Was the Republican National Convention worth it?
From: minnesota.publicradio.org
"Scott Iman will remember the week of the Republican National Convention as the week he abandoned his car."
Mining means jobs and Todd Palin is interested
From: www.adn.com
"WASHINGTON — Todd Palin — oil worker, champion snowmobiler, hunter and commercial fisherman — also has been boning up on mining lately in his role as Alaska's first spouse."
Wanted: Kansans to fill job openings
From: cjonline.com
"The difficulty of shaping Kansas employment policy isn't churning out crystal-ball charts and graphs depicting the most promising careers."
Gustav draws attention to Fla. generator law
From: www.stateline.org
"Power outages caused by Hurricane Gustav have shut down gas stations throughout Louisiana this week, but Florida officials are hoping a little-known state law can help them avoid the same complication the next time a major storm reaches their shores — which could be this weekend."
State revenues up 4.8 percent in August
From: www.thecabin.net
"Arkansas state revenues in August were up $16.2 million from a year ago, a 4.8 percent increase in actual dollars and a 5.4 percent rise above forecast, Arkansas fiscal officials reported Wednesday."
Additional $12M slated for tourism marketing
From: www.honoluluadvertiser.com
"The Hawaii Tourism Authority and its industry partners plan to spend an additional $12 million on marketing through March to help combat the slump in tourism."
Governors associations fill coffers at conventions
From: www.usatoday.com
"ST. PAUL, Minn. — Free of campaign contribution limits, the fundraising committees for Democratic and Republican governors used their parties' national political conventions to amass millions of dollars for the fall elections from companies, trade associations and other special interests."
Illinois biz group leader mulling run for governor
From: www.chicagobusiness.com
"Illinois Chamber of Commerce president Doug Whitley is mulling a run for governor."
Rising costs hurting business growth
From: www.nhregister.com
"Though trying to remain optimistic about their future, business owners in the state face a barrage of challenges in the wake of the national economic downturn, which may be starting to take its toll on their confidence, according to a survey released Thursday."
Three petitions backed by Las Vegas casino owner won't be on ballot
From: www.nevadaappeal.com
"Three initiative petitions backed by Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson — two of them designed to take money away from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority — won't be on Nevada's November ballot."
Alabama National Guard foundation helps financially pinched troops
From: www.al.com
"A foundation set up to help financially pinched Alabama National Guard members has given out nearly $130,000 since it started operating four years ago, and it probably will give out more this year than ever before."
State's water issues must be addressed, study says
From: www.arkansasnews.com
"At a crossroads, Arkansas must decide how to address critical water issues across the state, a new study released Thursday said."
State student aid board disbands loan agency
From: www.sfgate.com
"The California Student Aid Commission voted Thursday to oust the board of directors of EdFund, a troubled state agency that guarantees student loans."
State gets serious about deepening drought
From: www.sfgate.com
"Anticipating another bone-dry winter, California is preparing to act as a water go-between next year, buying from water-rich districts in the north and selling to cities and farmers hit hard by drought.
"
California 'drought water bank' in the works
From: www.sacbee.com
"Hedging against the risk of a third dry year in 2009, state officials on Thursday unveiled a "drought water bank" to help thirsty cities and farms cope."
California 'water bank' in works amid drought
From: www.signonsandiego.com
"SAN FRANCISCO -- California's state government is forming a "water bank" to buy water for local water agencies at risk of shortages next year should a current drought persist, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday."
Calif. trying to prepare for another dry winter
From: www.signonsandiego.com
"California is taking initial steps to prepare for another dry winter by trying to ensure that farmers and cities will have adequate water supplies in 2009."
Tribes refuse to accept state's minimum security guidelines for casinos
From: www.signonsandiego.com
"Moving to the brink of a legal showdown, California gaming tribes yesterday overwhelmingly rejected a set of minimum security standards that the state wants to enforce in all Indian casinos."
California revives program to buy water from farmers
From: www.latimes.com
"Saying California's water reserves are all but gone, state officials on Thursday announced the revival of a dormant 17-year-old program to buy water from Sacramento Valley farmers and sell it to the thirstiest Southern California agencies in case this winter brings a third year of skimpy precipitation."
Oil-shale go-ahead decried
From: www.denverpost.com
"The federal Bureau of Land Management on Thursday issued a final environmental plan to open 2.4 million acres in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming to oil-shale and tar-sands development."
Outer-space vote costly
From: www.denverpost.com
"The man pushing a ballot initiative for creation of a commission in Denver to study visitors from outer space wants to put his plan before voters in May, potentially creating a costly $600,000 special election. "
Connecticut's printing industry fading out
From: www.courant.com
"Buffeted by the omnipresence of the Internet, changing tastes of marketers and flat sales of printed material, the state's commercial printers are using the rapid improvement of digital technology to reach into less traditional services to keep their clients tuned in and their presses turned on."
