Editor's Picks From Around the Web
ME: Nurse leaves home on bike today, defying Maine Ebola quarantine
Kaci Hickox, a nurse who treated Ebola patients in West Africa, had vowed Wednesday to wage a legal battle against Maine's intention to enforce a 21-day quarantine with a court order.
NJ: New Jersey business leaders worried by new report on state tax climate
New Jersey business leaders and policy advocates called for drastic changes in the wake of a new report that shows the state has the worst tax climate in the country for businesses for the second straight year.
NE: Furloughs freed 162 violent offenders
Democratic state Sen. Steve Lathrop said he was "appalled and astonished" to learn about the furloughs. Republican Gov. Dave Heineman told the legislature he was unaware of the program, calling it another example of the "huge mess" at the corrections department.
TN: A fierce, expensive battle over abortion in Tennessee
A ballot measure to give lawmakers more authority to enact abortion regulations and restrictions is the most expensive in Tennessee's history. The "Yes on 1" campaign has raised $909,000 thus far, while the "Vote No on One" campaign has raised $1.9 million, including hefty contributions from Planned Parenthood affiliates in other states.
KS: Most suspended Kansas voters have no party affiliation
A majority of the 22,394 people who will be unable to vote this election in Kansas because of the state's proof-of-citizenship law claim no political affiliation.
FL: Legal protections an issue with Florida's medical marijuana amendment
Opponents of the ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana argue its protections are too broad, saying stoned patients could cause accidents and not face consequences while doctors could authorize pot use with no fear of penalty.
WV: West Virginia schools get $10 million grant to curb gun violence
The funding from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will support training of teachers to recognize and respond to mental health problems in children and will create partnerships between schools and communities focused on mental illness.
CT: With help from nonprofit, state residents twice as likely to find jobs
Platform to Employment, the nonprofit job-coaching and wage-subsidy program for people who have been out of work for more than six months, expanded with the help of a $3.6 million state grant.
RI: Schilling, others, reach proposed settlement in 38 Studios bankruptcy
The $300,000 settlement from the insurance company that covered former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling and three other executives to settle financial claims against them falls far short of the millions of dollars Rhode Island taxpayers would pay if the state honors the bonds sold to back the company's short-lived operation in Providence.
OR: Labor markets shows signs of improvement across Oregon
A new economic report from the University of Oregon shows most metro area economies in the state are expanding at or above their normal rates.
WI: Wildlife group hits Wisconsin officials as soft on poaching, other violations
Citing statistics showing fewer conservation violations each year from 2009 through 2013, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation called on the state Department of Natural Resources and elected officials to get tougher.
HI: Deep pockets push preschool issue
An early-learning advocacy group has spent more than half a million dollars on television ads to lobby support for a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow spending public funds on private preschool programs.
