News Archive
2004 (August - December)
News of Interest & News Affecting Labor

Lawmakers: stop job subsidies to corporations
Journal Inquirer (12/29/2004)
HARTFORD -- Two members of the General Assembly's powerful finance committee, a Repub-lican and a Democrat, say they're asking their respective political caucuses to have the state stop subsidizing companies so they can create or retain jobs.

Rell expected to make full recovery
New Britain Herald (12/29/2004)
Gov. M. Jodi Rell is continuing to recover from breast cancer surgery and is expected to leave Danbury Hospital today, her office said Tuesday.
Rell, 58, underwent a mastectomy followed by a cosmetic breast reconstruction.

Correction Officers' Union Seeks Talks
Hartford Courant (12/28/2004)
Jon Pepe was at the meeting this summer when new Gov. M. Jodi Rell told union representatives she wanted to work with them and be made aware of their concerns when they arose. So he's holding her to her promise, he said.

Rell: Time To Face Budget Realities
Hartford Courant (12/26/2004)
Gov. M. Jodi Rell spoke with The Courant's editorial board about the state budget on Dec. 17. The following are excerpts from the talk.

HOT STORIES OF 2004 2005 STORIES TO WATCH
Labor at odds AFL-CIO knows reform is needed, but it'll be tough
San Francisco Chronicle (12/25/2004)
Labor saw its favored presidential candidate go down to defeat and failed to stem a long-term decline in membership in 2004. That's creating pressure for change at the AFL-CIO, the union movement's central federation, which will elect a leader and consider reorganization in 2005.

Local pols ready to move forward
New Britain Herald (12/24/2004)
Reaction from area politicians to former Gov. John Rowland’s guilty plea Thursday to a federal corruption charge was swift and varied. Some faulted the system; others viewed Rowland’s guilty plea to "stealing honest service" long overdue.

Jobless Claims Rise Slightly
Yahoo! News (12/23/2004)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Initial claims for U.S. jobless benefits rose by a slightly greater-than-expected 17,000 last week, the government said on Thursday, while the number of people who have been on the jobless rolls for more than a week dropped to its lowest level since mid-November.

Many in GOP Wary of Social Security Plan
Yahoo! News (12/23/2004)
WASHINGTON - If there will ever be a year when the political stars are aligned for President Bush (news - web sites) to revamp Social Security (news - web sites), it may be 2005. But he still must persuade wary Republicans in Congress to follow his lead.

Rell Taps Top Labor Lawyer For DAS Post
The New London Day (12/23/2004)
Hartford (AP) The state's top labor lawyer is Gov. M. Jodi Rell's choice to be the next commissioner of the Department of Administrative Services.

Former Conn. Governor to Plead Guilty
Yahoo! News (12/23/2004)
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Former Gov. John G. Rowland will plead guilty Thursday to federal charges in U.S. District Court, the Associated Press has learned.

Companies not meeting job goals: Businesses received millions in state loans, grants as incentives
Journal Inquirer (12/22/2004)
More than a third of the companies that got millions of dollars in state incentives to create or retain jobs had not met their employment goals by last summer, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

State gives final approval to 10.3 percent rate increase
CTCentral.com (12/22/2004)
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (AP) -- Customers of Connecticut Light & Power Co. will be paying 10.3 percent more for electricity at the beginning of the new year.

Recommendations made for revamping state mental health care
Stamford Advocate (12/22/2004)
HARTFORD -- Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan and mental health professionals yesterday made sweeping recommendations for changes in the state's "failing system" of mental health care, including more than $110 million in new state funding over the next five years.

Trouble At Facility Blamed On DCF
Hartford Courant (12/22/2004)
The state child advocate and attorney general say the sudden threatened closure of a Hartford assessment center for juvenile girls is another example of poor oversight by the state Department of Children and Families.

