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Minnesota's electricity providers would have to generate all their energy from clean sources, like solar and wind, by 2050 or sooner, under a proposal Gov. Tim Walz unveiled Monday.
Nearly two weeks after their first meeting, Virginia would be consumed by a series of race-related scandals embroiling the governor, first lady, and attorney general.
Thirty-six rural nursing homes across the country have been forced to close in the last decade because they failed to meet health and safety standards.
As he took office, DeSantis said he planned to be the governor for all Floridians, including those who didn't vote for him.
The attorneys general of Oregon and New York led the group of states, as well as the District of Columbia, in announcing their lawsuit Monday.
Years before the Trump administration's family planning changes, the state of Texas cut funding from reproductive health clinics. Low-income women felt the impact the most.
Jose Oliva, a Republican politician from Miami Lakes, trotted out the phrase five times during an interview late last week while discussing abortion law.
Chicago has been plagued with violent crime, and it has achieved unwanted attention for lawlessness, such as weekend crime sprees. But police said they have been making strides to address the problem.
Ducey did not publicly comment on the specifics of the bills said he would veto any legislation that would jeopardize public health.
Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert said at a news conference Saturday that Sacramento police Officers Terrence Mercadal and Jared Robinet reasonably believed Clark was armed with a firearm and that they were in imminent danger.
The tactics help Amazon squeeze as much as possible out of politicians.
At issue is the number of hours the armed teachers and staffers would have to train, the 27 in the district's policy or the more than 728 required of peace officers.
These new machines still pose unacceptable risks in an election that U.S. intelligence officials expect to be a prime target for disruption by countries such as Russia and China.
Hickenlooper becomes the second governor to jump into the sprawling Democratic 2020 contest.
A Miami suburb might be the first in the nation to let residents participate in -- not just watch -- public meetings from anywhere they have an internet connection.
The Alabama Department of Corrections has enlisted more than 300 law enforcement officers from seven state and local organizations to track down contraband in a north Alabama prison.
Maine's former governor -- who left office last month -- argued the Electoral College is necessary to keep white people in power.
The new legislation, which passed unanimously in the Senate 60-0 and 104-0 in the Assembly, also allows victims to pursue a civil case against the person spreading private photos online.
The House of Delegates publicly censured Harford County Delegate Mary Ann Lisanti on Thursday night for her use of a racial slur, which members said "brought dishonor to the entire General Assembly of Maryland."
The "sick out" was organized by the group KY 120 United, a reference to the state's 120 counties, which encouraged teachers in a Facebook post Wednesday night to call in sick.
Dozens of New York political, union and business leaders are trying to get Amazon to reconsider its decision to abandon its plans for a major campus in Queens.
While governors are frequently dominant figures in presidential primaries, Inslee is the first sitting or former governor to join the race for the Democratic nomination.
It's the first in the nation to pass a rent control law that covers tenants across an entire state.
A growing number of state agencies -- mostly in places with no paid family leave -- are letting public employees bring their infants to the office.
Kentucky and Illinois are weighing extreme options to reduce their pension debt -- but critics say they could ultimately cost the states more.
Pedestrian deaths continue to climb, even as other traffic fatalities decline. Nearly half of the deaths occurred in just five states.
Dr. Amy Acton, 53, who for seven years was an assistant professor in Ohio State University's College of Public Health, will be the director of the 1,100-employee agency, DeWine said.
The lawsuit, brought by Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, heard evidence that hearing-impaired prisoners had no effective way of talking with their loved ones by phone and couldn't be sure they'd be notified of a prison emergency such as a fire.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. pushed back Wednesday on a new report alleging the company repeatedly delayed planned safety upgrades to a transmission line in the area where California's deadliest and most destructive wildfire started last year.
Dubbed “constitutional carry” by its supporters, the bill passed the Senate on a 40-6 vote with every Republican and one Democrat voting in favor. It already sailed through the GOP-controlled House .
Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, has thrown her support behind U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, who formally announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Feb. 1.
Public health experts and officials blame the exemptions as one reason why states are seeing an increased number of cases of measles.
Virginia First Lady Pam Northam, who told her husband not to moonwalk during a press conference about wearing blackface, reportedly handed out cotton to black students on a tour of the governor's mansion.
The new probe indicates widening interest among law enforcement officials into Trump's inaugural, which is also being investigated by prosecutors in New York and New Jersey.
Some states are finding ways to make rules easier to navigate and less costly for business while continuing to protect the public's interests.
Unless the government gets both issues under control, public health experts say President Trump will never realize his goal of eradicating HIV.
After PG&E's bankruptcy and downgrades, S&P says more could follow if the state doesn't reform utility regulations.
Dennis Richardson, the Oregon secretary of state and first Republican elected to the position in three decades, died of brain cancer Tuesday night at age 69.
In a decision that stunned both parties, Judge G. Bryan Collins ruled last Friday that the state's lawmakers don't have the power to pass constitutional amendments. His reasoning traces back to racial gerrymandering.
Google's plan to build a $600 million data center in the central Minnesota city of Becker is drawing support from both renewable energy advocates and local government officials fretting the impending closure of a large, coal-fired power plant.
As part of an ongoing flurry of litigation in federal court here over the state’s bungled citizenship review of its voter rolls, a federal judge on Monday told a handful of Texas counties they may not — for now — purge registered voters or send them letters demanding proof of citizenship.
Republican Adam Kinzinger is a Wisconsin Air National Guard pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He ripped Evers Monday on Twitter and on Fox News for ordering Wisconsin troops to pull out of Arizona.
Mary Ann Lisanti, a Democrat in her second term from Havre de Grace, apologized Tuesday morning to the House Democratic Caucus for using the slur and released a statement asking for forgiveness.
After the 35-25 vote, Senate Bill 608 now heads to a supportive Gov. Kate Brown after speeding through the Legislature with the backing of Democratic leaders in both houses. It will take effect as soon as she signs the bill.
Senators Jessica Ramos, Julia Salazar and Brad Hoylman, as well as Assemblyman Richard Gottfried are working with Decrim NY to introduce a bill to rewrite the state’s penal code to decriminalize sex trades in the state of New York.
Authorities in Nebraska have issued subpoenas to more than 400 Catholic churches and entities requesting records related to child sexual assault, the state's Department of Justice said Tuesday.
By late Tuesday night, Lightfoot and Preckwinkle declared they had made the runoff while Daley conceded defeat.
Why do some counties have vastly more native-born residents than others?
In a rare joint effort, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday announced a 10-point plan to reorganize and fund the struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Several states have vowed to sue the Trump administration over its new rules that will withhold federal funding from health clinics that provide abortion services or referrals.
Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has indicated that he'd sign the measure, but he doubled down on his support on Sunday, telling The Hill that the Electoral College is an "undemocratic relic" and saying he's "long supported electing the president by who gets the most votes."
Nessel, a Plymouth Democrat, has withdrawn the state from 23 controversial cases that former Attorney General Bill Schuette joined during his eight years in office.
On Sunday, Mr. de Blasio met in Des Moines with the mayor, Frank Cownie and the former Iowa governor and United States agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack.
The announcement culminated a year-long review of marijuana convictions in San Francisco, which critics say disproportionately punished minority communities and made it more difficult for those with criminal records to get jobs and other essentials.
A federal judge on Friday refused to issue a preliminary injunction that would have allowed Planned Parenthood to resume offering abortions in Columbia.
Fairfax made his claim as the State senate closed their 2019 legislative session in Richmond, according to the Associated Press.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers on Monday ordered Wisconsin National Guard troops assisting with security at the southwest border to return home, an executive order immediately drawing criticism from Republicans.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday that he is moving closer to a decision on a 2020 presidential run.
