In The States

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Legislature is on track to pass another controversial state law restricting the right to vote after breaking a deadlock caused by Democrats who fled to Washington, D.C. to prevent enactment. The Democrats were trying to... Read More

They were the strange spectacle after the big show. In the weeks and months following the 2020 election, dedicated conspiracy theorists and “Stop the Steal” activists descended on Arizona to “audit” the state’s presidential election results.  Critics of the effort... Read More

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- As Congress ponders the final version of the Infrastructure and Jobs Act, the White House is providing details on what states stand to gain from the package. In Oklahoma, investments in roads, bridges and airports are... Read More

CHICAGO -- A long running effort by local environmentalists to block construction of the proposed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago’s Jackson Park ended on Friday when Justice Amy Coney Barrett declined to intervene in the case. The environmentalists, who collectively... Read More

DENVER (AP) — Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals... Read More

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Millions of students in Florida, Texas and Arizona are now required to wear masks in class as school boards in mostly Democratic areas have defied their Republican governors and made face coverings mandatory. The three... Read More

Republicans in the Illinois General Assembly say newly released census numbers reveal the legislative maps that Democrats pushed to complete in the spring are unconstitutional. The Census Bureau released the data Thursday, Aug. 12, months later than usual, due to... Read More

GULF SHORES, Ala. (AP) — Tourists and servers alike dance atop tables and in the aisles at one restaurant on the "Redneck Riviera," a beloved stretch of towns along the northern Gulf Coast where beaches, bars and stores are packed.... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Two California voters are suing to block a recall vote against Gov. Gavin Newsom that they say violates the U.S. Constitution. The planned Sept. 14 vote comes amid a backlash against some Democrats, such as New York... Read More

MADISON, Wis. -- Congressional and legislative district maps that have been used in electoral contests for the past decade should not be used as the starting point for drawing new boundaries using 2020 census data, Wisconsin Democrats say in a... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas -- The Supreme Court of Texas issued a ruling on Sunday voiding temporary restraining orders issued by separate District Court judges that impeded Gov. Greg Abbott’s edict prohibiting local officials from requiring masks to be worn indoors. Local... Read More

Federal regulators on Monday declared the first-ever water shortage at Lake Mead, a reservoir that feeds into the Colorado River and serves approximately 40 million people in the West. The declaration, issued as part of an outlook for the river... Read More

FIREBAUGH, Calif. (AP) — As temperatures recently reached triple digits, farmer Joe Del Bosque inspected the almonds in his parched orchard in California's agriculture-rich San Joaquin Valley, where a deepening drought threatens one of the state's most profitable crops. Del... Read More

WASHINGTON — A high-ranking Justice Department attorney urged Congress Monday to clamp down on new state laws that she claims shut out some low-income persons from participating in elections. She described voting rights as more at risk now than any... Read More

Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has been elected president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. His selection took place at the organization's summer conference in Des Moines, Iowa. “As the job of Secretary of State continues to... Read More

As the looming bipartisan infrastructure plan awaits its final approval, states are beginning to find out what the bill has in store for them. In the state of Texas, infrastructure investment has been a looming issue for some time. The... Read More

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau to jump start the redistricting process across the country reveal an America that’s grown more diverse over the past decade. The largest demographic increases came in the number of people who identified themselves... Read More

HARRISBURG, Penn. -- Pennsylvania lawmakers recently announced plans to expand the Medicaid postpartum coverage period for mothers. The extension will take effect on April 1, 2022.  “Pennsylvania has worked to protect and support mothers before, during and after birth for... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed an emergency order last Thursday requiring that face masks be worn in all indoor settings in the state's K-12 schools. The move comes after a handful of school districts in recent days... Read More

CHICAGO -- To anyone still waiting for a sign that it’s safe to attend concerts and other large outdoors events, the weekly update from Chicago’s top medical official on Thursday was good news indeed -- the four-day Lollapalooza festival was... Read More

Four years after a White supremacist rally left three people dead in the home city of Founding Fathers Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says there’s “still much work to do” when it comes to... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will serve out the remainder of Andrew Cuomo's term after he steps down amid sexual harassment allegations,  said Thursday she plans to run for governor in her own right next year.... Read More

JEFFERSON, La. (AP) — Before the latest surge of the coronavirus, Louisiana neurologist Robin Davis focused on her specialty: treating patients with epilepsy. These days, as virus patients flood her hospital in record numbers, she has taken on the additional... Read More

WASHINGTON -- A group of medical associations is speaking out to support the District of Columbia’s new law that allows children as young as 11 years old to request vaccinations from health care professionals without their parents' permission. The plaintiffs... Read More

Colorado is experiencing a substance abuse disorder crisis, and now city officials are looking to combat the problem with $450 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan.  Fatal drug overdose deaths increased approximately 38% in Colorado from 2019... Read More

The coronavirus pandemic reversed three years of dramatic growth in clean energy jobs in the Midwest, but the sector is now rebounding faster than the overall regional workforce, a new report says. According to Clean Jobs Midwest, released by the... Read More

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser on Tuesday gave all government employees whose agencies report to her office until Sept. 19 to be fully vaccinated, calling it a “job requirement.” According to the mayor’s office, roughly 36,700 people are employed... Read More

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned Tuesday after an investigation led by state Attorney General Letitia James found he sexually harassed 11 women, and violated state and federal laws. Cuomo opened his remarks at a brief press conference announcing his... Read More

The state of Arkansas cannot enforce a planned ban on face masks pending further court action, a county circuit judge has ruled. Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the law in April banning government entities from imposing mask requirements. The ban was... Read More

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The question of whether lawsuits blaming big oil companies for loss of vulnerable Louisiana coastal wetlands will be tried in state courts, as local parish governments want, or in federal courts, as the oil companies want,... Read More