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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

@jrabethomas.bsky.social
522 followers 283 following 121 posts

Now: Investigative reporter at Hearst CT Media. Then: CT Mirror & WNPR. Forever: education & housing reporter. Fan of long interviews, caffeine & tips. www.ctinsider.com/author/jacqueline…

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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Texts show Eversource's CEO urged Gov. Lamont to let the utility hire his just-ousted top aide to negotiate an $807M storm-cost settlement — an arrangement ethics rules restrict & would have sidestepped the consumer counsel who protects ratepayers. www.ctinsider.com/projects/202...
ctinsider.com
Eversource CEO urged Lamont to accelerate storm cost settlement, texts show
In texts obtained by CT Insider, Eversource CEO Joseph Nolan Jr. suggested hiring a former Lamont aide to ease negotiations with the governor's office.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Inside Connecticut's only psychiatric hospital for children: Injuries, hazards and a staffing crisis www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Inside Connecticut's only psychiatric hospital for children: Injuries, hazards and a staffing crisis
Staff shortages, employee injuries and building hazards have limited admissions at Solnit as UConn Health works to meet the terms of a consent order.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
And children stay, because the next placement doesn't exist. A staff psychiatrist says 4 of his 8 patients met their treatment goals months ago. UConn & DCF say conditions "require improvement" but there's been "meaningful progress." They declined to let us inside. w/ @alexputterman.bsky.social
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The consent order required the hospital to remove hazards children could use to hurt themselves. By late August, the monitors wrote progress was "slow" & the environment "remains largely unchanged." An August critical incident report: staff gave Narcan to a child who overdosed inside the hospital.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Patient care areas — in the monitor's words — "general disrepair." Broken lights, doors, windows. Metal shavings loose in seclusion rooms with children inside. Bedroom doors that open inward, so a child can wedge herself in where no one can reach her.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Why a monitor at all? Last Christmas, a girl took a key from the pocket of the social worker walking her to a seclusion room. Staff saw her holding it. Nothing in the record shows anyone tried to get it back. Five days later, another hospital removed it from her body.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
More than 200 pages came back: a state inspection report, a consent order, critical incident reports, and the biweekly reports of an independent monitor the state regulators placed inside the building 40 hours a week. Each monitor report is stamped confidential. Not for distribution.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Connecticut has one psychiatric hospital for the children private providers won't take and other hospitals can't safely handle. It's licensed for 50 beds. This summer, hospital leaders capped it at 24 — while children waited to get in. We asked for the records. 🧵
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Alex Putterman @alexputterman.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
CT’s only psychiatric hospital for children has kids who can’t leave, staff under assault and facilities in disrepair. More from myself and (mostly) @jrabethomas.bsky.social: www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Inside Connecticut's only psychiatric hospital for children: Injuries, hazards and a staffing crisis
Staff shortages, employee injuries and building hazards have limited admissions at Solnit as UConn Health works to meet the terms of a consent order.
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
NEW: @blumenthal.senate.gov called today for the HHS OIG to investigate why the feds are holding children for months while their families wait for their release. Blumenthal cited reporting by @jrabethomas.bsky.social and me on several Connecticut cases. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
Blumenthal condemns lengthy custody of immigrant kids in Connecticut, calls for probe
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said immigrant children being detained "including those in Connecticut, continue to suffer."
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
FML
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
NEW: U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro and others had harsh words for the Trump administration Friday after our investigation into immigrant children who spent months in federal custody. My latest w/ @jrabethomas.bsky.social at @ctinsider.bsky.social — www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
DeLauro: Trump intentionally delaying immigrant children's release
U.S. Rep. Rosa Delauro called for action Friday on unaccompanied immigrant children held for months in federal custody.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Kids in Connecticut are being detained for nearly 7 months, on average. Here's what could change that
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
More than two dozen unaccompanied immigrant children were in federal custody in Connecticut on a typical day this spring — alone and isolated from family.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
What could actually shorten these detentions? Two things, advocates say: The feds meeting its own 10-day decision deadline. And a lawyer for every detained child — kids with attorneys get immigration relief at far higher rates. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Camila is home now, released three days after her lawyers sued. She paints. She dances. She runs. She has a pink princess-themed room — but she sleeps with her mom. "When she's away from me, she thinks these people are going to come back for her.". www.ctinsider.com/news/article...
ctinsider.com
5-year-old spent 118 days on her own in federal immigration custody in CT
On any given day there are more than two dozen immigrant children detained without a parent or guardian in programs run by Connecticut nonprofits.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
The six children were held a combined 1,388 days — nearly four years of childhood. Jean: 505 Liam: 255 Miguel & Luis, brothers: 167 Benjamín: 143 Camila: 118 Miguel described it in a court filing as an "endless waiting room of government custody." www.ctinsider.com/news/article...
