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NC: Pending inmate releases could prompt legislative session



As the court battle to keep 27 inmates in prison brews, some state officials are considering a back-up plan to address the issue.
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MD: Montgomery might sue state over school funding law



Top Montgomery County officials threatened Thursday to sue the state and "aggressively pursue" legislation that would change state law after Maryland's attorney general found that the county had failed to meet the state's minimum level of funding for education. The opinion renders it potentially liable for millions of dollars in penalties.
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AL: Former aide says Indian donations influencing Riley's bingo opposition


A former member of Gov. Bob Riley's Cabinet said today that Riley received campaign contributions from Mississippi Indians who operate casinos, with the money intended to limit their competition in Alabama.   Read More
AL: Alert system may fill rural gap


EUTAW, Ala. -- On Thursday, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency announced at the Greene County Courthouse the potential hiring of Global Security Systems, a Jackson, Miss.-based company that plans to bring its Alert FM system to nine West Alabama counties.   Read More
AL: Officers praise new computer programs


CAPS, the University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety, has changed law enforcement capabilities through new computerized software programs.   Read More
AL: Langford -- Jury reached guilty verdict too quickly


BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Ousted Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford says jurors found him guilty of federal corruption charges too quickly for the conviction to stand.   Read More
AL: 28 sheriffs endorse Sparks for Alabama governor


State Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks has picked up endorsements from 28 sheriffs in his campaign to become Alabama's next governor.   Read More
AL: Rep. Alvin Holmes accuses Riley aides, Bradley Byrne of injecting race into battle over no-bid contract


The chairman of the legislative Contract Review Committee today accused the Riley administration and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne of using "racially coded" messages to criticize the panel's hiring of a black lawyer.   Read More
AL: Alabama National Guard solider among 31 wounded in Fort Hood shooting; 12 killed


An Alabama National Guard soldier is among the 31 wounded during a mass shooting earlier today that also left 12 people dead at Fort Hood, Texas.   Read More
AR: Supreme Court suspends east Arkansas judge


The state Supreme Court on Thursday suspended Phillips County Circuit Court Judge L.T. Simes from the bench law through the end of his term next year over judicial misconduct accusations.   Read More
CA: Attorney General Brown asked to decide legality of legislative pay cuts in California


The Legislature's top administrators have asked Attorney General Jerry Brown to decide whether pending 18 percent cuts to lawmakers' pay and benefits were legally approved by the California Citizens Compensation Commission.   Read More
CT: Rell makes $34 million in cuts from state budget


The reductions were ordered in hundreds of categories, including $8.5 million from the Department of Children and Families, $7.25 million from the multibillion-dollar Department of Social Services, $3.7 million from the Department of Developmental Services, $1.26 million from the Department of Environmental Protection, $500,000 from the state Department of Agriculture, and $200,000 from the chief state medical examiner's office.   Read More
FL: SEC investigating possible fraud by the Florida State Board of Administration


The federal Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating possible fraud by the Florida State Board of Administration, the agency that manages $132 billion in public investments for hundreds of local governments and 1 million current and future retirees.   Read More
FL: House inquiry into Sansom to continue


A special House committee voted unanimously this morning to continue with its investigation of former House Speaker Ray Sansom, while proceeding carefully to protect his constitutional rights to a fair trial.   Read More
FL: ACLU suit alleges Fla. neglecting schools


WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging that state officials in Florida are failing to ensure that students in Palm Beach County get a high quality education, as evidenced by their poor graduation rates.   Read More
FL: Tour of Scott Rothstein's office reveals gallery of who's who


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- To show they `aren't hiding from the public,' lawyer Scott Rothstein's partners gave reporters a tour of his private office -- hours after federal agents seized 44 boxes of documents.   Read More
FL: Supreme Court to reprimand 2 Fla. judges


The Florida Supreme Court will publicly reprimand two county judges in separate ethics cases.   Read More
FL: Fla. justices consider mediation for foreclosures


