The state of Connecticut is tightening its belt around higher education, leading the University of Connecticut to begin fiscal year 2025 with a deficit of $70 million, according to The Daily Campus. UConn President Radenka Maric has stated that the deficit, stemming from nearly $50 million in reduced state support from COVID-19 funds, will result in 15% cuts to academic programs over the next five years.
The impact of the cuts has led to concerns among the UConn branch of the Association of American University Professors (AAUP) of the “potential for layoffs, departure, or early retirement of faculty members, the closing of graduate programs and the loss of UConn’s R1 research institution classification.”
The Daily Campus Editorial Board has been vocal about the UConn administration’s exorbitant spending on construction of new dormitories and other facilities despite their knowledge of expiring COVID-19 funds, a charge that is now corroborated by the present budget shortfall. As such, the university’s leaders bear major responsibility for impending program closures and department downsizing, which, as one member of the history department told the Chronicle of Higher Education, would eliminate entire graduate programs without coming close to meeting the required 15% reduction in their operating budget.
However, when it comes to the supposed lack of funds for public colleges and universities, Governor Ned Lamont and the state legislature don’t exactly have their backs to the wall — the reasoning requires parsing through seven years of tax policy.
According to in-depth reporting by the CT Mirror, the funding gap faced by public higher education, which includes UConn as well as 17 state universities and community colleges, is a symptom of steep “fiscal guardrails” meant to finance pensions for employees of the state’s large public sector. Since 2017, the state has capped spending to help chop $7.7 billion off its $37 billion in unfunded liabilities. But one cost-saving mechanism — which prohibits the state from spending any revenue collected from businesses that exceeds $3.15 billion — leaves anywhere from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars per year untouchable. The policy enables less spending on services such as healthcare, housing, investments in low-income communities and communities of color and, not least, higher education. In other words, the cost of Connecticut’s pension debt is displaced unto these underserviced social resources.
This demands the question: How much of state funds have been drained on servicing debt that could have been invested in higher education?
To make matters — and deficits — worse, the state has provided robust tax incentives to large corporations over the past decade, compounding with ambitious tax cuts to limit the amount of potential support for colleges and universities.
In 2022, the legislature passed an agreement with Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky, a manufacturer of military helicopters, providing the company with up to $75 million in tax relief to remain in the state for two decades and keep jobs in the state. Sikorsky later thanked the state for its fealty to the war industry by losing a $7.1 billion contract with the U.S. Army and, in October 2023, laying off 179 employees, short-changing taxpayers on both jobs and revenue.
In 2014, East Hartford-based manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, which produces engines for commercial and military aircraft, struck an agreement with the state for up to $400 million in tax incentives for remaining in the state up to 2029. In July 2023, the producer’s parent company and fellow weapons manufacturer Raytheon Technologies (RTX) disclosed a malfunction in Pratt & Whitney engines that could cost the company up to $7 billion in lost income — effectively eating its own profits from the past two years and negating the anticipated benefits of the past decade’s tax abatement.
Other corporate tax relief from the past year include tens of millions to animation studios — whose permanence in Connecticut is uncertain, according to reporting from the CT Mirror — and as much as $100 million to property developers looking to “revitalize” communities (the siren song of gentrification). Households and individuals earning $100,000 may see their taxes decrease by as much as $600, but those savings might be negated entirely if a family member is attending one of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities increasing tuition by $610.
Tax cuts for individuals and corporations are generally an incentive to unleash spending and keep jobs and people in the state; however, not only is the evidence that higher taxes lead to more outward migration scant, but Connecticut’s handouts to corporations have failed to solve the fundamental crises facing residents, be they renters, unhoused people or students. Furthermore, the legislature’s parochial mission to slash pension debt and serve the people of the state has done precisely the opposite, penalizing students and faculty of public universities and colleges for decades of fiscal problems they had no part in.
NEW BRITAIN, CT — Stanley Black & Decker on Thursday said it has decided to close its manufacturing facility in New Britain.
Debora Raymond, vice president of external communications for the manufacturer, said the decision is a result of a “structural decline in demand for single-sided tape measures.”
The New Britain facility predominantly makes these products, according to Raymond.
“These products are quickly becoming obsolete in the markets we serve,” Raymond said, via an emailed statement Thursday.
The decision is expected to impact approximately 300 employees, according to Raymond.
“We are focused on supporting impacted employees through this transition, including providing options for employment at other facilities, severance, and job placement support services for both salaried and hourly employees,” Raymond said.
As of Thursday at 4:30 p.m., no Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice had been filed with the state Department of Labor.
The company’s corporate headquarters remains at 1000 Stanley Dr., New Britain.