Many in GOP Wary of Social Security Plan
Yahoo! News (12/22/2004)
WASHINGTON - If there will ever be a year when the political stars are aligned for President Bush to revamp Social Security (news - web sites), it may be 2005. But he still must persuade wary Republicans in Congress to follow his lead.

Bush Criticized Over Social Security Plan
The New London Day (12/21/2004)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Critics of President Bush's plan to create personal investment accounts in Social Security say he is exaggerating the program's funding problems to boost public support for his idea.

State unions bracing for no pay raises
Hartford Courant (12/17/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- State union leaders said Friday they're not expecting the state to willingly hand out pay raises as it negotiates half of the state contracts.

Court monitor praises DCF progress, but says more work needed
Stamford Advocate (12/17/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Department of Children and Families continues to make progress toward meeting goals necessary to leave court oversight, but still needs to improve in some areas, a federal court monitor said in a report released Thursday.

AFL-CIO Urges Securities Ind To Fess Up On Private Accts
Dow Jones (12/16/2004)
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- AFL-CIO President John Sweeney said Thursday that the financial services industry is trying to hide its enthusiasm for U.S. President George W. Bush's plan to allow workers to use their Social Security taxes to create personal retirement accounts.

Bush Says U.S. Firms Hurt by Lawsuits
Yahoo! News (12/15/2004)
WASHINGTON - President Bush said Wednesday that American companies are suffering a competitive disadvantage around the world because of the high cost of lawsuits and legal insurance at home.

Johnson’s name floated for possible Senate seat
New Britain Herald (12/15/2004)
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-5, viewed by peers in Connecticut as a likely choice to fill U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman’s seat should he leave to head the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, isn’t dwelling on the prospect, a spokesman said Tuesday.
"Any speculation on a possible replacement for Sen. Lieberman at this point would be premature on our part," said Johnson spokesman Brian Schubert. "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

President to push agenda at two-day economic forum
USA Today (12/14/2004)
WASHINGTON — President Bush on Wednesday opens a two-day gathering of economists, CEOs and small-business owners that's billed as a discussion on "securing our economic future."

Giannaros upbeat about state’s fiscal future
New Britain Herald (12/14/2004)
FARMINGTON -- State Rep. Demetrios Giannaros, D-21st District, is optimistic about the state budget and the future of the State of Connecticut.
"I tend to be more optimistic.I think with smart policies and with patience, we can move the State of Connecticut forward with social services, education, and health care," he said.

Medicaid may face big cuts
New Hampshire Union Leader (12/13/2004)
WASHINGTON — If President Bush and Congress want to cut the federal deficit starting next year, as they say they do, then Medicaid has become a choice place to look.

As Colleges Profit, Sweatshops Worsen
Hartford Courant (12/12/2004)
At factories across the globe, young women hunch over sewing machines in choreographed monotony, racing the clock for poverty wages as they stitch shirts that will be shipped to the States and emblazoned with five letters: U-C-O-N-N

Veterans home to receive $900,000 for improvements
New Britain Herald (12/09/2004)
ROCKY HILL -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell found a special way to honor Pearl Harbor Day and all Connecticut veterans who served the country with pride and valor. Wednesday, the governor announced that more than $900,000 for improvements at the Veterans Home and Hospital, Rocky Hill is expected to be approved when the State Bond Commission meets Dec. 13.

Jobless Claims Rise Unexpectedly
Yahoo! News (12/09/2004)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing initial claims for jobless pay grew unexpectedly last week to 357,000, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, but an official said an increase in the week after a public holiday was typical.

Teamsters' Hoffa urges overhaul of AFL-CIO
Detroit Free Press (12/09/2004)
DETROIT (AP) -- Teamsters union President James P. Hoffa says the 13-million member AFL-CIO needs to undergo a major shakeup to reverse a long decline in membership and restore labor's political influence.

Union Advantage Grows
Labor Research Association (12/01/2004)
The already substantial union advantage for employee benefits has increased in recent years, according to new survey data.

