Christine Palm

One of the many frustrations wrought by the pandemic is the months-long delay in the granting of new driver's licenses.

Here's some good news about Connecticut's fiscal picture.

Despite the pervasive narrative that Connecticut is bad for business, we rank high in some key metrics. While the pandemic has hit all states and most business sectors extraordinarily hard, it's important to recognize glimmers of hope when we see them. Here are four:

As an American who has lived through the assassinations of JFK, RFK and MLK, the Civil Rights era, Kent State, the Vietnam War and all the wars that followed, 9-11 and numerous economic meltdowns, I have never in my life been so heartbroken and worried for my fellow citizens.

As Connecticut begins to reopen and we approach the summer months, we're all going to want to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. However, we must do so responsibly and in a way that ensures everyone's health and safety.

The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) and its 18 member organizations have been working hard to provide services that meet the evolving needs of those suffering from intimate partner violence during this public health crisis.

State Rep. Christine Palm and State Rep. Matt Blumenthal (D-147) are leading an effort in the House of Representatives to urge General Assembly leadership to expand absentee ballot provisions.

It has come to my attention that some local businesses in the towns I represent may not be abiding by the closure rule, allowing patrons to gather in public against the advice of health experts and against the direct authority of the government. Putting your own desires before the wider community good is not an expression of your freedom or your rights as an American, as I have read on Facebook as justification for these violations.

Now that the state has experienced about two weeks of a downward trend in new COVID-19 hospitalizations, the Governor and an advisory council charged with re-opening the state have set a goal of May 20 for the beginning of the process.