What We're Reading: Top State Stories 11/3
CO: Colorado governor proposes budget with deep cuts
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper proposed a $28.5 billion state budget that cuts spending on education, hospitals and road construction to help close Colorado’s $500 million shortfall.
CA: California cities ban sale of pot before the state votes
Worried that California might legalize recreational marijuana, dozens of cities and counties have imposed or are contemplating tough restrictions on recreational marijuana sales and cultivation. Under Proposition 64, local governments would not be able to prohibit people 21 and older from having up to six marijuana plants for personal use and possessing up to an ounce of pot.
OK: Oklahoma voters to consider if religious groups can get state funds
A ballot question in Oklahoma asks voters if the state should repeal a section of its constitution, known as the Blaine Amendment, that prohibits government funds from going to religious schools or institutions.
WV: West Virginia attorney general urges rejection of settlement over EpiPen
Republican Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia is urging federal and state officials to reject a $465 million settlement announced by drugmaker Mylan over Medicaid reimbursements for the company's emergency allergy injection EpiPen.
KS: Nearly 7,200 Kansans could be blocked from voting Tuesday
About 7,200 people in Kansas who registered to vote through the state’s website won’t be allowed to cast a ballot in Tuesday’s election unless they can provide proof of citizenship to their local election office by Monday.
OH: Objections raised over sending Ohio state troopers to North Dakota protest
Republican Gov. John Kasich is catching some flak for the dispatching of 37 Ohio state troopers to a pipeline protest near a Native American reservation after North Dakota authorities asked for law enforcement help.
PA: Pennsylvania governor signs package of bills to fight opioid epidemic
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation that will strengthen Pennsylvania’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, restrict how many pills can be prescribed to minors or in emergency rooms, establish education curriculum on safe prescribing, and create more locations for the drop-off of prescription drugs.
AK: As Alaska tourism grows, industry groups look to new marketing funding
Alaska had another record-breaking year for tourism. But with less money from the state for marketing, the Alaska Travel Industry Association is trying to create a system that will allow the industry to fund its own efforts.
DC: Board chairman wants federal government to take over Washington, D.C., subway system
The call for a federal control board to run the 40-year-old transit system that serves the District of Columbia as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland drew a surprisingly positive response from several elected officials and former Metro board members.
LA: Settlement approved in Louisiana school’s desegregation case
The settlement approved by a federal judge is designed to resolve lingering desegregation issues at the A.E. Phillips Laboratory School, a school for young children that Louisiana Tech University operates. The agreement calls for expanding school facilities to two classrooms per grade level to accommodate more black students.
WY: Wyoming coal production way up but still short of revenue projections
Miners dug almost twice the amount of coal from Wyoming soil between July and September as they had during the preceding three months. But the pace of production needs to increase even further to meet projections for the severance taxes to be collected.