Poll Finds Support For Millionaires Tax, Service Cuts
Hartford Courant (11/24/2004)
Connecticut residents support higher taxes for millionaires, but would rather cut state services than raise taxes to balance the budget, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.

Congress Approves $388B Spending Measure
Norwich Bulletin (11/22/2004)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill through Congress on Saturday, a mammoth measure that underscores the dominance of deficit politics by curbing dollars for everything from education to environmental cleanups.

House about to OK raising debt limit
Connecticut Post (11/19/2004)
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House late Thursday was on the brink of pushing through an $800 billion increase in the national debt limit to solve a borrowing crisis.

CCSU cuts official following alleged contract missteps
New Britain Herald (11/19/2004)
NEW BRITAIN -- Two top officials at Central Connecticut State University were involved with the improper steering of an illegal $40 million, no-bid contract for food services at the school, state Attorney Blumenthal said Thursday.

Rell Orders Travel Ban
Hartford Courant (11/19/2004)
Trying to send a signal about a deficit she says could reach $1 billion next year, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has ordered an immediate ban on out-of-state travel by all state employees.

Temporary ruling blocks lawsuit against Rowland associates
Stamford Advocate (11/16/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- A state Superior Court judge has ordered a stop to proceedings in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, amid concerns by federal prosecutors that the suit would harm their corruption cases against associates of former Gov. John G. Rowland.

400 Driver's Licenses May Have Been Sold
Hartford Courant (11/10/2004)
Investigators looking into the illegal sale of driver's licenses by Department of Motor Vehicles employees have raised questions about the validity of roughly 400 licenses issued by a single worker in the last year, sources familiar with the investigation said Tuesday.

Unions Confront Postelection Reality
Hartford Courant (11/10/2004)
In what probably will be a somber meeting, leaders gather today to ponder organized labor's survival in the next four years.

State Officials Credit Initiatives For Large Drop In Prison Population
Hartford Courant (11/09/2004)
A recent drop in the state's prison population is the largest in the country and is evidence, state officials say, that Connecticut is getting smart on crime.

Swing states lean to Kerry
Yahoo! News (11/01/2004)
Sen. John Kerry has erased President Bush's modest lead and the two candidates head into Election Day tied at 49%-49%, a nationwide USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows as an extraordinarily bitter and expensive campaign prepared to end.

Education, living wage a priority for Working Families candidate
New Britain Herald (11/01/2004)
SOUTHINGTON -- Although he is only two years removed from graduation at Wolcott High School, Derek Ljongquist, 21, is one of the over 50 candidates running under the Working Families Party ticket in the 2004 elections.

Workers walked three years ago
Journal Inquirer (10/30/2004)
Machinists union members at Pratt & Whitney on Friday voted overwhelmingly in favor of authorizing union leaders to call for a strike if this year's contract talks break down, according to James Parent, assistant directing business representative for the union's District 91.

Governor withholds funding from Ethics Commission pending reforms
Stamford Advocate (10/29/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell took several administrative actions Thursday to rein in the State Ethics Commission's spending after state auditors raised questions about the troubled agency's paperwork and employee procedures.

Contractor says mayor's brother sought kickback
Stamford Advocate (10/29/2004)
STAMFORD -- As Mayor Dannel Malloy stood in front of television cameras yesterday at city hall reassuring viewers he will be vindicated in a state probe into how contracts are awarded, a Stamford excavator said the mayor's brother offered him city work in exchange for money.

Anti-Bush sentiment fuels hot Connecticut races
CTCentral.com (10/29/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- Anti-Bush sentiment and charges of negative campaigning have embroiled the eastern and western sections of Connecticut in two of the most competitive congressional races in the Northeast.

State holds line on government jobs as most states see gains
Stamford Advocate (10/29/2004)
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Connecticut has hardly had the "help wanted" sign out for government jobs over the past five years.