Prices making jet service scarce in Tallahassee
From: floridacapitalnews.com
"Gov. Charlie Crist said Thursday he has tried to coax Delta Airlines into continuing intrastate service from Tallahassee and hopes to interest Southwest in the capital-city market."
Leaders collaborate to be "Work Ready" for VW
From: www.timesfreepress.com
"ROCK SPRING, Ga. — Northwest Georgia officials are planning to catch some of the trickle down benefits Chattanooga's new Volkswagen plant will bring to the region."
Lawmakers study prior OK on drugs
From: chronicle.augusta.com
"Insurance companies could be forced to curtail their practice of requiring doctors to get permission before prescribing certain drugs, the chairman of a legislative panel examining the issue said Thursday."
DNR estimates 31,000 fish killed
From: www.wcfcourier.com
"FOREST CITY, Iowa - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources estimates more than 31,000 fish were killed after a leak from a cattle farm affected a 16-mile area on the Winnebago River."
Public health received fewer than 1,000 smoking complaints
From: ads.qctimes.com
"The Iowa Department of Public Health has received fewer than 1,000 complaints about violations of the statewide public smoking ban that took effect July 1, the department announced Thursday."
Iowa ag secy 'disappointed' by GOP platform
From: www.kcci.com
"Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey said he disagrees with the Republican party's platform, which calls for ending the renewable fuel standard for ethanol."
State looks underground for emissions solution
From: www.journalgazette.net
"With federal greenhouse gas limits possible in the near future, Indiana's utilities could soon face the challenge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants that generate most of the state's electricity."
State won't force faster food stamp applications
From: www.journalgazette.net
"The head of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said Thursday that his agency is abandoning a proposal to move to a 30-day food stamp application process."
3 indicted on bid-rigging charges
From: www.kentucky.com
"A federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted Kentucky's leading road contractor and a former head of the state Transportation Cabinet for allegedly scheming to rig bids on $130 million in state road work."
Court date set for 3 accused in road bid case
From: www.courier-journal.com
"Three defendants charged in an alleged scheme to tamper with bids on state road contracts will make their initial appearances in federal court in Lexington on Sept. 12, according to a press release from the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky."
State planning to buy generators for stores
From: www.2theadvocate.com
"Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday the state is in the process of purchasing 400 generators to allow selected gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies to open for business."
Hurricane Gustav hits Louisiana crops hard
From: www.2theadvocate.com
"Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said Thursday that Hurricane Gustav devastated the state's sweet potato, cotton and sugarcane crops."
Proposal would require generators at gas stations
From: www.nola.com
"The state should consider a law to require convenience stores and gas stations across the state to have backup generators so pumps can be operated during power outages caused by storms and hurricanes, Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain said Thursday."
As Gustav evacuees return to New Orleans, a varied homecoming
From: www.csmonitor.com
"New Orleans - As Gustav evacuees return home, and as those who stayed put survey the terrain, it's apparent how much a hurricane's unpredictability can cause varying degrees of damage."
O'Malley trumpets education investment
From: gazette.net
"Gov. Martin O'Malley toured the newly opened College Gardens Elementary School in Rockville to tout his aggressive program of building new schools around the state."
AG to court - reject slots suit
From: gazette.net
"A lawsuit challenging the ballot wording on the November slots referendum should be thrown out, lawyers for the state said in documents filed Thursday in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court."
Leggett to reveal slots position
From: gazette.net
"With a faltering economy bearing down on government budgets like Hurricane Ike off the East Coast, the Montgomery County Executive is expected to announce his position on slots in the state as a way of bolstering state revenues."
Roadside mowing costs concern for contractors
From: www.bangornews.com
"A change this summer in the state's payment policy for road-side mowing has upset some contractors who said they relinquished their agreements because they no longer could afford to do the work."
Michigan Gov. Granholm plans trade trip to Japan
From: www.lansingstatejournal.com
"DETROIT -- Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to take a five-day trade trip to Japan later this month in which she will try to lure companies to the economically struggling state."
In dispirited Detroit, mayor pleads guilty
From: www.csmonitor.com
"CHICAGO - A protracted scandal that has paralyzed Detroit and made its city government a spectacle for much of the US ended Thursday when Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to two felony counts, abruptly ending his tenure as mayor and giving the city a new and uncertain future."
Detroit's mayor will leave office and go to jail
From: www.nytimes.com
"DETROIT — Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to felony charges here on Thursday and agreed to resign from office and serve 120 days in jail, ending eight months of political turmoil but also opening a new era of uncertainty for the city."