The public comment period for the Trump administration's proposal ends Tuesday. Researchers say "hunger will likely increase" if it takes effect.
Three governors -- two Democrats and a Republican -- say the big tax hikes are needed to address their road and transportation problems.
Laws only work if they are properly enforced, spokesmen for the Illinois Rifle Association and the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence told CNN.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he wants to give patients access to cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, making Florida the latest state to try to import medications to reduce rising health care costs.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed legislation banning people under 21 from buying tobacco and nicotine products, a measure enacted in a state known historically for its tobacco production.
PG&E’s restructuring will test whether Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders can push to create a company free from what critics say has been a culture of cronyism between regulators and the regulated.
The new design illustrates how states are trying to think creatively to tackle one of their costliest but most important long-term challenges: providing health care access to low-income residents and people in the state’s care.
Federal health officials are not enforcing requirements for Medicaid coverage of abortion in the limited circumstances where it is legal, congressional investigators have found.
Fairfax has been accused of sexual assault in the past month by two women, both in the early 2000s, one while he was a college student at Duke University in 2000 and another at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
At the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington this weekend, many governors said the president's tariffs are hurting business in their states.
At the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington this weekend, the lack of proper workforce training was an overarching concern.
Chicago will hold its first round of voting on Tuesday to pick Rahm Emanuel's replacement. Former Clinton administration official Bill Daley is among the frontrunners, but the huge field makes it uncertain who will proceed to the April runoff.
Many of the startups have pulled out of cities in the past year.
“Income share agreements” could lower loan payments and the financial risks of paying for college.
The amount of missing and unusable public-sector data is stunning.
Automobiles hurt the quality of urban life, but radical change is politically difficult.
Another recession is in the forecast. This time, states seem ready to weather it.
For the most part, it’s a bad idea for governments to copy private-sector trends. But there may be one exception.
Garden State voters may not be able to cast ballots for President Trump in 2020 unless he's prepared to show where he gets his green.
In a last-ditch effort to force a vote on the Equal Rights Amendment during the final week of session, Democratic delegates -- encouraged by advocates -- attempted to finagle a rule change Thursday that goes against a longstanding tradition in the General Assembly.
The Trump administration Friday finalized a regulation intended to push Planned Parenthood out of the Title X federal family planning program, keeping a campaign promise to anti-abortion groups.
The principal of an elementary school in the Virginia suburbs of Washington has apologized for a gym class exercise in which pupils were told to act as runaway slaves for Black History Month.
New state laws and regulations in California, Virginia, Arizona, Ohio, Washington, Vermont and Rhode Island require physicians to “co-prescribe” or at least offer naloxone prescriptions when prescribing opioids to patients considered at high risk of overdosing.
Following a four-month investigation, agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Dale Glen Massad, 68.
Republican lawmakers, in turn, called Evers divisive for insisting on something to which they say they'll never agree: capping a state tax credit for large manufacturers.
The governor of Tennessee has apologized for participating in "Old South" parties while he was in a fraternity at Auburn University, reports say.
Oakland school teachers, nurses, counselors and their supporters rose early Thursday to protest in the first day of a strike for higher pay, smaller class sizes and more support for students.
West Virginia's students will be returning to school today after a two-day statewide teachers strike ended when the West Virginia House decided not to reconsider the state Senate's omnibus education bill.
The state elections board's vote came after four days of testimony about what the board's staff called "a coordinated, unlawful, and substantially resourced absentee ballot scheme" in Bladen and Robeson counties.
The lesson from New York City's experience with Amazon: There are smarter ways to attract businesses than just dangling tax breaks.
Protesting teachers likely won't be the only public employees who see pay raises and workplace improvements this year.
Already-faltering negotiations between the Trump administration and California aimed at resolving a dispute over fuel-economy standards have broken down completely, according to a top Democratic lawmaker.
Unlike states, localities are more constrained in their ability to raise revenues. It's creating big budget deficits for some school districts.
