States begin long climb to recovery
From: feeds.stateline.org
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The overriding theme of the closing 2010 legislative session was the tremendous challenge of balancing the new fiscal year that begins Thursday, as lawmakers struggled to erase more than $100 billion in budget gaps. The way they did it will resonate in states for a long time.
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AK: Instate gas project could reach $11.8 billion
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A new report estimates an Alaska instate natural gas project could cost up to $11.8 billion.
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AK: Tesoro, shipper settle with Alaska over tanker grounding
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Tesoro Alaska Co. and a tanker corporation have agreed to pay the state nearly $430,000 to settle claims from the grounding of an oil tanker in ice-choked waters of Cook Inlet four years ago.
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AK: Cruise association drops lawsuit against Alaska
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The Alaska Cruise Association has dropped its lawsuit against the state over a cruise ship passenger tax.
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AL: State business leaders more confident
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The Alabama Business Confidence Index, a quarterly survey of the state's business leaders, increased to 51.6 points for the third quarter.
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AL: Advertiser Editorial -- Enforcing the law is paramount
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Alabamians desperately need to decide whether they want casino-style gambling and, if so, how it will be regulated and taxed.
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AR: Arkansas home sales up
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Home sales in Arkansas were 14.2 percent higher in May than a year earlier, the Arkansas Realtors Association reported today.
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AZ: Ariz. lawmaker -- Cuts a must without stimulus cash
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Congress' rejection of proposed additional stimulus funding for states means Arizona would have to resort to painful budget cuts thought to be have been averted when voters approved a temporary sales tax increase, a key legislator said Thursday.
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CA: Governor puts 200,000 state workers on minimum wage
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Roughly 200,000 state workers will receive minimum wage paychecks next month under terms of an order issued Thursday by the Schwarzenegger administration.
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CO: Nationwide trade group sues over online-sales-tax statute
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A nationwide trade group has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Denver challenging reporting requirements in Colorado's new online-sales-tax law.
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CT: DOT chief -- Short tenure, right direction
From: feeds.stateline.org
"State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joseph F. Marie, who has been trying to bring high-speed rail to the state, left office in a real hurry this week.
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CT: Oakleaf deal a case of necessary corporate greenmail
From: feeds.stateline.org
"It's not new or unusual for the state to pay millions of dollars to keep or attract companies, especially in Fairfield County, where the route to and from New York is fluid and the state line has less meaning.
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CT: New state laws now in effect
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A new loan fund to help small businesses, rules requiring student athletes to leave the game if they show signs of a concussion, and measures to improve failing schools are among a host of new laws set to take effect in Connecticut on Thursday.
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DE: Sallie Mae just most recent of Delaware's successes
From: feeds.stateline.org
"In persuading Sallie Mae to relocate its headquarters to Delaware, Gov. Jack Markell and his economic development team have added to a string of successes in the past 18 months -- large and small -- that mostly took advantage of help from the Delaware Strategic Fund, which gives companies financial incentives to choose Delaware.
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FL: Floridians who opt into the new federal high-risk health insurance pool will pay pricey premiums
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Help is on the way for people who are uninsured because of a pre-existing condition such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer or AIDS — if they can afford it.
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FL: Big-money poker raises stakes in South Florida
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The fireworks are starting early this holiday weekend -- at least when it comes to the action inside Florida's 30 poker rooms. Changes to state law that took effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday ushered in a new era of high-stakes poker action all across the Sunshine State, with players' faces lighting up over the news both locally and as far away as Las Vegas, where the annual World Series of Poker is under way.
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FL: Oil spill shaping Senate campaign
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The nation's worst environmental disaster could be Gov. Charlie Crist's lucky charm. The once-foundering U.S. Senate candidate is sitting on top of the polls, largely thanks to round-the-clock -- and free of charge -- publicity as he monitors the Gulf oil spill.
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FL: NASA delays end of shuttle program until next February
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WASHINGTON -- NASA announced today that it would move the final launch of the space shuttle to February 2011. The reason: delays in processing a final load of spare parts for the International Space Station. The last flight had been scheduled for this November, with thousands of shuttle workers slated to be laid off soon afterwards. The extension until February will preserve at least some of those jobs for another three months.
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FL: Obama's BP claims czar pledges prompt aid for oil spill victims
From: feeds.stateline.org
"TAMPA, Fla. — President Barack Obama's newly appointed BP claims czar promised greater and prompter payouts for Floridians facing economic losses from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill during his first official stop in the state Thursday.
