The Laurel asked Ken Dixon, Hearst CT Media’s State Capitol reporter & columnist, to describe the scene as reporters cover today’s special session at the state capitol:
The historic return of the House of Representatives for an expected one-day special session did not include the public, which was prohibited entry to the State Capitol and adjacent Legislative Office Building in the continuing public health crisis.
Besides lawmakers and their staffs, however, is the Capitol Press Corps.
For the first time since March 12, the upper and lower press rooms on the fourth floor of the east side of the Capitol became home for reporters and photographers working at their desks between trips outside to witness as many as seven demonstrations.
While reporters have returned to the Capitol off and on since the closure on March 12, we have mostly been working remotely, only seeing each other occasionally on the trail of Gov. Ned Lamont.
Shortly after noon, while Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz continues testing various technologies to allow lawmakers to speak and vote from their Legislative Office Building warrens, we have two reporters and a photographer from the CT Mirror, two reporters and a photog from The Hartford Courant, a pair of Hearst reporters, the Associated Press reporter and photog, and the CT News Junkie.
Various TV crews from as far away as News 12 in Norwalk have also made the scene.