China Pressures Wal-Mart, Other Investors
Associated Press (10/27/2004)
SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China's official Communist Party-controlled trade union is threatening to sue foreign companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Dell Inc. and Eastman Kodak Co. if they don't set up union branches in their China operations.

Kerry’s the One
The American Conservative (10/27/2004)
There is little in John Kerry’s persona or platform that appeals to conservatives.

Bush, Kerry Making Late Campaign Push
Yahoo! News (10/27/2004)
LITITZ, Pa. - President Bush summoned support from Democrats whose "dreams and goals are not found in the far left wing" of their own party on Wednesday in a late-campaign appeal for crossover votes. Sen. John Kerry said that when it comes to Iraq, the man in the White House "doesn't get it, and he can't fix it."

Potts Advocates Tollbooths To Replace State Income Tax
The Day (10/27/2004)
Jason A. Potts, Working Families Party candidate for the 33rd Senate District, has come up with what must be the most unconventional approach to eliminating the state income tax.

Democrats condemn health care mailings in 5th District race
Stamford Advocate (10/27/2004)
WASHINGTON -- Connecticut Democrats are crying foul over mailings done in the last week by a Virginia-based senior citizen group that praise U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., but stop short of endorsing her for re-election. .

Experts fear economy shrinking
CT Post (10/26/2004)
High oil prices and a weak dollar could be sending the nation's economy teetering toward the brink of recession, some experts fear.

Bush bothers me
Norwich Bulletin (10/25/2004)
I wonder if George W. Bush's answer when asked about the flu vaccine fiasco bothered as many people as it did me!

Democrats Struggle in Campaigns to Retake House
Yahoo! News (10/25/2004)
SAVANNAH, Ga. -- If ever a congressional district was tailor-made for Democrats, it is Georgia's 12th -- a long, narrow stretch of southeastern Georgia where Al Gore (news - web sites) won 57 percent of the vote in 2000 and African Americans make up 42 percent of the population.

Campaign ads accentuate negative
Norwhich Bulletin (10/25/2004)
NORWICH-- The television ads and mailings from 2nd Congressional District candidates, and their respective national political parties, have attempted to define their opponents -- with some success and not necessarily in the most flattering light.

Working Families gaining foothold
CT Post (10/24/2004)
When Felipe Reinoso pounds the pavement in his Bridgeport state representative district, naturally, he tells voters who he is that he's a Democrat and the incumbent. And, by the way, he sometimes throws in, he's been endorsed by the Working Families Party too. It's that last item in his pitch that attracts interest.

Shays, Farrell race may turn on issue of Iraq
Stamford Advocate (10/24/2004)
Farrell -- In Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District, far from the battlefields of Iraq, the race for the U.S. House of Representatives may be decided by the cost of that war in dollars and lives.

Debate gets lively in 5th District
New Britain Herald (10/24/2004)
NEW BRITAIN -- Although they were warned that audience applause would result in a deduction of rebuttal time during a debate featuring the three candidates running for the fifth Congressional district, supporters of U.S. Rep. Nancy L. Johnson, R-5th District, still felt it necessary to sound off after one of Johnson’s responses regarding prescription drugs.

A Senator's Questionable Role
Hartford Courant (10/22/2004)
At a time when ethics in government is a matter of great concern, it is disturbing that few people saw anything wrong in a tangle of relationships involving a prominent state senator, a health care facility and two state officials who went to work for the facility.

Unemployment Drops in Battleground States
New York Times (10/22/2004)
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unemployment declined in September in eight of 10 states hotly contested in the presidential race -- including Ohio, where job losses and a weak economy have boosted Democrat John Kerry's election hopes.

Study: Kerry Plan Costs More, Promises More
Hartford Courant (10/22/2004)
Far more uninsured Connecticut residents would gain coverage under Sen. John F. Kerry's health care plan than under President Bush's, a study said Thursday. But the Democratic presidential nominee's plan would be more costly than Bush's.

