|
About the Center > Description|Participants|Staff|Alumni|Awards
Tait Militana
Tait Militana is a senior print journalism major at Boston University. This semester he is interning at the Washington Times and is serving as a D.C. correspondent for the Connecticut newspaper the Norwalk Hour. Last summer he worked in Madrid, Spain as an editor intern for Grupo Progresa, a publisher of various bilingual travel and business magazines. Tait loves to travel and hopes to someday work in a foreign bureau.
STORIES WRITTEN:
Lobbying efforts paying off for Norwalk
WASHINGTON, April 22 – Over the past year, Norwalk has done pretty well compared with bigger Connecticut cities when lobbying for federal dollars, but experts say that good fortune may not last.
Shays stamped slogans on willing voters
WASHINGTON, April 7 – In a fierce campaign for Congress last fall, Republican Rep. Christopher Shays employed a bizarre but increasingly popular tactic to get his message under the skin of voters. He tattooed them.
Granted, the tattoos were only temporary.
Himes’ bill to curb bonus payments passes House
WASHINGTON, April 1 —The House took major steps Wednesday to curb bonus payments to employees of companies such as American International Group, granting expanded powers to the Treasury Department to prohibit employee compensation it deems “unreasonable or excessive.”
Treasury secretary unveils proposed financial rules
WASHINGTON, March 26 – Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveiled a wide-ranging overhaul for regulating the country’s financial system Thursday that could give the government control over financial giants like the American International Group.
Dodd calls for regulatory council to prevent another AIG
WASHINGTON, March 24 – As fury over American International Group bonus payments continued to boil around him, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., tried to push forward Tuesday on plans to overhaul the nation’s banking system, calling on lawmakers to consider a council of federal regulators that would oversee risk and end the concept of “too big to fail.”
Sen. Dodd: It wasn’t my idea to allow bonuses
WASHINGTON, March 19 – Following days of attacks from Republican lawmakers over language that allowed bonuses to be paid to AIG employees, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., fired back Thursday evening, saying the Treasury Department requested the changes to protect bonuses and that they seemed “almost technical in nature at the time.”
Financial overhaul moves forward as AIG anger continues
WASHINGTON, March 19 – In the face of outrage surrounding his role in legislation that allowed AIG to dole out millions of dollars in executive bonuses last weekend, Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., moved forward Thursday on reforms to the country’s banking system, calling for federal oversight so never again will an institution be “too big to fail.”
Himes says government should go after all AIG bonuses
WASHINGTON, March 18 – American International Group’s request that employees voluntarily give back at least half of the $165 million in bonuses paid to them last week is not good enough, said U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, following testimony by the company’s chief executive at the Capitol Wednesday.
Local Insurer: Fed regulator not answer to outrage over AIG
WASHINGTON, March 17 – Outrage over bonuses paid to executives at the American International Group spilled over at a Senate hearing on insurance regulation Tuesday, while industry leaders sought to install a federal regulator to prevent future systemic failures.
Volunteer leaders praise Dodd's bill, but fear economy's effects
WASHINGTON, March 3 – Lawmakers need to do more to help ensure the survival of community service programs and nonprofit organizations in the wake of the economic crisis, Connecticut volunteer leaders said. Though they applauded recent initiatives to increase volunteers nationwide, they said in a series of interviews, the initiatives will have little effect if there are few programs left for the volunteers to join.
Himes gave big money to his campaign, but defied odds by winning
WASHINGTON, March 3- Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, put just over a half million dollars of his own money into his campaign against incumbent Republican Christopher Shays last fall, which was 13 percent of his total spending.
According to political experts, self-financing is a common tactic for challengers to try to make up for the fundraising advantages incumbents have. But what is surprising, experts said, is that for Himes it worked.
In the face of record deficit, recovery will take time, Himes says
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 – Connecticut residents should have modest expectations about the economic recovery, said Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, following the release of President Barack Obama’s preliminary budget outline Thursday morning, which charts the government’s spending for the next decade.
