• Which States Export the Most to China?
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   June 7, 2013
• U.S. relations with China are important to states, many of which have seen exports to China triple and, in some cases, quadruple in the last 10 years. Those trade relationships are sure to be discussed by President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping at meetings starting today.

• Majority of Americans See Same-Sex Marriage as a Certainty
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nation   |   June 7, 2013
• Nearly three-quarters of Americans say same-sex marriage has reached the point in which it is certain to become legal, according to a newly released poll from the Pew Research Center.

• Illinois Governor Calls Special Legislative Session for Pension Reform
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Illinois   |   June 7, 2013
• Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn is summoning lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session June 19 to try to break a stalemate over the state's massive public employee pension debt that triggered two downgrades from major credit rating agencies this week.
• 1 Comments

• Judge Dismisses Gov. Corbett's Lawsuit over NCAA's Penn State Penalties
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Pennsylvania   |   June 7, 2013
• A federal judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit and concluded there was no legal basis for the governor to challenge the sanctions assessed against Penn State University last year in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

• Audit Finds Half of Colorado's Prison Sentences May be Too Short
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   June 7, 2013
• In some cases, offenders are being returned from parole or community supervision and some offenders are being notified of longer prison sentences.
• 2 Comments

• Iowa Gov. Branstad's Old Friendship with China's President May Guide Obama
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   June 7, 2013
• President Barack Obama is openning a lengthy and high-profile series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California Friday.

• Detroit to Offer Creditors Pennies on the Dollar to Avoid Bankruptcy
• Source: Detroit Free Press   |   Detroit   |   June 7, 2013
• Detroit’s attempt to avoid bankruptcy will hit a critical stage next week as emergency manager Kevyn Orr brings together dozens of creditors to present a stark offer: less than 10 cents on the dollar for the loans, bonds, retiree obligations and other debts that have been strangling the city for years.

• Poll: Gay Marriage Should be Decided by the States
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 7, 2013
• A solid majority of Americans opposes a broad national right to same-sex marriage, saying the power to legalize gay unions should rest with the states — even as most support marriage equality for gay people, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

• Iowa Denies Paying Psychics to Solve Crimes
• Source: AP/Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   June 7, 2013
• A spokesman said that the public safety commissioner believes investigators should follow every lead, including those from psychics, but he said the department isn’t using psychics “as some sort of philosophy."

• New Hampshire Grants 14 Slaves Freedom 2 Centuries After They Asked for it
• Source: AP/Boston Globe   |   New Hampshire   |   June 7, 2013
• New Hampshire is posthumously emancipating 14 slaves who fought in the Revolutionary War and had asked state lawmakers for their freedom more than 200 years ago.
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• Northeastern Colorado Considers Seceding from State
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   June 7, 2013
• The plan to carve off the northeastern corner of the state — Weld, Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma and Kit Carson counties — and form the state of North Colorado was hatched at a Colorado Counties Inc. conference earlier this week.

• Pennsylvania Employees’ Unions Fail to Pay for Political Deductions
• Source: TribLive   |   Pennsylvania   |   June 7, 2013
• Despite a contract requiring unions representing state workers to reimburse the state for deducting voluntary contributions to political action committees, no such payments have been made, according to a sworn affidavit obtained by the Tribune-Review.

• State Takeover of Camden Schools Approved
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   Camden, N.J.   |   June 7, 2013
• The state Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Gov. Chris Christie's plan to seize control of the state's lowest performing school district starting June 25, the last day of school this year.

• Some Furious over Faster Speed Limits
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   June 7, 2013
• In the last few months, lawmakers in four states have voted to increase speed limits. Studies show doing so doesn't cause more accidents, but critics say it makes them more severe.
• 28 Comments

• Phoenix's Route to Pension Armageddon
• BY: Charles Chieppo   |   June 6, 2013
• Some police and firefighters are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in pension payouts, draining the city's finances and helping to shrink the public-safety workforce. Pension benefits need to be tied to contributions.
• 8 Comments