Shays, Farrell raise intensity of attacks at final meeting
Stamford Advocate (10/22/2004)
NORWALK -- U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, who had declined to directly attack opponent Diane Farrell, repeatedly challenged the Democratic first selectwoman of Westport in their final debate yesterday.

Lawmakers' free access to flu shots angers many
Connecticut Post (10/22/2004)
WASHINGTON — Michelle Griffin is one angry taxpayer. The Stratford, Conn., woman is seething over the fact that members of Congress can stroll into Dr. John Eisold's Capitol office and get flu shots for free, while Griffin's elderly mother and father, who have serious medical issues, go wanting.

State sues vaccine vendor
New Britain Herald (10/22/2004)
Connecticut sued a Fort Lauderdale drug wholesaler Thursday for charging exorbitant prices for suddenly scarce flu vaccine. ASAP Meds Inc., doing business as Meds-Stat, charged at least three hospitals$900 a vial -- more than 10 times the normal value, the suit contends.

AP Poll: Bush, Kerry in Dead Heat
Miami Herald (10/21/2004)
WASHINGTON - President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are locked in a tie for the popular vote, according to an Associated Press poll, while a chunk of voters vacillate between their desire for change and their doubts about the alternative.

Recovery, protection of workers' benefits doubles
USA Today (10/21/2004)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Labor Department recovered or protected $2.85 billion in workers' retirement and health benefits from illegal transactions or fraud in the past year, more than doubling its results from 2003.

13-Year Strike at Walnut Plant Nearing End
Yahoo! News (10/20/2004)
STOCKTON, Calif. - When Margaret Munoz walked off her job at the world's largest walnut processing plant, she had one grandchild. Now she has seven. Munoz was among more than 600 workers who launched a strike against the Diamond of California plant 13 years ago, convinced the growers' cooperative would quickly buckle to their demands in the autumn rush to harvest and process half the nation's walnuts.

Norwich High victimized by No Child law
Norwich Bulletin (10/18/2004)
As just one example of how flawed the No Child Left Behind law is consider Norwich High School.

8 Senate Races Key to Democrats' Hopes
Yahoo! News (10/18/2004)
YANKTON, S.D. -- Democratic hopes of regaining the Senate majority hinge first on defending five endangered seats, with none more important than that of Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle.

Bush, Kerry Exchange Bitter Words on Iraq
Yahoo! News (10/18/2004)
WASHINGTON - President Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry traded biting accusations over the war in Iraq on Monday as early Florida voting produced scattered complaints that stirred memories of the state's chaotic 2000 recount.

Dems visit area diner
New Britain Herald (10/18/2004)
NEW BRITAIN -- Health care and oil prices. It’s no doubt that these are two of the more significant issues on everyone’s mind heading into the election. And that’s what people at the New Britain Diner Sunday told United States Sen. Joe Lieberman, (D), and Terry Gerratana, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Connecticut’s 5th district.

Simmons: No plans to ax tax
Norwich Bulletin (10/18/2004)
NEW HAVEN-- U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons, R-2nd District, said Sunday he does not support a proposal to replace the federal income tax with a national sales tax -- but he wasn't necessarily opposed to the idea, either.

Bringing rents within reach
Norwich Bulletin (10/18/2004)
LEDYARD-- Eastern Connecticut is a step closer to closing the gap between people who can afford housing and those who struggle daily to make ends meet.

Washington gives Connecticut 15 billion reasons to smile
Stamford Advocate (10/18/2004)
When Uncle Sam isn't shopping Connecticut for Black Hawk helicopters and nuclear submarines, he's here producing musicals, buying lunches for school children, translating Vietnamese poetry and reminding us to buckle up.

'No Child Left Behind' Top Education Issue
Yahoo! News (10/17/2004)
WASHINGTON - President Bush asked for it. Sen. John Kerry voted for it. Both candidates now find their education agendas driven by the No Child Left Behind law.

