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
Florida Police Department to Begin Using Body-Mounted Cameras
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sarasota police officers will begin wearing body-mounted cameras later this year in an effort to increase police transparency. That’s a topic of heightened national interest in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager. But rather than resist the accountability measure, the Sarasota Police Department… -
news
Teachers in Kansas Voted to Leave Their Union. A Year Later, ‘Things Are Going Pretty Well’
OSAWATOMIE, Kan. — More than a year after teachers in the Deerfield, Kan., school district voted to leave their union, leaders say the doom-and-gloom predictions from the state’s largest teachers union haven’t come to pass. “Things are going pretty well, actually,” said Doug Crandall, a teacher who also is president of the newly revived Deerfield Educators… -
opinion
7 Harmful Side Effects Pot Legalization Has Caused in Colorado
There is more bad news out of Colorado regarding the negative impact of marijuana legalization. As I reported a few weeks ago, some professors published a peer-reviewed article on the negative social costs to outright legalization. I noted that although overall traffic fatalities in Colorado have gone down since 2007, they went up by 100… -
news
Administrative Costs on the Rise in Tennessee Schools
NASHVILLE — About a quarter of Tennessee’s public school districts, 33 in all, spend more on administrative costs — such as principals and school directors — than the statewide average of 10.5 percent, according to a new comptrollers’ report. The report, written by the Tennessee Comptroller’s Offices of Research and Education Accountability, examined the 2012-13 school… -
opinion
Texas District Attorney Gins Up Charges Against Rick Perry
As a character noted in Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” a prosecutor could convince a grand jury to indict anything, even a ham sandwich. And while Texas Gov. Rick Perry isn’t a ham sandwich, he might as well be. Last Friday, a Texas grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Perry that even… -
news
‘Thunderstruck?’: Missouri Governor Helped Ferguson Get Surplus Military Equipment
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon, who yesterday said he was “thunderstruck” to learn how militarized police in Ferguson had become, signed off as recently as January on statewide participation in a Pentagon program providing local police departments with surplus equipment. In authorizing Ferguson police and other local law enforcement agencies to apply for firearms and other equipment, Nixon… -
news
Missouri Governor Says Local Police ‘Clearly’ Tried to ‘Besmirch’ Michael Brown
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said local police were “clearly attempting to besmirch” Michael Brown by releasing images of the 18-year-old strong-arming a man during a robbery shortly before he was fatally shot Saturday by a town officer. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Democratic governor said the decision had “an incendiary effect,” making the situation in Ferguson… -
news
Rick Perry Responds to Indictment: ‘I Stood Up for the Rule of Law in Texas’
Gov. Rick Perry said today on “Fox News Sunday” that he would “make exactly the same decision” that led to a grand jury indictment Friday. Speaking to the felony charges and potential 100 years in prison he could face, the Texas Republican said he’s “certainly taking it very seriously,” but added, “I stood up for the… -
news
Would You Volunteer to Pay for Solar Energy? It’s Happening in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—If you don’t use solar power, then you won’t have to pay for it. That’s what the Florida Public Service Commission, the state electric utility regulatory body, decided last week when it approved Florida Power and Light’s new solar energy pilot program by a vote of 4-1. The plan will expand customer access to solar power in… -
news
Indiana Man Thought He Was Covered Under Obamacare … Until He Needed to Visit Dentist
An Indiana man who purchased health insurance through Obamacare’s federal exchange says he was assured he had dental coverage. When he needed care, though, he learned that his insurance provider wouldn’t cover the work. Now, he’s warning others they could also be getting misleading information. “You might be very surprised you’re not covered when you… -
news
Missouri Democrat Tried to Restrict Public Information on Police Shootings Last Year
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 the circumstances surrounding the death of a local teen. One Democrat wants to prevent the public from having “any records … pertaining to police shootings.” The protests began after a… -
news
‘Secretive’ Government Move Relocates a Bit of the Border Crisis to a Virginia Suburb
BRISTOW, Va. — Corey Stewart, who made his name in politics by implementing what he calls the nation’s “toughest” crackdown on illegal immigration, lives in a house steeped in history. The top elected official in Virginia’s second-largest locality, Stewart resides in the oldest house in Prince William County, located abruptly off a road lined with… -
news
Here’s How New Mexico Made the Leap Into Top 5 Oil-Rich States
Move over, Oklahoma. New Mexico has regained its position as the fifth-highest state in terms of oil production in the country. In an annual report of the top 10 oil states put together by the financial website 24/7 Wall St., New Mexico supplanted Oklahoma with 965 million barrels of proven oil reserves. That’s an 11.4 percent increase… -
opinion
Cyberbullying Law Struck Down in New York
A state court in New York recently struck down that state’s cyberbullying law as violating the First Amendment. The case arose when a 15-year-old Albany County high school student, Marquan Mackey-Meggs, created an anonymous Facebook page called “Cohoes Flame,” from which he created posts about other teens, including pictures. The posts were graphic and often… -
opinion
Traffic Fatalities of Marijuana-Positive Drivers On Rise In Colorado
On Tuesday, the Washington Post published an op-ed by pro-pot author Radley Balko headlined, “Since Marijuana Legalization, Highway Fatalities in Colorado Are at Near-Historic Lows.” The piece leaves the reader with the impression that legalizing marijuana may have something to do with traffic fatalities going down in Colorado. He does admit that the fatality figures… -
news
Florida Mom Could Face 5 Years in Prison for Allowing Son to Play Unsupervised
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Florida law enforcement came down hard on a single mother last week for the crime of letting her 7-year-old son play at a neighborhood park by himself. Police arrested Nicole Gainey, 34, of Port St. Lucie and charged her with child abuse. If convicted, she could go to prison for up to five years,… -
opinion
Ohio Could Be Next State to Buck Common Core
The Buckeye State could become the next state to buck Common Core. Leadership in the Ohio House announced hearings on the national standards and tests are slated to begin Aug. 12, and the state could consider a potential withdrawal from Common Core later this year. Rep. Matt Huffman, R-Lima, told the Columbus Dispatch the August… -
opinion
Unions Lose and the Public Wins Big in Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin had quite a good day on July 31 when the state supreme court upheld not only Wisconsin’s voter ID law, but also the 2011 budget legislation that severely curtailed the power of public unions to control the lives and salaries of state and municipal government employees. In Madison Teachers, Inc. v…. -
news
Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Scott Walker’s Labor Reforms
MADISON, Wis.—After three years of legal battles, the war for Gov. Scott Walker’s cornerstone public-sector collective bargaining reforms ended Thursday with the state Supreme Court upholding Act 10 in its entirety. The Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, with even liberal Judge Patrick Crooks agreeing Act 10 is constitutional, gave its approval to the public… -
opinion
Voter ID Wins Another Round in Wisconsin
In a victory for election integrity, the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state’s voter ID law against separate challenges by the NAACP and the League of Women Voters. The justices joined the state supreme courts of Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee—as well as the U.S. Supreme Court—in finding laws requiring photo IDs to vote…