Voter registration ends Tuesday, and voting begins Wednesday for Ohioans who will decide reproductive rights and recreational marijuana use in the November general election.
While no statewide races are on the ballot in November, local tax issues and local government elections join the two constitutional amendments that have gained attention since mid-summer.
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As Pennsylvania invests more taxpayer money into drug addiction treatment, about $600,000 has gone to recovery homes for building upgrades to put them in compliance with state and federal rules.
The commonwealth’s licensed recovery homes – overseen by the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs – give people recovering from addiction a place to live, as well as access to resources like medication-assisted treatment.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized significant amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl at the border in Arizona on Thursday.
The law enforcement agency seized 71 pounds of meth and 63.3 pounds of fentanyl. According to a news release, the meth has a $63,796 value and the fentanyl is valued at $416,150. In total, this was nearly $480,000 in terms of “street value” taken into possession by CBP.
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America’s three largest Democratic states, along with Rhode Island, Mississippi, Louisiana and the District of Columbia experienced income declines in the last year while the nation as a whole saw incomes rise by 2%. New York incomes suffered the worst, declining 1.6%, while California incomes declined the least, at just 0.2%.
These figures come from the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s revised numbers for 2022, which also reduced national growth from 2.1% to 1.9%, a cut in reported growth of roughly 10%.
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More than 300 striking auto workers at Ford’s Brook Park plant are preparing today for layoffs as the United Auto Workers strike against the nation’s Big Three automakers continues.
The UAW Local 1250 on its website told laid-off workers to register for strike assistance pay and Ohio unemployment benefits. About 370 total workers are expected to be impacted by the lay-off.
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The United Auto Workers Union rejected a proposed contract by a 73% “no” vote and swore to strike Volvo-Group-owned Mack Trucks in three states beginning Monday morning. The UAW voted against ratification of a new five-year collective bargaining agreement covering about 3,900 employees in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Florida.
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Newly released inflation data breaks down how much prices have increased in each state.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released new data Wednesday for how the Personal Consumption Expenditure, a key marker of inflation, rose in each state last year. According to the BEA, PCE is a measure of the prices Americans pay for goods and services.
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A new U.S. Department of Labor regulatory effort could impact retirement plans by requiring them to monitor whether plan members access electronic communications, a cost that may be passed on to consumers.
Chair of the Education and the Workforce Committee, U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., sent a letter Thursday to the Employee Benefits Security Administration raising concerns about the federal agency’s Request for Information, a document suggesting the agency will add more regulatory burden onto retirement accounts.
More regulations could mean more fees and higher costs for some Americans with retirement plans.
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A trip to the Arizona southern border earlier this year prompted an Ohio lawmaker to push for tougher drug and human trafficking laws in the state.
Rep. Cindy Abrams, R-Harrison, told fellow representatives miles and miles of open border allow illegal drugs and cartel criminals to enter the country.
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The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is touting economic impact numbers after the National Football League championship in Glendale in February.
The committee’s report, which was developed by Arizona State University’s Seidman Research Institute, attributed $1.3 billion in gross output to the game, including tourism and the other events surrounding it.
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Tennessee has agreed to send four loans worth $16.5 million to municipalities in the state for water infrastructure as part of the state’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loan Program.
The loans include $9 million to Lakeland for improvements to its wastewater collection system on a 20-year loan with 3.35% interest.
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Tennessee agreed to send $26.5 million in taxpayer funds to the state’s parks and recreation departments as part of a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation grant program awarded to 32 communities.
The grants are part of the Local Parks and Recreation Fund to fund reimbursements to buy land for parks, natural areas, greenways and to buy land for recreational facilities.
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Wisconsin’s governor says he doesn’t want to see new security measures at the state capitol after an armed man entered the statehouse.
Gov. Tony Evers told reporters Friday he doesn’t want metal detectors and other shows of force to be installed at the statehouse.
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For those looking for a shipping container for their next project, the state of Arizona is auctioning some off.
The containers will be available for individuals and businesses to purchase beginning Oct. 16 through the Arizona Department of Administration’s online surplus auction platform. The auction will open at 10 a.m. on Oct. 16, but it will close on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.
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Pennsylvanians serving in the military may soon see their credentials as first responders preserved while deployed.
House Bill 404, introduced by Rep. Dane Watro, R-Hazleton, would expand the commonwealth’s policy of using military experience to fulfill licensing and certification rules for EMTs. The bill would exempt those serving from continuing education or in-service training requirements.
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A new Georgia program to grant academic eligibility for direct admission to Georgia’s 22 technical colleges is a “win for Georgia,” a leading business group said.
On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, and state leaders announced GEORGIA MATCH, which they touted as “one of the largest state-run direct admissions initiatives.”
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According to a recent report, Florida is the nation’s best for education freedom, but one expert says only minor changes are needed for a perfect score.
The American Legislative Exchange Council recently put Florida at the top of its 2023 ALEC Index of State Education Freedom: A 50-State Guide to Parental Empowerment rankings.
