Author Archives: cxpowell

By Chris Powell A Bridgeport Hospital nurse, Emily Callahan, last week told a gripping story to the Connecticut Hearst newspapers upon her return from Gaza, where she had been volunteering with Doctors Without Borders when the Hamas-ruled territory invaded Israel and reveled in the slaughter and abduction of civilians, prompting devastating retaliation. Callahan and herContinue reading “Better places than Gaza for humanitarian service”

By Chris Powell Connecticut’s Education Department was fairly candid the other day with its annual accountability report for public education. Student performance statewide remains lower than it was before the recent virus epidemic, though schools have been fully reopened for two years. But faulty as public education in the state has been, with its socialContinue reading “Education isn’t improving but who is accountable?”

By Chris Powell President Biden’s nomination of Sarah F. Russell to a federal judgeship in Connecticut is supported by her strong resume. Russell teaches law at Quinnipiac University and directs its legal clinic and used to teach at Yale. She is a former assistant federal public defender and was a clerk for two federal judges. Continue reading “Does federal judge nominee still want to end prison?”

By Chris Powell Most Connecticut state legislators purport to hate the car tax — that is, municipal property taxes on automobiles. A special committee of the General Assembly has been created to review the tax and suggest alternatives for raising the billion dollars it pays into municipal government treasuries each year. Since cars are soldContinue reading “Car tax won’t be eliminated, just moved or maybe hidden”

By Chris Powell According to a report issued the other day by Dalio Education, the Connecticut-based philanthropy, thousands of children and young adults in the state are “disconnected” — uneducated, alienated, unemployed, or even unemployable. Meanwhile Connecticut Attorney General William Tong had the state join a national lawsuit against Meta, operator of the social media companies FacebookContinue reading “Regulations on social media won’t substitute for parents”

By Chris Powell How did Connecticut come to have, according to the state Education Department, more than 20% of its young students chronically absent from school?  How did the state come to have, according to Dalio Education, about 20% of its young people “at risk” or “disconnected,” having dropped out of school or being inContinue reading “‘Pretty please’ won’t get the underclass to school”

By Chris Powell Respectable people are calling for an unconditional ceasefire in the long war between Gaza and Israel, but their calls came only after Israel began retaliating for Gaza’s most barbaric attack and kidnappings. While respectable people may have been appalled by the attack, they aren’t appalled enough to suggest that anything should beContinue reading “Ceasefire won’t end Gaza war; and look what the Democrats did”

By Chris Powell Flash! Having surveyed its members, the Connecticut Education Association, the state’s largest teacher union, reports that they are unhappy with their jobs and want higher pay and less accountability. A survey last year got the same results, and future surveys well may get the same results forever. Ho-hum. For this unhappiness hasContinue reading “Why teachers are unhappy; and political gridlock over housing”

By CHRIS POWELL Few people in Connecticut have the impression that there recently has been less crime in the state. Most people seem to feel that crime here is exploding. But last week the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection — the state police — reported that crime in Connecticut is down onContinue reading “Why it’s so hard to believe crime is down in Connecticut”

By Chris Powell By most accounts Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who is retiring at the end of the year, is leaving the city a better place after two four-year terms in office. Bronin has been competent and decent, has encouraged downtown housing development to try to draw the middle class back to the city, andContinue reading “Bronin did well for Hartford but city’s big problems remain”