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TX: Texas school safety committee recommends focus on mental health
A special Texas Senate committee devoted to fighting school violence also recommends funding for a program that arms some members of school staff, but committee members shied away from any measures aiming to limit access to guns. Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick formed the committee following the mass shooting at Santa Fe High School south of Houston.
MT: Montana rule would maintain grizzly population
Montana wildlife officials are proposing to maintain the largest grizzly bear population in the Lower 48 states at its current level of about 1,000 animals even if the population loses its federal protections.
AK: In a first, Alaska releases ‘huge amount of data’ to lure new oil explorers
Alaska officials have released a trove of exploration data to attract new companies to the North Slope oil fields, including valuable seismic surveys unveiled as part of the state’s tax credit program.
CA: Census takers could miss counting millions of Californians, researchers say
The 2020 census will include a question on citizenship status that might make noncitizens reluctant to participate, critics fear. An undercount would allow the federal government to direct resources away from California, which has the largest immigrant population in the country.
AL: Alabama Democratic candidate says Russians tried hacking website
Tabitha Isner, the Democratic candidate in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, says Russian hackers made more than a thousand attempts to break into her campaign website last month. Her campaign reported the activity to the FBI and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
OR: Oregon police chief orders review of use of force at protest
Portland police were accused Sunday of being heavy-handed against people protesting a rally by extreme-right demonstrators, reportedly injuring some counter-protesters and prompting the city’s new police chief to now order a review of officers’ use of force.
MN: Minnesota has $25 million earmarked for security
The Minnesota Department of Education expects to award at least 50 schools up to $500,000 each this fall to improve building security and safety. If interest in the grants is any sign, the cash will go fast.
ME: Maine governor accuses Massachusetts of ‘shakedown’ tactics
Republican Maine Gov. Paul LePage is threatening to use the “full extent of the law” against Massachusetts officials for their efforts to collect unpaid tolls from Maine drivers.
GA: New service in Georgia eases access to birth control, Plan B, HIV drugs
A new front is opening in Georgia in the battle over sex-related medicine: telehealth. A company that allows patients to consult with a doctor by phone and receive their birth control or HIV prevention drugs by mail has been quietly testing in Georgia and planned its public launch this week.
DC: On D.C. statehood, should activists go bipartisan, or try a Democratic power grab?
Progressive Democrats outside of the District of Columbia have become the newest foot soldiers in the city’s fight for statehood, excited by the notion that if the District became the 51st state, it would mean additional Democratic votes in Congress. But local elected officials and activists are loathe to frame statehood as a partisan issue.
LA: Louisiana gambling regulator: 3 casinos want to move onshore
Louisiana’s chief gambling regulator says three of the state’s 15 riverboat casinos have indicated interest in moving their properties onshore, under a law passed earlier this year.
IA: Iowa 4-H director fired after progressive LGBTQ inclusion policy inflames conservative groups
The leader of Iowa 4-H Youth Development was fired, just a week before the start of the Iowa State Fair. His termination comes months after a suggested 4-H LGBTQ inclusion policy, which has since been withdrawn, drew rebuke from conservative groups and praise from LGBTQ advocates, resulting in hundreds of comments submitted to Iowa 4-H.
NY: Millions on the line in spat over ‘I Love NY’ signs in New York
The big, blue “I Love NY” signs lined up in groups of five along New York state highways and roads are hard to miss. And that, say federal transportation officials, is a problem.
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