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Virginia’s Roanoke College women’s swimming team held a press conference on Thursday to call upon the NCAA, USA Swimming and state lawmakers to develop policies that organize competitive sports according to biological sex, after a transgender student temporarily joined the swim team this season.
Ten team members spoke at the conference, along with women’s sports activists, former college swimmers Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan, several women’s organizations and the girls’ parents.
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At least 255,212 foreign nationals were apprehended or reported evading capture after illegally entering the southwest border in September, according to preliminary Border Patrol data obtained by The Center Square.
This includes at least 222,009 apprehensions and 33,203 gotaways. “Gotaways” is the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection term that refers to the number of people known and reported to illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry who intentionally try to evade capture and don’t return to Mexico.
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The plan to use more than $600 million in taxpayer money to pay for work in American Family field and keep the Brewers in Milwaukee until 2050 is not done, but the pitch for the funding package is set.
State Rep. Rob Brooks, R-Saukville, told lawmakers Thursday at the first public hearing in the stadium funding package that only Milwaukee and Milwaukee County will be paying for the stadium.
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Drivers should see more Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers throughout the state this weekend with an eye on cellphone usage as strict enforcement of the state’s distracted driving law began this week.
As the warning period ends and law enforcement can begin stopping drivers for cellphone use and issuing fines of at least $150, Gov. Mike DeWine calls the new state law a lifesaver.
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The Citizens Research Council of Michigan released its final paper on how to make Michigan prosper by increasing population.
The five-part series found Michigan is losing ground in the nationwide competition to attract and retain residents, counting statistics from demographics, economy, workforce, health, infrastructure, environment and public services.
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The state House has overwhelmingly rejected a joint proposal to move the primary election date and implement sweeping voting changes that frustrated lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
The chamber struck down Senate Bill 224 by a vote of 177-26. In total, all 101 Republicans and 76 Democrats, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia, disapproved.
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A new coalition called the Great Lakes Growth aims to boost Michigan’s economy and population by opposing what it calls “anti-growth” bills introduced in the Legislature.
GLG’s founding members include the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Michigan Manufacturers Association, Detroit Regional Chamber and Grand Rapids Chamber.
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Despite drought conditions, Virginia crops are likely to produce average yields this harvest season.
Broilers (chickens raised for meat production), cattle and turkeys are the commonwealth’s top farm commodities, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2021. Still, “miscellaneous” crops, including vegetables, barley, mushrooms, sunflowers and other field crops, are the state’s next highest-grossing commodity.
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In a stunning reversal on border security policy, the Biden administration plans to build about 20 miles of border wall in south Texas as the surge in illegal migration into the U.S. continued in September.
President Joe Biden, when he first took office in January 2021, ended all border wall construction initiated by the administration for former President Donald Trump.
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Michigan House Republicans want an investigation into potential conflicts of interests for House Appropriations Committee Chair Angela Witwer, who was instrumental in forming the state’s record $82 billion budget.
On Sept. 5, a Detroit News report disclosed Witwer’s business connections involving a company she co-founded in 2007, Lansing-based public relations firm Edge Partnerships. Witwer was mentioned as an owner of the firm in a social media post in 2021. Company clientele include the Michigan Department of Education, Farm Bureau Insurance and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
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A plan to change who draws legislative districts for the second time in five years waits on word from the Ohio Ballot Board before moving forward.
The Ballot Board has yet to schedule a meeting to address a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a 15-member citizen commission to draw district lines.
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Lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro find themselves at odds once again over the amount the administration deposited into the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
The Office of the Budget said Thursday it transferred $411.6 million into the savings account, or about 10% of the $4.1 billion revenue surplus left over on June 30 – the end of the prior fiscal year.
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Crime convictions three years before applying for barber or cosmetologist licensure would not be held against the applicants under a proposal from an Orlando state senator.
Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, said she is “giving these important common sense policies that represent my constituency’s interests one last push towards the finish line.” Senate Bill 42 is similar to past efforts that have failed in the last two legislative sessions.
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Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has canceled a deal giving a subsidiary of a Saudi Arabian company free groundwater to grow cattle feed and send it back to the Middle East amid prolonged drought in the Southwest.
The lease in question was a State Land Department deal in La Paz County signed before Hobbs was in office that didn’t reflect unlimited rights to the water under the surface. The company used the state land to grow alfalfa, a water-intensive crop, and ship it back to the Middle East to feed cattle. Saudi Arabia mostly banned the growing of alfalfa in 2018 due to the water necessary to raise the crop.
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A group with ties to national Democrats filed a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin’s requirement that someone sign off on absentee votes in the state.
The Elias law firm filed lawsuit on behalf of four Wisconsin voters that claims the state’s witness requirement violates both the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Voting Rights Act of 1970.
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Tennessee ranked No. 6 nationally with a grade of B in the ALEC Index of State Education Freedom.