Mediation would be a good way to expedite a flood of mortgage foreclosures, members of a foreclosure task force said Wednesday, but some disagreed on the details in oral arguments before the state Supreme Court.   Read More
GA: Georgia prisons win stimulus grants for energy projects


The Georgia Department of Corrections has received $16 million in federal economic stimulus grants for a series of energy efficiency projects at prisons around the state.   Read More
HI: Fort Hood massacre shocks Hawaii troops


Hawaii soldiers reacted with a mixture of shock and sadness as news of the shooting spree at Fort Hood unfolded yesterday, and some thought that it could just as easily happen here.   Read More
IA: Which unions are on a path to reopening contracts? Culver won't say


Iowans may be kept in the dark about whether state officials are negotiating new contracts with any labor unions in an effort to avoid layoffs of prison and public safety workers.   Read More
ID: Idaho man to undergo mental health evaluation


A judge has ordered a mental health evaluation for a man accused of intentionally driving his pickup truck into a pair of Idaho State Police motorcycle troopers parked along an interstate median.   Read More
ID: Idaho GOP consultant violates felony DUI probation


Gov. Butch Otter on Thursday ended his business relationship with a well-traveled GOP campaign consultant after the man was arrested for violating his probation for felony DUI.   Read More
IL: Crime stats down across state


Recently released statistics from the Illinois Uniform Crime Reporting Program indicate crime was down overall in the state in 2008.   Read More
IL: Other states' policies on police files vary


According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, D.C., internal-affairs files are public in at least a half-dozen states.   Read More
IL: Senators outraged over Illinois nursing home safety


A top adviser to Gov. Pat Quinn outlined Thursday for the first time some of the steps Illinois must take to end the warehousing of mentally ill adults in nursing homes, including violent felons who have victimized elderly and disabled residents.   Read More
KS: Judge rules Kansas tribe has sovereign immunity


The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas has won its argument that it is entitled to sovereign immunity as a federally recognized Indian tribe.   Read More
KY: No extra security at Kentucky bases after Fort Hood shootings


Fort Knox and Fort Campbell officials said they have not been ordered to lock down or take extra security precautions after a mass shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas on Thursday.   Read More
KY: AP sources -- Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case


WASHINGTON — Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.   Read More
KY: Amendment gives at least $100 million annually to horse industry


At least $100 million annually would go to Kentucky's horse industry if voters approve a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize slot machines.   Read More
KY: Panel sends governor 3 names for open court seat


Gov. Steve Beshear has three candidates to consider for an open district court judgeship that covers four eastern Kentucky counties.   Read More
KY: AP sources -- Suicide eyed in Ky. census worker case


WASHINGTON — Investigators probing the death of a Kentucky census worker found hanging from a tree with the word "fed" scrawled on his chest increasingly doubt he was killed because of his government job and are pursuing the possibility he committed suicide, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.   Read More
LA: Felony status urged for election fraud


Some election fraud violations could be elevated from misdemeanor to felony status under proposals submitted to a legislative panel Thursday.   Read More
LA: Aaron Broussard orders inquiry into top aide's insurance deal with public hospital


NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard said today he has launched an investigation into his top administrator's insurance business with the parish-owned West Jefferson Medical Center.   Read More
MA: Death penalty foes rip Coakley for signing brief


Attorney General Martha Coakley, who says she is firmly against capital punishment, has drawn the ire of some death penalty opponents by urging the US Supreme Court to limit federal review of state court decisions, which opponents say could make it harder for defendants on death row to challenge their sentences.   Read More
MA: Inmate stabs 2 officers at prison in Shirley


A state prison inmate allegedly slashed the neck of one correctional officer and stabbed another in the cheek with a homemade weapon Wednesday night at the Souza-Baranowksi Correction Center in Shirley after being told he would be forced to share a cell with another inmate, according to a union official.   Read More
MA: State gun storage law is argued before SJC


