• Nonprofits Draw States' Money, But Not Much Oversight
• BY: The Center for Public Integrity   |   Nation   |   June 12, 2013
• Ethics experts say questionable ties between nonprofits and politicians are on the rise, but state scrutiny is often ineffective.

• Washington State Prepares for Shutdown as Special Session Begins
• Source: Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   June 12, 2013
• With the legislature headed into a second special session and no budget yet approved, the governor is making plans for a possible government shutdown should the current state budget expire without a new one.

• Arizona Gov. Brewer Calls Special Session for Budget, Medicaid Expansion
• Source: Arizona Capitol Times   |   Arizona   |   June 12, 2013
• Some denounced the governor’s decision to call a special session as unnecessary and antagonistic, while many avoided the floor and instead sat in the gallery. Others left their respective chambers in protest.

• Ballot Initiative to Expand Gun Background Checks Submitted in Washington State
• Source: AP/Oregonian   |   Washington state   |   June 12, 2013
• Both federal and state lawmakers passed on similar proposals.

• Planned Parenthood, ACLU Sue Alabama over Abortion Clinic Law
• Source: Reuters   |   Alabama   |   June 12, 2013
• The law, signed by Gov. Robert Bentley in April and set to take effect next month, requires every doctor who performs an abortion at a clinic to have staff privileges at a local hospital.

• NYC Bike-Share Program Faces Problems Unlike Anywhere Else
• Source: New York Times   |   New York City   |   June 12, 2013
• The city's new program has had technical errors of a magnitude never experienced by bike-share programs in other major American cities.

• Kansas to Start Teaching Evolution, Climate Change in Kindergarten
• Source: AP/Kansas City Star   |   Kansas   |   June 12, 2013
• The Kansas school board has approved new multistate science standards for public schools that treat evolution and climate change as key concepts to be taught from kindergarten through the 12th grade.
• 2 Comments

• D.C.’s Educare a Preschool Model for the U.S.
• Source: Washington Post   |   District of Columbia   |   June 12, 2013
• NE D.C.’s state-of-the-art Educare, funded both publicly and privately, celebrates its first birthday.
• 1 Comments

• Thousands Evacuated as Wildfire Burns Through Colorado
• Source: CNN   |   Colorado   |   June 12, 2013
• More than 3,600 people were evacuated as a wildfire in east central Colorado burned quickly through dry timber Tuesday.

• When Local Governments' Pensions Are Beyond Their Control
• BY: Susan K. Urahn   |   June 12, 2013
• Many cities and counties are tied to state pension systems. That can be a liability, but it also can be an asset.
• 2 Comments

• Tea Party Group Threatens Support for Gov. Snyder over Medicaid Expansion
• Source: Detroit Free Press   |   Michigan   |   June 12, 2013
• A coalition of tea party groups sent an open letter to Gov. Rick Snyder on Tuesday, saying he risks losing their support for re-election for his embrace of Medicaid expansion as part of the federal Affordable Care Act.

• When Child Services and the Media Work Together
• BY: Jonathan Walters   |   June 11, 2013
• The Colorado Department of Human Services and The Denver Post prove that the relationship between government and media doesn't have to be adversarial.
• 2 Comments

• Chicago Public Schools Releases Five-Year Plan
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Chicago, Ill.   |   June 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.

• STEM Jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
• BY: Michael Maciag   |   June 11, 2013
• Maps shows jobs requiring STEM skills for each metro area

• Transportation Funding Added to Texas' Special Session Agenda
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   June 11, 2013
• Gov. Rick Perry has asked the legislature to consider the funding of transportation infrastructure projects during their current special session.