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Archive of Hawaii on Sunday June 12, 2005
ACLU may sue to shield doctors
The American Civil Liberties Union's Hawai'i chapter wants U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo to retract public comments that doctors who certify marijuana use for their patients can be prosecuted in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week. Read More
Tow company fights free services on H-1
The state's $3 million freeway service patrol, a keystone in efforts to reduce congestion on O'ahu's roads, is being delayed again by a protest from a towing company that says it would lose business. Read More
State sued over traffic death
WAILUKU, Hawaii - The parents of a driver whose car tumbled 150 feet down a West Maui cliff on April 13, killing two people, have filed a lawsuit against the state, saying guardrails would have prevented the accident. Read More
States vie for digital superhighway travelers
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Colleges split on credit-transfer rules
Traditional, nonprofit universities are at odds with smaller, for-profit career colleges over a proposal before Congress that would make it easier for students to transfer between institutions of higher learning. At stake is millions of dollars worth of course work that transfer students either get credit for, or are forced to re-take by their new college. Read More
Behind scenes, groups shape state policy
Two little-known Washington, D.C.-based organizations the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council and liberal Center for Policy Alternatives play a behind-the-scenes role in shaping state laws. Stateline.org profiles these legislative players, who plant ideas that can spread state to state. The second of two stories focuses on the Center for Policy Alternatives. Read More
Diversity fuels student enrollment boom
Fueled by rising immigration and the baby boom echo, U.S. public school enrollment has surpassed the previous all-time high set in 1970 and is expected to increase steadily to a peak of 50 million students in 2014, the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Education report. Read More
MTBE bans boost ethanol
A gasoline additive that helps clean up car exhaust is being banned in a growing number of states because it can pollute water supplies. A decade after oil companies started using the chemical MTBE to meet federal air pollution requirements, 21 states have outlawed the substance and Congress could nix it nationwide. The demise of MTBE would be a boon for alternative gasoline additives, such as ethanol and bio-diesel. Read More
Governors to lobby for Medicaid reforms
The nation's governors are seeking consensus on a new blueprint to fundamentally restructure Medicaid, the government's largest health care program, that seeks to stem its exploding costs without cutting off medical care for more Americans. More details on the governors' plan are expected to emerge in the coming weeks as governors head to Capitol Hill to formally pitch their reform plans. Read More
Congress meddles with state lending laws
Laws against abusive mortgage lending in more than half the states would be overridden by a congressional proposal that is the latest federal attempt to preempt state authority over financial services. States' rights and consumer advocates favor a competing proposal that would set a nationwide floor of regulation to combat mortgage "loan sharks," while leaving stronger state laws intact. Read More
Test scores up, but some students still being left behind
In its first three years, the federal No Child Left Behind Act has succeeded in raising students' test scores in reading and math in 36 states and is narrowing the achievement gap between white and minority students in half the country, a new study finds. However, educators say they lack the money, tools and teachers to meet the needs of 6,000 of the nation's worst-performing schools. Read More
State laws vary on driving distractions
New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't require adult motorists to wear seat belts, but it's also the only state where drivers can be ticketed for eating, drinking, talking on a cell phone or fussing with their makeup while behind the wheel. The state whose motto is "Live Free or Die" passed the nation's first distracted driving law in 2001. Since then, every state has looked at ways to keep drivers' minds on the road, but lawmakers in most states are choosing to focus more narrowly on restricting cell phone use while driving. Read More |
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