• Amtrak Unveils Locomotives to Replace Aging Fleet
• Source: AP/The Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Nation   |   May 13, 2013
• When Amtrak unveils the first of 70 new locomotives Monday at a plant in California, it will mark what the national passenger railroad service hopes will be a new era of better reliability, streamlined maintenance and better energy efficiency.

• Minnesota Poised to Become 12th Same-Sex Marriage State
• Source: Reuters/Yahoo   |   Minnesota   |   May 13, 2013
• The Minnesota Senate is expected to give final approval on Monday to a bill that would make the state the 12th in the United States to allow same-sex couples to marry and only the second in the Midwest.

• Voting Rights Activists Strike Back on Elections Laws
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   May 10, 2013
• Trying to stem the tide of restrictive voting measures passed in recent years by Republicans, voting rights activists have successfully targeted states controlled by Democrats to win reforms expanding voting rights.
• 2 Comments

• Texas Scrutinizes Chemical Stockpiles in Wake of Plant Explosion
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   May 10, 2013
• Following the explosion of a fertilizer plant last month, officials and residents across the state are reexamining safety regulations.

• Washington State Court System Hacking Exposes 160,000 Social Security Numbers
• Source: JDJournal   |   May 10, 2013
• Officials of Washington State said on Thursday that the Washington State Court System website has been hacked and about a million driver's license numbers and about 160,000 Social Security numbers may have been accessed.

• Minnesota House Approves Gay Marriage
• Source: AP/Yahoo   |   May 10, 2013
• A historic vote Thursday in the Minnesota House positioned that state to become the 12th in the country to allow gay marriages and the first in the Midwest to pass such a law out of its Legislature.

• Maryland Lt. Gov. Plans Run for Governor
• Source: The Washington Post   |   May 10, 2013
• Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown is expected to announce his plans to run for Governor in a speech today. The speech will also lay out several campaign priorities, including a stepped-up focus on fighting racial and other disparities in health care, education and employment.

• Oregon Coal Export Terminal Plans Put on Hold
• Source: The Los Angeles Times   |   Oregon   |   May 10, 2013
• The battle over plans for a series of massive coal export terminals across the Pacific Northwest took a new turn Wednesday when the energy company Kinder Morgan announced it was dropping its plan to build a $200-million facility on the Columbia River in northern Oregon.

• Obama, Perry Both Take Credit for Impressive Texas Jobs Growth
• Source: Time   |   Texas   |   May 10, 2013
• Texas has been a monster job creator over the past ten years with steady employment growth despite massive increases in the state's labor pool and a spike in unemployment in 2009.

• California Assembly Approves Two Bills for Transgender Rights
• Source: The Sacramento Bee   |   California   |   May 10, 2013
• Two bills aimed at eliminating obstacles facing transgender people cleared the Assembly largely along party lines Thursday, including one measure to let students choose the bathroom and sports team that correlates with their gender identity.

• Former Calif. Lt. Gov. Criticizes State's Prison Policies
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   May 9, 2013
• In a speech where he hinted at a possible run for governor, former Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado called out Gov. Jerry Brown for his handling of prison crowding in the state, calling the policies being pursued an "early release" program.

• 'Caylee's Law' on Missing Children Sent to North Carolina Governor
• Source: AP/Raleigh News & Observer   |   North Carolina   |   May 9, 2013
• The bill, inspired by the case of Caylee Anthony, makes it a felony when parents knowingly fail to report to police their child has been missing for at least 24 hours.

• Medical Marijuana Regulations Finalized in Massachusetts
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   May 9, 2013
• Companies hoping to sell marijuana for medical use in Massachusetts will be required to hire an independent lab to test their products for contaminants, under final rules that regulators approved by unanimous vote.

• Bills to Increase Oversight of Oil and Gas Industry Fail in Colorado
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   May 9, 2013
• The administration of Gov. John Hickenlooper, as well as the oil and gas industry, opposed several of the bills.

• Oregon Secretary of State Tweaks Automatic Voter-Registration Bill in Search of Support
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   May 9, 2013
• Kate Brown said she has agreed to changes to address privacy concerns, as well as worries from minor political parties faced with rapidly increasing their numbers to keep their ballot status.

Most Viewed

This Section    |    Whole Site

• Skagit River Bridge That Collapsed Wasn't Built to Take Critical Hit
• Kardashian Pulls T-Shirt from Shelves After Gov. Cuomo Threatened Lawsuit
• Massachusetts Lt. Gov. to Resign
• Unions Win Big Victory in Minnesota
• Obama Declares Oklahoma Tornado a Major Disaster

• Skagit River Bridge That Collapsed Wasn't Built to Take Critical Hit
• Kardashian Pulls T-Shirt from Shelves After Gov. Cuomo Threatened Lawsuit
• Massachusetts Lt. Gov. to Resign
• Creating the Courts Americans Want
• Success of Gun Buyback in Phoenix May Backfire

Comments

• U.S. AG Holder, Gov. Brownback Spar over Kansas' New Gun Law
  
  "RE: your response to me - I understand your confusion. Our tendency to devalue historical..."
• Colorado Becomes 14th State to Offer Undocumented Immigrants In-State Tuition
  
  "Finally, while I do agree with you that people who cheat the system should not be given..."
• Felons' Voting Rights Could Impact 2012 Election
  
  "well that exulated quickly......"
• Study: Medicaid Improves Mental But Not Physical Health
  
  "Shame on me for forgetting to cite my sources:
  
  http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2013/may/10/oregon-medicaid-participant-view-of-the-program.aspx..."
• Supreme Court to Reexamine Church-State Separation at Government Meetings
  
  "There is everything in the constituation that says laws may not be written such that your..."

Training Opportunities

• Health Care Reform After the Decision
• In this Mercer Report, you’ll learn how different organizations plan to tackle the new requirements of ACA and discover where most employer concerns are focused, who expects to be hardest hit, and how different health plans and Medicaid may impact overall costs.
• Crime Prediction and Prevention


• Accelerating Economic Growth and Vitality