• The Cost of Utah's Medicaid Data Breach
• Source: Salt Lake Tribune   |   Utah   |   April 29, 2013
• Utah’s 2012 health data breach — a security slip that exposed the personal information of three-quarters of a million residents to hackers — has costt he state about $9 million on security audits, upgrades and credit monitoring for victims — and that’s just the beginning.

• Black Voter Turnout Passed Whites for 1st Time in 2012
• Source: AP/Politico   |   Nation   |   April 29, 2013
• America’s blacks voted at a higher rate than other minority groups in 2012 and by most measures surpassed the white turnout for the first time, reflecting a deeply polarized presidential election in which blacks strongly supported Barack Obama while many whites stayed home.

• Tennessee's Welfare Drug Testing Program Faces Hurdles
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   April 29, 2013
• Tennessee is plunging ahead with a plan to drug test some welfare applicants even though a Florida judge stopped a similar program over constitutional issues and Arizona authorities caught only one welfare-receiving drug abuser in three years.

• Sandy Cleanup Costs Double in NYC Compared to New Jersey
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   April 29, 2013
• New York’s high cost was driven largely by how far the city had to transport its waste — and what it took to get it to a landfill in the Finger Lakes region west of Syracuse, according to Col. John Pilot, who headed the city’s cleanup efforts.

• 4 States Seek to Lift Sunday Hunting Bans
• Source: USA Today   |   Nation   |   April 29, 2013
• Lawmakers and hunting advocates in North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia are working to change "blue laws" that ban hunting on Sunday.

• Should Universities Move Away From a Liberal Arts Education?
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 29, 2013
• Some governors have proposed prioritizing funding for high-demand degrees in science and technology fields.
• 6 Comments

• What Anthony Foxx's Nomination Means for Transit
• BY: Ryan Holeywell   |   April 29, 2013
• The Charlotte mayor's nomination as DOT secretary is being viewed as an overture to the role of metro areas in transportation planning.
• 1 Comments

• Why States Are Using Welfare to Pay for Housing
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   April 29, 2013
• A program to lift people out of homelessness under President Obama's stimulus package yielded some encouraging early results, but lacks a long-term funding source. Some states are turning to welfare.

• State Pre-K Funding Hits Historic Low
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   April 29, 2013
• As Obama pushes for universal preschool, a new report shows that states endured a historic drop in pre-K funding last year, and enrollment stagnated for the first time in years.
• 1 Comments

• America’s Rural-Urban Divide is Growing
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   April 28, 2013
• Rural populations are shrinking as Americans migrate to cities and suburbs. As a result, rural areas are mobilizing to grow and convince residents to stay.
• 2 Comments

• U.S. County Population Change Map: 2010-2012
• BY: Mike Maciag   |   April 26, 2013
• Map shows changes in county population between 2010 and 2012.

• Ohio to Join 2 Other States with Arsonist Registry
• BY: Brian Peteritas   |   Ohio   |   April 26, 2013
• Looking to reduce the economic and human cost of arson, the state is creating an arsonist registry to make catching repeat offenders easier.

• Will the Detroit Mayor Run for Re-Election?
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Detroit   |   April 26, 2013
• Detroit's Dave Bing has taken the first steps towards exploring a bid for reelection. An already crowded field will mean an uphill battle for the unpopular mayor, who has taken blame for the city's financial meltdown that led to a state-takeover.

• Washington Joins Race to Secure Drone Testing
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Washington state   |   April 26, 2013
• A consortium of several organizations in the state announced that it will submit a bid to the Federal Aviation Administration to be considered for one of the six federally designated test facilities for aerial drones.

• Georgia Quietly OKs Immigration Crackdown
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Georgia   |   April 26, 2013
• As Congress considers immigration reform, Gov. Nathan Deal signed sweeping legislation that bars undocumented immigrants from obtaining state driver's licenses, grants, public housing and retirement benefits.