• Virginia Lt. Gov. Nominee Has 'No Apologies' for Comments on Gays, Abortion
• Source: Washington Post   |   Virginia   |   May 22, 2013
• E.W. Jackson, a virtual unknown who has never held public office, suggested that Planned Parenthood has done more to hurt blacks than the Ku Klux Klan and called gays and lesbians “perverted” and “very sick people.”

• Creating the Courts Americans Want
• BY: Babak Armajani,Kevin Burke   |   May 22, 2013
• The public is dissatisfied with our courts. What the judicial system needs is a culture of performance-based innovation.

• Education Spending Fell in 2011: See How Your State Compares
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   May 21, 2013
• Per pupil spending fell for the first time ever in fiscal year 2011, with 21 states reporting declines. See rankings and totals for each state.

• Rail Subcommittee Questions Value of Amtrak's Long-Haul Routes
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   May 21, 2013
• As passenger rail legislation expires this fall, those money-losing routes could be in the cross hairs of House Republicans.
• 2 Comments

• New Portal Compares States' Energy Profiles
• BY: Brian Heaton   |   May 21, 2013
• Government officials now have access to vast amounts of data to help develop state energy policy and assess energy sustainability.

• Feds Approve Va. Project Coordinating Medicare, Medicaid
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Virginia   |   May 21, 2013
• Virginia is the sixth state to reach an agreement with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to run a pilot project coordinating care for dual eligibles.

• S.C. Treasurer Clashes with State Pension Commission
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   May 21, 2013
• Curtis Loftis has made it his mission to overhaul the investment commission that oversees the state’s pension fund. But it hasn't been easy.
• 10 Comments

• Suburban Poverty Growth Outpacing Urban Cores
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2013
• During the 2000s, the number of poor living in U.S. suburbs grew by 64 percent -- more than twice the 29 percent growth rate in cities.

• Supreme Court to Reexamine Church-State Separation at Government Meetings
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2013
• The Supreme Court has agreed to revisit the issue of church-state separation and decide whether a town council can begin most of its monthly meetings with a prayer from a Christian pastor.
• 7 Comments

• Obama Declares Oklahoma Tornado a Major Disaster
• Source: USA Today   |   Oklahoma   |   May 21, 2013
• At least 51 people were killed when a massive tornado blasted through central Oklahoma, flattening neighborhoods and destroying two elementary schools. The grim work of search, rescue and recovery continues today.
• 2 Comments

• Judge Allows 1,000s of UC Medical Workers to Strike
• Source: Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   May 21, 2013
• A Sacramento judge Monday refused to stop a strike today by thousands of employees at the UC Davis Medical Center and four other UC hospitals – but ordered a limited number of critical care employees to stay on the job.

• Unions Win Big Victory in Minnesota
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   May 21, 2013
• The Democratic Legislature eked out a major victory for organized labor, giving in-home child-care providers and personal care attendants the right to unionize at a time when union power is in full retreat in many state capitols.

• Federal-Run Health Exchanges Won't Mirror Massachusetts'
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Nation   |   May 21, 2013
• Massachusetts, which served as the model for Obamacare, conducts competitive bidding to promote cost-efficient plans in its exchange. But in the 34 states where the federal government will be running the exchange, the government has decided to permit any plan to qualify that meets a minimum set of standards set by the law.

• Alaska Pushes Feds on Arctic Drilling
• Source: Politico   |   Alaska   |   May 21, 2013
• Alaskan officials are hoping to prod the federal government into measuring the amount of oil and gas beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and are offering state money as part of their plan to push the project forward.
• 2 Comments

• L.A. Elections May be Decided by Older, White Voters
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Los Angeles   |   May 21, 2013
• A survey of likely voters finds that non-Latino whites make up 32 percent of the city's population but are likely to total 51 percent of the vote. Latinos make up 44 percent of the population, but many are ineligible to vote.