In The States

WASHINGTON -- Legislators from across the country began arriving in Washington, D.C., on Monday in a bid to pressure the U.S. Senate to pass sweeping voting rights legislation known as the For The People Act. The House passed the bill... Read More

BLY, Ore. (AP) — Firefighters in Oregon reported good progress in the battle against the nation's largest wildfire, while authorities canceled evacuation orders near a major blaze in Northern California and another on Hawaii's Big Island. Containment of the Bootleg... Read More

Seattle and Detroit, the nation’s 18th and 21st largest cities, respectively, according to Politifact, are both holding nonpartisan primaries for mayor on Aug. 3. In Detroit, 10 candidates are running, including incumbent Mike Duggan, who currently is expected to breeze... Read More

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday tossed a legal challenge that claimed Connecticut violated citizens’ 2nd Amendment right when it curtailed fingerprinting services during the pandemic. The Connecticut Citizens’ Defense League and six state residents sued Gov.... Read More

It may not be special elections galore, but voters in two congressional districts in Ohio are about to decide who will compete in November for two high profile Capitol Hill vacancies. On Aug. 3, 10 Republicans and two Democrats will... Read More

Face masks will once again be required indoors in the District of Columbia, a reversal of recent policy driven by new federal guidelines that recommend indoor masking in areas where transmission of the coronavirus is high. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas -- In accordance with plans first announced in June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered the state National Guard to aid Department of Public Safety troopers with apprehending individuals for state charges related to the border crisis.... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The Census Bureau will release redistricting data to the states in two formats beginning on Aug. 16. The first release will be geared for what the agency calls “experienced data users,” with a second, easier to use release... Read More

Hospitalizations in some regions of Florida are increasing at their fastest rate since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic as it records more new cases than any other state. Florida recorded 73,199 cases over the course of last week, according... Read More

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Fred Ware and his son were researching the history of the home he's owned in the Hartford suburbs since 1950 when they discovered something far uglier than they expected.  Tucked in a list of rules on... Read More

First-term Texas State Rep. Jake Ellzey defeated fellow Republican Susan Wright in a special runoff  election in Texas’s 6th Congressional District Tuesday night, dealing former President Donald Trump a defeat in terms of the enduring power of his endorsement. Ellzey... Read More

SEATTLE (AP) — Washington state is embarking on a massive experiment in police reform and accountability following the racial justice protests that erupted after George Floyd's murder last year, as nearly a dozen laws took effect Sunday. But two months... Read More

California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing, and the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first major federal agency to require health care... Read More

ST. LOUIS — City and county leaders in St. Louis announced Friday they are reinstituting mask mandates for vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens alike, a decision already set to be challenged in court by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. The mandate... Read More

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Student Identification Card Suicide Prevention Act, requiring public and private schools in the state to provide a crisis hotline resource of their choosing on student ID card. “This law not only provides our... Read More

California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has released the final list of 46 candidates who qualified for the upcoming gubernatorial recall election.  The recall election seeking to remove Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will take place on Sept. 14, 2021.  Among... Read More

New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner has asked Democrats and Republicans to reconvene the state’s redistricting commission and come up with a consensus candidate to act as the tiebreaker in upcoming districting decisions. Rabner first made his desire... Read More

Voters in Texas’ 6th Congressional District will decide which Republican candidate will fill the vacancy left by Rep. Ronald Wright, R-Texas, who died of COVID-19 related complications on Feb. 7. On the ballot Tuesday are Susan Wright, the representative’s widow... Read More

Electric utility company FirstEnergy Corp. agreed to settle a Justice Department complaint Thursday by paying $230 million to avoid a federal wire fraud conspiracy charge. Company officials admitted they conspired with former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder to pay millions... Read More

LOS ANGELES- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Wednesday investing $330 million to expand the state’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program in order to boost the state’s economy.  Launched in 2009, the Film and Television Tax Credit Program... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is beginning to make $3 billion in economic development grants available to communities — a tenfold increase in the program paid for by this year's COVID-19 relief bill. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said... Read More

Comcast Oregon/SW Washington has embarked on a $15 million project to extend its broadband products and services, both residential and business, to the communities of Hubbard and Woodburn, Oregon.  Construction has already begun on the project, with fiber backbone to... Read More

According to a recently released economic report by the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity, the state of Arizona has outpaced the nation in private sector economic recovery post-COVID. In June alone, Arizona added 26,000 private sector jobs to its economy... Read More

Election officials from across the country ran through dozens of worst-case scenarios last week, including potential ransomware attacks, during an exercise staged by the the Department of Homeland Security. This is the fourth year the department has asked state and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Humane Rescue Alliance held an animal welfare advocacy training Tuesday focusing on educating attendees about animal welfare legislation scheduled to come before the D.C. Council.  The event focused on the Animal Care and Control Omnibus Act, The... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two more Texas lawmakers who left their state to hobble efforts to pass new voting restrictions have tested positive for the coronavirus, raising to five the number of infected people in the delegation. State Rep. Trey Martinez... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced Friday that the commonwealth will invest $700 million of federal funds to provide universal broadband to its residents by 2024. “It’s time to close the digital divide in our Commonwealth and treat... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Thursday approved the first state-funded guaranteed income plan in the U.S., $35 million for monthly cash payments to qualifying pregnant people and young adults who recently left foster care with no restrictions on... Read More

LOS ANGELES- Everyone, whether or not they're fully vaccinated, will have to wear a mask indoors, according to an order from Los Angeles County, by far the largest county by population in California, the U.S.'s most populated state. The county... Read More

New York State’s Independent Redistricting Commission will begin a series of virtual hearings on Tuesday, hoping to get a jump on the map-making process before the release of final 2020 Census data in August. In announcing the hearing dates, the... Read More