Grades were scored overall from tabulating funding and financing programs; charter schools; homeschooling; virtual schooling; and open enrollment. The overall score was 71.5 points, which trailed only Florida (95), Arkansas (92), Indiana (86.6), Arizona (84) and Iowa (78)
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Eleven Michigan Republican lawmakers filed a federal lawsuit challenging election changes voters approved in 2018 and 2022.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, the plaintiffs say election officials violated state legislators’ rights because the U.S. Constitution and the Michigan Constitution require state legislatures to regulate the times, places, and manner of federal elections.
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The League of Women Voters in Wisconsin is taking a stand on the fight between Republican lawmakers and the University of Wisconsin over diversity, equity and inclusion money.
The League encouraged Republicans to release $32 million that’s being held in an effort to get the university to move away from diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
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The beginning of Wisconsin’s new task force on human trafficking is coming with a warning.
Lawmakers on Wednesday held the first meeting of House Speaker Robin Vos’ Task Force On Human Trafficking, and while the group said the focus will be on victims, it will also delve into the details of the trafficking of children and other young people.
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Gov. Katie Hobbs expressed frustration with the federal government on its handling of the border crisis in a meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas last week.
On Monday morning, Hobbs went into her conversation with the immigration head, in which she asked for increased federal support. When The Center Square asked about issues at Arizona ports of entry, Hobbs said it was part of the conversation.
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A security expert says Congress should reduce food stamp fraud as it faces a Saturday deadline to renew the Farm Bill.
Haywood Talcove is the CEO of LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Government Group, which provides fraud prevention tools to 26 state unemployment programs and 50 U.S. banks.
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The Hobbs administration suggests that Treasurer Kimberly Yee violated state law by refusing to recognize agency-based board members at a State Board of Investment meeting on Tuesday.
Yee did not acknowledge the employees from two departments in response to Gov. Katie Hobbs’ decision to pull all of her agency director picks from Senate consideration in order to avoid dealing with the Arizona Senate Committee on Director Nominations, which the governor dubbed hyper-partisan in nature, The Center Square reported.
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The United Auto Worker’s Union has reached a “tentative agreement” on a new five-year agreement with the Volvo-Group-owned Mack Trucks in three states. The union posted on social media that nearly 4,000 UAW members at Mack Trucks in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Florida (UAW Region 8 & Region 9) have a tentative agreement.
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Fourteen U.S. energy groups have called on the Biden administration to prioritize U.S. energy production and American’s energy needs by developing fair and consistent federal leasing regulations.
They submitted comments to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) over a newly proposed Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process rule. The rule implements changes related to royalty rates, rentals, and minimum bids for BLM-issued oil and gas leases and updates bonding requirements for leasing, development and production.
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Food brands owned by tobacco companies produce foods that are more hyperpalatable than those produced by non-tobacco companies, new research from the University of Kansas shows.
The research found that they are more likely to feature “purposely tempting combinations of salts, fats, and sugars,” according to a press release from the University of Kansas.
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A report from the Arizona Auditor General is making five recommendations for the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System after finding a business deal between an administrator and former board members could have jeopardized fiduciary obligations.
The report found that the former system administrator and two board members had business-related conflicts of interest that they failed to properly disclose.
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A nonprofit organization’s analysis of government data estimates drug overdose deaths increased 1.7% in 2023 to reach a new record high.
The CDC estimates that more than 111,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in the 12-month period that ended in April. More than 77,000 of those deaths involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids other than methadone. Both are record highs and increases over the prior year, according to Families Against Fentanyl.
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Tennessee received $23.7 million to upgrade or replace 42 railroad bridges across the state.
The bridges are part of 10 different short-line railroads in 12 different counties. The funds are part of $1.4 billion in federal tax dollars going to projects in 35 different states as part of the Biden Administration’s Infrastructure Law.
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After a legislative session where Florida lawmakers passed universal school choice, the state was recognized as the nation’s best in a recent report for its policies on education.
The nonprofit American Legislative Exchange Council, which previously published the Report Card on American Education over the past 25 years, has a new publication, The Index of State Education Freedom: A 50-State Guide to Parental Empowerment.
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Four bills aimed at voting that passed the Michigan House continues to get pushback from Republicans who say they will corrupt the state’s election system.
The bills, introduced earlier this week, are aimed at military voting, voter ID, voter transportation and online absentee ballot access. Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, took to social media to voice his opposition to each of them.
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The woman in charge of Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services said public health managers in the state made mistakes in the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.
DHS Secretary Nominee Kirsten Johnson on Thursday defended the decisions she and other public health department leaders made during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in 2020.
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Pennsylvania state police applications spiked over the last month after the governor axed the agency’s college credit requirement.
Nearly half of the 1,200 candidates were not eligible before the Aug. 28 announcement. Overall, interest has surged – in the previous half-year hiring period, the agency had received 1,745 applications.
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Georgia rarely houses foster children in hotel rooms, a reversal of a controversial practice that caught the attention of federal authorities.
The news that the state no longer uses hotel rooms follows reports of widespread, systemic breakdowns within Georgia’s foster care system. Last year, the state spent $28 million to house children in hotels, sometimes for months.
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