The Middlesex district attorney's office argued before the state Supreme Judicial Court yesterday that a law that requires guns to be stored in locked containers or outfitted with trigger locks is valid.   Read More
MD: Case involving problematic gang law postponed to January


Dajuan A. Marshall does not deny being a member of the Spyder gang, a Bloods sect, according to his defense attorney.   Read More
MD: Waiting to learn who pays Dixon's legal bills


BALTIMORE -- Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon's legal bills, racked up during a years-long corruption probe that has led her to enlist seven criminal defense attorneys for a theft trial next week, could run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, legal observers say.   Read More
MD: Officials look to update child support rules


BALTIMORE — Maryland officials are proposing the first increase to recommended child support payments in 20 years.   Read More
MI: Divided state court picks top county judges


A divided Michigan Supreme Court voted today to renew the appointment of Wayne County Circuit Court Chief Judge Virgil Smith for another term, but named new chief judges in Oakland and Macomb counties.   Read More
MI: 55 Michigan troopers to be rehired


State budget director Bob Emerson said the department was given the go-ahead today to hire the troopers, who were among some 100 rookie troopers laid off July 1 in a cost-saving move by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.   Read More
MN: Gene Edward Franchini, 1935-2009 -- Former chief justice had 'passion for life and the law'


Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Gene Edward Franchini, who died Wednesday, opposed mandatory sentencing, the death penalty and government secrecy.   Read More
MS: Medicaid director sued over comments about AG Hood


A Lee County resident is suing Medicaid Executive Director Bob Robinson for comments he made regarding Attorney General Jim Hood.   Read More
MS: Miss. high court won't hear Alcorn case


The Mississippi Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of Johnny Steve Parker, who was convicted of murder in 2007 in Alcorn County.   Read More
MS: Hood wants word out to residents


Attorney General Jim Hood wants Missisisppians to know about the resources available from his office.   Read More
MT: State's Fort Harrison heightens security in wake of Fort Hood shootings


Commanders at Fort Harrison moved swiftly Thursday in the wake of the Fort Hood, Texas, shootings to see if any Montana troops are currently at the Army's largest military post.   Read More
NC: Ethics panel clears NC Rep. Shuler in TVA probe


Congressional ethics investigators have concluded that North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler did not act inappropriately while a residential development that he was involved in sought lake-access rights from the Tennessee Valley Authority.   Read More
NE: Convicted killer Lewis erupts in courtroom rage


OMAHA -- Prosecutors say a man who killed a doctor at a state psychiatric hospital in Lincoln erupted in a rage during a court hearing.   Read More
NE: Budget-cutting bill could further squeeze Nebraska court systems


Low-income Nebraskans who need legal services could be among the losers under recommendations by Gov. Dave Heineman for reducing Nebraska's $6.9 billion budget.   Read More
NE: Lincoln senator recommends furloughs, not layoffs for workers


Senators introduced five bills in special session Thursday, aimed at saving money for the state or saving money for a particular program. Lincoln Sen. Bill Avery introduced a resolution (LR4) that would have agencies use furloughs rather than layoffs of state workers if needed to meet across-the-board budget cuts.   Read More
NH: McDonald's pays $35,000 to girl burned by tea


BRENTWOOD, N.H. – An Exeter girl is collecting a $35,000 settlement from a McDonald's restaurant because she suffered second-degree burns from hot tea that spilled on her lap, according to court documents.   Read More
NH: State worker pleads not guilty


Holly Wheatley, 36, pleaded not guilty yesterday to charges that she stole nearly $25,000 from the state while working for the Department of Resources and Economic Development.   Read More
NJ: Former Statehouse reporter appointed to N.J. elections agency post


A former newspaper reporter has been named deputy director of the state Election Law Enforcement Commission, an official with the agency said today.   Read More
NM: Denish says allegation about Christmas cards a 'patently false lie'