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FL: Rubio -- `Our government is broken'
From: feeds.stateline.org
"DESTIN, Fla. -- Bad weather grounded Marco Rubio's campaign plane Thursday, but it didn't stop the Republican U.S. Senate candidate from hearing bad economic news from Panhandle residents frustrated about the Gulf oil spill.
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FL: Tropical Storm Alex continues to ground Gulf oil-skimming operations
From: feeds.stateline.org
"With oil giant BP's runaway well poised Thursday to become the biggest spill ever in the Gulf of Mexico, according to government estimates, rough seas and winds from Tropical Storm Alex continued to ground skimming and booming operations from the Mississippi Delta to Florida's Panhandle, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
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GA: KSU -- Georgia manufacturing slowed in June
From: feeds.stateline.org
"After steady growth for five straight months, Georgia's manufacturing industry took a dip in June, according to the Econometric Center at Kennesaw State University's Coles College of Business.
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HI: Laws ban shark fins, raise cigarette tax
From: feeds.stateline.org
"New state laws taking effect today will be taking a bite out of the local shark fin industry.
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HI: Gubernatorial hopefuls differ on oil drilling
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann's campaign for governor has questioned former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's support for removing a federal ban on offshore oil drilling, pointing to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as an example of the danger.
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IA: State collectes $5.5 billion in taxes over past 12 months
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The State of Iowa collected just over $5.5 billion in taxes for the 12-month period that ended Wednesday, June 30th.
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IA: Iowa economy continues upward trend
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The state's index of leading economic indicators rose to 100.0 in May from 99.4 in April, marking the eighth straight monthly increase with six of the eight index components posting gains, according to the index issued Thursday by the Iowa Department of Revenue.
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IA: Iowa tax collections lowest in 4 years
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Net state tax collections for the 12-month period that ended Wednesday were the lowest in four years and further evidence Iowa struggled through "a really bad recession," according to a fiscal analyst with the Legislative Services Agency.
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IA: State economy not like '99, yet trend is similar
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Does this feel like 1999? Iowa's Leading Indicators Index hit the magic number of 100 in May for the first time since hitting a bottom of 94 last fall, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue.
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IL: Quinn budget cuts $1 billion, leaves $13 billion hole next year
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Gov. Pat Quinn pledged Thursday to whittle $1 billion in spending, his cuts hitting students and the mentally ill especially hard.
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IL: Quinn slices state services
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Unable to convince lawmakers to go along with his push to raise income and cigarette taxes, Gov. Pat Quinn announced plans Thursday to cut $1.4 billion in state spending.
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IL: Asian carp steadily moving up Indiana
From: feeds.stateline.org
"While lawmakers focus on remaking the Chicago waterway system to prevent Asian carp from entering Lake Michigan, the feared invasive species is quietly making its way toward the Great Lakes through Indiana.
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IL: Striking union asks construction firms to return to negotiations
From: feeds.stateline.org
"While motorists on the Eisenhower Expressway enjoyed newly opened lanes Thursday thanks to a massive work stoppage by construction workers, many area residents were left dealing with half-paved roads and unfinished sewer upgrades.
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IN: Indiana retail group renews push to expand alcohol sales
From: feeds.stateline.org
"An organization representing convenience, drug and grocery stores in Indiana has renewed a push to allow them to sell alcohol on Sunday and cold beer anytime.
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IN: NIPSCO eyes natural gas rate hike
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Your gas bill will increase an average of $1.67 per month if state officials approve of a proposed rate hike.
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IN: Tomato blight spreads to Indiana
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Plant experts at Purdue University have confirmed the presence of a damaging tomato disease in Indiana near the Kentucky line.
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IN: Unemployed Hoosiers wait in limbo for benefits
From: feeds.stateline.org
"About 45,000 Hoosiers have lost their jobless benefits in the past month as a gridlocked Congress has grappled with whether to extend federal funding for the unemployed.
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IN: Questions remain after first day of new gun law
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Companies still are attempting to figure out their policies after a new state law took allowing workers to store guns and ammunition in their vehicles while at work took effect Thursday.
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KS: AG warns of 'patriotic' scams
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Scammers cashing in on patriotic feelings toward service members are becoming more active, the Kansas attorney general reported Thursday.
