State Politics & News
Coverage of state politics, elections, and conservative policy battles across all 50 states shaping America’s future.
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- News
Second US Ebola Patient Identified as Young Texas Nurse
A 26-year-old nurse named Nina Pham is the health care worker at a Dallas hospital who tested positive for the Ebola virus after helping to treat a man who later died of the disease, her family told a Dallas radio station. WFAA reported that Pham, a 2010 graduate of Texas Christian University’s nursing program, is the first person known to contract the…Ken McIntyre -
- News
Drive for Uber, Go to Jail in One Alabama City
CULLMAN, Ala.—Tuscaloosa residents who offer rides to others through the ridesharing service Uber soon could find themselves in handcuffs. A Tuscaloosa city spokeswoman confirmed this week the city will follow through on an ultimatum issued last week and put drivers behind bars for violating Tuscaloosa’s vehicle-for-hire ordinance, a misdemeanor. “The city has decided to step up…Johnny Kampis -
- Opinion
Scientists May Disagree on the Causes of the California Drought, but Policymakers with Agendas Don’t
California’s recent drought has many people, including policymakers, looking to point the finger at global warming. The authors of several recent scientific papers aren’t so sure. A report by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society compiled the work of 20 research groups studying extreme weather events from 2013. The report concluded “that natural variability…Thomas Lee -
- News
State’s Welfare Recipients Withdraw Money in Far-Off Places (Hawaii, Las Vegas and Even Virgin Islands)
Taxpayers are apparently buying welfare recipients booze and cigarettes for the road—at times a quite exotic road. An analysis of a Colorado Department of Human Services welfare ATM withdrawals database shows that $3.8 million was withdrawn by Colorado welfare recipients outside the state in the past two years. There were withdrawals at out-of-state liquor stores…Arthur Kane -
- Opinion
New York City Follows Obama Playbook on Immigration
The federal government is about to get kicked off Rikers Island. Taking a page from the Obama immigration playbook, the New York City Council this week is deciding which immigration laws it wants to enforce and which ones it does not. Under the proposed legislation that will very likely pass the Democrat-controlled council, the New…Genevieve Wood -
- News
Michelle Obama Packs Her Bags for Iowa, Michigan
Michelle Obama is heading to the heartland Friday to lend Iowa Democrats a helping hand in one of the closest U.S. Senate races in the country. Earlier in the day, the first lady will visit Michigan, home to another key Senate contest. Notably missing from the travel arrangements so far: her husband, Barack Obama. Iowa’s…Kelsey Bolar -
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Why One State Legislature Is Using Your Tax Dollars to Operate Its Own News Service
LINCOLN, Neb.—In addition to the gaggle of TV, radio, online and newspaper reporters who regularly cover the Nebraska Legislature, a handful of lesser-known reporters who write about the legislature also work for it. The Unicameral Information Office employs three public information officers who earn an average of $47,442 per year not only to do public…Deena Winter -
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Hawaii Will Go Bust By 2016, Senate Minority Leader Says
HONOLULU — Hawaii Senate Minority Leader Sam Slom is warning fellow lawmakers he has serious concerns about the state’s economic future. Slom, the only Republican in the 25-member Senate, cites the Council on Revenues’ recent downgraded economic forecast indicating Hawaii is in much worse financial position than anticipated. “Hawaii is set to go bust in 2016…Malia Zimmerman -
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War Over Women: Colorado Senate Candidates Fight for Female Vote
Health care and women’s reproductive rights are stealing the spotlight in Colorado’s 2014 Senate race. The two candidates, incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and Republican Rep. Cory Gardner, are battling over issues of abortion, personhood and birth control pills. As a result, citizens of the Rocky Mountain State are being bombarded with political ads targeting…Kelsey Bolar -
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Independent Voters Hold Key in Maine Governor’s Race
AUGUSTA, Maine—Outspoken and under fire, Republican Gov. Paul LePage is in danger of losing his re-election bid. One of the most conservative governors in the country, LePage triangulated his way to victory in 2010 with 38 percent of the vote. Independent candidate Eliot Cutler, who siphoned enough Democratic support to give LePage the victory, is…Kenric Ward -
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Kentucky Senate Candidates Want You to Know They Care
Kentucky’s U.S. Senate candidates have stopped the mudslinging–for now–and are tugging on the Bluegrass State’s heartstrings with ads aimed to show Kentuckians they care. Incumbent Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, released an ad yesterday telling the story of Noelle Hunter, a Morehead, Ky., woman whose daughter, Muna, was abducted and taken to Mali in…Melissa Quinn -
- News
Fowl Fight: Could 4 Chickens Sway Iowa Senate Race?