Lt. Governor Diane Denish said in an interview to be televised on Friday evening that it's a "patently false lie" that her office used federal taxpayer dollars for campaign Christmas cards.   Read More
NV: NV Chief Justice Hardesty running for re-election


Nevada Supreme Court Justice James Hardesty says he will seek re-election next year to a second term.   Read More
NV: Managing fraud a lesson of recession


Robert Frimet is a self-proclaimed fraud expert, a businessman who audits other companies' books, gives lectures on recognizing employee theft, and sits as a civilian member on the Nevada Fight Fraud Task Force.   Read More
NY: Senate Democrats rebuff governor on special session


Reducing the state's soaring deficit, legalizing gay marriage, slowing property tax growth and toughening drunk driving laws are among the items on the agenda for a special session of the Legislature that Gov. David A. Paterson has scheduled for Tuesday.   Read More
NY: Wind-energy firm takes Yates County town to court


ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Angered by a Town Board vote in Italy, Yates County, to kill a turbine proposal, a wind-energy company is asking a judge to override the elected board members and allow the project to go forward.   Read More
NY: Breslin: Open defense funds


State Sen. Neil Breslin is proposing legislation that would unmask the names of people who give money to legal defense funds set up for lawmakers.   Read More
NY: Schenectady County earns unwanted rank


Schenectady County ranked first among upstate counties and Long Island for reports of domestic violence incidents per capita in 2008, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Thursday.   Read More
NY: Did grants open doors?


Although lawyers representing former state Sen. Joseph L. Bruno insist he did not hand out improper favors to clients who invested pension funds with his employer, state records show Bruno arranged state grants for them.   Read More
OH: State auditor wants ethics probe of Dayton charter school


Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor wants the Ohio Ethics Commission to review potential ethics violations at the NuBethel Center of Excellence, a Dayton charter school on Siebenthaler Avenue, her office announced Thursday, Nov. 5   Read More
OH: Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and mortgage serving company exchange lawsuits


Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and a mortgage servicing company filed dueling lawsuits Thursday over state allegations that the firm misled and gouged borrowers while restructuring their loans.   Read More
OK: Oklahoma high school graduate one of the soldiers killed at Fort Hood


A graduate of Tipton High School was one of the soldiers killed during a gunman's attack Thursday at Food Hood, Texas.   Read More
OK: Jerome Ersland murder trial to be on TV, Internet


A judge Thursday ruled a pharmacist's murder trial will be televised so the public can witness justice unfold in a case she says has "ignited passions" like no other case in the state.   Read More
PA: LaGrotta claims innocence in scandal


Two years after pleading guilty to crimes he now says he did not commit, former state Rep. Frank LaGrotta is looking for exoneration in the court of public opinion -- something he was unable to get in the court of law.   Read More
PA: Grand jury may seek charges against Perzel


A statewide grand jury is considering recommending charges against former House Speaker John Perzel, R-Philadelphia, and a number of others in connection with millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded computer data that investigators believe was used for political campaigns.   Read More
PA: Two Republican aides to leave Pa. House


Two top House Republican aides — one of them the highest-paid staffer in the Legislature — are leaving their posts, a party spokesman said Thursday.   Read More
SC: Release of Gov. Sanford's ethics report could be up to Ethics Commission


The battle over an investigative report by the State Ethics Commission of Gov. Mark Sanford appeared headed back to the commission Thursday after the state Supreme Court denied Sanford's request for an order keeping the report secret but stopped short of ordering its release.   Read More
SC: Gov. Mark Sanford gave up privacy, Supreme Court rules


The South Carolina Supreme Court today denied a request by Gov. Mark Sanford to keep a report by the State Ethics Commission of its investigation of him secret, ruling that the governor completely waived his confidentiality in an August letter.   Read More
SC: S.C. court: Sanford ethics probe is public