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KY: No furloughs in first round of state budget cuts
From: feeds.stateline.org
"With financial problems lingering, the overseer of the state budget called on department heads Thursday to look again for places to cut spending.
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LA: BP, U.S. to test skimmer
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A whale of a skimmer arrived Thursday in Louisiana, but the massive ship won't be allowed to scoop oil out of the Gulf of Mexico until it first proves to the government and BP that it can actually do the job.
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LA: Dueling panels to probe oil spill
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Thursday voiced opposition to a separate congressional panel to investigate the BP oil spill.
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MA: Senate votes for casino licensing
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The Massachusetts Senate voted 25 to 15 last night for legislation licensing three resort-style casinos, bringing a Commonwealth once settled by Puritans closer than ever to Vegas-style gambling.
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MA: US grant to spread Net access
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The federal government will pay $45.4 million to help bring high-speed Internet service to about 1 million underserved residents of Western Massachusetts.
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MA: State retains 137 rate caps on insurers
From: feeds.stateline.org
"State regulators wrestling with soaring health care costs yesterday held fast to a cap on prices for 137 health insurance plans up for renewal this summer, freezing rates at 2009 levels, while sending three insurers scrambling to supply additional data to justify their proposed double-digit rate hikes.
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MD: Hoyer -- Calvert Cliffs first in line for nuclear loan guarantee
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Constellation Energy Group's joint venture with a French company to build a nuclear reactor at Calvert Cliffs is now "first in line" for a federal loan guarantee, according to an influential lawmaker from Maryland.
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MD: EPA sets tough new Chesapeake pollution caps
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The Environmental Protection Agency proposed tough pollution caps for the Chesapeake Bay Thursday, requiring Maryland and other mid-Atlantic states to do more to clean up the troubled estuary than previously thought necessary.
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ME: Canada standing tough on LNG tanker passage
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Canadian officials are reiterating their opposition to Maine-bound liquefied natural gas tankers using Passamaquoddy Bay several weeks before state regulators hold hearings on the latest proposal for an LNG terminal in Washington County.
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MI: State's retraining program a success
From: feeds.stateline.org
"No Worker Left Behind, Michigan's job-training program, is training thousands of workers for 21st-century jobs and helping create a culture of lifelong learning in Michigan.
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MI: State warns restaurants of fake food inspectors
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Michigan agencies are warning restaurant operators to watch out for fake food inspectors.
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MI: Widespread fraud found in utility program for poor
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WASHINGTON -- More than $116 million was wasted in fraud and improper payments to people in seven states -- including Michigan -- who faked information on applications for a federal program created to help poor families pay for heating their homes, a Government Accountability Office report shows.
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MI: Great Lakes face new carp nightmare
From: feeds.stateline.org
"For the past year, most horror stories about what could happen if the Great Lakes are invaded by the Asian carp have revolved around the idea of the invasive fish reaching Lake Michigan.
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MI: Retraining boosts private schools
From: feeds.stateline.org
"In a Southfield office park, the former ComputerTraining.edu suite is dark and empty. The desks, computers and servers were removed hastily months ago.
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MN: Nurses, Twin Cities hospitals reach a contract agreement, averting a strike
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Twin Cities nurses and hospitals turned their bitter labor standoff into a surprise settlement Thursday, concluding a suspense-filled day of secret talks and averting the biggest nursing strike in U.S. history.
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MN: Nurses, hospitals reach deal; walkout avoided
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Strike plans by 12,800 nurses next week were canceled Thursday when their union and 14 Twin Cities hospitals reached a tentative three-year contract.
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MO: Tax-break package intended for Ford's Claycomo plant is in legislative limbo
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A tax-incentive package intended for Ford Motor Co.'s Claycomo plant remains in legislative limbo, imperiling its chances for passage and prolonging this summer's special legislative session.
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MS: State bans fishing on Coast
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The executive directors of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday closed to all commercial and recreational fishing the waters off the state's coastline.
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MS: Oil entering Gulf's food chain
From: feeds.stateline.org
"University scientists have spotted the first indications oil is entering the Gulf seafood chain — in crab larvae — and one expert warns the effect on fisheries could last "years, probably not a matter of months" and affect many species.
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MS: Storm stirs up fears for coastal businesses
From: feeds.stateline.org
"PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. -- Longtime businesses like Martin Hardware, which opened its doors in 1932, have been struggling to rebuild since the 2005 storm, but the oil in the Gulf has brought a second wave of problems.
