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MS: U.S. Supreme Court tosses black man’s murder conviction in Mississippi over racial bias
The U.S. Supreme Court threw out the murder conviction and death sentence for a black man in Mississippi because of a prosecutor’s efforts to keep African Americans off the jury. The defendant already has been tried six times and now could face a seventh trial.
OR: Oregon Capitol closes after threats from militia
Law enforcement officials closed the state Capitol, following threats from militia groups that were made while a partisan showdown has halted all activity in the Oregon Senate.
TX: Texas to double National Guard troops at border
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, said the troops will help at temporary holding facilities for single adult migrants in the Rio Grande Valley and in El Paso, and Border Patrol units along ports of entry. The move roughly doubles the number of Texas troops currently stationed at the border.
IL: Illinois governor signs law aimed at reducing cancer-causing pollution
Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker clamped down on ethylene oxide pollution throughout Illinois, targeting a once-obscure industry responsible for some of the highest cancer risks in the nation.
VA: Virginia university turns to Holiday Inn for dorm space
An enrollment spike at Virginia Tech has prompted the university to lease a Holiday Inn to house excess students. The university needs to house about 6,000 students this fall, 1,000 more than expected.
WI: Wisconsin governor vetoes abortion measures
Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed four abortion bills a day after Republican lawmakers made a show of formally sending them to him. One bill would have required lifetime prison sentences for doctors if they did not provide medical care to babies who were born after attempted abortions.
KS: Kansas regulators struggle with record high 22K abandoned gas, oil wells
Kansas’ number of deserted oil and gas wells blossomed over the past five years to 22,000. Annual reports reveal that a fund created in 1996 to finance plugging of wells is inadequate if the objective was to keep pace with demand for plugging. The fund is supported exclusively by the oil industry.
LA: Louisiana governor signs health insurance bill
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, quietly signed into a law a measure that aims to eventually offer some protections to patients if the Affordable Care Act is overturned.
NE: Nebraska slowly rolls out voter-approved Medicaid expansion
Seven months after Nebraska voters approved expansion, some 90,000 residents who could qualify are still waiting and will be for 15 more months as Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts’ administration says it’s working to ensure the smooth implementation of an expansion voters passed despite his objections.
ME: Maine Medicaid expansion moving slower than expected
Thousands fewer Mainers than projected have signed up for Medicaid in the first six months of a statewide expansion of the program.
AR: Arkansas sees boom in college students also in high school
Arkansas colleges and universities are increasingly reaching out to high schools and their students to capitalize on students’ desires for cheaper college credits and their potential loyalty to the institutions that made the credits available to them.
SC: Presidential politics split in South Carolina black communities
The myriad priorities of black voters in South Carolina suggest that the pursuit of African American support in 2020 will be far more competitive than in 2016 and 2008.
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