Washington

Universities across the United States spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year lobbying in Washington, including the University of Connecticut and Yale.

President Trump cheered last week that the "raging" economy is at an "all-time high," mirroring optimism on Wall Street and Corporate America about a stellar year for growth.

More than 30 years after digesting the last major federal tax overhaul, Connecticut accountants and legal advisers working to interpret the latest changes to the federal tax code say business clients are both enthusiastic and wary as they figure out how to adapt.

Over the past six years, independent Bristol Hospital has doubled down on recruiting medical providers — literally — growing the size of its core physician group to 63 doctors and 40 other licensed practitioners.

U.S. economic data suggests that the modest economic recovery is likely to continue through at least the end of 2017 and possibly longer. The odds of a full-blown domestic recession over the next 12 to 18 months are low.

Melting pot. Land of opportunity. The American dream. Each of these concepts is ingrained in our nation's history and our identity. At its core, America is a nation of immigrants. For many of us, that is something to be proud of. Something to celebrate. But our nation's current immigration system and recent changes to our immigration policies simply do not reflect that.

It's difficult to do in 140 characters or less, but one could argue there's no better time to highlight the mission of the Governor M. Jodi Rell Center for Public Service at the University of Hartford. That mission is to provide a community and academic forum for discussing ethics in government, the importance of civil discourse in politics, citizen involvement in public service and government, and to encourage careers in public service.

Congress returned to Washington last month with quite a daunting to-do list. They were able to quickly check off a few items — helping storm victims, funding the government, and extending the debt ceiling on a short-term basis. Still on this list are healthcare and immigration reform — both issues that will not be easily resolved.

The outrage expressed last week by Connecticut state and federal lawmakers in the wake of the Las Vegas massacre was palpable.

Like a number of other environmentally progressive states, Connecticut has set ambitious goals to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades.