State politics Subcribe to State politics |
 |
|
|
|
|
By Sean Cockerham, Anchorage Daily News
Alaska legislators are talking about changing the law so governors can no longer appoint whoever they want to the state personnel board, the panel that dismissed ethics complaints against then-Gov. Sarah Palin on "Troopergate" and many other matters.
Read More
|
By Pat Forgey, The Juneau Empire
Juneau's legislative delegation questioned a move by the Parnell administration to relocate the director of the Division of Wildlife Conservation from Juneau to Anchorage, and praised the work of the previous director, who was demoted.
Read More
|
AL: End date for state's PACT plan may be 2011
By Phillip Rawls, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
Alabama's prepaid college tuition plan appears unable to pay tuition beyond the fall semester of 2011 and still have enough money to provide refunds to the 44,000 participants, administrators said. For leaders of the Save Alabama PACT parents group, that creates the need for the Legislature to find a solution in the current legislative session.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AR: 3 in state care join challenge of foster ban
By John Lynch, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
Three teenagers in state custody were allowed to join a lawsuit contesting a voter approved law that bars unmarried couples from adopting or fostering children, a Pulaski County Circuit judge ruled on Tuesday, making them the only children directly challenging the law.
Read More
|
|
AR: Court denies request to lift execution stay
By Rob Moritz, Arkansas News Bureau
Gov. Mike Beebe today ordered a halt to execution preparations for Jack Harold Jones Jr. after a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis decided not to take any action on a request to dissolve a stay of execution issued last week.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
AR: Womack dismisses consultant's ethics woes
By Jeff Arnold, Stephens Media, Arkansas News Bureau
FORT SMITH, Ark. — Republican Steve Womack said today he would continue working with a part-time consultant to his 3rd District congressional campaign who resigned as Oklahoma house speaker under a cloud.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
AZ: Supervisors pick new legislator
By Alia Beard Rau, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Tucson has a new state legislator. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday morning to appoint Ted Vogt to fill the vacant District 30 state House seat, and he was sworn in by the House on Tuesday afternoon.
Read More
|
|
CA: Field Poll -- Meg Whitman trounces Steve Poizner, edges Jerry Brown
By Jack Chang, The Sacramento Bee
Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has built a massive edge over her GOP rival Steve Poizner while taking a narrow lead over likely Democratic nominee Jerry Brown, according to results released today by the nonpartisan Field Poll. Her move is a major feat in a state where Democratic voters far outnumber Republicans.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
CA: State corrections panel, facing scrutiny, set to launch inquiry
By Michael Gardner, The San Diego Union-Tribune
Two San Diego County lawmakers are questioning whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has picked the right vehicle for reform in asking for an investigation into how parole agents handled the 2000 molestation case of John Albert Gardner III, now charged in the death of Chelsea King.
Read More
|
|
CA: Darrell Steinberg -- Capitol is at 'mini impasse' on budget
By Kevin Yamamura, The Sacramento Bee
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, suggested Tuesday that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger bears blame for budget inaction after the governor rejected the most significant parts of a budget package Democrats have sent him in recent weeks.
Read More
|
|
CA: California lawmakers not bragging about their jobs on this year's ballot
By Torey Van Oot, The Sacramento Bee
For the past three years, Ed Hernandez's day job has included serving as a state assemblyman representing the 57th District. But voters in the East Los Angeles state Senate district he is seeking to represent will see a different occupation listed on the ballot when they head to the polls: "Doctor of Optometry."
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
CA: Four California lawmakers given Profile in Courage award
By Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times
Who says negotiating the state budget is a thankless task? Four California legislative leaders -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- were just given the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for their work in that regard.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CO: Colorado officials make pitch in D.C. for education grant
By Michael Riley, The Denver Post
WASHINGTON — Colorado's bid for a chunk of the $4.4 billion Race to the Top education grant came down to the final push Tuesday, as representatives from 16 finalist states made their last pitches here before the federal grants are awarded early next month.
Read More
|
|
CO: Caucus Night Colorado
By John Tomasic, Colorado Independent
Tonight is Caucus night in Colorado. Thousands of political junkies and activists will turn out to elect delegates to represent candidates at the party state assemblies in May.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
CT: Rell asks business panel to help close school achievement gap
By Grace E. Merritt, The Hartford Courant
Even as the legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus moves forward with its 10-point plan to close Connecticut's worst-in-the-nation academic achievement gap, Gov. M. Jodi Rell has decided to form a new committee, made up of mostly business leaders, to devise its own set of recommendations.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
DE: Gaming agency chief named
By Ginger Gibson, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
A retired New Jersey state police officer will head Delaware's new gambling oversight agency, which is responsible for licensing casino employees and investigating gambling-related crime.
Read More
|
|
DE: Most in Delaware say there's too much money in politics
By Beth Miller, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
A poll released Tuesday by the newly regenerated Delaware chapter of Common Cause suggests most voters here -- no matter their party affiliation or political tilt -- believe members of Congress are "overly influenced" by donors, listening to money more than they listen to their constituents' concerns.
Read More
|
|
DE: Governors push wind proposals
By Aaron Nathans, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
A group of 29 governors, including Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, is calling on Congress to extend renewable energy incentives and require every U.S. electric utility to buy one-10th of its energy from renewable sources by 2012.
Read More
|
|
DE: Coons' budget includes layoffs
By Adam Taylor, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
Dozens of New Castle County employees would be laid off in July as part of County Executive Chris Coons' plan to limit the projected deficit for the next fiscal year to $7 million.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
FL: Florida Senate wants federal balanced budget
By The Associated Press, Tallahassee Democrat
A resolution calling for a U.S. constitutional convention to draft an amendment requiring a balanced federal budget cleared the Florida Senate on a nearly straight party line vote Tuesday.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FL: Florida joins House debate on voting rights for felons
By Lesley Clark, The Miami Herald
WASHINGTON -- A Florida elections supervisor raised the state's botched 2000 election Tuesday to argue for a controversial bill that would let convicted felons vote in federal elections after their release from prison -- regardless of state law.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FL: Sink sets economic goals if elected Fla. governor
By The Associated Press, Tallahassee Democrat
Democrat Alex Sink is beginning a two-month tour Wednesday to roll out the economic policies she will propose if elected governor. The plan that ranges from deferring corporate taxes for qualified startup business to more aggressively marketing tourism, including in countries like China.
Read More
|
|
FL: In Tallahassee today, push to dismantle a state agency
By Steve Bousquet, St. Petersburg Times
The Senate Ways and Means Committee will consider two bills that would dismantle a major state agency, the Department of Management Services, and divide its duties among other agencies — including the elected post of chief financial officer.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
FL: House proposes to overhaul PSC's structure
By Mary Ellen Klas, The Miami Herald
Florida's Public Service Commission would undergo a complete face lift under a draft House proposal released Tuesday that moves the commission's regulatory staff into a separate entity that answers to the Legislature and tightens qualifications for commissioners.
Read More
|
|
FL: Judge shows impatience over Glades cleanup
By Curtis Morgan, The Miami Herald
Eighteen months ago, the federal judge overseeing Everglades cleanup progress tentatively endorsed a state bid to buy sugar fields for restoration projects, calling the opportunity to ``buy out the polluters'' a logical solution to long-standing problems.
Read More
|
|
FL: Florida Senate president backs reform to CFO post
By Marc Caputo, The Miami Herald
If Jeff Atwater's Senate has its way, the higher office he seeks will have unprecedented power over privatized prisons, billions of dollars in purchasing authority and the power to investigate Medicaid and food-stamp fraud.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
FL: Police on trail of zapped city files
By Charles Rabin, The Miami Herald
Just after dark two Sundays ago, someone stepped into the office of Miami budget director Michael Boudreaux and deleted a series of computer files central to a federal probe of the city's finances, Miami officials say.
Read More
|
|
GA: Budget task force recommends $3 billion in state savings
By James Salzer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle's budget task force has come up with ways for the state to save big money, but some of their proposals are likely politically radioactive. Among them: freezing longevity raises for the state's 150,000 teachers and making them pay more into their retirement system.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
GA: Senate passes bill that would green light organized road races
By Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Butterworth stood in the Senate well Tuesday and had to resist the urge to say to his fellow senators, "Ladies and gentleman, start your engines." But a bill that he just got passed could result in that familiar cry coming from streets and roads all over Georgia.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
GA: Don't gas animals, House says
By Nancy Badertscher, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After the lengthy debate, the Georgia House passed a controversial bill Tuesday that would prohibit animal shelters from using gas chambers to kill unwanted cats and dogs.
Read More
|
|
GA: Law would require drug test for unemployment assistance
By Nancy Badertscher, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Toccoa legislator is sponsoring a bill to require random drug testing of recipients of unemployment compensation benefits and other government assistance. HB 1389, sponsored by Rep. Michael Harden, would require that the cost of the drug test be paid by the recipient or deducted from his or her benefits. Failing the drug test could result in a loss of benefits.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
HI: Teachers union endorses Hanabusa
By B.J. Reyes, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Despite a history of not always being in agreement with each other, the union representing 13,500 public school teachers has backed state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa in the special election for Congress.
Read More
|
|
HI: Senate panels back GET hike
By Derrick DePledge, The Honolulu Advertiser
State senators yesterday moved toward a general excise tax increase to help with the state's budget deficit after finding that targeted tax hikes on businesses would likely be passed on to consumers and could undermine economic growth.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
IA: Republicans pledge to ease home school restriction
By The Associated Press, Sioux City Journal
Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidates say they'll ease restrictions on parents' abilities to home school their children, despite the failure of an expanded home schooling bill in the Legislature this year.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IA: School board association staff may face subpoenas
By Mike Glover, The Associated Press, Quad-City Times
A joint legislative investigative committee is prepared to issue subpoenas to the staff of a group that represents Iowa's school boards over questions about its spending practices and the six-figure salaries of some of its employees.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IL: State Aging director says lease a budget 'distraction'
By GateHouse News Service, Rockford Register Star
Department on Aging Director Charles Johnson said today a planned move of his agency from state-owned to leased offices has been put on hold because it has become a distraction in budget deliberations. But after addressing a House appropriations committee this morning, Johnson refused to answer additional questions.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
IL: State budget proposals continue to surface
By Matt Hopf, The State Journal-Register (Springfield)
Two lobbying groups agreed Tuesday that Gov. Pat Quinn's proposed state budget is not the right road map, but the groups have very different approaches to solving the problem.
Read More
|
|
IL: Census resisters cite distrust of government
By Kristen Mack, Chicago Tribune
To Charles Turrisi Jr., the 2010 census — even with its shorter 10-question form — goes beyond what the framers of the Constitution intended. To his way of thinking, it's about nine questions too long.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
KY: Waiver on school makeup days approved
By Linda B. Blackford, Lexington Herald-Leader
The House Education Committee approved a waiver for schools that have been closed too many days because of bad weather, but several members said they would like to see a better, long-term solution.
Read More
|
|
KY: Senate may set Instant Racing tax
By Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
The Senate is expected to pass a bill on Wednesday that will not expressly authorize a form of wagering called Instant Racing, but will set a tax rate for it if the Beshear administration chooses to implement the game.
Read More
|
|
KY: Senate budget chief warns of deeper cuts
By Tom Loftus, The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
The Senate version of the state budget bill is likely to include spending cuts in all areas of government, the chairman of the Senate budget committee warned Tuesday.
Read More
|
|
KY: House backs colon cancer screening bill
By Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
The Kentucky House passed a bill Tuesday to help Kentuckians who have no health insurance pay for colon cancer screenings. House Bill 72 sailed through the House on a 97-0 vote after Rep. Tim Moore, R-Elizabethtown, decided not to push a floor amendment that would require doctors performing abortions to show women ultrasound pictures of the fetus.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
LA: Agency says halt state pay raises
By Marsha Shuler, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Citing an "unprecedented budget crisis," the state Civil Service Commission proposed withholding pay raises Tuesday for about 60,000 rank-and-file state employees.
Read More
|
|
LA: Lawmakers -- License increase shady
By Marsha Shuler, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Legislators accused Jindal administration officials Tuesday of not being upfront with them and the public before a 70 percent increase in driver's license costs.
