Convenience store chain Quiktrip announced a donation of $3 million to various nonprofit organizations in the Phoenix area, including some supporting local law enforcement.
The relationships between Quiktrip and the Phoenix Police Foundation, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), and Phoenix Police Sergeants and Lieutenants Association (PPSLA) are new, which earned the praise of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
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The impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden is gaining momentum as more evidence comes out to back allegations that the president himself financially benefited from the overseas business dealings of his son, Hunter.
While Republicans will find it very difficult to get the needed supermajority to impeach Biden, the mounting evidence and media coverage would be another obstacle for Biden to overcome as he campaigns for reelection.
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A University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy professor is waving a red flag on the impact that artificial intelligence could have on next year’s elections.
Ethan Bueno de Mesquita has written a white paper which he said provides an overview of the potential impact of generative AI on the electoral process. The paper offers specific recommendations for voters, journalists, civil society, tech leaders and other stakeholders to help manage the risks and capitalize on the promise of AI for electoral democracy in the hope of fostering a more productive public discussion of these issues.
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Newly released survey data shows that small businesses are pessimistic about their retail sales going into the holiday season.
The Main Street Merchant Report released Tuesday by Alignable, a network of thousands of small businesses, are not optimistic about their sales for small businesses this weekend.
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A new economic analysis of the U.S. economy projects a recession around the corner.
An international nonprofit, The Conference Board, has released its Leading Economic Indicators report, which projects into the next year for the U.S. economy. That analysis, among other things, projects high inflation, high interest rates and declining consumer spending.
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The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in Pennsylvania is celebrating a boost in its licensed recovery houses, but the success falls far short of the former administration’s expectations.
After attending a recovery-focused yoga class in Harrisburg hosted by addiction treatment provider Gaudenzia, DDAP Secretary Latika Davis-Jones announced that 312 recovery houses have been licensed by the commonwealth.
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No Labels is working to secure ballot access in all 50 states for the 2024 presidential election, including Georgia, even as the party plays coy about nominating a candidate for the nation’s top office.
A party spokesperson confirmed that No Labels is on the ballot in 12 states: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah. However, the party still needs to be added to the ballot in Georgia.
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Florida lawmakers have filed a new bill to cut red tape for certain aspects of public and charter school assessments, accountability, instruction and education choice.
Senate Bill 7004 was introduced by the Florida Senate Committee on Education Pre-K-12 and builds on the deregulation of public schools provision in House Bill 1, providing additional authority to school districts related to pre kindergarten programs, school improvements, assessments, reporting and instructional materials.
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Ohio plans to spend $500,000 in taxpayer funds to reimburse colleges and universities across the state for K-12 teacher continuing education programs called “Teacher Bootcamps.”
The program puts teachers in local businesses to expose them to in-demand career skills specific communities need. According to Gov. Mike DeWine, that will help teachers better prepare students for a career after graduation.
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Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources is not surprised by the low numbers out of the state’s first weekend of gun deer hunting and not worried, yet.
The DNR reported hunters harvested 92,050 deer last weekend, compared to 103,623 for the first weekend last year.
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The city of New York homeless population increased by 73% in fiscal year 2023, according to a report put out by the city comptroller that sheds more light on the asylum seeker crisis.
The number of homeless within the city jumped from 46,675 in FY 2022 to 80,724 in FY 2023, according to the report. The city’s fiscal years begin July 1.
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A Tennessee court ruled Wednesday afternoon that Republican-drawn state Senate maps are unconstitutional, giving the General Assembly until January 31 to adopt new maps.
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Tennesseans will pay more this week for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, while the rest of the nation pays a little less.
The University of Tennessee Extension Office found prices for turkey, milk and eggs have fallen compared to last year, but the overall cost for Thanksgiving Day meals will be about 15% higher this year than last year.
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Thanksgiving dinner shoppers will get a bit of a break in the pocketbook this year.
Illinois shoppers participating in the annual American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) Thanksgiving Cost Survey reported the average cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal is down slightly compared to last year.
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Ohioans will pay less for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year than the rest of the nation.
The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation released its survey of prices for a shopping basket filled with a turkey, milk, pumpkin pie mix and the rest of the items that make a traditional Thanksgiving table to feed 10.
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There are no surprises among the reactions to the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s questions about drawing new political maps in the state.
A number of lawmakers and advocacy groups weighed in after the high court Tuesday heard arguments to redraw the state’s legislative maps.
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Reproductive Health Act into law.
The bills include Senate Bills 474, 476, and 477, and House Bills 4951, 4953, 4954, 4955, and 4956.
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The Shapiro administration will appeal a Pennsylvania court’s decision to strike down a proposed carbon “tax” as unconstitutional in a bid to “protect” the authority of future governors.
The news comes just one day after Gov. Josh Shapiro teased the appeal during a press club luncheon in Harrisburg. He said it was important to “listen” to all sides involved, most of whom agree that “cap and trade” is a good idea to reduce harmful emissions.
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Florida lawmakers took a closer look last week at a 2021 law that is supposed to streamline and make the state’s workforce development system more accountable.