Super Rich Step Into Political Vacuum
Yahoo! News (10/17/2004)
This was going to be the year -- thanks to the 2002 campaign finance law -- when big money lost its influence in American politics.

Prison's Specialty Is Now The Mentally Ill
Hartford Courant (10/17/2004)
Inmates from E Block form a straight line, patiently awaiting their medication. The rhythm is monotonous: Show your identification, take your pill and open your mouth for a correction officer to check if you've swallowed.

Workers March in D.C. for Health Care
Yahoo! News (10/17/2004)
Hundreds of workers gathered at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday to demand health care, better wages, guaranteed Social Security (news - web sites) benefits and an end to the war in Iraq

Looking to motivate black voters in Wisconsin
Boston Globe (10/15/2004)
MILWAUKEE - THERE WERE about 100 middle-aged and elderly men and women, mostly African-American, in the auditorium at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society on a recent Sunday.

Endangered species: US programmers
Yahoo! News (10/14/2004)
Say goodbye to the American software programmer. Once the symbols of hope as the nation shifted from manufacturing to service jobs, programmers today are an endangered species. They face a challenge similar to that which shrank the ranks of steelworkers and autoworkers a quarter century ago: competition from foreigners.

Kerry Accuses Bush of Incompetence on Iraq - Yahoo! News (09/21/2004)
Staking out new ground on Iraq, Sen. John Kerry said Monday he would not have overthrown Saddam Hussein had he been in the White House, and he accused President Bush of "stubborn incompetence," dishonesty and colossal failures of judgment. Bush said Kerry was flip-flopping.

Casinos Seek Foreign Labor - Hartford Courant (09/21/2004)
The state's two casinos are looking to South America and South Korea for food and beverage workers as well as some service jobs.

Study: Effects Of Poverty Hit Early - Hartford Courtant (09/21/2004)
A new study examining the health and well-being of preschoolers in Connecticut shows that the state's well-worn chasm between the haves and the have-nots runs deep, even among very young children.

Simmons, Sullivan spar over Iraq, tax policy in congressional debate - Stamford Advocate (09/21/2004)
U.S. Rep. Robert Simmons and Democratic challenger Jim Sullivan differed sharply on the war in Iraq and Bush administration tax policy in an hour-long debate Monday night.

Judge strikes down several FEC rules interpreting campaign finance law - Stamford Advocate (09/20/2004)
A judge has struck down several government rules on campaign fund raising, ordering tougher restrictions on big political money in the long term while creating uncertainty about how candidates, parties and interest groups should proceed in the current election's final weeks.

Prison Contract Protested - Hartford Courant (09/18/2004)
State employees protested Friday in front of the Janet S. York Correctional Institution over a decision to give a private company a contract to run a counseling program at the women's prison.

Making call on sham of political polling - Newsday (09/16/2004)
Anybody who believes these national political polls are giving you facts is a gullible fool.

I'm Manlier Than You - The Day (09/13/2004)
The Bush and Kerry campaigns have spent so much time trying to establish that one is manlier and more full of testosterone than the other that it scarcely seems to matter to them that there's a race for president going on.

Baseball's owners drive in campaign cash for Bush - Hartford Courant (09/13/2004)
Baseball owners once passed up a chance to hire former colleague George W. Bush as the sport's commissioner, but now they're working hard to keep Bush at bat in the White House.

Bush’s Bounce Back - MSNBC.com (09/11/2004)
As the presidential race heats up, the spread between the two campaigns narrows

State Expects A Surplus - Hartford Courant (09/02/2004)
The state comptroller Wednesday estimated that the state will have a surplus of $74.3 million by the end of the fiscal year. The state budget totals $14.3 billion.

Task force gives Rell reform list - New Britain Herald (09/02/2004)
HARTFORD -- A state task force Wednesday handed Gov. M. Jodi Rell a laundry list of more than 130 recommendations for ways to reform Connecticut’s corruption-riddled state contracting system.

