• Will the NSA Leak Hinder Open Data Efforts?
• BY: Government Technology   |   June 18, 2013
• The controversy surrounding the National Security Agency's online spying program, PRISM, has some open data proponents concerned it will negatively impact their image.
• 1 Comments

• Supreme Court Rejects Arizona's Citizenship Requirement for Voters
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   June 18, 2013
• A ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court blocks proof-of-citizenship requirements on federal voter registration forms, but leaves open the possibility of amending the form to include Arizona's stricter standard for verifying citizenship.

• Illinois Governor Signs Fracking Regulations into Law
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   June 18, 2013
• Gov. Pat Quinn has signed signed sweeping legislation to regulate horizontal hydraulic fracturing, better known as "fracking," in Illinois. The legislation includes some of the tightest restrictions on companies in the nation.

• States Go Different Directions on the Death Penalty
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• Supporters and opponents of capital punishment agree: The current death penalty is expensive, inefficient, and arbitrary. Some state legislatures have reacted to those faults by abolishing the death penalty, while others are trying to speed it up.

• Florida Blocks Local Votes on Mandatory Paid-Sick-Time Measures
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   June 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
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   June 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.
• 4 Comments

• Report: U.S. Teacher Training System is Broken
• Source: Reuters   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• The U.S. teacher training system is badly broken, turning out rookie educators who have little hands-on experience running classrooms and are quickly overwhelmed by the job, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
• 4 Comments

• Garcetti Aims to Be Different Kind of L.A. Mayor
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Los Angeles, Calif.   |   June 18, 2013
• Since his victory last month, Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti has set himself to the task of being a more low-key public official than his predecessor. He is not using a transition team studded with big names and has scraped plans for a black-tie inaugural ball, opting instead for a public party in Grand Park with music and food.

• National Shortage of Large Air Tankers Hampers Firefighting Efforts
• Source: The Denver Post   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• A growing challenge for fire commanders attempting to slow and contain dangerous fires is a continued shortage of large air tankers that are available to them.

• Florida Governor Signs Bill to Speed Up Executions
• Source: The Tampa Bay Times   |   Florida   |   June 18, 2013
• Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law Friday aimed at accelerating the pace of the death penalty process in Florida, which could make the governor the most active executioner in modern state history.

• Fracking Fuels Water Battles in Drought Plagued States
• Source: AP/Politico   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• In Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, the vast majority of the counties where fracking is occurring are also suffering from drought, according to an Associated Press analysis of industry-compiled fracking data and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official drought designations.

• Director of U.S. Immigration Agency Resigns
• Source: Reuters   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• The director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said on Monday he will step down at the end of July to go to the private sector after heading the agency for four years.

• Choice of Health Plans to Vary Sharply By State
• Source: The New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• Under President Obama’s health care law, it is becoming clear that the millions of people purchasing policies in the exchanges will find that their choices vary sharply, depending on where they live.

• The "Metropolitan Revolution" and the Changing Role of Cities
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   June 18, 2013
• Why cities and their leaders could wind up mattering more than Washington.

• States Rush to Cash in on Cybersecurity Boom
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 17, 2013
• As data dragnets and information breaches dominate the news, states are scrambling to cash in on a rapidly expanding business sector by offering tax incentives to firms that protect sensitive information from outside attacks.