Although some lawmakers have bristled at the idea of private companies storing Texans’ personal information in far-flung locations, proponents of the reforms say data security will be at the forefront of any decision they make.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation expanding the program into law Tuesday, saying the changes to the decade-old program will allow it to help more workers and strengthen the state's overall economy.
In the 33 states where the drug is legal for medical or recreational use, at least 10 fires or explosions have occurred in the past five years at facilities that extract hash oil used in edible products.
Local news outlets report that student leaders at Virginia Union University asked Northam in a letter dated Monday not to attend Thursday's scheduled commemoration of students who protested segregation in Richmond almost 60 years ago.
A hurricane of lies about city-owned Department of Transportation vehicles supposedly damaged by Superstorm Sandy has resulted in a $5.3 million settlement with the feds.
Strategies that work in liberal cities like Seattle won’t necessarily work in rural areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
While he cautioned that he was sworn in for his second term as governor just a month ago, Hogan didn’t deny that he is being courted for a GOP primary run by critics of the president.
Every jurisdiction should be comparing itself with its peers to identify problematic practices, increase productivity and reduce costs.
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Maintaining or improving municipal bond ratings can be challenging, but there are steps finance leaders can take to be sure they are fully prepared for the review process.
In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court said Wednesday that the 8th Amendment's ban on "excessive fines" applies to states and local agencies, not just the federal government.
Photos and musing from our photographer.
The president's plan to build a border wall could cost the most for California, Hawaii and Maryland -- three of the 16 states suing to block the declaration.
Yes, experts say, but an extra dollar or two an hour won't free low-income people from poverty altogether.
Faulty septic systems are making pollution and health problems worse in much of the country. What we don’t know is how much worse.
Everyone agrees that America’s foster care system needs reform. But some worry the new law may do more harm than good.
Some states are still purging voter rolls and requiring IDs. But most are now looking to expand access to the ballot box.
Republicans hold a small fraction of seats in two Democratic states, but they enjoy outsized power.
Democrats rarely win elections in the South. If anyone can do it, it's Jim Hood.
In New Jersey, dozens of localities have outlawed sales or possession of the drug even before the legislature legalizes it.
Spokesmen for the Lakeland Police Department and Polk County Public Schools stressed that the student at the magnet school for gifted students was not arrested for refusing to participate in the pledge.
DeWine, a Republican, ordered a review of Ohio's death penalty protocols last month after a federal magistrate judge wrote that Ohio's method of carrying out executions would subject a condemned Ohio prisoner to "severe pain and needless suffering."
These days, many foster parents are being asked to do even more, as an increasing number of children enter the foster care system with serious behavioral and mental health issues — issues that require a deft hand and intensive training.
Relatives of several people killed in no-knock raids said they believe more investigation was needed before using the raid.
Illinois last increased its minimum wage, to $8.25 per hour, in 2010.
Hutchinson’s office said the governor signed the legislation, making it the fifth state with the so-called “triggered” abortion ban bill, the Associated Press reported.
Cheers exploded from the gallery, which was packed by teachers from throughout the state who went on strike Tuesday in opposition of the bill.
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it's canceling $929 million of federal funding for California's high-speed rail project and demanding the return of $2.6 billion that's already been spent.
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Unless agencies continue to modernize and make digital transformation a priority, meeting the expectations of constituents and employees will become increasingly difficult.
A case over a Hawaii wastewater treatment plant could redefine the scope of the federal law that regulates pollution in lakes, rivers, streams and oceans.
Former Gov. Paul LePage and his staff members paid for more than 40 rooms at Washington, D.C.’s Trump International Hotel during a two-year period, spending at least $22,000 in Maine taxpayer money at a business owned by the president’s family.
Candy Noble and Angela Paxton were the only freshman female Republicans elected to the Texas House and Senate, respectively, amid a surge of women running for office.
