0:00
News Story
Top State Stories 9/13
US: Detention of migrant children has skyrocketed to highest levels ever
Population levels at federally contracted shelters for migrant children have quietly shot up more than fivefold since last summer, according to data obtained by The New York Times, reaching a total of 12,800 this month. There were 2,400 such children in custody in May 2017.
CA: In response to Trump policies, some Californians open their homes to asylum seekers
Since June, nearly 800 people around the country have pledged to offer housing through California-based Freedom for Immigrants. The organization has raised more than $100,000 this year to bond 50 immigrants out of detention.
NM: Court blocks New Mexico straight-party voting
New Mexico’s state Supreme Court blocked plans to implement straight-party voting, ruling that Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, does not have the power to put straight-party voting back on ballots without legislative approval.
ND: North Dakota legislators debate potential fiscal impact of legalized marijuana
North Dakota debated the accurate fiscal impact of Measure 3 on marijuana legalization, zeroing in on an educational campaign not mandated by the measure.
NE: Nebraska Supreme Court clears the way for residents to vote on Medicaid expansion
Supporters of a Medicaid expansion proposal cheered after the Nebraska Supreme Court cleared away the last obstacle to voters having a say on the measure.
SD: South Dakotans’ online price tag is about to get steeper
The South Dakota Legislature passed and Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard signed into law a bill that would require large-scale online retailers without a presence in the state to begin collecting state sales tax.
GA: Federal judge weighs throwing out Georgia electronic voting machines
A federal judge said in court she’s considering whether the threat of election hacking and foreign interference justifies replacing Georgia’s electronic voting system with paper ballots just weeks before the general election.
AK: Arkansas drops 4,300 from Medicaid plan over new work rules
More than 4,300 people whose Arkansas Works health coverage was terminated Sept. 1 for failing to comply with the work requirement remained without coverage, the state Department of Human Services reported.
VA: Virginia driver’s license suspensions ‘trap’ poor people in a ‘nightmarish spiral,’ lawsuit says
A long-simmering federal class-action lawsuit that claims Virginia unjustly suspends the driver’s licenses of those unable to pay fines returned to court when advocates for the poor sought to immediately stop the practice.
MA: Massachusetts lottery raises nearly $1 billion, second highest total ever
The Massachusetts treasurer announced that the state’s lottery earned $997 million in fiscal 2018, money that will go to boost the budgets of Massachusetts cities and towns. It was the second-highest profit total in the lottery’s 47-year history. The record was set in fiscal 2017 when the lottery raised just slightly more, about $1 billion.
MO: Missouri budget veto effort fails
Missouri’s new governor passed his first significant political test by blocking efforts to override a series of budget vetoes he made in June.
MI: National Democratic group pumps K into Michigan redistricting campaign
The National Redistricting Action Fund, a national Democratic redistricting reform group headed by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, is pumping $250,000 into a Michigan ballot campaign to create a citizen commission for redrawing political district boundaries.
MN: More Minnesotans lack health insurance
The number of Minnesotans without health insurance rose last year for the first time since 2013, when the Affordable Care Act took full effect.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Related News
