Year: 2022
Finally, Something Lawmakers Can (Mostly) Agree On: State Symbols
New Jersey has a state fruit — the blueberry — but not a state muffin. However, if a young woman there has her way, the blueberry muffin will take its place among the Garden State’s symbols. In Washington state, there’s a bill, also championed by a young person, to make the Suciasaurus Rex the official […]
Top State Stories 12/22
AZ: Arizona governor agrees to remove shipping container ‘wall’ at border kawc.org Outgoing Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has agreed to remove all the shipping containers he has installed along the border. The Biden administration had filed a lawsuit against Arizona threatening to remove the barrier and then bill the state. GA: Georgia Supreme Court slams […]
Governors’ TikTok Bans Make Sense, Cybersecurity Experts Say
At least 18 states, all led by Republican governors, have banned staffers’ use on government devices of the social media app TikTok over concerns about the possible security risks posed by the Chinese-owned company. They say the app can be used to collect data from users’ devices, which the Chinese government could then access. Some […]
Top State Stories 12/21
TX: With rifles and razor wire, Texas National Guard and state troopers block migrants at the border texastribune.org The Texas National Guard and state troopers set up a line of about 1,000 yards of razor wire to block what has become a popular crossing point between Mexico and El Paso, positioning Humvees and Texas Department of […]
Climate Change Is Forcing Cities to Rethink Their Tree Mix
Cities need to plant more trees. But not just any trees. As communities prepare for a massive influx of federal funding to support urban forestry, their leaders say the tree canopy that grows to maturity 50 years from now will need to be painted with a different palette than the one that exists today. “You […]
Top State Stories 12/20
LA: Louisiana governor to ask legislators for rape, incest exceptions to abortion ban lailluminator.com Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that he will ask legislators to add exceptions for rape and incest to Louisiana’s abortion ban. He also said some people were denied abortion access in Louisiana when they probably shouldn’t have been but claimed the post-Roe […]
As Fentanyl Use Spikes, Feds Urge States to Ease Methadone Rules
Ever since the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl began showing up in the illicit drug supply in 2014, the number of U.S. overdose deaths has skyrocketed — exceeding all other accidental deaths, including car crashes and gun violence. In response, the federal government and some states are redoubling efforts to curb the epidemic of overdoses from […]
Top State Stories 12/19
AK: Alaska, source of carbon-emitting fossil fuels, aims to raise money by storing carbon alaskabeacon.com Alaska’s state government raises hundreds of millions of dollars each year through the sale of oil, that when burned, contributes to climate change. Now the state is looking to also make money by preventing some of these gases from entering the […]
Planning for Dry Times: The West Considers More Reservoirs and Aquifers
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the West are grappling with drought that’s worsening because of climate change. SAN DIEGO, Calif. — As parched California receives much needed rain and snow this winter, some local water officials are calling on state leaders to invest in new infrastructure projects that will store freshwater for inevitable dry […]
Top State Stories 12/16
CA: California approves roadmap for carbon neutrality by 2045 sacbee.com California’s air quality regulators approved a much-disputed blueprint for meeting the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. Critics called it thin on actionable detail and overly reliant on unrealistic carbon removal technology. OR: Judge blocks Oregon’s voter-approved ban on large ammo magazines oregonlive.com In a […]
Trash Troubles: The Pandemic Started It; Inflation Keeps It Going
Terrill “Ya Fav Trashman” Haigler, who worked for 14 months during the height of the pandemic as a Philadelphia sanitation worker, spent much of his tenure pointing out to the media and city officials the neighborhoods where garbage was piling up in the streets. With a website and outreach to local news outlets, Haigler shone […]
Top State Stories 12/15
CA: Drought emergency declared for all Southern California latimes.com As California faces the prospect of a fourth consecutive dry year, officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California have declared a regional drought emergency and called on water agencies to immediately reduce their use of all imported supplies. GA: No more runoffs? Georgia election chief seeks […]