The screening process failed to detect a mid-1990s felony conviction for aggravated assault in Mississippi for which he served five years in prison and was released in 1997.
Monday marked the first time that state officials revealed the findings of their nearly three-month investigation into voting irregularities.
Pamela Taylor, 57, admitted on Tuesday that she falsely registered for more than $18,000 in FEMA disaster benefits after historic flooding in Clay County, West Virginia, in June 2016, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.
All but one of West Virginia's 54 countywide public school systems canceled school Tuesday.
Flights and some toll roads cost the most when demand is highest. Now California wants residents to get used to the same dynamic when it comes to purchasing electricity.
The 16 states, led by California, where the complaint was filed, wrote in the suit that they have filed the complaint in light of "President Donald J. Trump's flagrant disregard of fundamental separation of powers principles engrained in the United States Constitution."
As a project in Long Beach demonstrates, treating people as individuals rather than as statistics can yield big benefits.
Denver's schools began returning to normalcy Thursday morning in the wake of a marathon all-night bargaining session that brought an end to the city's first teachers strike in 25 years.
A member of Portland's city council said Thursday a newspaper's report that the commander for the police rapid response team exchanged friendly text messages with a leader of far-right protests that have rocked the city confirms collusion exists between some police and right-wing extremists.
Highlighting a lack of revenue and too much borrowing, the state transportation director gave Ohio lawmakers a blunt assessment Wednesday of Ohio's road construction finances.
In a letter sent to state lawmakers late Wednesday, Whitley largely defended the review efforts as a legally sound exercise, and he did not admit that his office had erred when it mistakenly threw into question the eligibility of tens of thousands of U.S. citizens or when it sent counties lists of voters it knew very likely included naturalized citizens.
If the Florida Supreme Court accepts the petition by DeSantis, this would be the fourth time a grand jury has investigated the school district.
Tennessee does not have an explicit hate crime charge, though the General Assembly in 2000 added a hate crime factor to judges' sentencing rules for crimes targeting a person based on race, religion, color, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry or gender.
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Thursday threatened legal action against President Trump if American citizens foot the bill for his long-desired border wall.
President Donald Trump and Congress took the federal government to the brink of another shutdown this week. And yet again, states and cities had to prepare for the worst.
The online retail giant's plans in New York attracted bad PR for a new federal program aimed at helping economically distressed areas like Long Island City.
Democrats once fought to keep her from becoming Obama's education secretary. Now she's set to lead California's State Board of Education, where she could influence the national party's education stances.
How much home sales impacts a place depends a lot on its property tax policies.
After the blackface scandals involving Virginia politicians, expect more candidates to dig up dirt on themselves while keeping in mind the changing culture of America and the power of the internet.
In almost every state where ballot measures to expand Medicaid have passed, Republicans have tried to change the voter-approved laws.
Green Party candidate Mirna Martinez is running for a vacant state House of Representatives seat in New London, and has qualified for $14,075 in funding.
The department takes part in an agreement with ICE under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The agreement means that the jail screens anyone booked and allows ICE to request they be detained if they are wanted for deportation proceedings.
Seven NYPD officers fired a total of 42 rounds during a chaotic scene outside a Queens cellphone store as they responded to an attempted robbery that left a detective dead from friendly fire.
The Ohio case, known as the National Prescription Opiate Litigation, is a consolidated case that includes federal lawsuits brought by more than 1,500 counties, municipalities, hospitals and others, and features a brief from the U.S. Justice Department.
For the past 11 months, the women — many of whom, until their activism, had not gone back to Albany in years — have been pushing lawmakers to let them tell their stories. For much of those 11 months, they were ignored.
Cheri Beasley has been a judge for the last 20 years and has been on the Supreme Court since 2012. She was a public defender in Fayetteville before becoming a judge.
The U.S. Climate Alliance, which aims to implement elements of the international Paris Agreement on climate change, includes governors from 20 states including Wisconsin, as well as Puerto Rico.
