Source: Newark Star-Ledger | New Jersey |
June 14, 2013
A three-judge appellate panel has rejected a challenge to Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to call a special election to fill the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s seat in October, three weeks before the regularly scheduled November election.
The Department of Corrections has fired State Parole Chief Tim Hand in the wake of the murder of corrections chief Tom Clements, whom officials believe was killed by a parolee.
Source: Washington Post | Virginia |
June 14, 2013
A complex legal dispute over mineral rights in Virginia’s coal country has become the latest battleground in the state’s bitterly fought gubernatorial race, with Democrats accusing Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II of improperly siding with out-of-state energy companies against Virginians who say the firms cheated them out of natural gas royalties.
After 30 municipalities passed laws requiring residents to tell police when their guns disappear, the legislature is reconsidering a statewide proposal that failed in 2008 to do just that.
Rich Harvey, the commander of the federal incident-management team that took over firefighting duties early Thursday, estimated containment at 5 percent.
Most of the 45 states that adopted the Common Core State Standards haven’t updated their high school graduation requirements to comply with the new K-12 academic standards, according to a new report.
In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court has sided with Oklahoma over the Tarrant Regional Water District of Texas in a case that could have national implications for water supplies.
The trend — coming at a time of heightened privacy concerns after recent revelations of secret federal surveillance of telephone calls and Internet traffic — is expected only to accelerate after the Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding a Maryland statute allowing the authorities to collect DNA samples from those arrested for serious crimes.
Nationally, six straight years of revenue declines have put enormous pressure on state and local governments, nevertheless, some are thriving. Standard & Poor's, the credit-rating agency, reports that it issued more bond upgrades than downgrades in 2012.
The Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act are in full swing. With the influx of people who will be applying for benefits and the ACA requirement for online enrollment, it is more important than ever to verify the identities of those accessing benefits up front.