Read More
|
|
LA: Levine -- Budget needs prayer
By Michelle Millhollon, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
State health chief Alan Levine told lawmakers Tuesday that he is uncertain how he would handle further budget cuts this fiscal year.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
LA: State urged to buy up flood-prone property
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority should invest more money in "non-structural" strategies like raising, relocating or buying private buildings in coastal flood areas as part of its $600 million fiscal year 2011 annual plan for ecosystem restoration and hurricane protection, say five local and national conservation groups.
Read More
|
|
MA: Call to cap medical payments is likely
By Liz Kowalczyk, The Boston Globe
Massachusetts Senate leaders indicated yesterday that they will push forward significant measures this year to control soaring health care costs in the state that probably will include caps on payments to hospitals and doctors.
Read More
|
|
MA: Deadline compresses work on avalanche of legislation
By Kyle Cheney and Michael Norton, Boston Herald
Providing seafood processors with loans? Approved. Prohibiting circumcision of infants? Rejected. Eliminating Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day as paid holidays for Suffolk County workers? Not so fast, lawmakers said Tuesday, putting a bill to nix the two controversial holidays into a study, often a death knell for legislation.
Read More
|
|
MA: Cahill attacks health care law
By Michael Levenson, The Boston Globe
State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent candidate for governor making a play for fiscally conservative voters, said yesterday that the state's universal health care law is bankrupting Massachusetts and will do the same nationally if Congress passes a similar plan.
Read More
|
|
MA: Mass. aims to tie goals of colleges to economy
By Tracy Jan, The Boston Globe
BROCKTON, Mass. — State education officials plan to overhaul the way Massachusetts colleges and universities measure and report student achievement, in an effort to make the public system more relevant to the state economy and to ensure that students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds are being served.
Read More
|
|
MA: Berklee lands Patrick jazz treasure trove
By David Abel, The Boston Globe
The cultural legacy of Laurdine "Pat'' Patrick, who died of leukemia in 1991, is like gold for music historians, said officials at the Berklee College of Music, who announced yesterday that they have received a vast collection of the musician's archives as a gift from his son, Governor Deval Patrick.
Read More
|
|
MA: Many must fend for themselves
By Megan Woolhouse and Erin Ailworth, The Boston Globe
Other than to give the governor broad powers to, for example, mobilize resources such as the National Guard, the state of emergency offers no real help for homeowners.
Read More
|
|
MD: Western Md. slots proponents seek sweeter deal for Rocky Gap
By Annie Linskey, The Sun (Baltimore)
Western Maryland slots proponents came to Annapolis on Tuesday with a dire message: Sweeten the deal for Rocky Gap or nobody will want to build a casino there. Without a slots casino, the state-owned facility will go belly up and millions of dollars will have been wasted, they warned.
Read More
|
|
MD: Arundel Mills casino foes seek to intervene in Cordish lawsuit
By Nicole Fuller, The Sun (Baltimore)
Opponents of a casino at Arundel Mills mall who are on track to force a referendum filed court papers Tuesday to intervene in a lawsuit by the Cordish Cos., which contends that the Anne Arundel County Board of Elections ignored alleged fraud in the referendum effort.
Read More
|
|
MD: City panel OKs partial ban on plastic bags
By Timothy B. Wheeler, The Sun (Baltimore)
After years of debating whether to ban disposable plastic store bags or slap a fee on them, the Baltimore City Council appears poised now to try fighting the city's litter problem with half a ban.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ME: By train or by bus? State looks for answer
By Tom Bell, Kennebec Journal
PORTLAND, Maine -- State transportation planners appear to favor buses over trains for public transit north of Portland, but rail supporters contend that trains are more likely to win support from the Obama administration.
Read More
|
|
ME: Baldacci seeks disaster declaration
By The Associated Press, Kennebec Journal
Maine Gov. John Baldacci is seeking a federal disaster declaration for five counties for a howling storm that produced a record-breaking 78-mph gust in Portland, dumped more than 8 inches of rain on southern Maine and knocked power out to 150,000 homes and businesses.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
ME: Program eliminations may not do it
By Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal
Board of Education members are worried the elimination of popular programs such as elementary French and a multimedia program may not be enough to appease city officials because the school budget, even with major cuts, would still require a tax increase.