Gustav adds to housing woes
From: www.sunherald.com
"LONG BEACH, Miss. -- Mae Bullard and her 77-year-old mother are packing their belongings - a few fans, some family photos and other knickknacks - and moving from one rundown public housing unit to another."
Coast residents file 1,500 storm claims
From: www.clarionledger.com
"About 1,500 claims related to Hurricane Gustav had been filed along the state's Gulf Coast as of midday Thursday, and that number likely will grow, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said."
N.C. GOP delegates dine out on Novartis
From: www.newsobserver.com
"Novartis sponsored one of the swankiest events this week for the North Carolina delegation at the Republican National Convention. Delegates rode buses to Lake Minnetonka outside Minneapolis to dine at a country club overlooking the blue waters. Some signed up for boat tours."
Bonds: A fast track for state roads?
From: www.omaha.com
"After years of sagging revenues that have the state struggling just to maintain existing roadways, Omaha chamber officials say it's time for Nebraska to consider issuing bonds as a way to fast-track highway improvements."
Decision nears on requiring high-rise sprinklers
From: www.nj.com
"The Corzine administration has until Sept. 17 to decide if the new state fire code should require that sprinklers be installed in about 470 high-rise residential and office buildings statewide."
A plan to raise N.J. tolls ... take two
From: www.nj.com
"The cost of driving on New Jersey's Turnpike and Parkway would more than double by 2012 in a series of toll hikes that would begin next year, the state Turnpike Authority proposed yesterday."
Legislature to determine whether Getchell Library lives or falls
From: www.rgj.com
"If the upcoming Legislature doesn't approve the $10.5 million needed to remodel the University of Nevada, Reno's old Getchell Library, the building could fall to the wrecking ball, President Milton Glick said Thursday during a campus meeting."
Senate Democrats urged to pass energy relief bill
From: www.newsday.com
"The Senate Democratic minority yesterday urged the Republican majority to return to Albany to pass an energy relief package of legislation in advance of the upcoming winter.
"
Energy deal could save customers $40 annually
From: www.democratandchronicle.com
"Customers of Rochester Gas and Electric and New York State Electric and Gas could see a modest $40 a year in average savings in their utility bills after the companies are sold to Iberdrola SA of Spain.
"
Fumo praised as ground broken for new produce center
From: www.philly.com
"Breaking ground yesterday for a new regional produce center, supporters said the $218 million project would relocate the city's largest fruit and vegetable wholesalers from antiquated facilities in South Philadelphia to a sprawling, state-of-the-art plant in the city's Southwest."
Dog breeders accuse state of discrimination
From: www.pittsburghlive.com
"A Pennsylvania dog breeders group filed a federal lawsuit this week accusing the state of unfairly targeting Lancaster County canine businesses while cutting slack for similar operators in Allegheny County and statewide."
Dominion service slow, PUC says
From: www.pittsburghlive.com
"Dominion Peoples Gas and Philadelphia Gas Works customers were the least satisfied statewide with how accessible the companies were in responding to calls last year, according to a report the state Public Utility Commission released Thursday comparing customer service among major natural gas and electric utilities."
Prices fall; R.I. home sales rise
From: www.projo.com
"The Warren Group of Boston reported yesterday that Rhode Island's single-family house sales rose 3.6 percent in July from a year earlier, indicating the first increase in 17 months."
U.S. highway fund needs $8 billion bailout this month
From: www.bloomberg.com
"A U.S. trust fund that finances highway construction needs $8 billion from Congress by the end of next week to cover a shortfall as a drop in driving shrinks fuel-tax receipts, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said."
Simpler sales tax sought
From: wvgazette.com
"Meeting in Charleston this week, about three-dozen delegates representing 22 states continued the arduous and often tedious task of simplifying and standardizing the states' sales tax codes in hopes of creating a nationwide system to collect taxes from Internet retailers."
Oil-shale plans take step forward
From: deseretnews.com
"Plans have been finalized to set aside 1.9 million acres of public land in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for commercial development of about 800 billion barrels of recoverable oil, the Bureau of Land Management announced Thursday."
Westerners, Southerners move more than rest of U.S.
From: www.sltrib.com
"In a restless and mobile nation, the fast-growing West wanders more than the rest. Fifteen percent of Westerners, including Utahns, moved last year, mostly for housing, family reasons or work opportunities, the U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday."
At a nuclear waste industry meeting, officials say the regional compact needs revamp
From: www.sltrib.com
"LAS VEGAS -- Utah has long been the safety valve for states without disposal for radiation-tainted waste."
Virginia getting prepared for visit from Hanna
From: fredericksburg.com
"Tropical Storm Hanna isn't expected to be a catastrophic storm by the time it hits Virginia, but the state is getting prepared anyway."