Gov. Ned Lamont released the following statement on the decision:
“Although Stanley has made the decision to discontinue operations for manufacturing outdated products, a change in workforce opportunities is difficult for employees, their families, and any community.,” Lamont said. “However, I am hopeful that these skilled workers will be repurposed with the help of Stanley Black & Decker, a company that will still proudly be headquartered here in Connecticut. My administration is working closely with local and state leaders to support affected workers and to reimagine the factory site so it can continue to create opportunity and strengthen New Britain’s economic future.”
New Britain Mayor Bobby Sanchez said he is “deeply disappointed” the company will be closing its Myrtle Street operations.
“For generations, Stanley Works has been part of the fabric of our city, providing good-paying jobs, supporting families, and helping build New Britain’s proud reputation as the ‘Hardware City,’” Sanchez said.
According to the mayor, his office’s immediate focus is on helping affected workers and their families. The mayor has been in contact with Lamont’s office, and they will be working closely to make sure employees have access to job placement services, retraining opportunities and support, Sanchez said.
“We will continue aggressively pursuing economic development opportunities and attracting businesses that are looking for a true community partner, a city ready to collaborate, innovate and grow alongside them,” Sanchez said. “New Britain has reinvented itself before, and we will do so again.”
Stanley Black & Decker, founded in 1843, operates manufacturing facilities worldwide, according to its website. It reports having 43,500 employees globally, and makes an array of products, such as power tools and equipment, hand tools, and fasteners.
Newly released police video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon ram his luxury sports car into the rear end of another vehicle on a Connecticut highway last summer as he was being followed by a state trooper.
McMahon, now 80, was driving his 2024 Bentley Continental GT at more than 100 mph on the Merritt Parkway when he crashed in the town of Westport, according to state police.
A trooper’s dashcam video shows McMahon accelerating away, then braking too late to avoid crashing into the back of a BMW. The Bentley then swerves into a guardrail and careens back across the highway, creating a cloud of dirt and car parts.
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” state police Detective Maxwell Robins asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley, which can cost over $300,000.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No one was seriously injured in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day that WWE legend Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
Besides damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, according to the police video.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. A state judge in October allowed McMahon to enter a pretrial probation program that will result in the charges being erased from his record next October if he successfully completes the program. He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution.
McMahon’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, said the crash was just an accident.
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
State police said Robins was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape — though in the video the detective suggests otherwise.
“I’m trying to catch up to you and you keep taking off,” Robins says.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon says.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The Associated Press obtained the videos Wednesday through a public records request. They were first obtained by The Sun newspaper.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and adds that he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
The videos also show McMahon talking to the driver he rear-ended. Barbara Doran, of New York City, told the AP last summer that McMahon expressed his concern for her and was glad she was OK. She said she was heading to a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard at the time of the crash.
After McMahon was given the traffic summons, he shook hands with Robins and another trooper and they wished him well.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
McMahon bought what was then the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 and transformed it from a regional wrestling company into a worldwide phenomenon. Besides running the company with his wife, Linda, who is now the U.S. education secretary, he also performed at WWE events as himself.
The New Haven Pride Center will close for 30 days starting Thursday, as leaders reassess the organization’s finances and its long-term business model.
Board members said the temporary shutdown will allow the nonprofit to stop accruing expenses and get better insight into a $250,000 IRS debt discovered in 2022 that has weighed heavily on the center’s operations.
According to board co-chair Hope Chavez, the debt was found four years ago. The board let the executive director go and began paying the back taxes. The payments have been ongoing, but Chavez said there’s no clarity on how much has been paid toward principal versus interest, making it hard to map out a payoff.
Chavez said the organization has an attorney to help obtain more details from the government, and that the debt has hurt its ability to generate income during an already challenging time.
“It all depends on the political climate — whether corporate sponsors feel like they can sponsor you, whether funders feel like they need to redirect elsewhere,” she said.
The 30-day furlough will include a pause in services. In the meantime, staff members are compiling a list of alternative LGBTQ-affirming resources in the Greater New Haven area to support community members.
Laura Boccadoro, who has worked at the center for more than six years, joined at what she says was a dark time.
“I was in and out of rehab dealing with drug abuse, and the center found me,” she said. “I grew up here, honestly.”
She said the organization has offered vital services, such as a clothing closet and a food pantry, and programs that she is helping clients find through partner organizations.
“There are so many LGBTQ-specific or affirming spaces that have food pantries, clothing closets, healthcare — all those kinds of things,” Boccadoro said.
Chavez highlighted partnerships with groups including AIDS Project New Haven, Anchor Health Initiative, and Q Plus, as well as other grassroots community organizations that will offer assistance during the pause.
Boccadoro emphasized that the staff’s focus remains on serving the community as effectively as possible.
“Our job at the end of the day is to impact the community in the best possible way that we can,” Boccadoro said.
The Board hopes a clearer financial picture and a restructured business model will position the center to reopen stronger and more stable.
“We want to ensure that our community has the care and supportive services that we’ve been providing,” Chavez said.
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