Read More
|
|
ME: Pot law stashed
By Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
A legislative committee waded through 44 questions surrounding the state's medical marijuana law Tuesday, including how to regulate use by children and who will be authorized to grow the drug for dispensaries.
Read More
|
|
ME: Vigorous election cycle forecast
By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
Leaders of Maine's two major parties are gearing up for a vigorous election cycle in 2010 with contested races expected for all but a handful of the 180-plus seats in the State House.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MN: Justice warns of crisis in courts
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Speaking outside the court for the first time since he announced his resignation, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson said Tuesday that the state's justice system is strained nearly to the point of breaking down.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MS: State vote would say when life begins
By The Associated Press, The Sun Herald (Biloxi)
Abortion opponents who want life defined in Mississippi as beginning at fertilization have filed an initiative petition with the Secretary of State's Office to get the issue on a statewide ballot.
Read More
|
|
MS: Tax hike for Section 42 housing developers dies
By Bobby Harrison, The Daily Journal (Tupelo)
Legislation to increase the local property taxes on the developers of Section 42 housing died Tuesday when Senate Finance Chair Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, opted not to bring the bill up for consideration.
Read More
|
|
MS: Official -- Windpool fund boost risky
By Molly Parker, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
Five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, lawmakers are attempting to pump more money into the windpool insurance fund while Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney says the state program is at risk of growing too large.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NC: Editor urges public push for access
By Sarah Ovaska, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The public needs to join news organizations in the push for more open government, an Outer Banks newspaper editor said Tuesday at an event where she was honored.
Read More
|
|
NC: In the final stretch for Race to the Top billions
By Lynn Bonner and Benjamin Niolet, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gov. Bev Perdue and state education leaders were asked detailed questions Tuesday about the state's application for a big education grant, Perdue spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson said. Perdue and an education team returned Tuesday afternoon from Washington after an early morning interview pitching the state's application to a federal panel.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
NC: Poole lawyer seeks dismissal
By Lynn Bonner, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A lawyer representing Ruffin Poole, a onetime aide to former Gov. Mike Easley, asked a federal judge to dismiss the case against Poole because the indictments fail to show that he did favors for a developer for financial gain and because he cannot be charged with accepting bribes because he was not a public official.
Read More
|
|
ND: Beulah, N.D. leaders vote no on levee
By The Associated Press, Grand Forks Herald
BEULAH, N.D. -- The Beulah City Council has voted to not accept an offer from the Army Corps of Engineers to build a temporary levee to protect homes from flooding on the south side of the western North Dakota city.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
NE: Driving-texting ban endorsed
By Martha Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald
OMG! Nebraska drivers may have only a few months left to write text messages from the road. State lawmakers Tuesday gave first-round approval to a bill that would ban texting or sending other written communications while driving.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
NE: Nebraska senators advance 2009-11 budget, brace for pain
By JoAnne Young, Lincoln Journal Star
The Legislature spent Tuesday afternoon debating, and then advancing to second-round, adjustments to the $6.7 billion state budget for 2009-11. But much of the talk was about the scary financial picture around the corner in the next two-year budget.
Read More
|
|
NH: State begins to tally storm damage again
By Garry Rayno, The Union Leader (Manchester)
On the day Gov. John Lynch announced the state sustained enough damage to qualify for federal money due to damage from the wind and rain storm two weeks ago, he asked Federal Emergency Management Administration officials to return to assess the damage from this week's storm.
Read More
|
|
NH: Panel puts $47m dent in deficit
By Tom Fahey, The Union Leader (Manchester)
State spending would be trimmed by $47 million under a plan the House Finance Committee agreed to last night, including cuts in services to the disabled, and money for the courts, environmental work and prisons.
Read More
|
|
NH: Wait list for disabled may return
By Shira Schoenberg, Concord Monitor
Lawmakers will consider reinstating a waiting list for services for the developmentally disabled, just months after the state eliminated a years-old backlog.
Read More
|
|
NH: Governor seeks aid for February storm
By The Associated Press, Concord Monitor
Gov. John Lynch is asking President Obama to declare portions of the state a disaster area because of damage from storms that hit the state late last month and early this month.
