• Maryland a Hub for Cybersecurity
• Source: Politico   |   Maryland   |   November 27, 2012
• Maryland lawmakers have jockeyed for years to position their state as an epicenter for protecting the nation’s digital defenses.

• Solar Power Plants Burden the Counties That Host Them in California
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   November 26, 2012
• Several counties in California are now pushing back against solar developers, asking them to cover the costs of servicing the new industry.
• 3 Comments

• State Prescription Drug Databases Going Underused
• BY: McClatchy News   |   North Carolina   |   November 26, 2012
• Mirroring national usage rates, only one-third of prescribers and one-fifth of the state's pharmacists are registered to use the database that tracks patients' history with addictive drugs.

• Courts, Legislatures Divided over Police Searches of Cellphones
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   November 26, 2012
• Judges and lawmakers across the country are wrangling over whether and when law enforcement authorities can peer into suspects’ cellphones, and the cornucopia of evidence they provide.

• Waiting to Exhale: GPS Inhalers Identify Asthma Hotspots
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   November 26, 2012
• Louisville, Ky., is pushing the limits of how government can use data to create a healthier living environment.
• 2 Comments

• The Last Tax-Free Cyber Monday for Online Retailers?
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   November 26, 2012
• As states are estimated to lose out on as much as $23.26 billion of revenue today, a coalition of small business leaders is lobbying Congress to require most online retailers to collect sales taxes.
• 1 Comments

• Local Governments Pursue Independent Broadband Despite Challenges
• BY: Brian Heaton   |   November 21, 2012
• Experts explain how municipalities can create a publicly owned community broadband network.
• 2 Comments

• South Carolina Revenue Chief Resigns After Tax System Hacked
• Source: AP/Charlotte Observer   |   South Carolina   |   November 21, 2012
• State officials did not do enough to prevent a cyberattack at South Carolina’s tax collection agency that exposed the personal data of nearly 4 million individual filers and 700,000 businesses, Gov. Nikki Haley said.

• Massachusetts Pushes Amazon to Collect Sales Taxes
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   November 21, 2012
• The Patrick administration is pressing Amazon.com Inc. to begin collecting sales taxes from Massachusetts customers as early as next year, arguing it is no longer exempt under federal law from charging the tax.

• Thinking Outside the (Ballot) Box
• BY: Robert Knisely   |   November 20, 2012
• We shouldn't have to stand in long lines to vote. If Estonians can cast their ballots over the Internet, why can't Americans?
• 1 Comments

• Idaho Repeals Online Class Requirement for Students
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Idaho   |   November 20, 2012
• The state Board of Education repealed the rule requiring every student take at least two online classes after voters rejected the tech-heavy "Students Come First" school reform laws.

• Oklahoma on Expanding Medicaid and Creating Health Exchanges: No
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Oklahoma   |   November 20, 2012
• Gov. Mary Fallin rejected state participation in a health-care exchange and expansion of the state's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.

• Tennessee Gov. Haslam: Feds Failed to Answer Health Exchange Questions
• Source: Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   November 20, 2012
• A lack of information from the White House is delaying a decision about whether the state should run its own health insurance exchange under the new federal health care law, Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said.
• 2 Comments

• Utah to Run Its Own Health Exchange -- For Now
• Source: Salt Lake Tribune   |   Utah   |   November 20, 2012
• Instead of bringing Utah’s exchange, Avenue H, up to new federal standards, Republican Gov. Gary Herbert announced that he wants to keep it as is.

• Engineers Test Balloon to Keep Tunnels from Flooding
• Source: New York Times   |   Nation   |   November 20, 2012
• The three-minute procedure was the latest test of a device that may someday help guard real tunnels during disasters like Hurricane Sandy, whose wind-driven surge of water overwhelmed New York City’s subway system, shutting it down for days.