WASHINGTON, DC – Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) announced the awarding of two USDA Rural Development grants to the town of Sprague.

Sprague will receive a grant of $28,700 from the Community Facilities Program to update and repair critical facilities at the Town Hall. These essential repairs will aid in meeting full ADA accessibility requirements.

The Water Supply Plan will also receive a grant of $25,000 from the Water and Environmental Pre-development Planning Program. This grant will be used to assess and increase current system efficiencies as mandated by the Connecticut Department of Health regulations.

The Community Facility Program was established to provide grants for vital community facilities in rural areas, while the Water and Environmental Pre-development Planning Program seeks to offer assistance for drinking water and sewage systems in areas with a population of 10,000 or less.

“It is important that the needs of our rural population are not overlooked in these hard economic times,” Lieberman said. “The Rural Development Fund ensures that these critical systems and facilities do not go overlooked. These grants are investments in the future of Sprague.”

“Enhancing safe water supply and increasing public access to town facilities is a positive step forward toward fulfilling our commitment to Connecticut’s small towns. I congratulate First Selectman Catherine Osten for demonstrating the need for these funds and working diligently to secure them, " said Senator Blumenthal.

“This funding will help the Town of Sprague ensure the safety of its water supply and make overdue updates at Town Hall,” said Congressman Courtney. “ADA compliance at Town Hall and other public spaces is beneficial and safer for everyone. First Selectman Cathy Osten and the Town of Sprague did a tremendous job in a tough funding environment demonstrating need for this competitive funding.”

Hartford Business.com is reporting that a recent survey released by Congressman Chris Murphy, D-5th District and Senator Blumenthal said 89% of respondents planned to increase or maintain their workforce this year but it is difficult due to a lack of skilled workers.

Click here to read the full article from HartfordBusiness.com.

WASHINGTON, DC - Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), along with Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Teachers Professional Development Institutes Act, a bill that would help K-12 teachers improve their subject matter expertise and their instructional skills.

The Act would provide for the establishment of eight new Teachers Professional Development Institutes each year over the next five years. These institutes would be modeled after the very successful Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, which has been in operation since 1978. Every Teachers Institute would consist of a partnership between an institution of higher education and the local public school system in which a significant proportion of the students come from low-income households.

"High quality teacher professional development programs that focus on subject and pedagogy are proven methods for enhancing the effectiveness of a teacher in the classroom. The Yale-New Haven program has been incredibly successful. If this model is working let's give other teachers the same opportunity," said Senator Lieberman. "The need for effective teachers with deep content knowledge is most apparent and urgent in schools that enroll a high proportion of students from low income families, exactly the schools that Teachers Institutes serve."

"In order for students in every neighborhood to receive an education that will prepare them for the future, we must have teachers who are experts in their field and equipped with the best tools and strategies to educate our children," said Blumenthal.

"Nothing we do in Congress is more important than ensuring our children have the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. For over 30 years, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute has demonstrated that partnerships between teachers and institutes of higher education are beneficial to the educators' professional development and, most importantly, lead to improved student achievement," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "I am very proud of the Yale-New Haven model and look forward to expanding its success to schools across the country.

Washington, DC - Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) and Chris Murphy (CT-5) introduced the Naugatuck River Valley National Heritage Area Study Act today, which is the first step towards designating the area as a National Heritage Area.

The legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine if the area is suitable or not. Designating this area as a National Heritage Area will help to create more coordinated regional preservation and planning efforts aided by technical and planning assistance from the National Park Service.

"The Naugatuck Valley exemplifies the cultural strength of our country. The valley has a rich history with much to be proud of, from the legacy of a patchwork community of immigrants providing the industrial strength to get us through all of our nations wars, to the unique industrial-era and art-deco style buildings," said Lieberman. "I am pleased to introduce this legislation because our national heritage is embodied not just in our natural treasures, but on the cultural uniqueness of each part of our great nation."

Blumenthal said this region of Connecticut is a shining example of American history and deserves recognition as a National Heritage Area. Designation as a National Heritage Area will enable towns along the river to attract visitors who are eager to learn about this unique region.

"The fourteen communities that stretch along the Naugatuck River are steeped in agricultural, trade, architectural, and industrial history. A National Heritage Area designation would not only recognize its unique and historical significance, but would boost the local economy through cultural and historic tourism, and help Connecticut to preserve its history for generations to come," said DeLauro.

"The Naugatuck River corridor's rich history is equaled only by its natural beauty," Murphy said. "With some help from the National Park Service, we can help preserve both, while hopefully bringing much needed new tourism dollars to the region."

U.S. Senate Candidate Richard Blumenthal will appear at a Get Out the Vote Rally in support of his candidacy at the Torrington Democratic Headquarters on Sunday, October 17th, at 1 p.m. The headquarters is located at 40 E. Main Street, Torrington. The public is invited to attend.

Here's a roundup of links this morning to stories and analysis on the Richard Blumenthal military record scandal.