Read More
|
|
NJ: Court puts N.J. recall effort on hold
By Angela Delli Santi, The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer
A New Jersey appeals court ruled yesterday that a conservative tea-party group should have the right to try to throw a U.S. senator out of office, but also said the group may have to wait for a final decision by a higher court before proceeding.
Read More
|
|
NJ: Business leaders rally around Christie
By Hugh R. Morley, The Record of Bergen County
The 100 business leaders watching Governor Christie's first budget message on the 10-foot-high screen greeted his strong, pro-business proposals with waves of applause.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NV: State rips UMC over break room meeting
By Marshall Allen, Las Vegas Sun
State health authorities have reprimanded University Medical Center for allowing on-duty emergency room nurses to meet in a break room with Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
NY: Paterson aide is said to ignore subpoena
By Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times
A senior aide to Gov. David A. Paterson failed to respond to a subpoena from a state ethics commission requiring him to testify about his role in obtaining World Series tickets last year from the Yankees for Mr. Paterson and others who attended a game with the governor, the commission's chairman said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Read More
|
|
NY: Voters reject Monserrate bid
By The Associated Press, Times Union (Albany)
A state senator who was expelled after a domestic violence conviction has lost his long-shot bid to get his seat back in a special election.
Read More
|
|
NY: Prober -- E-mails don't clear gov in Tixgate
By Fredric U. Dicker, New York Post
The head of the state Commission on Public Integrity last night rejected a claim by Gov. Paterson that e-mails between him and the Yankees prove he didn't break the law by soliciting $6,000 worth of World Series tickets and then allegedly lying under oath about it.
Read More
|
|
NY: Joe DioGuardi running to unseat Kirsten Gillibrand
By Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester)
In recent years, Joe DioGuardi has probably been better known for his famous daughter than for his past career as a congressman from Westchester County. The 69-year-old accountant is now making a bid to change that.
Read More
|
|
NY: Seneca Falls residents vote to disband village
By John Boccacino, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester)
SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — The village of Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the first known women's rights convention and home to the National Women's Hall of Fame, might no longer be a village by the end of 2011.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NY: Domestic violence bills gain
By Rick Karlin, Times Union (Albany)
Forget the budget, a legislative crackdown on domestic violence is top-of-mind for many lawmakers this week in the Senate and Assembly.
Read More
|
|
NY: 17-year quest for end-of-life law yields reform
By Cathleen F. Crowley, Times Union (Albany)
For 17 years, health care lawyer Robert N. Swidler guided, prodded and negotiated a new end-of-life law that has languished in the state Legislature. Gov. David Paterson finally signed the bill into law Tuesday at Albany Memorial Hospital.
Read More
|
|
NY: GOP aims at seat in 20th
By Leigh Hornbeck
While Congressman Scott Murphy grapples with a tough vote on health care reform, Republicans in the 20th Congressional District are busy choosing a candidate they hope will replace the Democrat.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OH: Governor Strickland's aide helped Laketa Cole get state job
By Jon Craig, The Cincinnati Enquirer
E-mails between the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and a top lawyer in Gov. Ted Strickland's office indicate the governor's staff was more active in helping Cincinnati Councilwoman Laketa Cole land a high-paying state job than previously reported – a move that averted a Democratic primary the party wanted to avoid.
Read More
|
|
OH: Unions kick off casino vote drive
By James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch
Labor unions vowed yesterday to apply the same political muscle toward persuading Ohioans to approve relocating a planned Columbus casino that they used to convince voters to support casinos in November.
Read More
|
|
OK: Panel OKs bills to cut workers comp cost
By Barbara Hoberock, Tulsa World
A Senate panel passed measures Tuesday that are designed to reduce costs in the workers compensation system. Several such measures are moving though the Legislature. Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, said the Republican-sponsored bills would protect insurers and employers but do little for workers.
