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.
Lawmakers and hunting advocates in North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts and West Virginia are working to change "blue laws" that ban hunting on Sunday.
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.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | Philadelphia |
April 26, 2013
In a move that the LGBT community called "historic," City Council approved a bill yesterday that would require the city's health plan to pay for transgender city workers to complete "gender-confirmation surgery."
The long-anticipated launch of the Chicago program appears to be set for June. Initially the program will be federally funded, but officials say eventually it will pay for itself as it expands.
Source: AP/Seattle Times | Washington state |
April 25, 2013
Prosecutors and crime-lab scientists say a little-noticed provision in Washington’s new law legalizing recreational marijuana has jeopardized their ability to go after any pot crimes at all, and they’re calling for an immediate fix in the Legislature.
Source: Sacramento Bee | California |
April 25, 2013
Brown is seeking to give local school districts greater flexibility in how they spend state money by eliminating most of California's "categorical" funding – pots of money that can be used only for certain purposes.
BY: McClatchy News | Los Angeles, Calif. |
April 24, 2013
The Los Angeles City Council approved a plan to begin moving away from coal-fired energy, despite warnings from a Department of Water and Power watchdog that the shift could cost more than $650 million.
Amazon is now fighting eBay in an all-out civil war in the U.S. Senate, where a bill to set national sales tax standards for online retailers is up for debate.
Source: Sacramento Bee | California |
April 24, 2013
Citing the need to ensure equal treatment for indigent Californians, lawmakers advanced a homeless rights bill that they said has been narrowed to assuage the concerns of businesses and city governments.
The new, tiny unites aren’t required to provide any parking and avoid design and environmental review as well as notice to neighbors that usually is required for big, multifamily projects.
Source: Berkeleyside | Berkeley, Calif. |
April 24, 2013
A Berkeley municipal staff member mistakenly disclosed the social security numbers of everyone who works for the city while responding to a public records request, and the city recently sent a letter to staff informing them of the error.
No one knows if Florida is going to be the next frontier for the new generation of oil and gas drilling known as fracking, but state legislators say — just in case — it’s time to write rules to require disclosure of the controversial technology.
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.