ctinsider.com
Six immigrant children spent as long as 505 days in federal custody as their families waited
During the months CT Insider spent reporting this story, more than two dozen immigrant children sat in federal custody in Connecticut.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Six children. Six lawsuits. Every case ended the same way: release — most within days of filing, before the government ever had to defend the detentions in court. ORR declined to answer questions, including when it last released a child without a lawsuit.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Liam, 15, was held 255 days. The government's filings were contradictory. One said ICE couldn't find his mom. Another said she was told to pick him up but didn't show & if she had, she'd be arrested. Ordering his release, the judge called the government's actions "disturbing"
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Benjamín was flown to Texas, then moved to a shelter in Groton. He spent his days in three rooms & couldn't go outside unless a staff member joined him. "I feel trapped. I feel like a delinquent... I feel like I am never going to get out of here." He was held 143 days.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
"I was so scared. I was shaking," Benjamín said in a sworn declaration. ICE handed him papers: forms agreeing to self-deport. "I didn't think I had a choice to say no, so I signed." His brother was shackled and deported to Ecuador. "I cried & begged them to please let me go."
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Benjamín, 16, was in a car police stopped w/ his brother & friend. He had federal protections — Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Deferred Action — pausing his deportation while his case played out. The friend, a U.S. citizen, showed his passport. DHS took all three anyway.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Some wait far longer Jean was 12 when he was detained — 13 when he got out 505 days later. When his family called the shelter, he refused to answer. Hearing their voices when he couldn't be with them was too painful. It was "not normal," he told caseworkers, to be this alone.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Camila is one of many. Over two dozen immigrant children sat in federal custody in CT on the typical day this spring. But Camila is one of only seven released to sponsors in CT in the first half of this year. The typical wait for these children to be freed is nearly 7 months.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Camila began asking the same question in a loop: "When? When? When?" When could she be with her mom? "Soon. Soon," her mom told her — hoping it was true. "I didn't even know when we would be reunited." The answer was 118 days. It took a lawsuit to make it happen.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
"Don't go. Don't go." That's what 5-year-old Camila begged her mom each week when their one hour together ended. An immigrant child in federal custody, Camila watched through the window as her mother left for home — just miles away. Weeks passed.  Then months.🧵
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Alex Putterman @alexputterman.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Eventually she began to beg her mom to stay, panicking through tears — "Don't go. Don't go," — and asking the same question in a loop: “When? When? When?” “Soon. Soon,” her mom told Camila, hoping it was true. Stunning reporting from @joshuaeaton.bsky.social and @jrabethomas.bsky.social.
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
More than two dozen immigrant children sat in federal custody in Connecticut on an average day this spring. For these six, lawsuits finally got them out. One waited more than 500 days. My latest w/ @jrabethomas.bsky.social at @ctinsider.bsky.social — www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
Six immigrant children spent as long as 505 days in federal custody as their families waited
During the months CT Insider spent reporting this story, more than two dozen immigrant children sat in federal custody in Connecticut.
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
NEW: A 5-year-old girl spent months in federal immigration custody here in Connecticut while her family waited for her release. Her case isn’t unique, experts and court records show. My latest w/ @jrabethomas.bsky.social at @ctinsider.bsky.social — www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
5-year-old spent 118 days on her own in federal immigration custody in CT
On any given day there are more than two dozen immigrant children detained without a parent or guardian in programs run by Connecticut nonprofits.
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Brian Lockhart @blockhartreporter.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
5-year-old spent 118 days on her own in federal immigration custody in CT. Article below.: www.ctpost.com/news/article...
ctpost.com
5-year-old spent 118 days on her own in federal immigration custody in CT
On any given day there are more than two dozen immigrant children detained without a parent or guardian in programs run by Connecticut nonprofits.
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Reposted by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
Ken Dixon @kendixonct.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
State Sen. Paul Cicarella could have his Connecticut pension revoked this week www.ctpost.com/connecticut/...
ctpost.com
State Sen. Paul Cicarella could have his Connecticut pension revoked this week
A panel will consider whether to strip state Sen. Paul Cicarella of a taxpayer-funded disability pension that is on track to pay him $71,100 this year.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Following investigation, state panel to weigh revoking Sen. Cicarella's $71k annual pension Meeting will be in private executive session, but the Senator could request the meeting be open to the public. He has not returned calls.... www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
State Sen. Paul Cicarella could have his Connecticut pension revoked this week
A panel will consider whether to strip state Sen. Paul Cicarella of a taxpayer-funded disability pension that is on track to pay him $71,100 this year.
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Reposted by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas
Connecticut News Guild @ctnewsguild.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
In the meantime, some of the journalists who Hearst has fired for unsubstantiated and unclear reasons need our help to get by and support their families now that they are unemployed. Please consider helping them out here: gofund.me/77e05d0d1
gofund.me
Donate to Solidarity fund for CT journalists, organized by CT News Guild
We're the CT News Guild — 100+ unionized journalists at Hearst CT and the CT newspape… CT News Guild needs your support for Solidarity fund for CT journalists
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Upset about this, too? SPEAK UP!