South Carolina's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that an ethics investigation into Gov. Mark Sanford's travel must be made public, clearing the way for lawmakers considering impeachment to review a report on the probe.   Read More
SD: SD high court -- Loan involving gambling debt void


A $33,000 loan that one South Dakota man gave another 16 years ago did not have to be repaid under a state law that voids loans involving gambling debts, a split state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.   Read More
SD: Group to review court translators


A committee has been appointed by the South Dakota Supreme Court to study the use of interpreters and translators in the state's courts.   Read More
TN: Judge declines paper-ballot push


A Nashville judge Thursday turned down a motion to force state election officials to move faster toward installing paper-ballot voting systems across Tennessee in time for the 2010 general election as required by the legislature.   Read More
TX: Polygamist sect leader convicted of sexual assault


ELDORADO, Tex. — One of the leaders of a polygamist sect was convicted Thursday night of sexually assaulting an under-age girl whom the church elders had assigned to him as one of his nine wives.   Read More
UT: Commission wants ethics teeth and campaign caps


In its final work session, the Governor's Commission on Strengthening Democracy wrapped up almost a year's worth of deliberations with a few bold recommendations to advance to Gov. Gary Herbert, including one to put some teeth in existing campaign and lobbying laws.   Read More
UT: 'Alcohol and pregnancy do not mix,' Shurtleff says


Recent studies that show drinking a small amount of wine each day can be healthy don't apply to pregnant women, and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff can tell you all about it.   Read More
VA: Court order issued to stop review of Beach absentee ballots


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The tight 21st District race took several dramatic turns Thursday, with a raucous rally outside the voter registrar's office, allegations of vote-count irregularities and finally a court order to temporarily stop a review of absentee ballots.   Read More
VA: State Supreme Court censures Va. Beach judge


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. -- The state Supreme Court reprimanded a Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judge Thursday for violating ethical conduct standards in a 2007 case.   Read More
VT: Lawmaker to draft bill criminalizing fetal deaths


The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said he's drafting a bill that would criminalize the untimely deaths of fetuses.   Read More
VT: No charges for Flanagan in gym incident


State Sen. Edward Flanagan will not be charged criminally for allegedly engaging in inappropriate sexual conduct at a Burlington health club in August, a prosecutor who reviewed the case said Thursday.   Read More
WA: Justice Madsen chosen chief justice


Justice Barbara Madsen has been elected by members of the state Supreme Court to be its new chief justice.   Read More
WA: State to pay $525,001 in public-records settlement


The state Department of Social and Health Services has agreed to pay $525,001 to two women and a teenage girl for failing to turn over public records after they filed a $45 million lawsuit against the state claiming they were physically and sexually abused by their foster father.   Read More
WI: Judge dismisses lawsuit against state DOT officials


A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against two state Department of Transportation officials which claimed that the department illegally sold drivers' personal information to firms that made it available on the Internet.   Read More
WI: Wis. Assembly delays action on drunken driving


The Democratic-controlled state Assembly refused to vote Thursday on a comprehensive toughening of Wisconsin's notoriously weak drunken driving laws after the measure unanimously passed the Senate.   Read More
WI: Bill allowing taxpayer money for state Supreme Court races passes


Supreme Court candidates would get taxpayer money to run their campaigns, under a bill approved Thursday by the Legislature.   Read More
WI: Drunken driving overhaul OK'd by Senate makes 4th time a felony


The state Senate unanimously voted Thursday for a historic overhaul of the state's drunken driving laws that would require more drivers to install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles and make some fourth drunken driving offenses felonies.   Read More
WI: Legislature passes tougher child-care reforms


Lawmakers unanimously approved a wide-reaching bill Thursday aimed at curbing fraud and keeping criminals out of the state's troubled taxpayer-supported child-care program.   Read More
WV: Groups plan e-mail campaign to protest W.Va. mine


Several groups say they will expand their protest against an Massey Energy mine in southern West Virginia through e-mail.   Read More
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