Read More
|
|
OK: Panel OKs bill for Oklahoma Hero Flight funding
By Barbara Hoberock, Tulsa World, The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City)
A state Senate panel on Tuesday passed a proposal that would allow tax refunds to be directed to a group trying to send veterans to Washington, D.C., to see memorials erected in their honor.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PA: Hoeffel's petitions challenged
By Mike Wereschagin, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato has challenged the nominating petitions of Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel, one of his competitors in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RI: Public pensions underfunded by $9.4 billion
By Randal Edgar, The Providence Journal
The promises that Rhode Island and its cities and towns have made to their current and future retirees without putting money aside carry a dollar figure that is big enough to buy 345,588 Ford Mustang GTs, 47,000 houses priced at the state median or several hundred of the finest mansions along the state's coast.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
RI: R.I. delegation heads to Washington to seek education funds
By Jennifer D. Jordan, The Providence Journal
Buoyed by an unusual show of solidarity at the State House, political and educational leaders headed to Washington, D.C., Tuesday night to try to persuade federal officials that Rhode Island deserves a historic infusion of money into its public education system.
Read More
|
|
RI: Public art requirement restored by Carcieri
By Steve Peoples, The Providence Journal
Facing fierce resistance from Rhode Island's arts community, Governor Carcieri has backed off plans to eliminate a program that has produced millions of dollars for high-profile, and sometimes controversial, public art installations across Rhode Island.
Read More
|
|
RI: R.I. ahead of curve in Internet use
By Cynthia Needham, The Providence Journal
As federal regulators roll out a far-reaching plan to expand Internet access nationwide, while boosting speed and reducing prices for those who already have it, officials say the proposal could have a significant impact on Rhode Island, improving health care, education and business services.
Read More
|
|
RI: The cleanup begins after the deluge ends
By Richard C. Dujardin, The Providence Journal
The day after the deluge ended, many of the West Warwick residents who were told over the weekend to leave their homes as flood waters rose were still waiting to return. Those who did return found the damage was exactly what they feared, or not as bad as they thought.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SC: Romney endorses Haley for governor
By Staff Reports, The State (Columbia)
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has endorsed Lexington Rep. Nikki Haley for governor. Romney, who ran for president in 2008 and finished fourth in the S.C. Republican primary, heads a conservative PAC called Free and Strong America that supports candidates across the nation.
Read More
|
|
SC: SC museum rejects monument marking secession
By Bruce Smith, The Associated Press, The State (Columbia)
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. -- The board of a South Carolina museum on Charleston Harbor where the Civil War began voted Tuesday against erecting a monument marking the state's 1860 secession from the Union.
Read More
|
|
SC: DOT panel director named
By Prentiss Findlay, The Post and Courier (Charleston)
Daniel H. Isaac Jr. of Myrtle Beach will become the next chairman of the state Department of Transportation Commission.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
SD: S.D. education official honored
By Staff Reports, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)
Ann Larsen, director of special education for the South Dakota Department of Education, received the Glenn I. Latham Award given by the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TN: TN Senate to debate income tax ban
By Chas Sisk, The Tennessean (Nashville)
Nearly a decade after a fight over a state income tax brought angry crowds to the Capitol, Tennessee lawmakers are poised to open a debate over banning the tax once and for all.
Read More
|
|
TN: Guns in bars bill advances in House
By The Associated Press, The Tennessean (Nashville)
Legislation is advancing in the House that would allow handgun permit holders in Tennessee to carry their weapons where alcoholic beverages are served unless the establishment puts up signs banning guns.
Read More
|
|
TN: TN professors fume over bill banning textbook royalties
By Jennifer Brooks and Joan Garrett, Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Tennessean (Nashville)
For 10 years, Janet Belsky researched, revised and polished the manuscript for a textbook that would become required reading for countless psychology and nursing students around the country. Her reward? A 15 percent royalty — about $13.50 — each time a new copy of her book, Experiencing the Lifespan, sold for its list price of $90.
Read More
|
|
TX: Democrats seek more pull in Texas
By Tim Eaton, The Austin American-Statesman
With congressional redistricting looming, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee said it plans to spend a record amount of money in several states, including Texas.
Read More
|
|
TX: A&M ties play major role in runoff
By Gilbert Garcia, The San Antonio Express-News
Aggies tend to be less politically active than Longhorns. That's a point made by someone who knows a little bit about both politics and Aggies: state Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, a 1962 graduate of Texas A&M University.
