In the News
HARTFORD — The expected donation of 19th century factory buildings to the planned Coltsville National Historical Park in Hartford will be a vital step, local and federal leaders said Monday, in making the area under the blue onion dome a destination as well as a window into a cradle of American ingenuity.
Nearly a decade after approval by federal lawmakers, the Coltsville National Historical Park is expected to be officially established in Hartford late next year, now that two of the oldest structures in the neighborhood have been donated for a visitor center.
HARTFORD, Conn. — The final hurdle that will turn the old Colt manufacturing complex in Hartford into a national historic park was completed on Monday.
State and local officials were on hand to announce the donation of the two brownstone sheds – the two oldest structures on the site – that will be turned into a visitor center.
The Connecticut congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, along with U.S. Representatives John B. Larson, Rosa DeLauro, Joe Courtney, Jim Himes, and Jahana Hayes, has announced $6.6 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for eight traffic safety projects in Connecticut. The funds, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, aim to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an annual defense spending bill on a bipartisan vote Thursday, sending legislation to the president that includes billions for Connecticut defense sector manufacturers.
Pratt & Whitney will be the sole provider of the F135 military jet engine, following a decades-long push by Connecticut’s congressional delegation to secure funding and protect jobs in the state.
The Department of Defense announced this week it is awarding multiple follow-on contracts that will extend the company’s work in supplying engines on a sole basis for the next seven years. The contracts for the Engine Core Upgrade program will start a few months into fiscal year 2024 and run until the end of 2031.
Pentagon officials announced this week that East Hartford-based Pratt & Whitney will remain the sole source for upgrades of the F-35 jet engine.
U.S. Reps. John Larson, D-1, Joe Courtney, D-2 and Rosa DeLauro, D-3, jointly announced the Pentagon's decision. Prior to the announcement, Pratt & Whitney was awarded a $66 million contract in July to support engine modernization efforts.
Local and federal officials gathered at the Hartford Public Library on Tuesday to celebrate a two-year, $450,000 grant to expand the library’s citizenship and immigration services.
The library currently offers citizenship application services to roughly 200 people a year through a division known as the American Place, or TAP, founded in 2000 to support immigrants in adjusting to their new home and navigating the path to citizenship.
The Social Security Administration overpaid about 2 million beneficiaries over the past two years, and is telling lawmakers that more staffing is needed to reduce improper payments.
SSA is dealing with its lowest staffing level in 25 years, but at the same time is providing benefits to a record 71 million Americans. The agency pays out about $1.4 trillion in benefits each year.
HARTFORD — In a city struggling to build a viable ecosystem that delivers fresh, healthful groceries, a new food shopping alternative is poised to emerge in one of Hartford’s most impoverished areas — one that could become a model for other city neighborhoods.