McClatchy News

Recent Articles

• Illinois Lawmakers Seeking Compromise on Pension Reform
• Jun 19, 2013
• Lacking agreement on a comprehensive plan to reduce a pension debt that's approaching $100 billion, the state's Democratic leaders are opting to line up in punt formation. They expect to approve a conference committee of lawmakers from both parties to spend weeks looking for common ground on the issue.

• Illinois' New Fracking Regulations Some of Nation's Strictest
• Jun 18, 2013
• Gov. Pat Quinn has signed signed sweeping legislation to regulate horizontal hydraulic fracturing Illinois, which includes some of the tightest restrictions on oil and gas companies in the nation.

• Florida Blocks Local Votes on Mandatory Paid-Sick-Time Measures
• Jun 18, 2013
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures, such as the one pending in Orange County.

• Supreme Court Outlines Limits on Right to Remain Silent
• Jun 18, 2013
• In a 5-4 decision the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that crime suspects need to speak up if they want to invoke their legal right to remain silent. The ruling highlights the limited reach of the famous Miranda decision.
• 7 Comments

• EPA Orders Minnesota to Increase Water Pollution Prevention Efforts
• Jun 14, 2013
• About a dozen states face similar petitions pending at the EPA, most filed by citizen groups that say state regulators are not doing enough to enforce the Clean Water Act.

• California's High-Speed Rail Exempt from Federal Oversight
• Jun 14, 2013
• California's bullet train agency won a key legal ruling Thursday, obtaining an exemption from regulatory oversight by the federal Surface Transportation Board for construction of the first segment of the rail system that would run 220 mph trains from Los Angeles to San Francisco.

• Signed Michigan Budget Doesn't Address Gov. Snyder's Top Priorities
• Jun 14, 2013
• Gov. Rick Snyder signed a 2013-14 state budget that doesn't address two of his major priorities -- expanded Medicaid coverage and raising more than $1 billion in extra revenues for repair and maintenance of state roads and bridges.

• Chicago Public Schools Releases Five-Year Plan
• Jun 11, 2013
• The long-term plan is the first of its kind since Mayor Rahm Emanuel took office and aligns the entire district with the rigorous Common Core Curriculum by the 2014-15 school year.

• California Budget Deal a Victory for Governor
• Jun 11, 2013
• Gov. Jerry Brown and top lawmakers have reached agreement on some of the most contentious issues in the state budget, granting the governor significant victories on the redistribution of school money and expectations of revenue.

• EPA Report: $384B Needed to Improve U.S. Water Infrastructure
• Jun 10, 2013
• California, New York and Texas are in need of billions to fix aging water systems over the next two decades, according to a federal survey that placed them at the top of a national list of water infrastructure needs.

• California Achieves Cleaner Air Despite Having More Cars
• Jun 10, 2013
• New research shows that despite a threefold increase in people and cars in the last 50 years, California's strict vehicle emissions standards have managed to significantly clean up the state's air.

• Majority of Americans See Same-Sex Marriage as a Certainty
• Jun 7, 2013
• Nearly three-quarters of Americans say same-sex marriage has reached the point in which it is certain to become legal, according to a newly released poll from the Pew Research Center.

• Illinois Governor Calls Special Legislative Session for Pension Reform
• Jun 7, 2013
• Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is summoning lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session June 19 to try to break a stalemate over the state's massive public employee pension debt that triggered two downgrades from major credit rating agencies this week.
• 1 Comments

• Judge Dismisses Gov. Corbett's Lawsuit over NCAA's Penn State Penalties
• Jun 7, 2013
• A federal judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit and concluded there was no legal basis for the governor to challenge the sanctions assessed against Penn State University last year in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

• Wealthy GOP Venture Capitalist Enters Illinois Governor's Race
• Jun 6, 2013
• Wealthy venture capitalist Bruce Rauner has formally entered the Republican governor's race, saying state government is broken and portraying himself as a down-to-earth businessman who can fix it.