Articles by Eric Boehm

EconomyNews

Want to Give a Tour of Washington, DC? You’ll Need a License for That

Eric Boehm | February 09, 2016

Bill Main knows a lot about history, but at one time he faced arrest if he shared what he knows in Washington, D.C. The owner of Segs In… Read More

EconomyCommentary

Chicago Regulations Could Mean Jail for Some Airbnb Users

Eric Boehm | January 29, 2016

It could be “one strike and you’re out” for Airbnb users in Chicago. In a series of new rules, Chicago officials recently outlined a plan… Read More

EconomyCommentary

This Town’s Residents Ordered to Have Matching Curtains, No BBQ Grills, Cut Lawns

Eric Boehm | December 22, 2015

If we were inclined to give out such an award, Pagedale, Mo., would be a leading contender for Nanny State of the Year. In this… Read More

EconomyNews

Court Strikes Down Sprinkler System Requirement in New Homes

Eric Boehm | October 16, 2015

A Minnesota court on Tuesday threw cold water on state regulations requiring sprinkler systems in many new homes. The sprinkler requirements are expensive and unnecessary,… Read More

EducationCommentary

‘You’re It’: School District Bans Tag During Recess

Eric Boehm | October 08, 2015

Update: According to The Seattle Times, “[t]he Mercer Island School District reinstated the game of tag following an outcry from parents” on September 25, 2015…. Read More

EconomyCommentary

Personal Trainers Next on Washington’s Over-Regulation List?

Eric Boehm | September 17, 2015

When Andrew Killion opened District Crossfit in 2010, he was training a few handfuls of people in a converted auto garage. Today, Killion oversees one… Read More

LawNews

New York City Proposal Would Outlaw Overnight Parking for Out-of-State Cars

Eric Boehm | February 01, 2015

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. But parking your tires, your Ford or your Honda with a Massachusetts… Read More

LawNews

Government Drops Forfeiture Case Led by Obama’s Attorney General Nominee

Eric Boehm | January 31, 2015

Sometimes, not violating the law can get you in trouble with the law. Just ask the Hirsch family from Long Island, New York. Or, better… Read More

Health CareNews

Audit: HHS Failure to Screen Obamacare Contract Recipients Cost Taxpayers $400M

Eric Boehm | January 25, 2015

An internal investigation into how the federal government awarded contracts for developing and building the Affordable Care Act’s most important public element — the online exchanges… Read More

LawNews

After Outcry, City Won’t Seize Man’s Home Over $40 Drug Bust

Eric Boehm | December 20, 2014

Philadelphia’s city government has dropped its attempt to seize two homes using civil asset forfeiture laws. The city’s seizure of the homes made national headlines… Read More

EconomyNews

In Florida, You Can’t Buy 64 Ounces of Beer

Eric Boehm | November 11, 2014

In Florida, you can buy beer that comes in cans. You can buy beer that comes in bottles. You can even buy beer that comes… Read More

SocietyNews

Republican Romp Extended to State-Level Elections

Eric Boehm | November 07, 2014

Republicans swept into control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but that only begins to tell the story of a midterm election that turned into… Read More

EnergyNews

Why One State Just Banned Plastic Bags … and What That Means for You

Eric Boehm | October 07, 2014

California is the first state in the nation to enact a statewide ban on plastic shopping bags, taking a concept that had been limited to cities… Read More

EnergyNews

City Imposes Fine on Residents Who Throw Away Food

Eric Boehm | October 04, 2014

The Seattle City Council has imposed a mandatory composting ordinance, requiring all residents to separate their biodegradable trash from other kinds of refuse. The city… Read More

SocietyNews

Virginia School Bans Chapstick

Eric Boehm | September 16, 2014

A school board in Virginia got an earful from one of its students last week over its ban on lip balm. Last winter, Grace Karaffa,… Read More

EconomyNews

Unions Spend Big Bucks to Raise Minimum Wage for Fast-Food Workers

Eric Boehm | September 06, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS—They’re back, and they’re expensive. Protests outside fast-food restaurants flared up in cities around the country this week, organized by groups with ties to prominent… Read More

EconomyNews

This State Just Made Backyard Bird Feeders Illegal … by Accident

Eric Boehm | September 04, 2014

Residents of Mississippi with backyard bird feeders could run afoul of new state regulations that prohibit the “supplementary feeding” of wild animals. The new rules… Read More

LawNews

Family Could Lose Home Over Son’s Drug Possession

Eric Boehm | August 28, 2014

In March, Chris Sourovelis’ son was caught selling $40 of heroin to an undercover police officer. Officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded by raiding… Read More

LawNews

Missouri Democrat Tried to Restrict Public Information on Police Shootings Last Year

Eric Boehm | August 16, 2014

Much of the nation’s attention has been turned on the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Mo., this week as protesters continue to lash out at… Read More

EconomyNews

A Little Cafe That Sparked a Big Minimum Wage Debate

Eric Boehm | August 15, 2014

STILLWATER, Minn.—With its waitress and single cook, its retro-style booths with pale green cushions and its stainless steel wrap-around countertop, the Oasis Cafe could be… Read More

SecurityNews

From Miami to Minnesota, Protests Call Attention to Border Crisis

Eric Boehm | July 22, 2014

Along East 7th Street in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood of St. Paul, Minn., more signs are in Spanish than English, advertising everything from used cars… Read More

EducationNews

This School District Just Banned Cupcakes. And Candy.

Eric Boehm | July 13, 2014

A school district in Washington state is determined to make school more healthy and less fun. Edmonds School District, in the suburbs south of Seattle,… Read More

LawNews

New York Lawmakers Make It Illegal to Touch a Tiger

Eric Boehm | June 28, 2014

The New York State Legislature doesn’t want you touching tigers. State Rep. Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored a bill that passed this week,… Read More

EconomyNews

Massachusetts City Is Latest to Wage War on Ride-Sharing Services

Eric Boehm | June 23, 2014

Officials in Cambridge, Mass., are going to war with ride-on-demand services in the name of protecting the public. The new rules being considered by the… Read More

EnergyNews

Power Plants, Rate-Payers Brace for Obama Administration’s New EPA Regs

Eric Boehm | June 02, 2014

In November 2010, President Obama stood before reporters in the White House briefing room and offered a frank description of his administration’s chances of getting… Read More

EconomyNews

Seeing Green, Local Governments Rebuff Efforts to Turn Off Red Light Cameras

Eric Boehm | May 27, 2014

Red light cameras have generated millions in revenue for towns and cities across the country, but they’ve brought plenty of controversy, too. More than 500… Read More

EconomyNews

School Car Wash Fundraisers Banned in Virginia County

Eric Boehm | May 24, 2014

For years, car washes have been a fundraising staple for high school sports teams, marching bands and youth groups. Just get some kids together with… Read More