Push for Redistricting Reform Still Alive in Virginia
Hopes for nonpartisan redistricting in Virginia got new life Friday morning even after Democratic leaders in the House of Delegates rolled back their once strong support.
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Regional
Alabama Judge Quits Amid Ethics Case Over Son’s Appointment
A long-serving Alabama judge is stepping down after being accused of violating judicial ethics rules by appointing his son to handle cases.
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Texas Regulator Reports Spike in Natural Gas Flaring
A Texas oil and gas regulator released the first in what he says will be a series of reports on the increasing amount of natural gas that is being burned off into the air across the state’s booming oil fields.
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No Primaries for Georgia Special Elections in 2020
A proposal to amend Georgia election law to force party primary contests before special elections will not take effect this year, meaning a newly appointed U.S. senator won’t have to defend her seat from early challenges by fellow Republicans.
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Opponents of Plan to Close Rikers Prison Sue NYC
One of the nation’s most notorious prisons, New York’s Rikers Island, has been slated for closure by 2026, but community groups from its home borough of Queens have asked a judge to block the jail system that will replace it.
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Newsom Calls Homeless Crisis ‘a Disgrace,” Vows Change for California
Painting homelessness as the “ultimate manifestation of poverty” rooted in decades of political inaction, California Gov. Gavin Newsom told lawmakers Wednesday the crisis has morphed into the most urgent – and disgraceful – issue facing the nation’s richest state.
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Judge Denies Relief for Downstream Houston Flood Victims
A federal judge dismissed the claims of Houston residents seeking to hold the government liable for flooding their homes with Hurricane Harvey storm water released from two dams, finding there is no constitutional right to “perfect flood control.”
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Flooded Mississippians Still Can’t Return Home
Forecasters expected more heavy rains in parts of the flood-ravaged South on Tuesday, prolonging the misery for worried people who still can’t get back to their homes.
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LA Adopts New Strategy to Tackle Homelessness
Los Angeles city and county officials on Tuesday announced a new strategy to speed up the process of getting homeless people into permanent housing that is modeled on the federal government’s response to natural disasters.
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Following Gain, California to Reopen Health Coverage Signups
More than 1.5 million people in California have purchased health insurance through a taxpayer funded marketplace, state officials announced Tuesday, the first increase in enrollment after three years of decline.
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Hundreds Flee Floods in Mississippi Capital
The swollen Pearl River appeared to have crested Monday in Mississippi’s capital, but authorities warned the hundreds of evacuees in the Jackson area not to rush back home until they get the all clear, and a forecast of more rain put counties farther south at risk of flooding.
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BLM Will Pay for 11,000 Miles of Fire Breaks
The Bureau of Land Management says it will pay for 11,000 miles of strategic fire breaks in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah to help control wildfires.
Read moreTennessee & Mississippi Drowning in Floods
Days of heavy rain have created a dilemma for authorities managing dams along swollen rivers in Mississippi and Tennessee. The water has to be released eventually, worsening the flooding for people living downstream.
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Alaska Justices Clear Way for Signature-Gathering in Bid to Recall Governor
The Alaska Supreme Court on Friday lifted the pause on a second round of signature-gathering required to recall Governor Mike Dunleavy from office and set oral arguments on the legality of the recall for March 25.
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DNA Testing Confirms First Wolf Pack in Colorado in 70 Years
Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed the first documentation of a wolf pack in Colorado in more than 70 years.
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Winds Blow Midwest Chill Factor to 40 Below Zero
Students stayed home from school Thursday and several businesses were closed in parts of the upper Midwest as arctic air pushed wind chill readings to dangerously low temperatures.
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Newsom Homeless Plan Gets Chilly Reception From California Lawmakers
A key component of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s $1.4 billion plan to tackle the state’s urgent homeless crisis got a chilly reception from state lawmakers and local leaders Thursday.
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Washington High Court OKs Car Tax to Pay for Seattle Tram Project
A 62-mile light-rail expansion project can move forward after a ruling from Washington’s Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved increase in vehicle registration taxes.
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North Dakota Agrees to Issue IDs so Tribes Can Vote in Elections
Native American voters in North Dakota will have an easier time at polling places after the state agreed to settle two tribes’ lawsuit over laws that restricted voters without proper identification.
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Vast Horde of License Plate Photos Slammed by California Auditor
Solidifying concerns raised by civil liberty groups, California’s state auditor said Thursday that law enforcement agencies have flouted privacy laws meant to ensure that information captured by automated license plate cameras isn’t abused and safeguarded from hackers.
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