Court may rule today on initiative
From: www.theolympian.com
"The state Supreme Court was asked Thursday to keep off of the Nov. 4 ballot a citizen initiative that would impose higher training requirements for long-term care workers."
Chinese teachers on job in W.Va.
From: www.dailymail.com
"Chinese guest teachers are instructing students at Winfield Middle School and Winfield and South Charleston high schools this year."
Uranium and wind industries short of workers
From: www.casperstartribune.com
"LARAMIE, Wyo. -- The growing uranium and wind industries in Wyoming both face constraints with finding workers, panelists at an energy economics summit said Thursday."
Freudenthal -- Complete uranium study
From: www.casperstartribune.com
"Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal is urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission not to delay the completion of an environmental study on uranium mining."
Report: State loses millions due to tobacco use
From: www.casperstartribune.com
"Tobacco use costs Wyoming hundreds of millions of dollars each year in lost productivity and health care, according to a report released by the state on Thursday."
Republican delegates speak from the convention
From: www.stateline.org
"
St. PAUL, Minn. —
Stateline.org asked delegates at the Republican National Convention, gathered here to nominate U.S. Sen. John McCain to be president, to turn their focus closer to home and answer the question: What serious issue in your state would you like the next president to address?
From economic growth, to military spending, to the future of ethanol and coal, the delegates expressed a wide range of serious concerns that they hope the next president will tackle. Go to
Convention Watch and look for "Delegates speak" and other convention coverage updated throughout the day."
Bush, McCain view state issues similarly
From: www.stateline.org
"
Democrats charge that a John McCain presidency would mean “four more years” of President Bush’s policies. A close look at both men’s records shows, on issues important to states, the Republicans are not far apart.
"
What would an Obama win mean for states?
From: www.stateline.org
"DENVER — If elected president, Democrat Barack Obama promises closer ties with states and an infusion of federal dollars that could lessen points of tension between Washington, D.C., and statehouses on issues from health care to energy."
Alaska gov 1st woman in No. 2 GOP slot
From: www.stateline.org
"
 |
Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin (R) |
Sarah Palin, the first woman to serve in Alaska’s top post, is now the first female to be chosen as a vice-presidential running mate in the Republican Party.
"
Census - Uninsured down, poverty up
From: www.stateline.org
"The U.S. Census Bureau annual report on poverty shows modest gains in median income in 2007 and a decrease in the number of people who lack health insurance. But the number of Americans living below the poverty line rose to 37.3 million, despite six years of economic growth. Experts predict the picture will be worse this time next year."
Summertime blues hit states
From: www.stateline.org
"A slump in travel has hurt states that depend on tourism, and the summer season of 2008 could be one of the worst of the decade."
Renewable energy fuels Colorado governor
From: www.stateline.org
"
Few governors have championed renewable energy as aggressively as Colorado Democrat Bill Ritter. So far, voters seem to appreciate his efforts."
Why presidential elections matter to states
From: www.stateline.org
"Democrats and Republicans will gather in Colorado and Minnesota to nominate their candidates for president amid uncertainty in the states on the economy and other issues."
WORTH NOTING: Lawmaker called out for 'dirty' stocks
From: www.stateline.org
"A questionable investment embarrasses a Wisconsin state senator. Indiana state fairgoers object to a racy blue-ribbon photo. And one California lawmaker’s hard line on the state budget lands her across the street. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in."
2008 state elections: What's at stake?
From: www.stateline.org
"
(Updated 4:20 p.m. EDT, Aug. 20, 2008)
The historic battle for the White House may be grabbing most of the headlines, but plenty of state races and major ballot measures also could be nail-biters this November — and the results could have national implications.
Stateline.org today is launching a new 2008 interactive guide to help voters keep track of the 11 gubernatorial, 11 attorneys general and seven secretary of state races and some 130 statewide ballot measures.
"
2008 state-by-state summary
From: www.stateline.org
"
(Updated 11:15 a.m. EDT, Aug. 6, 2008)
Here’s
Stateline.org's state-by-state rundown of significant legislative action in 2008."
The economic downturn: an opportunity for governors?
From: www.stateline.org
"Most governors recognize that they have the best political job in America. Most also would concede that the job is more satisfying when the economy is strong and revenues are growing than during an economic downturn, when cutting budgets becomes the major task. But even a recession can present opportunities for governors to make improvements that yield lasting benefits for their states."
Visit the Stateline.org Economy & Business Page
From: www.stateline.org
"Most governors recognize that they have the best political job in America. Most also would concede that the job is more satisfying when the economy is strong and revenues are growing than during an economic downturn, when cutting budgets becomes the major task. But even a recession can present opportunities for governors to make improvements that yield lasting benefits for their states."
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