CT Mirror39%
Eversource, Blumenthal, data centers: CT politics news 13%
By CT Mirror Staff0%
7/17/2026, 9:30:00 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 17 faulty reasoning types, including Attempt to Sell a Product or Service, Negativity Bias, and Appeal to Authority, with Halo Effect as the most egregious example at 10.3% saturation with 117 hits. Analysis detected 577 faulty-reasoning hits from 1,136 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 30.2% and a BS Rank of 13% (15,334 of 17,594 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 87.20% of the article peer group.
Passengers walk between platforms at New Haven Union Station on Monday, July 13, 2026.
These news briefs are part of The Connecticut Mirror’s 2026 political coverage.
For more news about the 2026 legislative session, campaigns, elections and more, sign up here for The Issue, the CT Mirror’s weekly politics newsletter.
Eversource seeks rate hike
Eversource filed its formal application with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on Tuesday evening, seeking a nearly 11% increase in residential electric rates starting in 2027.
Eversource’s last rate case ended in a settlement in 2018.
Since then, the company says the cost of nearly every aspect of its business has increased, and that it needs $451 million in new revenues to keep up.
That amount was a decrease of about $50 million since the company announced it would seek the rate increase last month.
In addition, Eversource is seeking repayment of about $1 billion it spent responding to major storms between 2018 and 2023.
If those costs are securitized and added to the requested rate hike, it could push the average residents’ bill up by another $4 a month, according to the company.
— John Moritz, Energy & Environment Reporter
Blumenthal reignites push for Russia sanctions bill
U.S.
Sen.
Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has been pushing Congress for months to take up stalled bipartisan legislation to ramp up economic pressure on Russia and its oil and natural gas exports.
The bill saw new momentum this week after the death of U.S.
Sen.
Lindsey Graham.
The South Carolina Republican was a main sponsor of the bill and worked closely on it with Blumenthal.
Blumenthal introduced revised text of the bill that Graham worked on up until his sudden death.
The bill has enough support to get through the Senate, but the timeline is uncertain.
President Donald Trump signaled openness to supporting the bill in honor of Graham.
— Lisa Hagen, Federal Policy Reporter
Democratic fundraiser to feature Stacey Abrams
The keynote speaker at Connecticut Democrats’ main fundraiser, the annual John Bailey Dinner, will be Stacey Abrams, whose rise in Georgia and national politics faltered with losses in runs for governor in 2018 and 2022.
If you want to ask her about it, a ticket to sit at her table is $10,000.
Otherwise, tickets start at $175 for Young Dems under 30.
General admission is $250 and premium seating can be had at various price points, ranging from $1,000 to dine with a legislative leader to $10,000 to join Gov.
Ned Lamont.
The bash is Sept. 19 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.
— Mark Pazniokas, Capitol Bureau Chief
Commission reviews education accountability metrics
The Blue Ribbon Commission charged with redesigning Connecticut’s education funding system met this week to review the state’s Accountability Index, which aims to measure how well schools prepare students for success.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker was critical, saying most metrics “are more related to someone’s income and … their situation related to poverty, rather than accountability.”
Over half of a school’s accountability score depends on academic achievement, which Elicker noted is strongly influenced by wealth.
Members of the public who wish to share their thoughts with the commission can sign up for listening sessions and fill out a survey .
— Theo Peck-Suzuki, Education Reporter
Cyclospora outbreak source revealed
The U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday honed in on the source for the recent cyclospora outbreak: shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
The New York Times reported that the lettuce was supplied to Taco Bell by California-based Taylor Farms and grown by a single supplier in Mexico.
In a Monday press release, the Connecticut Department of Public Health announced that the agency had confirmed 35 cases of cyclosporiasis in the state, nearly double the 19 cases reported by this time last year.
By Friday, that number had jumped to 52.
— Katy Golvala, Health Reporter
Technical education system under federal investigation for sexual assault handling
The federal Office of Civil Rights is investigating how the Connecticut Technical Education and Career System handles sexual harassment.
The system is one of 20 districts being investigated under a new nationwide initiative.
Districts regularly submit data to the federal government on rape and sexual assault allegations involving staff.
In a letter, OCR informed the technical system it was under investigation due to “inaccurate responses” in that data for the 2023-2024 school year.
The U.S.
Department of Education has not yet made the data public, though it is expected to.
A CTECS spokesperson said the system plans to cooperate fully with the investigation.
Lamont, QuantumCT partners celebrate NSF award
Connecticut officials, university leaders and business representatives gathered in Hartford on Wednesday to continue celebrating the news that a UConn and Yale-led coalition will receive a high-profile federal grant to further develop a quantum ecosystem in the state.
The state has poured considerable money into the QuantumCT project .
Quantum technologies are being eyed as a potentially transformative tool for several of the state’s prominent industries, including financial services, advanced manufacturing and biotechnology.
Those involved in the QuantumCT initiative said the federal support moves Connecticut into a leading role in America’s push for a quantum revolution.
“We have always been one of the most innovative economies,” Gov.
Ned Lamont said.
“To keep our industries ahead of the curve, this is what we have to do.”
— P.R.
Lockhart, Economic Development Reporter
New Haven weighs data center moratorium
While federal and state governments continue to weigh how to approach regulating artificial intelligence, a vocal group of Connecticut residents are clear on one thing: they don’t want AI data centers in their backyard.
That has led a handful of towns in the state to enact moratoriums on data center development before projects are even proposed.
Earlier this month, a New Haven official said he was also proposing a one-year freeze on data centers.
New Haven Alderman Richard Furlow argues that the pause would give the city time to develop new zoning regulations and evaluate the potential impacts of data centers.
The proposal is currently before New Haven’s Board of Alders.
Manc hester Memorial Hospital celebrates improvements
On Thursday, Manchester Memorial Hospital celebrated six months as part of Hartford HealthCare and the hospital’s return to nonprofit status after years under the ownership of the formerly private equity backed hospital operator Prospect Medical Holdings.
Prospect filed for bankruptcy last year.
Gov.
Ned Lamont attended, as well as several other state and local officials.
Hartford HealthCare CEO Jeff Flaks highlighted the improvements to Manchester Memorial over the last several months, including the hiring of over 130 new medical staff.
The hospital also underwent a major technological upgrade with the adoption of Epic — the leading electronic health records software.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.