• K-12 Education's Broadband Internet Needs Continue to Grow
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   May 21, 2012
• Almost 80 percent of schools say their current broadband access is inadequate.

• How Oregon Networks for Solutions
• BY: John M. Kamensky,Jonathan D. Breul   |   May 21, 2012
• To address community-level priorities, the state has begun putting its agencies together with key public and private stakeholders. The approach has already produced some victories.

• Arizona May Keep Obama Off the 2012 Ballot
• BY: McClatchy Newspapers   |   Arizona   |   May 21, 2012
• In a revival of the controversy surrounding President Barack Obama’s Hawaii birth certificate, a state official in Arizona says it’s “possible” that he’ll hold Obama’s name off the Arizona ballot if Hawaii officials don’t send him confirmation that the president was born there.

• Convicted Connecticut Workers Still Get Pensions Despite Forfeiture Law
• BY: McClatchy Newspapers   |   Connecticut   |   May 21, 2012
• State law, which went into effect Oct. 1, 2008, allows the attorney general to revoke or reduce the pension of public officials, state or municipal employees convicted of a crime related to their office, but it doesn't apply to officials convicted before that date.

• Gov. LePage Battles Unions in Maine
• BY: Stateline.org   |   Maine   |   May 21, 2012
• Governor Paul LePage recently called some of Maine’s state workers “about as corrupt as you can be.” They’re not pleased with him, either.

• Sunday Alcohol Sales Begin in Connecticut
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Connecticut   |   May 21, 2012
• Connecticut became the 49th state to allow Sunday alcohol sales, leaving Indiana as the only state to still ban the practice.

• 22 States Defend Montana in Citizens United Fight
• Source: AP/Idaho Statesman   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2012
• Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending.

• NAACP Endorses Gay Marriage
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2012
• A little over a week after President Obama endorsed gay marriage, the board of the N.A.A.C.P. voted to endorse same-sex marriage, putting the weight of the country’s most prominent civil rights group behind a cause that has long divided some quarters of the black community.

• Registry Reveals Over 2,000 Wrongful Convictions Since 1989
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2012
• The national database, said to be the largest of its kind, covers the period since DNA testing came into common use. Its sponsors hope to shed light on the legal system's failings.

• In Burlington County, a 458% Tax Hike with Gov. Christie’s Blessing
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   New Jersey   |   May 21, 2012
• The average tax bill in the tiny rural Burlington County community will jump nearly $1,000.

• Voter ID Bills Become Law in Virginia
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   May 21, 2012
• Gov. Robert F. McDonnell signed highly contentious voter identification legislation and, in a move meant to quell concerns that it would disenfranchise some people, ordered elections officials to send new cards to everyone registered in the state.

• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Judge Refuses to Resign
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   May 21, 2012
• State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin is charged with directing and condoning the use of taxpayer-funded staff to fuel her 2009 campaign for a seat on the court and she has been stripped of her judicial duties. That means she is effectively suspended, raising uneasy questions for the state’s most powerful bench.

• Anti-NATO Hackers Shut Down Chicago's Website
• Source: Chicago Tribune   |   Chicago   |   May 21, 2012
• Anti-NATO hackers brought down the city of Chicago's home page for hours Sunday as leaders of the military alliance met in Chicago and thousands of protesters took to the streets. A group posted a YouTube video claiming it was "actively engaged in actions against the Chicago Police Department" because of the way police were treating protesters.

• Joplin's Zoning Laws Cause Neighbor Disputes a Year After Tornado
• Source: Wall Street Journal   |   Joplin, Mo.   |   May 21, 2012
• A year after being hit by a massive tornado, Joplin, Mo., has rebuilt quickly. But disputes over insurance payouts and laissez-faire zoning laws have some neighbors bickering.

• Fracking in North Carolina May Have Extra Risks
• Source: Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   May 21, 2012
• North Carolina’s flirtation with fracking is increasingly looking like the real thing, with Republican lawmakers poised to pass sweeping legislation this summer that would lead to drilling for natural gas. But fracking here will likely entail greater risks to drinking water supplies and may require special measures not used in other states.