Tagged: connecticut

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut task force recommends that local zoning laws reflect changes in rising sea levels and new flood elevations after two storms devastated the state's shoreline.

The legislative report released Monday recommends that municipalities and the state consider the impact of rising sea levels when deciding whether to build or issuing public health permits for sewage disposal.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has named 16 people, a group that includes mental health and public safety experts, to a panel recommending changes to state laws and policies in the wake of the deadly elementary school shooting in Newtown.

Connecticut's comptroller says the state is on track to end the fiscal year with a budget deficit of $40 million.

The estimate released Wednesday by Comptroller Kevin Lembo reflects cuts that were made last month after officials revealed a $365 million deficit in the current $20 billion state budget.

New adult drivers in Connecticut will soon need a learner's permit before taking the road test for a driver's license.

The three-month permit will be mandatory for drivers 18 and older starting Wednesday.

The new law ends a 106-year practice of not requiring adult drivers in Connecticut to complete a training period before getting a driver's license.

Applicants will receive an adult learner permit after passing a 25-question knowledge test and a vision test. They will also have to take an eight-hour safe driving practices course, which costs $125.

Connecticut’s Public Health Department says reports of wrong-site surgeries in state hospitals increased by 62 percent last year, while the number of patient deaths or disabilities resulting from surgery or falls also rose.

The report that covers 2011 also says reports of patients suffering from serious pressure ulcers — or bed sores — declined 39 percent.

The Adverse Event Report says reports of patients who had surgery performed on the wrong body part increased from eight in 2010 to 13 last year.

State labor officials say about 43,000 Connecticut residents could lose emergency unemployment benefits at the end of December unless Congress continues the program.