Thumbs up, thumbs down
Thumbs up to Gov. Ned Lamont trying to lure an NHL team to Connecticut. Lamont has spoken in the past with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman about bringing the Arizona Coyotes to Hartford, and hopes to revive discussions. The Coyotes have gotten pushback about a new arena in Tempe, so the time is right to play offense on trying to host an NHL team for the first time since the Hartford Whalers moved to North Carolina in 1997. Of course, Lamont and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin should also study the stat sheet on bleak attendance figures from the 1990s to craft a plan that would attract new and old fans.
Thumbs down to a medicine shortage that’s putting people at risk. Two generic brands of chemotherapy drugs are in short supply nationally, which is having an impact on patients in Connecticut. With tens of thousands of people treated in the state for cancer annually, and in some cases only a small supply available of key drugs to treat them, doctors are warning of an ongoing crisis. “In one of the wealthiest nations on earth, there should be no reason doctors are forced to ration lifesaving medical care to compensate for a shortage of prescription drugs and other medical supplies," U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said in a statement. She’s absolutely right.
Thumbs down to missing deadlines. A state law requires every community in the state to put together a plan for affordable housing, which many state leaders consider to be among the state’s most serious crises. Dozens of them haven’t even done that much. This has nothing to do with building housing, only putting together plans for how future construction might look. Some 34 towns can’t even do that much. There’s an ongoing debate on housing between those who seek mandates, and those who believe incentives work better. When towns can’t even be bothered to come up with a plan on their own, in defiance of state law, it tips the balance in favor of enforceable mandates. Thumbs down to potential problems with the state’s biggest offshore wind project, which has promised not only a future of clean energy but a manufacturing revival in the state’s largest city. The developer of Park City Wind is reportedly trying to alter its contract with the state, according to reporting in the CT Mirror, putting in danger the future of the project and the state’s chances of meeting its mandate for a zero-carbon grid by 2040. Connecticut has been playing catch-up with its neighbors in terms of wind power, and a renewed industrial use for Bridgeport Harbor has been a goal for decades now. Park City Wind looked like it could satisfy all those needs at once. The state needs to ensure it doesn’t fall apart.