The Florida House Postsecondary Education and Workforce Subcommittee met on Nov. 15 to discuss the implementation of the Reimagining Education and Career Help Act.
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Owners of vacant and blighted properties in Pennsylvania may soon have to pay annual fees that get more expensive with each passing year.
Where those fines will get levied, though, would depend on what local governments decide to do.
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In the past fiscal year, Florida received 10,542 unaccompanied children (UACs) from the border, many of whom were brought into the country illegally, according to data published by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, tasked with oversight of and caring for the children.
Florida received the third greatest number behind Texas and California as it has almost every year. UAC data has been reported since fiscal 2015.
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Despite remaining below the national average, Ohio’s job market dipped in October.
According to figures released by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the state’s unemployment average increased from 3.4% to 3.6%, while the labor force participation rate fell from 62.1% to 62%.
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After 34 days, strikes have ended at two of three Detroit casinos after union members at Hollywood Casino and Motor City voted to ratify five-year contracts.
The strike continues at MGM Grand Casino where members rejected a tentative agreement.
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Georgia’s seasonally adjusted October unemployment rate was 3.4 percent, the same as September’s revised rate.
The Peach State’s unemployment rate increased from the 3.1 percent rate a year ago. However, it was below the national rate of 3.9 percent.
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Funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be used to for water cleaning resources by developing a new treatment center in Tucson.
Specifically, the facility would focus on PFAS chemicals, which the United States Environmental Protection Agency describes as “widely used” and “long-lasting,” but could also have negative health consequences when they make their way into water and other consumables. Out of $10 billion targeted toward getting chemicals out of water in the act, $33,520,000 is Tucson bound, according to a news release.
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After the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals’ order last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it scheduled Lease Sale 261 in the Outer Continental Shelf in the Gulf of Mexico for December 20.
In September, a federal judge ruled the Biden administration must go through with offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico by September 27 as originally planned and under original conditions. The Fifth Circuit concurred but amended the ruling, pushing back the lease sale date to November 8.
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Forty-five U.S. House Republicans voted with Democrats against an amendment to remove an agency head at the center of ongoing allegations of child abuse and neglect.
After debate on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, filed an amendment on Wednesday using the Holman Rule to remove Robin Dunn Marcos, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) in the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Under the Biden administration, Marcos oversees ORR’s scandal-plagued Unaccompanied Children Program, which has funneled an unprecedented number of unaccompanied minors (UAC) into the U.S., arriving at the southern and northern borders. ORR is responsible for vetting sponsors and placing UACs in homes and facilities nationwide.
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Tennessee’s Department of Corrections is asking for more than $9 million in increased funding next fiscal year.
The bulk of that comes from $7 million for inflators for the department’s contracts with CoreCivic to run three prisons in the state.
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An education choice advocacy group says personal education tax credits are popular with parents nationwide, and Georgia lawmakers could soon move on education reform.
With education tax credits, an alternative to Education Savings Accounts, parents or guardians receive a credit when they choose a non-public school for their dependent’s education. According to the group yes. every kid., states can use existing tax mechanisms for these policies, and parents or guardians receive a tax refund by indicating on a tax form or an application their dependent isn’t enrolled in public school.
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The feds are sending Georgia more than $1.8 billion for fiscal 2024 for a slate of infrastructure projects, a federal lawmaker said.
The money is part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
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Arizona State University leaders are responding to a situation where pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted a student government meeting on campus, inferring there might be criminal charges.
The incident started with a student government meeting on November 14 where members of Students for Justice in Palestine demanded the school back away from its previous statements of support for Israel in its current military actions against Hamas for the terrorist organization’s invasion of the Jewish nation on October 6. Students for Justice in Palestine also demanded a resolution pushing the school to boycott and divest from Israel be considered, according to an Instagram post.
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The number of migrants caught by the Coast Guard trying to illegally enter the U.S has doubled in recent years. That’s according to a witness who testified Tuesday at a U.S. House hearing on the rise of small vessels sneaking drugs and illegal immigrants into the country.
“The Coast Guard interdicted more than 12,000 migrants in both fiscal year 2022 and 2023 – more than double the fiscal year 2021 total, according to Coast Guard data,” Heather MacLeod, director of Homeland Security and Justice at the Government Accountability Office, said in prepared testimony.
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United Auto Workers members have voted to ratify a tentative agreement with Ford Motor Company, marking the possible end of the first simultaneous UAW strike against the Big Three.
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The Tennessee Titans have agreed to a 20-year naming rights deal with Nissan for the team’s new stadium, set to open in 2027, but did not disclose the amount Nissan is paying for those rights.
That will make the new stadium Nissan Stadium, just like the current stadium has been since 2015. The deal agreed to by Metro Nashville’s council allows the Titans to retain stadium sponsorship money and not disclose the price.
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Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission hearings ended in Harrisburg this week, where charter schools took center stage.
After months of painstaking reflection on the inadequacies of the state’s funding, charter school administrators were asked to defend against commentary from others within the educational community who believe that their schools are a drain on district budgets.