Read More
|
|
TX: Homeland Security tepid on Rick Perry's request for more border enforcements
By Todd J. Gillman, The Dallas Morning News
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano this afternoon brushed off Texas Gov. Rick Perry's request for surveillance planes and 1,000 fresh troops along the Mexican border. That drew swift denunciation from the governor, who put state police and other assets on standby, citing the heightened risk of spillover violence from Mexico's drug war.
Read More
|
|
TX: White linked to company facing pollution probe
By R.G. Ratcliffe, The Houston Chronicle
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White earned more than $2.6 million serving on the board of a gas well servicing company that now is part of a congressional investigation into possible groundwater contamination.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
US: Group of 29 governors seeks renewable-power standard
By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and 28 other governors are calling for a national standard for renewable power that they believe could help spur job growth and economic development and make the U.S. less dependent on foreign fuel.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VA: Lobby for law, gay-rights group urges college leaders
By Olympia Meola, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Keeping pressure on state leaders over what they see as Virginia's weak anti-bias protections, gay-rights group Equality Virginia is calling on college and university leadership to join their push for a change in state law.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VT: IRV defenders outspend opponents in Burlington race
By John Briggs, Burlington Free Press
Fifty Percent Matters, the group that fought unsuccessfully to retain the instant-runoff voting system for choosing a mayor in Burlington, outspent Repeal IRV, $14,033 to $9,280. The repeal group won, albeit narrowly, 3,972 to 3,669, by virtue of heavy majorities in the Wards 4 and 7.
Read More
|
|
VT: Vermont House supports texting ban and more
By Nancy Remsen, Burlington Free Press
iles Selib, 18, a senior at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, listened Tuesday as the House debated whether to pass a ban on texting while driving or a more comprehensive, but controversial highway safety bill.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WV: W.Va. looks at fixing road funding system
By The Associated Press, Charleston Daily Mail
A pair of bills on Gov. Joe Manchin's desk could change the way road work is paid for in West Virginia, with new tolls and local bonds part of a mix aimed at replacing faltering gas tax revenues.
Read More
|
|
WV: Counties may get more from coal tax
By Billy Wolfe, Charleston Daily Mail
Kanawha County stands to gain $1 million over five years from a bill approved on the final day of the legislative session. Its fate, however, is in Gov. Joe Manchin's hands, and he has reservations about it.
Read More
|
|
WV: Gun bill gives Manchin 'pure heartburn'
By Sara Gavin, Charleston Daily Mail
Gov. Joe Manchin wouldn't come right out and say it, but there appears to be a good shot that he will veto a proposed sales tax holiday on gun purchases in West Virginia. "I can't look struggling children and families in the eye and say 'I'm sorry that I can't help you, but by God you don't have to pay the sales tax on guns'," Manchin said.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
WV: Tough times make for few budget arguments
By Phil Kabler, Charleston Gazette
Tough economic times may make it easier for House and Senate budget conferees complete work on the 2010-11 budget bill this week, the Senate Finance Committee chairman said Tuesday.
Read More
|
|
WY: State official -- C minus unfair grade for state Web site
By Phil Noble, Cowboy State Free Press
During this week — "Sunshine Week" to open government advocates — we are looking at how Wyoming state government could be more accessible to the public. One of the main public interfaces with government is its Web site(s), in this case wyoming.gov.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
WY: Wyoming Supreme Court reverses sex case convictions
By Ben Neary, The Associated Press, Casper Star-Tribune
The Wyoming Supreme Court on Tuesday reversed a Cheyenne man's convictions of child sexual assault, saying a trial judge should have allowed the man to attend a court hearing about whether a boy was competent to testify against him.
Read More
|
|
|
|
|
Not your grandma's bingo
By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer
It has the drama and suspense of a John Grisham novel: pre-dawn gambling raids by state troopers, rumors of political payoffs, rowdy demonstrations at the State Capitol and a fly-over at this year’s Rose Bowl in California with a banner that read, “Impeach Corrupt Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.” All this fuss over bingo? While many other cash-strapped states are trying to expand gaming as a way to get more revenue, Alabama's outgoing governor is on a mission to stamp out illegal gambling in the Heart of Dixie.
Read More
|
Powered by