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Archive of Home on Thursday November 05, 2009
Report: 11 states emerging from recession
It’s going to be a long, hard climb out of the current economic downturn for many recession-ridden states hit hard by the housing crash, unemployment and shrinking revenues. But as the national economy starts its slow recovery, 11 states and the District of Columbia are showing signs of emerging from the recession, according to a new report. Read More
Tuesday's winners now must govern
TODAY'S TAKE: Republicans who won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday (Nov. 3) already are turning their attention to the very different challenge of governing during the Great Recession. Read More
RI: Economist -- R.I. recovery will lag
The end of the "Great Recession" is in sight, but economic recovery in Rhode Island will lag behind its New England neighbors and the rest of the nation in the coming months, according to Andres Carbacho-Burgos, an economist with Moody's Economy.com. Read More
OR: Oregon index shows recession nearing end
"I think the recession is over," said Tim Duy, gazing past his young daughter Wednesday into sparkling waves off Hawaii. The University of Oregon economist formed his opinion not from some vacation mirage, but from a monthly index he compiles back in Eugene. Read More
US: Republican victories in Va., N.J. hinged on economic worries
Voters worried about jobs and the shaky economy helped drive Republican gubernatorial victories in Virginia and New Jersey, according to exit polls, adding political urgency to Democratic efforts to combat the nation's surging unemployment rate. Read More
KY: Ohio casino vote stirs sense of urgency in Kentucky, Indiana
Top officials in Kentucky and Indiana urged quick action Wednesday to protect their states' interests in response to Tuesday's decision by Ohio voters to authorize casino gambling. Read More
CO: Panel proposes letting voters amend Colorado constitution to ease budget woes
A panel looking at the state's long-term budget problems recommended legislation on Wednesday to give voters the chance to overhaul the state constitution in 2012. Read More
ME: Gay rights rebuke may change approach
They had far more money and volunteers, and geography was on their side, given that New England has been more accepting of same-sex marriage than any other region of the country. Read More
VA: Va. Republicans pledge to steer toward center
RICHMOND, Va. -- Despite winning the governor's race by a 17-percentage point blowout, Virginia Republicans insisted Wednesday that they had gained no broad mandate and would make their top priority the pragmatic platform that drove voters to the polls. Read More
NJ: Christie pledges fight on taxes and business rules
Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie of New Jersey, basking in praise from Republicans who hailed him as the party's new star, said Wednesday that he would move quickly to suspend new regulations on business and find ways to lower crushing property taxes, the nation's highest. Read More
NY: Cuomo targets Intel for global 'campaign of illegal conduct'
The Attorney General charges the world's largest chip-fab with engaging in broad-based bribery and coercion to maintain its market position in a new antitrust lawsuit. Read More
CA: California legislators strike a final water deal
Lawmakers capped months of discussions, weeks of tedious negotiations and years of chasing a water deal with approval of major legislation in a marathon session that ended Wednesday as the sun rose. Read More
CA: Schwarzenegger has plum position to fill
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will have a plum political post to dole out after Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is sworn into Congress today, vacating the No. 2 slot in California government. Read More
CA: Jaycee Dugard case elicits strong criticism from California prison watchdog
State parole agents failed to properly supervise Phillip Garrido for a decade and missed obvious clues that could have led them much earlier to Jaycee Dugard, whom he is accused of kidnapping in 1991 and harboring in his Antioch backyard, a prison watchdog reported Wednesday. Read More
UT: Shurtleff drops out of U.S. Senate race
Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff stunned Utah politicians Wednesday by abruptly dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, saying he needs time to work with his daughter who is struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. Read More
NC: Senate majority leader to quit
Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, one of North Carolina's most powerful and colorful lawmakers, announced Wednesday that he is resigning from the legislature. Read More
AL: National study finds Alabama's poorest pay more income tax than poor of other states
A national study released Wednesday showed Alabama makes families living in poverty pay higher income taxes than any other state. Read More
OK: Oklahoma defends its handling of $2.8B in stimulus funds
Oklahoma correctly accepted and spent its federal stimulus funds, an assistant attorney general said Wednesday in arguing against a lawsuit that claimed Oklahoma officials acted wrongly. Read More
TN: U.S. takes back $190 million in Tennessee road funds
After sending Tennessee $500 million in economic recovery money to fast-track scores of highway projects earlier this year, the federal government has rescinded $190 million from its regular transportation funding to the state. Read More
MD: Md., other states warned about bay cleanup
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Federal officials said Wednesday they have given marching orders to Maryland and other states that drain into the Chesapeake Bay to come up with detailed plans for reducing pollution plaguing the estuary, warning that states face development shutdowns or other as-yet unstated consequences if the water fails to get cleaner. Read More
LA: Another natural gas discovery in north Louisiana could rival the Haynesville Shale
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- Another natural gas discovery in north Louisiana could rival the Haynesville Shale, which last year incited a gold-rush style drilling boom when it was revealed that the underground rock layer held one of the biggest gas reserves in the country. Read More
GOP wins build momentum for 2010
TODAY’S TAKE: Republicans regained the governorships of New Jersey and Virginia on Election Day (Nov. 3). Tax caps failed in Maine and Washington and Ohio voters approved casino gambling. Stateline.org this morning rounded up these results and more for yesterday’s elections and for a variety of ballot measures decided by voters. Read More
Spending limits, gambling top fiscal 2009 ballot measures
 The national spotlight may be focused Nov. 3 on elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, but voters elsewhere could take action to profoundly change the way their states get and spend taxpayers’ money.
Read More
N.J. race could be omen for incumbents
TODAY'S TAKE: New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) today (Nov. 3) becomes the first incumbent governor in the 2009-2010 election cycle to face the voters amid the rising unemployment and deep budget cuts that have hit states across the nation. Read More
Budget 'fixes' run into trouble
TODAY'S TAKE: Unlike the federal government, almost every state is required by law to balance its budget. But that doesn't mean state lawmakers always balance the books in the most straightforward of ways: by matching revenues with spending. Read More
Weekly wrap: Rating agency slams Conn. on borrowing
Agency lowers Conn. credit outlook; federal broadband grants will be delayed a month; and confusion continues on stimulus job claims. Read More
More states announce mid-year cuts
As new holes emerge in their budgets, more and more states are making spending cuts well before their legislatures reconvene next year. Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts and Missouri are the latest. Read More
'As states, we compete,' Wyo. governor says
Gaining the competitive edge seems to be on the minds of state officials more than usual. Read More
'Opt out' proposal puts focus on states
U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s call Monday (Oct. 26) for a new public health insurance plan already is prompting debate in state legislatures, which could opt out under the latest proposal being promoted by Democrats on Capitol Hill. Read More
Weekly wrap: Frustration mounts
In some of the states hit hardest by the recession, frustration among voters and in the media over the way state government works — or doesn't work — seems to be boiling over. Read More
WV: W.Va. officials: Too soon to tell impact of Ohio casino vote
West Virginia officials know Ohio casinos won't be good for the Mountain State's budget, but they say it's too soon to put a dollar amount on the damage. Read More |
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