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
This graf is quite something.
The report would have shed light on the system's handling of the complaint. However, the report, which is in chronological order, almost entirely redacts the 16 pages after she filed her formal complaint. The system said 16 pages in the 41-page complaint are exempt from the state's open records law "To protect the integrity of the Board's independent and ongoing review. ... such as when the report was made and the institution's response to the disclosure of the alleged misconduct.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Connecticut college chancellor sent sexually explicit messages before resigning, records show www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Connecticut college chancellor sent sexually explicit messages before resigning, records show
A complaint details two years of escalating misconduct by O. John Maduko, and earlier alarms raised with system leadership that drew no follow-up
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Connecticut’s neediest schools lost out when lawmakers bypassed funding formula www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
The hidden tradeoff in Connecticut’s $172M school aid boost
Not all the education funding allocated earlier this month adhered to the state's funding formula.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Tell a friend: Hartford has the LOWEST median property tax bill in the state. CT property taxes by town: median tax bills, rates and map www.ctinsider.com/projects/rea...
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Should the legislative branch be subject to the state's Freedom of Information Act? Six weeks. Multiple follow-ups. Silence from 89% of the General Assembly. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Most Connecticut lawmakers stayed silent when asked if they should follow open records laws
Only 11% of state legislators would go on record that they believe they are currently subject to FOI, and should continue to be.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
CT's "gold standard" transparency law, meet the loophole. Gov. Lamont ran state business through private email and cell — messages that quietly skipped public records responses. Same playbook used by Sen. McCrory, now involved in a federal fraud investigation. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Lamont used private email, phone for Connecticut state business, leaving gaps in public records
The records show Lamont forwarding emails from his state email to his private email address and communicating with his staff there.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
State secrets: Fight over budget records + a senator in a federal fraud probe test CT’s transparency law. Two branches of government assert significant portions of its work is beyond the reach of public record law. The third branch already has a broad exemption. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Connecticut officials argue they don’t have to release some public records
Gov. Ned Lamont and Senate Democrats claim their branches don't have to turn over records because a provision in the state constitution protects them.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
More dangerously cold weather & more people experiencing homelessness means more people dying www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
8 people experiencing homelessness died from the cold in Connecticut in just 6 weeks
Those who died this year include a 38-year-old woman who died in Bristol and a 69-year old man who died in Bolton.
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Alex Putterman @alexputterman.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Connecticut pauses enforcement of school racial balance law. An overhaul could follow www.ctinsider.com/news/educati...
ctinsider.com
Connecticut pauses enforcement of school racial balance law. An overhaul could follow
Fairfield, Greenwich and West Hartford have a multi-year reprieve from balancing their districts.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
‘Trial tax’ driving longer sentences in CT While few cases make it to trial — just 170 cases in 2024 — a CT Insider investigation laid out the dynamics inside CT’s backlogged courts that lead to so few trials. The “trial tax” looms over nearly every case. www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
Those who go to trial in Connecticut get longer sentences - sometimes years more
"By threatening extreme sentences, prosecutors coerce defendants into relinquishing their constitutional rights," said NACDL President Andrew Birell.
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
Nine people experiencing homelessness froze to death last year. Who is responsible? www.ctinsider.com/news/article...
ctinsider.com
Nine people froze to death in Connecticut last year. 'No one should die without a home'
The questions their stories raise is still the same: Who is responsible when preventable deaths become routine?
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Finally, @jrabethomas.bsky.social broke down the numbers on all 197 people experiencing homelessness who died in Connecticut last year — with individual stories. www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
197 died while homeless in CT last year — only three reached average life expectancy
Nine people experiencing homelessness died of hypothermia in 2025 and 15 died by suicide.
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
We also looked at the policies behind those numbers — why cities clear camps and why people living outside may not want to use shelters or temporary hotel rooms. Really well done, gutwrenching story by @jrabethomas.bsky.social (with the smallest assist from me) — www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/...
ctinsider.com
'I’d rather freeze together’: Some unhoused couples refuse Connecticut shelters
Each night, about 830 people sleep outdoors in Connecticut, according to an annual count.
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Joshua Eaton @joshuaeaton.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
NEW: Nine people experiencing homelessness died from hypothermia in Connecticut last year. @jrabethomas.bsky.social and I spoke with friends and family for four of those people about who their loved ones were. Our latest at @ctinsider.bsky.social — www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
ctinsider.com
Nine people froze to death in Connecticut last year. 'No one should die without a home'
The questions their stories raise is still the same: Who is responsible when preventable deaths become routine?
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Jacqueline Rabe Thomas @jrabethomas.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Senator at center of federal investigation lands a $750k earmark for his employer www.ctinsider.com/politics/art...
ctinsider.com
CT legislature to approve $750k for agency where senator at center of investigation works
The Senate on Wednesday is scheduled to codify several grants to nonprofits, including $750,000 for a Hartford school district where Sen. Doug McCrory works.
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