

Report Suggests More CT Families Backslid Financially in Pandemic

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Connecticut ranks in the top 10 states for children's education and health, but its families rank lower in terms of economic well-…

A new Gallup survey shows more than 60% of Americans say they know

Juneteenth Declared National Holiday, Amidst Progress, Upheaval

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Juneteenth National Independence Day is now an official holiday, after President Joe Biden signed a bill Thursday, approved by …

According to ACLU Connecticut, around 400,000 people are living with a criminal record in the Nutmeg State. If made law, the Clean Slate bill would expunge the records for more than half. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates: CT Clean-Slate Bill Passage a Start, But More Work is Needed

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Advocates for criminal-justice reform are optimistic about the passage of a Clean Slate bill, which would clear criminal records …

According to ACLU Connecticut, 10 states have ended prison gerrymandering. Connecticut could be among them if Senate Bill 753 passes in the General Assembly this session and is signed into law by Gov. Ned Lamont. (Adobe Stock)

CT Groups Push for Fair Redistricting; End to Prison Gerrymandering

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The League of Women Voters of Connecticut is working to promote greater awareness about the importance of drawing new legislative …

The American Public Health Association says 40% of gun-owning households with children store firearms unlocked, which contributes to the 2,700 children injured by gunfire and 110 fatal unintentional shootings every year. (Adobe Stock)

CT Cities Join Push for More Firearm Safety

HARTFORD, Conn. - Every year, 39,000 Americans perish from gun violence. A new Gun Safety Consortium is taking an unusual step to curb that number…

Only 2,050 refugees have made it into the United States this fiscal year, according to the latest report by the International Rescue Committee. (Adobe Stock)

CT Advocates Join Demands for Higher Refugee Cap in U.S.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Advocates for refugees in Connecticut are calling on President Joe Biden to increase the new cap on refugees entering the country…

The group Compassion & Choices reports that one in five Americans did not know the wishes for end-of-life care of a family member who was ill or died during the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

CT Aid-in-Dying Bill: Facet of National Healthcare Decisions Day

HARTFORD, Conn. - Today is National Healthcare Decisions Day, and one organization is expanding its efforts to raise awareness about the importance …

According to Polaris, about 14,600 survivors of sex trafficking contacted the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2019. That number is likely higher in 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Human Trafficking Also a Focus in CT

HARTFORD, Conn. - A Connecticut group that aids victims of human trafficking is speaking out about the role that sexual violence plays in this crime…

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CT: Social Justice