nonprofits

We get together a few times a year to talk about the issues that face small businesspeople in Connecticut.  And today's topic is Health Care.

Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon hasn't been bashful about her efforts to attract independent voters. As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, that strategy took a new turn today. McMahon clothed some of her campaign workers in purple shirts with a message: I support Obama and McMahon November 6.

A few weeks ago, McMahon released an ad encouraging people to vote both for her and for Democratic President Barack Obama. It irked even some people in her own party. Then, last week, she released her final ad that made reference to Democratic President John F. Kennedy.

Bridgeport. Why is it always Bridgeport?

The city is rapidly becoming famous for Election Day problems, and this year will be no exception. Power outages could cramp voting and so could the fact that ordinary polling places have now been converted to storm shelters.

The "patient-centered medical home" is a fairly new way of talking about what medical care used to be. The idea is that a patient has a primary care doctor who does more than just see them when they’re sick, but actually knows them, has all their records at hand, can suggest specialists, and most importantly, work with the patient on keeping him or herself healthy.

The last of Hartford's post-war, barracks style federal public housing has come down.  And now, the city's housing authority is building something new in its place. 

A few years back, the Hartford Housing Authority started relocating the people who lived at Nelton Court. Then, last year, the authority started knocking the place down.  The housing authority says Nelton Court was beyond its useful life.  And it housed too many people in too small a place.  

As the civil war continues to escalate, humanitarian organizations are struggling to get aide to refugees inside Syria. One Connecticut resident is working to smuggle in food and medical supplies.

It's dangerous for humanitarian groups to bring aide to those inside Syria. A lot of that aide is going to refugees that have fled into neighboring countries. But there are still 5 million people inside the war-torn country that need help.

Hartford public health officials say they are concerned with new data on Hepatitis C in the city. The numbers show ten to 20 cases a month of people newly-diagnosed with a chronic form of the disease. The city is using computer mapping to help it better target, test, and treat its residents. 

Yellow ribbons are back on the town green in Litchfield after being taken down recently by a group that oversees the historic district. The ribbons, which show support of the military, were removed in late summer by the borough warden and burgesses. The members voted to take four of them down without telling town residents who have maintained the ribbons, specifically the families of servicemembers. No reason was given.

President Obama has made it part of his regular education speech that the best path to the middle-class is through a college education.

And the numbers bear it out. Getting a college degree brings higher earnings over a lifetime. Today, those with a bachelor’s degree earned 84% more money over a lifetime than those with a high school diploma.

Advocates for those with serious health issues are mourning the loss of an attorney who worked for years on their behalf. As WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, Jennifer Jaff died unexpectedly late last week. 

Downtown Hartford has a new piece of public art -- a large mural of the famous Charter Oak.  WNPR's Jeff Cohen met with the artist to talk about the project.

UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun has retired after 26 years and three NCAA championships.  As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, Calhoun says this is the right time to move on. 

It flows from the upper reaches of New Hampshire through the heart of New England...and winds its way through our state - twisting, turning, sometimes flooding, and eventually emptying into Long Island Sound.

The 410-mile-long Connecticut River was recently designated America’s first National Blueway.

To date, 63 men and women from Connecticut have died while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A small group of Connecticut residents are working to create a living memorial to these service members. It will be called the Connecticut Trees of Honor, and the planned site is in Middletown's Veterans Memorial Park.

A week before Governor Dannel Malloy is set to speak at the Democratic national convention, he got a bit of a warm up before the state's press corps today. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.

Alan Khazei has pioneered ways to empower citizens to make a difference throughout his life. As a young graduate from Harvard Law School, he turned down lucrative offers from corporate law firms to found a non-profit called City Year. City Year allows young people to serve their communities—first in Boston, now in twenty cities across the U.S. and in Johannesburg and London—through mentoring, tutoring, and leading children. Khazei is our guest.

Some needing legal help find that their only option is to represent themselves 

In 2011,  Aetna spent more on lobbying than any other insurance company - 11.6 million dollars.  3.3 million went to the American Action Network, and 4.5 million went to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce - both organizations supporting conservative causes, both working against federal health care reform. Later, the company said this wasn’t “lobbying” money - it was “educational” - a big distinction in the world of money and politics.

Students from Norwalk are raising awareness about human trafficking in an unusual way. As WNPR's Lucy Nalpathanchil reports, they're taking their campaign to rest areas on Interstate 95.

Today's show was sort of a political grab bag. We drilled down -- that might be the first time I've ever used that expression -- on the subject of political endorsements, which are flying around fast and furious right now.  We'll also alighted briefly on the issue of reapportionment, which is winging its way to the State Supreme Court.

Governor Dannel Malloy has announced a new chief of staff.  Mark Ojakian will start the job in January. Ojakian will take the place of Tim Bannon, who Malloy says is leaving as planned after a year on the job.  Ojakian was the governor's point person in labor negotiations. "His work negotiating with the state employees union was critical to our plans to reinvent Connecticut state government and even more critical to our budget plans. And while it was a bruising and often frustrating endeavor, in the end, we got what we needed. And in large part we got what we needed because of his superior skills." Malloy says one of those skills proved especially useful.  "Well, he's got a lot more patience than I do -- probably is the best way to put it."

Connecticut’s new healthcare advocate, Victoria Veltri is tasked with helping residents through the maze of health care laws, regulations and roadblocks.

Veltri’s involved in disputes between insurance carriers and health care providers; disputes about the state’s Medicaid program for low-income adults; and about the implementation of state health exchanges.

Municipal contracts can be an important source of income for small businesses. But it’s not always easy to find a way through the maze of red tape to get the work. Hartford has been trying particularly to help small contractors, and women and minority-owned businesses to benefit from city contracts. WNPR’s J Holt brings us the story.

Rosemond Frett has been in business in Hartford for fourteen years, but she’s never had a contract with the city itself. She says when she first registered her company with the state in 1997, she did seek out opportunities.