- The New York Times piece that started it all CLICK HERE

- Twitter feed of Blumenthal-related Tweets CLICK HERE

- Register Citizen editorial calls for him to drop out of Senate race CLICK HERE

- Chris Murphy seen as potential replacement candidate for Democrats CLICK HERE

- Democratic spokesperson: He's staying in the race CLICK HERE

- Wonkette: Connecticut Dem frontrunner likes to tell horrible lies about service in Vietnam CLICK HERE

- Blumenthal campaign releases video of him saying he "did not serve in Vietnam" CLICK HERE

- The Guardian in London: So long, Mr. Blumenthal CLICK HERE

- Linda McMahon campaign claims credit for "feeding" story to New York Times CLICK HERE

- CTMirror.Org has detailed story with Connecticut reactions from other campaigns CLICK HERE

- Chris Dodd defends Blumenthal, calls it a "bump" in the road for his campaign CLICK HERE

- Dueling videos at NewHavenRegister.Com ... Did he or didn't he claim to serve? CLICK HERE

- Blumenthal to speak at press conference this afternoon CLICK HERE

- Washington Post blog: The wrath of Linda McMahon CLICK HERE

- Wall Street Journal law blog: "Bright Shining Lies" ... Blumenthal and Vietnam CLICK HERE

- Politico: Rob Simmons stands to gain the most from this CLICK HERE

- Vanity Fair: Did the Jewish Jack Kennedy fabricate his Profile in Courage? CLICK HERE

- Hartford Courant columnist: $16 million McMahon campaign did what decades of media coverage could not CLICK HERE

- Next for Blumenthal? Damage control CLICK HERE

- Public Policy Polling: Democrats still favored to keep Connecticut seat should Blumenthal drop out CLICK HERE

- FOX News: Blog about Blumenthal's history in the Nixon White House CLICK HERE

- MSNBC: Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says he still backs Blumenthal CLICK HERE

- Rob Simmons tries to cash in on Blumenthal's trouble CLICK HERE

Everyone saw the poll numbers released yesterday showing Attorney General Richard Blumenthal absolutely trouncing potential Republican nominees Rob Simmons, Linda McMahon and Peter Schiff in the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd.
Why not just give up now, some pundits have said, or in the case of Simmons, who doesn't have the personal wealth of McMahon, consider switching to the race for governor?
One development that could be keeping both in the race and optimistic is what's happening in our even-more-liberal, even-more-Democratic-Party-dominated neighbor, Massachusetts.
The special election to fill Ted Kennedy's Senate seat has a lot of parallels.
Kennedy and Dodd served in the Senate FOREVER. They were ideological peas in a pod, and sailing buddies. And Dodd very publicly took up the health care reform mantle after Kennedy's death.
Both seats are up for grabs after decades of dominance by a single family.
And the Democratic nominee in Massachusetts and presumed nominee in Connecticut both happen to be the respective state's sitting attorney general.
And the Republican nominee in both states (regardless of whether Schiff, Simmons or McMahon wins in Connecticut) will be from the moderate-to-liberal wing of the GOP.
Connecticut Republicans have to be encouraged by the latest from Massachusetts, where Coakley's once crushing lead in the polls is at break-even now to slightly behind state Sen. Scott Brown.
Brown has focused almost completely on Democrats' push for a health care bill that would carry huge tax increases. Instead, he argues, the Obama administration and Congress should be focusing on cutting taxes, stimulating the economy and creating jobs.
If Brown wins or comes anywhere close to winning a Massachusetts seat that no Republican has any business winning, "Sen. Blumenthal" come November is no safe bet.

George Jepsen has announced that he is forming an exploratory committee. Here is the letter he sent to media outlets on Jan. 12:

"This week I will open my exploratory committee for the office of Connecticut Attorney General.

If I become Attorney General, I pledge to give my full time and commitment to the position. As part of this pledge, I will not run for any higher office while Attorney General in my first term. Specifically, I will not seek the 2012 US Senate seat or the 2014 Governor’s seat. The next Attorney General needs the professionalism upheld by Richard Blumenthal and the office should avoid immediate conflicts involving electoral politics.

When Richard Blumenthal became Attorney General, he committed himself to the work at hand in his first term and I will give that same level of dedication.

We need an Attorney General who, like Richard Blumenthal, will be a constant beacon for legal leadership and ethics over many years, and not a person looking at this position as a short-term stepping stone. I would ask that other officials running for Attorney General match my pledge."

CLICK HERE for an item from ctlocalpolitics about the possible Democratic candidates for governor in 2010.
Like usual, it hinges on whether Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run, stay on as AG, hope for a U.S. Senate seat opening if Dodd's and/or Lieberman's fortunes continue to decline, or ride off into the sunset.
Other possible candidates include familiar also-rans or also-mentioneds, i.e., John Destefano, Dan Malloy, Susan Bysiewicz, Jim Amann and Donald Williams.

The every-other-year speculation that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run for governor started basically the day after this year's election.
Maybe - but doubtful - we'll find out if 2010 is finally the year when Blumenthal appears on "Face the State" on WFSB Channel 3 at 11 a.m. Sunday. Topics of discussion, according to the station, will be "Obama's Big Win, Blumenthal in 2010 and the state Republican party."
Conventional wisdom is that, once again, major potential Democratic candidates are somewhat paralyzed in actively seeking the governorship until Blumenthal makes up his mind.
Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz, who thought about running last time, and Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy, who lost in the primary last time to New Haven Mayor John Destefano, both might fall into that category.
Outgoing Speaker of the House Jim Amann is not in that category - he is openly running for the seat already.
God help the Republicans if Gov. M. Jodi Rell decides not to seek a second full term.
The other factor for major candidates could be U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's seat, which is up in 2010 also.
Who knows how the mortgage controversy that is increasingly sliming his reputation will impact his decision on whether to run again. Or maybe President-elect Barack Obama, who had once considered Dodd for vice president, will tap him for some cabinet appointment or ambassadorship.
If Dodd quits, Blumenthal might run for the Senate. And would Ned Lamont take another shot, so he could be the junior Senate teammate of his buddy Joe Lieberman?
And you also need to factor in a bunch of bored congressmen possibly being interested in either Dodd's seat or running for governor, including Chris Murphy, Joe Courtney or John Larson.