• Florida Blocks Local Votes on Mandatory Paid-Sick-Time Measures
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   June 18, 2013
• Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill Friday that would block local governments from enacting mandatory paid-sick-time measures, such as the one pending in Orange County.

• Garcetti Aims to Be Different Kind of L.A. Mayor
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Los Angeles, Calif.   |   June 18, 2013
• Since his victory last month, Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti has set himself to the task of being a more low-key public official than his predecessor. He is not using a transition team studded with big names and has scraped plans for a black-tie inaugural ball, opting instead for a public party in Grand Park with music and food.

• National Shortage of Large Air Tankers Hampers Firefighting Efforts
• Source: The Denver Post   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• A growing challenge for fire commanders attempting to slow and contain dangerous fires is a continued shortage of large air tankers that are available to them.

• Fracking Fuels Water Battles in Drought Plagued States
• Source: AP/Politico   |   Nation   |   June 18, 2013
• In Arkansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming, the vast majority of the counties where fracking is occurring are also suffering from drought, according to an Associated Press analysis of industry-compiled fracking data and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s official drought designations.

• Phildadelphia Schools Face Severe Budget Cuts
• Source: The New York Times   |   Philadelphia, Pa.   |   June 17, 2013
• Lacking adequate state funding and using a draconian budget passed by the Philadelphia School District last month, some schools may be forced to cut all support staff including nurses, aides, counselors, and security monitors and still be short money for books. Mayor Michael A. Nutter is seeking an additional $304 million in extra revenue from the city, the state and teachers' givebacks, but thus far has failed to come up with the money.

• California's Inland City Budgets Remain Weak
• Source: The Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   June 17, 2013
• California's monthly report on jobs and unemployment includes a county-by-county breakdown that shows a sharp east-west economic split with cities along the coast recovering well from the recession while inland cities remain mired in deficits and high unemployment.

• Bloomberg Explores Requiring Food Composting in NYC
• Source: The New York Times   |   New York City   |   June 17, 2013
• Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has tried to curb soda consumption, ban smoking in parks and encourage bike riding, is taking on a new cause: requiring New Yorkers to separate their food scraps for composting.

• Detroit EM Proposes End to Retirees' Health Coverage
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Detroit   |   June 14, 2013
• Following in Chicago's footsteps, the city's emergency manager wants to send retired public employees to Obamacare’s health insurance marketplaces to buy coverage -- a plan that's likely to face lawsuits.
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• EPA Orders Minnesota to Increase Water Pollution Prevention Efforts
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Minnesota   |   June 14, 2013
• About a dozen states face similar petitions pending at the EPA, most filed by citizen groups that say state regulators are not doing enough to enforce the Clean Water Act.

• Private Preschools See More Public Funds as Classes Grow
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 14, 2013
• Across the country, states and districts are increasingly funneling public funds to religious schools, private nursery schools and a variety of community-based nonprofit organizations that conduct preschool classes.

• Philadelphia Council OKs New Property, Cigarette Taxes
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Philadelphia   |   June 14, 2013
• Regarding school funding, Council unanimously passed a new $2-per-pack cigarette tax as part of Mayor Nutter's plan to help the school district close a $304 million budget hole.

• Legal Fight over Drilling Money Seeps into Virginia Governor’s Race
• 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.

• Record-Breaking Colorado Fire Kills 2, Burns 379 Homes
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   June 14, 2013
• Rich Harvey, the commander of the federal incident-management team that took over firefighting duties early Thursday, estimated containment at 5 percent.

• More Police Agencies Collecting DNA Records
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   June 13, 2013
• 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.

• Indiana Lawmakers Override Gov. Pence's Income-Tax Veto
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   June 13, 2013
• The votes defied the normal political alliances, with most Democrats backing the Republican governor, and most Republicans voting to reject his veto.

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Comments

• Water Fluoridation Debate Divides Portland, Oregon
  
  "Portland only advocates for rich white people things, like bike lanes...."
• Chicago Police Tactics Reverse Rising Homicide Rate
  
  "Sorry Doc but you're short on facts (again). Its not about gun control laws, its about..."
• California School Suspensions Seen as Caused by 'Defiance'
  
  "I find it interesting that if a person makes too much noise, or is disruptive in a movie..."
• Portland Voters Reject Fluoridation for the 4th Time Since 1956
  
  "Biking is the best medicine?
  
  Or, it just might knock out all your teeth?
  
  Or, no fluoride..."
• Baltimore City Council Approves Bill Requiring Contractors to Hire Residents
  
  "Good start however addressing felony conviction hires will allow residents to be disgualified..."