The Connecticut Department of Children and Families held a full-day forum on Wednesday about domestic minor sex trafficking. The aim was to raise awareness of the issue and to strengthen partnerships across the state to combat the victimization of children. Keynote speaker Audrey Morrissey shared her experience as a survivor of the commercial sex industry, and discussed her work teaching young girls how to avoid her fate.
High Cost of College Textbooks Examined
The price of college textbooks has increased 82 percent over the past decade, according to a new study that looks at alternatives to the traditional college textbook. The Connecticut Public Interest Research Group is urging schools and professors to consider open textbooks. These are books that can be accessed online for little or no money. They cover the same academic content, but they have a more flexible copyright, can be reproduced more easily and could save students up to $100 per class. A national survey of college students found that nearly half of those surveyed said the cost of textbooks impacted how many and which classes they were going to take each semester.
Malloy Requests Delay in Teacher Evaluations
In response to significant concerns voiced by teachers and administrators that too much change is hitting their classrooms at once, Governor Dannel Malloy sent a letter to the Performance Evaluation Advisory Council, calling for greater flexibility in the implementation of the new state teacher evaluation and support system. Malloy requested a delay in linking a teacher's performance rating with students' standardized test scores. He hopes that state educators will be able to focus on successfully implementing the Common Core, a recently adapted set of educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade.
PURA Delays Tree Cutting Decision
The expected decision today by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on the fate of United Illuminating’s ambitious tree-cutting plan has been delayed due to a public hearing request from United Illuminating. During the hearing, customers and municipalities will have the opportunity to voice their concerns and discuss how to accomplish the shared goal of decreasing damage to utility facilities caused by trees during extreme weather while maintaining the character of the impacted communities.
Infinity Hall Opening Delayed
Infinity Music Hall and Bistro’s Hartford venue is well under construction and its completion much anticipated. It will not open in May as first hoped. Instead, due to design and construction complications, its completion has been delayed until June or July. The new concert venue, which will seat up to 500 people, is one of several new revitalization initiatives on Hartford’s Front Street.