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MT: Preite quits as Commerce director
From: feeds.stateline.org
"State Commerce Director Anthony J. Preite will retire Aug. 1 after heading the agency for 5-1/2 years, Gov. Brian Schweitzer announced Thursday.
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MT: Montana GOP says financial-reform bill lacks key audit power over Fed Reserve
From: feeds.stateline.org
"As the U.S. House passed a major financial-reform bill this week, the Montana Republican Party said the package lacks a key element: The power to audit the Federal Reserve Bank's books and bailout loans it has made to private banks.
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NC: Carolina on their minds -- N.C. tourism up this season
From: feeds.stateline.org
"With July Fourth upon us, the beach is beckoning this year - good news for North Carolina's tourism industry.
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ND: Young zebra mussel found in North Dakota
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WAHPETON, N.D. -- A young zebra mussel, considered a nuisance species in the Great Lakes, has been found in the Red River, between Wahpeton and neighboring Breckenridge, Minn., North Dakota wildlife officials said Thursday.
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NH: State revenues better than expected
From: feeds.stateline.org
"State revenues posted a rebound in June, strong enough so that the state ended up closing the fiscal year with $35 million more in hand than it expected just a month ago.
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NH: $44.5M in the pipeline for broadband NH initiative
From: feeds.stateline.org
"WASHINGTON -- New Hampshire has been awarded $44.5 million to expand broadband services. Elected officials say the funds will help create jobs and spur economic opportunity.
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NH: Unemployment benefits at risk
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Yesterday, Gov. John Lynch joined state officials, clergymen and union members to call on Congress to extend unemployment benefits.
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NH: Tax puts damper on tanning
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Talking to the golden-brown visitors and operators of Concord's tanning salons yesterday, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of the new 10 percent tax on tanning.
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NJ: Christie gives in, a little, on property taxes
From: feeds.stateline.org
"TRENTON, N.J. — Gov. Christopher J. Christie backed away on Thursday from his call for a state constitutional amendment to limit property tax increases to 2.5 percent per year, but insisted that a bill capping taxes passed by the Legislature did not go far enough.
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NJ: Committee reviewing N.J. sports, casinos, entertainment gets extension
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The commission ordered by Gov. Chris Christie to review the way gaming, sports and entertainment, including the Xanadu project, are overseen in New Jersey, got its filing deadline extended to Aug. 1, a report in PressofAtlanticCity.com said.
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NJ: N.J. gold, jewelry dealers are cited for short-changing customers selling gems
From: feeds.stateline.org
"They've become a staple of late-night TV: bombastic announcers — some of them aging B-list stars — urging people to make money by selling their unwanted gold and jewelry.
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NM: Feds restrict campaign donations from investment advisers
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Following months of scandals involving "pay-to-play" schemes to win state pension investment business in New Mexico and other states, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission voted unanimously this week to restrict investment advisers from contributing to political campaigns of officials overseeing pension funds.
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NV: Retirement fund for boxers and fighters urged
From: feeds.stateline.org
"To Assemblyman Harvey Munford, it is a matter of fairness. Nevada gains millions of dollars off boxers at the top of their careers, so it is only fair that the state come up with a plan to at least cover their medical expenses when they are retired and destitute, he said.
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NY: Albany approves no-fault divorce and domestic workers' rights
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Lawmakers on Thursday crossed two historic thresholds governing the realm of the home, making New York the first state to grant workplace rights to domestic employees and the last to allow some version of no-fault divorce.
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OH: Invasive Asian carp may move up Ohio river, officials say
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The dreaded Asian carp, known for devastating other fish species and threatening a Great Lakes invasion, is still rare in the upper reaches of the Ohio River, although they are abundant down river from Louisville.
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OH: Come to Cleveland, Strickland tells Dems
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Gov. Ted Strickland today beckoned his party to hold the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Cleveland, one of four finalist cities announced today.
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OH: Lottery has good news
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Today the lottery toasted some indisputably good news: Its sales reached a new high in the past year.
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OR: Special session on budget likely
From: feeds.stateline.org
"House Speaker Dave Hunt said Thursday that it's looking "likely" that lawmakers will meet in special session, probably after the state's next economic and revenue forecast on Aug. 26
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OR: Oregon solar program fills in 15 minutes leaving some customers excited and others frustrated
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Mark Pengilly sat at a computer in his Northwest Portland home at 8 a.m. Thursday, poised to apply for Oregon's new solar pilot program the moment it opened.
