0:00
News Story
IL: Former Democratic Illinois governor applies for clemency
Imprisoned former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich filed official paperwork asking President Donald Trump to commute his 14-year prison sentence on sweeping corruption charges. The request comes days after Trump said for the first time he was considering commuting Blagojevich’s sentence.
CA: Democratic lieutenant governor, Republican multimillionaire win California primaries
Lieutenant Gov. Gavin Newsom, the favorite of the California Democratic Party’s core liberal base, coasted to a first-place finish in the primary election for governor. He faces a November showdown with John Cox, a multimillionaire Republican.
HI: Hawaii governor signs bills to combat climate change, sea level rise
Democratic Gov. David Ige signed measures committing Hawaii to “carbon neutrality” by 2045; creating a program under which polluters will be able to purchase credits to offset their carbon emissions; and requiring a sea level rise analysis before building projects.
VT: Vermont has a new sexual harassment law. Here’s how it works
Volunteers, interns and independent contractors in Vermont will be entitled to greater legal protection from sexual harassment starting in July. The law, signed by Republican Gov. Phil Scott, also makes it easier for people who have faced harassment to keep their jobs or return to the organization in the future.
MI: Michigan voters will decide marijuana legalization after Legislature fails to act
The Michigan Legislature decided to punt the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational use to voters in November.
ID: Idaho to take over regulating water pollution
Idaho will take over regulating pollution discharge into the state’s lakes and rivers July 1 from the federal government. When that happens, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Massachusetts will be the only states where the federal government regulates that kind of pollution.
CO: Colorado law allows school nurses to administer medical marijuana
Under a law signed this week by Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, school nurses in Colorado now can administer nonsmokable medical marijuana to students whose parents have given permission. Colorado law already permitted parents to give their children medical marijuana at school, typically for treating seizures.
FL: Are voting centers a good idea for Florida? Some election officials say yes
In 2016, more than two-thirds of voters in Florida voted early or by mail, not on Election Day. That clear preference has county elections officials thinking about making a big change in the future to move to regional vote centers.
MO: Missouri governor signals support for gas tax hike
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson offered initial support for raising the state’s gasoline tax to help rebuild roads and bridges. On his second full working day as governor, Parson said improving the state’s transportation network will be a priority in his administration.
WA: Washington state sues Facebook, Google over election ad disclosure
The state of Washington said it has sued Facebook and Google for allegedly violating state campaign finance law by failing to maintain information about who buys election ads.
PA: Pennsylvania House OKs bill to relax rules for drilling
The Republican-majority House voted 111-84 for a proposal that covers permits, rules for wells, spills and enforcement for shallow oil and natural gas drilling that does not include the much deeper wells tapping into the Marcellus Shale formation. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, opposes the legislation.
RI: Elite Rhode Island sporting club wants to import exotic animals, then hunt them
The Richmond, Rhode Island, club is hoping to import elk and potentially other nonnative animals for members to hunt. A bill in the state Legislature would allow any shooting preserve with over 500 acres to permit taking of animals other than domestic game birds. While elk can currently be imported, they are not allowed to be hunted.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Related News