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The Detroit Casino Council has reached a tentative agreement for a new five-year contract with MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino at Greektown after a 32-day strike.
The unions will continue to strike until the members ratify the proposed settlement.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis signed all of the bills passed this week during the Florida Legislature’s special session.
The special session was called in response to several pressing issues, including communities in need of relief from recent Hurricane Idalia, increasing access to education funding for disabled children and violence that has erupted in the Middle East.
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Litigation of school choice and school vouchers in Wisconsin Supreme Court should end, the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce said on Wednesday.
The state’s largest business group filed an amicus brief with the court. It asks justices to reject the lawsuit that seeks to end school choice and school vouchers.
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Everyone is entitled to a defense, but those willing to serve as court-appointed lawyers in Virginia are growing scarce, and public defenders need more staff to serve their clients properly.
Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission presented a report to members of the General Assembly showing that state caps on court-appointed attorney fees are “embarrassingly low,” according to one judge, and there are neither enough public defenders to meet demand nor enough support staff.
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After months of experiencing some of America’s highest inflation rates, federal data shows many Arizonans are finally starting to see some relief.
A new report from the Common Sense Institute of Arizona reviews federal inflation data from October. The research organization found most aspects of the state’s Consumer Price Index have slowed from being among the highest in the nation at 9% in January.
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Comparison shopping for the best prices – whether it’s car insurance, appliances or toilet paper – helps consumers stay on budget.
Healthcare services, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Foundation, shouldn’t be any different.
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The greatest number of unaccompanied children (UACs) arriving at the U.S. border are being “resettled” in Texas.
UACs have been sent to all 50 states and two U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, according to data from the U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS) and Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), tasked with their oversight and care.
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Roughly six months after visiting with British leaders in London, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this week Florida is expanding its business partnerships with the United Kingdom.
The governor announced on Tuesday that he and the UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Kemi Badenoch, MP, signed a memorandum of understanding to increase trade and bilateral investment, strengthen business ties and grow academic partnerships.
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As the push continues to transition to electric vehicles around Ohio and the country, state lawmakers want consumers to have a choice.
Senate passage and a signature from Gov. Mike DeWine are all that’s needed to stop the state from signing on to or taking steps to mandate emissions standards through emergency protocols established in the Clean Air Act of 1970.
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The United Auto Workers union members narrowly voted to ratify its contract with General Motors.
GM’s ratification tracker shows workers approving the contract on a 54.7% vote with nearly 36,000 votes in support, an unofficial number. The vote will end one-third of the auto strike that’s lasted about six weeks.
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House lawmakers in Pennsylvania voted Wednesday to extend jobless benefits to workers on strike.
House Bill 1481, which passed the lower chamber 106-97, would make workers unemployed due to a labor dispute eligible for compensation, alongside others who haven’t voluntarily quit their jobs.
“Making the decision to strike is not easy by any means,” said Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Philadelphia. “It’s a decision that often results in loss of pay, which is money our workers need to provide food and housing for their families.”
Dawkins, who chairs the House Labor and Industry Committee, joined other state representatives and union officials from United Steelworkers, SEIU and Sheetmetal Workers on Wednesday afternoon to promote the legislation.
“This legislation is of utmost importance to our workers and would protect their right to bargain for better pay and working conditions without the loss of income,” he said.
The controversial legislation, however, is likely dead on arrival in the Senate. Critics say the proposal would steal money from taxpayers to support union strikes.
“Taxpayers and job creators should not bear the burden of funding strikes,” Nathan Benefield, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation. “Raising taxes to incentivize walkouts and picket lines is a slap in the face to hardworking Pennsylvanians. We’ve seen firsthand how strikes hurt workers, taxpayers, and consumers alike, and this bill would only worsen matters.”
The foundation, which advocates for fiscally conservative policies, said the state should focus on preventing union leaders from using “strong-arm tactics, lies and threats” to force strikes.
The Center Square reached out to Senate leadership for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
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A legal challenge to Wisconsin’s new rules for wedding barns may already be in the works.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty told The Center Square it is in the process of talking to wedding barn owners across the state about the next steps after it says the Wisconsin Legislature essentially voted to put them out of business.
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A plan Ohio lawmakers say would guarantee free speech for students and staff at the state’s public K-12 schools is now in the hands of the Senate.
Specifically, the legislation requires school districts, community schools and STEM schools to have a policy against using statements of commitment to or soliciting or requiring specified individuals to affirmatively ascribe to specific beliefs, affiliations, ideals or principles concerning political movements or ideology.
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United Auto Workers union members ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement with Mack Trucks covering about 3,900 employees at facilities in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida.
“The new agreement guarantees significant wage growth and delivers excellent benefits for our employees and their families,” Mack President Stephen Roy said in a statement. “At the same time, it will safeguard our competitiveness and allow us to continue making the necessary investments in our people, plants and products.”
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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., blasted Democrats Thursday for blocking his motion to deport terrorist sympathizers in the U.S. on visas.
Rubio has led this effort to “revoke visas and initiate deportation proceedings for any foreign national who has endorsed or espoused terrorist activities of Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, or any another foreign terrorist organization.”
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