Four pet chickens are causing Rep. Bruce Braley, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Iowa, a major headache. In his first official faceoff with Republican Joni Ernst last night, Braley found himself in an uncomfortable situation when asked about reports that he threatened to sue his neighbor over chickens that had wandered onto his…Kelsey Bolar -
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Fracking Good Times: North Dakota Tops U.S. Income Gains
North Dakota leads the nation in personal income growth. No other state even comes close. From 2008 to 2012, North Dakotans’ per-capita income jumped 31 percent to $57,367, the highest of any state and just behind Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. South Dakota came in a distant second at 10…Kenric Ward -
- Opinion
Teachers Union Trying to Block School Choice Loses in Florida Court
Florida children won in court Wednesday. In a hearing that lasted approximately 19-minutes, Leon County circuit court judge Charles Francis dismissed the Florida Education Association’s lawsuit to block the state’s innovative Personal Learning Scholarship Account school choice option, finding that the FEA did not have standing to challenge the law. Although the FEA has 15…Brittany Corona -
- News
In Missouri, Public School Students Are Learning How to Handle Guns Safely
Ready, aim, fire. A new statewide program in Missouri has introduced an after-school lesson on gun safety for public school students. According to local ABC news affiliate KSPR, the special program brings students of various ages to the Missouri Department of Conservation gun range where they spend several hours discussing gun safety, learning how to…Gabriella Morrongiello -
- Opinion
Washington Shouldn’t React to White House Fence Jumper By Making Government Buildings Less Accessible
Since this article was originally published, it has been reported that the fence jumper, Omar Gonzalez, got further inside the White House than was known. Courtesy of Mashable, here's an image showing how far Gonzalez got. Image: Mashable Composite, WhiteHouse.gov Last Friday, a troubled Army veteran jumped the White House fence and dashed across the…William Gribbin -
- Opinion
Politico Found Lois Lerner. So Why Can’t the U.S. Attorney in Washington?
Politico obviously had no problem finding Lois Lerner for an exclusive interview that it published on Monday. So why can’t the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Ronald C. Machen, Jr., find Lois Lerner so that a federal grand jury can interview her? Perhaps the Obama administration doesn’t want Lerner answering any real questions…Hans von Spakovsky -
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Washington Considers Legislation That Would Let You Only Buy One Cable Channel
WASHINGTON — Concerns about higher consumer prices if cable and satellite customers could unsubscribe from local channels stalled a move on Capitol Hill to create a la carte local TV. But the proposal’s champions are fighting to keep the idea alive. In August, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Ranking Member John Thune,…Josh Peterson -
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New Mexico to Give $100K to ‘The Bachelor’
SANTA FE, N.M. – There is now a state element to wooing “The Bachelor.” The New Mexico Tourism Department is joining the Santa Fe City Council in the dating pool for the ABC reality TV series. “We’re really excited,” said Rebecca Latham, communications director for the tourism department, who confirmed Monday the state agency will pay $50,000 to the…Rob Nikolewski -
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Why Is Limbaugh’s Best-Selling Book Not on New York Times List?
“Jesus on Trial,” the new book by conservative author and lawyer David Limbaugh, just took the #1 spot on Amazon, but is nowhere to be found on the New York Times best-seller list. The Washington Examiner reported Thursday that Limbaugh’s book was omitted from the print hardcover best-seller list “despite having sold more copies than…Gabriella Morrongiello