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Washington, DC, USA. At least 15 states have declared war on poverty, launching broad, high-profile campaigns aimed at rooting out the causes of poverty and alleviating its effects on children.
As the economy falters and the ranks of the poor multiply, states for the first time in recent memory are mounting high-profile, comprehensive campaigns aimed at radically reducing poverty — many with an emphasis on children.
At least 15 states and the District of Columbia hav... |
August 9th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. Nevada state telephone records show Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) sent hundreds of text messages to his alleged paramour on a state-owned cell phone, often late at night. Former Rep. presidential candidate Mike Huckabee performed the Heimlich maneuver on a North Carolina lawmaker. The Vermont Governor signed a bill making it the 29th state to make Juneteenth a state holiday. And Gov. Schwarzenegger (R) told his daughter he would be following her every so often. In case you missed thos... |
June 14th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. As thousands of gay couples across the country prepare to marry in California next week, many states are girding for a surge of complex and politically charged legal challenges as newlyweds return to their home states.
“Because California is so much more populous than Massachusetts (which has allowed same-sex marriage since 2004), and it welcomes people from every jurisdiction, there will be far more couples moving or returning to the other 49,” said William Araiza,... |
June 11th, 2008
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Washington, DC, USA. The California Supreme Court reignited a political wildfire with its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the most populous state in the union, but the issue already has burned out in more than half the states. More than four years ago, Massachusetts’ first-in-the-nation decision legalizing gay marriage sparked a political backlash that resulted in voter-approved constitutional bans on same-sex weddings in 23 states. Four states already had constitutional bans.
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May 16th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. An Alabama lawmaker says someone’s been using his voting machine when he is away. Florida’s House Speaker locks the doors and turns off Internet access to make legislators pay attention. Mayberry’s Sheriff Taylor endorses a North Carolina candidate for governor. And Minnesota teams up with Hannah Montana a new bill that outlaw special software used to scalp the unwary. In case you missed those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
It’s pretty basic, but ... |
April 26th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. After Anna G., a 74-year-old New Jersey woman, suffered a stroke, she needed help with bathing, dressing, food shopping, laundry, meal preparation and housekeeping. Anna G's state Medicaid plan covered the cost of a home-health care worker to provide those services, but the local agencies were short-staffed and couldn’t send helpers on the schedule Anna needed. Anna’s daughter finally insisted her mother go to a nursing home.
When Anna refused, the New Jersey Dep... |
April 24th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. This year, soaring food and energy prices and lost jobs have led a record number of people to enter the federally funded Food Stamps program — more than in any year since the program began in 1964.
But even as the number of applicants spirals, states are reaching out to millions more who may not realize they are eligible or are reluctant to participate.
As the economy sputters, states are taking extraordinary measures to help people keep food on the table, a... |
April 14th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who just turned 44, wowed nearly everyone in the capital when she announced she’s expecting her fifth child in May. A runner with a trim figure, the seven-months pregnant governor even kept her staff guessing, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Having a baby as governor is rare. Jane Swift, the former acting governor of Massachusetts was the first governor in office to give birth when she delivered twin girls in 2001.
For months, Florida G... |
March 8th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. A Mississippi legislator wants restaurants to stop serving obese customers. Rooster owners in Riverside, California must muffle the cock-a-doodle-doing during daytime hours. Florida lawmakers want to tax strip-club goers and give the money to poor nursing home residents. Texas mislaid $1.1 Billion in revenue. Do you know when your polling place is? And, yes, be sure to love your air. In case you missed any of those stories this week, Worth Noting fills you in.
La... |
February 10th, 2008
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 | Washington, DC, USA. In the 10 years since University of Wisconsin scientists announced they had harvested potentially life-saving stem cells from human embryos, the bioethical dilemma presented by the science has stymied the federal government, split the GOP and has been debated in nearly every statehouse in the country. Now, as the pace of new scientific discoveries in the field quickens, numerous states have taken variety of actions, pro or con, regarding stem-cell research.
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February 1th, 2008
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| Washington, DC, USA. A new, limited-edition CD features Alabama Attorney General Troy King singing a duet with the late, great Johnny Cash. King, a music buff, dubbed his voice over a previously unreleased Cash recording, creating a duet version of the song “My Elusive Dream.” The CD, a Christmas gift for 25 of the law enforcer’s closest friends and supporters, includes a superimposed cover photo of Cash — in black, of course — and King wearing a button-down shirt and tie, according to the (Mo... |
January 13th, 2008
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| Miracle: agency gives money back
Washington, DC, USA. Saying “he felt like the judge in Miracle on 34th Street,” Florida Wildlife Commissioner Ken Wright indefinitely postponed a decision to take the lovable manatee off the state’s endangered species list, the St. Petersburg Times reports.
Since 1991, the manatee population has more than doubled, and boaters and builders complain that continued protection of the corpulent water mammal impedes development.
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December 9th, 2007
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| Busting lawyers, stealing wives, drilling horses, & reports
Washington, DC, USA. Apparently spooked by news in The Des Moines Register of his state’s pumpkin tax, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) went ahead and squashed the 2006 ruling, calling it “ridiculous.”
Before Culver took office, the revenue department reclassified the vegetable, reasoning that it doesn't qualify for a sales tax exemption on food because it primarily is used for jack-o’-lanterns, the paper re... |
November 4th, 2007
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| Dirty tricks, pricey dog, free slots, and a scoflaw pig
Washington, DC, USA. Circuit Court Judge Patrick Kelley dismissed a lawsuit filed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) against House Speaker Michael J. Madigan for failing to enter the governor’s budget cuts into the official House record on time.
Urging the two Democrats to settle their spat without court intervention, Kelley criticized the “ridiculous and embarrassing Hatfield and McCoy atmosphere at the Stateho... |
September 30th, 2007
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 | Gay Marriage Ripe For Decision In 3 Courts
Washington, DC, USA. Three years after its historic court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Massachusetts stands alone in blessing gay marriages — more than 9,000 to date. Its example has spurred no imitators, but lots of backlash.
Following the festive scenes of gay and lesbian brides and grooms waiting in long lines to wed in the Bay State on May 17, 2004, 23 states fortified their state constitutions to withstand judicial edicts like the... |
June 22th, 2007
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