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RI: Central Falls able to pay back $4.1 million
From: feeds.stateline.org
"CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. — On Wednesday, less than two weeks after it was pulled out of state court bankruptcy, the city was able to pay back $4.1 million it had borrowed in advance of this month's tax payments, a state official announced.
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SD: Railroad cuts local jobs
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Sioux Falls, which was the headquarters of the largest regional railroad in the country only three years ago, will lose almost 100 railroad-related jobs in the next nine months.
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SD: On the road again -- With fewer drivers
From: feeds.stateline.org
"South Dakota is looking for truck drivers, part of a nationwide shortage due to churn within the industry, baby boomers retiring and the need to replace drivers shed during the recession.
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SD: 6 more SD counties eligible for disaster aid
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Six South Dakota counties have been added to the list of those eligible for aid under a federal disaster declaration.
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SD: Judge -- Water permit required for hog farm
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A judge ruled that a large hog farm in southeast South Dakota must apply for a commercial water permit from the state if it wants to use water pumped from a well.
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TX: Sunset Commission to Vote on Workers' Comp Changes
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The troubled Division of Workers' Compensation at the Texas Department of Insurance will face a legislative test next Tuesday, as 10 state lawmakers and two citizen members on the Sunset Advisory Commission will vote on recommended changes to revamp the division's process of investigating fraud and abuse among doctors who treat injured workers.
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TX: House transportation panel reviews state contracts
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A legislative panel is auditing state contracts awarded to some north Texas companies.
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US: New state budget plans burdened by recession, pension costs
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Across the US, states have launched into their 2011 fiscal year saddled with many of the same budget problems that they had the year before: low tax revenues, high recession-related expenses, and uncertainty about how to pay for long-term costs such as retiree pensions.
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VT: Feds announce $47.1 million in broadband grants for Vermont
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Two Vermont telecommunications organizations have been selected to receive $47.1 million in federal economic-recovery grants -- in what the state's congressional delegation and governor are calling "the largest public investment in broadband infrastructure ever made in Vermont."
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WA: Gregoire seeks disaster declaration for counties
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Gov. Chris Gregoire has asked the federal government to designate 29 Washington counties as farm disaster areas due to cool and rainy spring weather.
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WA: WTO ruling could aid Boeing, Wash. state
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The World Trade Organization's final ruling today that European subsidies for development of Airbus aircraft are illegal under WTO rules could tip several long-term issues in Boeing's favor.
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WA: Tattoo rules draw sharp opinions
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A law that requires licensing for tattoo artists, body piercers and their businesses received mixed reviews Thursday from operators of those businesses.
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WA: Workers' comp issue likely to be on ballot
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A campaign to end the state's monopoly on workers' compensation insurance appears to have enough support to qualify for the November ballot, adding to a busy initiative season in Washington politics.
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WI: Train station to use Department of Administration building
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The state has chosen its Department of Administration building at 101 E. Wilson St. for a new Downtown train station to facilitate the city's planned redevelopment of a multi-block area, officials said Thursday.
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WI: Law helps companies that suffer catastrophes
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Patrick Cudahy, damaged in a fire last July that burned 400,000 square feet of the meatpacking plant over five days, is the beneficiary of a new law designed to help businesses forced to deal with such catastrophes.
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WI: Michigan U.P. customers will pay $23 million for Oak Creek coal plant
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Regulators in Michigan on Thursday rejected arguments by customers of We Energies that the utility's new coal-fired power plant in Oak Creek is not needed because Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula are awash in power.
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WI: Madison high-speed rail line to stop at state office building
From: feeds.stateline.org
"The planned high-speed train line running between the state's two largest cities will drop off its passengers here at the Department of Administration building, Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday.
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WV: W.Va. state park system avoids closures, layoffs
From: feeds.stateline.org
"Golf and lodging fees and a loyal clientele have helped West Virginia's state park system avoid closures and layoffs that other states have experienced.
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WY: Study -- Wyoming wind energy is relatively cheap
From: feeds.stateline.org
"A new study finds wind developers can produce some of the cheapest wind energy in the West in Wyoming, but the energy loses some of its price advantage when delivery costs are considered.
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WY: New state law aims at making excavation safer
From: feeds.stateline.org
"DRM Inc. construction worker Tracey McMillen doesn't need to put on his hard hat and reflectors every morning to remember that his job is dangerous.
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From: feeds.stateline.org
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