Connecticut. members of Congress call for bipartisanship
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 – Connecticut’s members of Congress called for bipartisanship following President Barack Obama’s address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, with Rep. Jim Himes D-4, saying the stimulus bill and the President’s speech marked the beginning of the country’s recovery.
Himes Says Norwalk could weather recession, but housing hurting
WASHINGTON. Feb. 17- Though the Norwalk economy is strong enough to survive a recession, the declining housing market presents a long-term threat, according to Rep. Jim Himes, D-4. In addition to the $787 billion stimulus bill, which President Barack Obama signed on Tuesday, Himes said in a series of recent interviews, a foreclosure prevention plan is needed to help Fairfield County residents stay in their homes. He said in a phone interview that as long as people are in fear of losing their homes and real estate values are plummeting it will be hard to get the economy back on track.
Local businesses view stimulus bill with mixed emotions
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 – For months Norwalk-based developer Greyrock Homes has been selling houses at a loss. The company’s award-winning residential development in Cos Cob has so few buyers that Jerry Effren, the company’s principal, said he decided to sell houses below cost, hoping to ride out the economic storm.
Dodd to Treasury: Constituents are Frustrated
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 —Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., urged the Treasury Department Tuesday to act swiftly to distribute the remaining Troubled Assets Relief Program funds, saying Americans are frustrated with the results so far.
Lawmaker says Darien investment fund ripped off clients
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 —Legislators and investigators on Wednesday tore into financial firms and investment funds that invested with Bernard Madoff’s alleged fraudulent firm, accusing them of failing to protect their clients.
Dodd, Himes say infrastructure is an investment in future
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 –The White House estimates that more than 40,000 jobs would be created in Connecticut by the $900 billion stimulus package but Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-4 say that may not be enough.
Lieberman calls for more troops in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29- Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn, called on Thursday for more troops and money for Afghanistan, backing the Obama administration’s view that a defeat there would be detrimental to regional stability and the reputation of NATO.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 – For many first-time members of Congress, the trials of starting their new jobs include finding their way around the Capitol, meeting other members and learning the ins and outs of Washington. For Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, the first weeks also included dealing with unprecedented inauguration crowds and fixing the heat in his office.
Area doctor calls on SEC to refund his practice
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 – A Fairfield doctor lashed out against the Securities and Exchange Commission Tuesday, saying that his practice lost more than $11 million in pension funds in the Bernard Madoff scandal.
Area residents witness history: 'It's a new beginning'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20- Graziano Bortot remembers the first time he witnessed racism in this country. Originally from Italy, he said he did not understand the first time he saw a “whites only” sign in South Carolina while stationed there with the military.
Connecticut Obama campaigners celebrate in Washington
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 – For Lex Paulson, a volunteer in Norwalk for Barack Obama, the worst day of the campaign was before the primary when Obama trailed Hillary Clinton by 20 percentage points in the polls. After working with the failed Howard Dean campaign four years earlier, Paulson worried he would see his hopes for a Democratic president dashed again.
A long road to Pennsylvania Avenue for Trumbull’s band
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 —For Dan Connolly, drum major of the Trumbull High School marching band, the hardest part about preparing for the inaugural parade was staying focused through all of the attention.
Area residents join congressmen in service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19- Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., called on citizens to give back to their country Monday and encouraged people of all ages to volunteer.
Dodd joined area residents and politicians at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium east of Capitol Hill to stuff care packages with toothpaste, gum, energy drinks and other treats for troops overseas. The event was held to commemorate the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Area mayors say infrastructure projects “Ready to Go”
WASHINGTON, Jan. 17 – Area mayors, in town for the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, named improving the local infrastructure a top priority in the coming months, calling for a collaborative effort to increase jobs in Fairfield County and pass President-elect Barack Obama’s stimulus plan.
|