Bush, Kerry Ready New Ads for Fall Blitz - Yahoo! News (09/02/2004)
NEW YORK - As President Bush's campaign prepared a fresh wave of campaign ads coming out of the convention, Democrat John Kerry challenged the Republican's contention of an improving economy in his own new commercials that are part of a $50 million post-Labor Day blitz.

Cheney Calls Kerry Unfit - Yahoo! News (09/02/2004)
NEW YORK, Sept. 1 -- Vice President Cheney reached back decades into John F. Kerry's life Wednesday night, arguing in taunting language that the Democratic presidential nominee has demonstrated through his public statements and votes that he is unfit to be commander in chief in an age of terrorism.

Bush to Vow Victory Over Terrorism - Yahoo! News (09/02/2004)
NEW YORK - President Bush, a wartime leader in a tight race, was to vow victory over terrorism and a brighter future for Americans buffeted by a changing economy Thursday night in a Republican National Convention acceptance speech that launched his fall re-election campaign.

Anger of demonstrations gets little media attention - Star-Telegram.com (09/02/2004)
NEW YORK - As the Republican National Convention approaches its final evening today, there have been nearly 1,800 arrests of protesters on the streets outside, two-thirds of them on Tuesday night alone. But for all the anger of the demonstrations, they have barely interrupted the convention narrative, and have drawn relatively little national media coverage.

Prosecutors to appeal decision on Rowland attorney - CTCentral.com (09/02/2004)
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Advocates for the poor want Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell to reconsider a long-delayed program aimed at reducing health care costs for the state's neediest citizens.

First Lady to Hail Bush on His Leadership - Yahoo! News (08/31/2004)
NEW YORK - Republican National Convention co-stars Laura Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger commended President Bush to the country Tuesday for four more years in office, praising him for unflinching leadership in a time of national testing. "I am so proud of the way George has led our country with strength and conviction" in the war on terror, the first lady planned to say.

Proposed reforms to health care system delayed - Stamford Advocate (08/30/2004)
Federal prosecutors investigating corruption in former Gov. John G. Rowland's administration have indicated they'll appeal a recent court ruling blocking them from subpoenaing Rowland's one-time legal adviser.

Property tax reform high on legislature's agenda - WFSB.com (08/29/2004)
When state lawmakers return to Hartford in January, property tax reform and aid to municipalities will be among their top priorities, Senate President Pro Tem Donald Williams said.

Labor leader and governor open lines of communication - New Britain Herald (08/27/2004)
ROCKY HILL -- Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s press aide, Adam Liegeot, called the governor’s pow-wow Thursday with John Olsen at the capitol a meeting to set the tone.

Kerry Camp Begins Drive for Women Voters - Yahoo! News (08/26/2004)
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) - John Kerry's campaign on Thursday opened a drive to reach undecided and politically indifferent women voters, hoping they might boost the Massachusetts senator's bid to unseat President Bush in November.

Contracting Task Force Considering Ethics Code, List Of Other Reforms - The Day (08/26/2004)
Hartford — A code of ethics for state contractors, bans on meals paid for by vendors and tougher penalties for ethics violations are among a list of possible reforms being considered by a task force.

430 Inmates To Return To State - Hartford Courant (08/26/2004)
More than 400 state inmates housed in Virginia will be brought back to Connecticut by the end of the year, Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Wednesday - indicating a significant policy shift that has many lawmakers, union officials and activists overjoyed.

Plofsky On Leave, Under Investigation - Hartford Courant (08/25/2004)
The State Ethics Commission has placed its executive director on paid leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct against him, state officials said Wednesday.

Failing to Forget Veterans - New Britain Herald (08/24/2004)
ROCKY HILL -- Like his friends at the Veterans Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill, Vietnam War veteran Jack Johnson said he was grateful for the large screen televisions and fitness machine donated by AFSCME Council 4 and Local 387 of the Department of Correction.