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Alabama rolls out new U.S. 280 toll road plan
By Ginny MacDonald and Michael Tomberlin, The Birmingham News
State transportation officials are ready to move forward with a $710 million makeover of U.S. 280 -- a new plan that doesn't rely entirely on elevated toll lanes that doomed a previous proposal to unsnarl the congested highway.
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Victims' kin in civil-rights era cases sought
By Jerry Mitchell, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
The FBI is seeking to find family members of 33 people slain during the civil rights movement. A third of those killings took place in Mississippi, including that of Jimmie Lee Griffin, whose body was discovered on a highway near Sturgis on Sept. 24, 1965.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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White Rock: EBSCO dumped hazardous waste
By Malcomb Daniels, The Birmingham News
At a press conference today, representatives of White Rock Quarries, a company that wants to put a limestone quarry in Vincent, said EBSCO Industries is trying to block the project to hide 15 years of illegally dumping hazardous waste from its nearby plant.
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Alaska gets money for green jobs
By The Associated Press, Anchorage Daily News
Pacific Northwest states are getting more than $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to encourage green jobs.
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Criminal deportations spike in Pacific Northwest
By Manuel Valdes, The Associated Press, seattlepi.com
SEATTLE -- Deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records from Alaska, Oregon, and Washington this past year spiked by nearly 40 percent, while overall removals dropped for the first time in five years, according to new data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Budget agreement fails in Senate
By Mary Jo Pitzl and Matthew Benson, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
Efforts to trim a few hundred million dollars from the state budget fell apart Thursday when the state Senate came up one vote shy of the needed majority.
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Gould, Verschoor won't support budget plan
By Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services, East Valley Tribune
Efforts to start plugging the $2 billion hole in the state budget came to a screeching halt Thursday when two Republican lawmakers refused to support the plan.
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FACTS fees to remain the same
By Staff Reports, Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff)
Fees for a locally run low-cost child care program -- with art, drumming, snacks and homework help -- are not proposed to increase after all, following a decision from the state not to implement a large licensing fee hike.
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Commission confirms ouster of legislator
By The Associated Press, East Valley Tribune
Arizona's public campaign financing commission has affirmed a judge's decision removing a lawmaker from office for violating campaign finance rules and laws.
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Special-needs scholarship struggles for donations
By Emily Gersema, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix)
A new scholarship fund for Arizona special-needs and foster children to attend private schools is falling flat, forcing some parents to send their children to other schools or to home-school, and prompting some small private schools to close their doors.
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Board OKs beer, wine sales at Fayetteville Walmart stores
By John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau
The state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board on Thursday approved beer and small-farm wine permits for a Walmart Neighborhood Market and a Walmart Supercenter in Fayetteville, the first grocery stores in the city to be approved for alcohol sales.
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Ark., Miss. let out of utility agreement
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Federal regulators Thursday allowed Entergy Corp.'s subsidiaries in Mississippi and Arkansas to withdraw from an agreement that includes hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for the utility's Louisiana customers.
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Morris predicts GOP congressional gains in state
By Rob Moritz, Arkansas News Bureau
Sen. Blanche Lincoln and other congressional Democrats in Arkansas will have difficulty getting re-elected next year because they will have a hard time separating themselves from the national Democratic agenda, political strategist Dick Morris said today.
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Fight health bill, ex-Clinton adviser urges
By L. Lamor Williams, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
The health-care overhaul bill being considered in the U.S. Senate is "the most serious threat to our lives and our liberties we Americans have faced since World War II," former Clinton adviser Dick Morris told about 250 Arkansans who rallied against the legislation. The group gathered Thursday on the Capitol steps in front of a "Hands Off Our Healthcare" tour bus.
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Swine flu death toll 20 in state
By Staff Reports, Arkansas News Bureau
Two more Arkansans have died from swine flu, pushing the death toll from the H1N1 virus to 20 in the state, the state Health Department said today.
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California lawmakers, officials face 18% pay cut
By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times
California's Legislature went to state Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown recently seeking relief from a future pay cut and on Thursday received an unwelcome surprise: An 18% reduction for lawmakers and other elected state officials can begin next month instead of a year from now.
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California, Sacramento County to probe in-home care
By Susan Ferriss, The Sacramento Bee
California teamed with Sacramento County officials Thursday to launch a first-in-the-state multi-agency task force to investigate fraud in In-Home Supportive Services. The program could benefit from the state budget approved last July that included $10 million to bolster anti-fraud efforts in the rapidly growing in-home care program.
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Utility shut-offs soar for poor PG&E customers
By David R. Baker, San Francisco Chronicle
The number of low-income households cut off by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. after they fell behind on their utility bills jumped 75 percent this year, according to a state report released Thursday.
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California's poverty rate 13.3 percent - maybe
By Dan Walters, The Sacramento Bee
California's poverty rate is almost exactly that of the nation as a whole, the Census Bureau says in its latest massive data release, while its median household income of $57,988 is higher than all but a dozen states.
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Ex-Lt. Gov. Reinecke endorses Whitman
By Dan Walters, The Sacramento Bee
Ed Reinecke, who was California lieutenant governor some 40 years ago until being forced to resign after being touched by the Watergate scandal, has endorsed Meg Whitman for the Republican nomination for governor, the Whitman campaign announced today.
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CalPERS board members endorse new lobbying rules
By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times
Board members at California's huge state pension fund offered support Thursday for a plan to register as lobbyists the controversial middlemen hired by private investment funds to help get lucrative business from public pension plans.
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Regents raise college tuition in California by 32 percent
By Tamar Lewin and Rebecca Cathcart, The New York Times
As the University of California's Board of Regents met Thursday at U.C.L.A. and approved a plan to raise undergraduate fees — the equivalent of tuition — 32 percent next fall, hundreds of students from campuses across the state demonstrated outside, beating drums and chanting slogans against the increase.
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A crown jewel of education struggles with cuts
By Tamar Lewin, The New York Times
BERKELEY, Calif. — As the University of California struggles to absorb its sharpest drop in state financing since the Great Depression, every professor, administrator and clerical worker has been put on furlough amounting to an average pay cut of 8 percent.
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State's home loan pain grows -- Foreclosure, delinquency rate soars
By Kenneth R. Gosselin, The Hartford Courant
Foreclosures and seriously delinquent home loans in Connecticut logged another grim milestone in the third quarter, soaring a full percentage point to 7 percent of all loans — the largest quarterly increase in nearly 30 years, according to a new report Thursday.
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Carlyle to run Conn. roadside service stops
By Thomas Heath, The Washington Post
The Carlyle Group said Thursday that it has signed a deal with Connecticut to refurbish and run the state's 23 highway service stops in return for a share of the revenue over the next 35 years.
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Schools shift strategy on swine flu, staying open more
By Grace E. Merritt, The Hartford Courant
Despite a handful of school closings last month when a second wave of swine flu hit the state — including one decision to close schools in a district where only 6 percent of the students were out sick — superintendents overall now seem to be showing more restraint when deciding whether to close.
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Starwood hotels to move headquarters to Stamford
By Staff Reports, The Day (New London)
STAMFORD, Conn. -- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. says it will move its headquarters from White Plains, N.Y., to Stamford in January 2012, with the help of millions of dollars in incentives from the state of Connecticut.
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Lawmaker stopped again for using cell phone in car
By The Associated Press, The Hartford Courant
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- A Connecticut lawmaker says he's paid more than $390 in fines and his driver's license has been reinstated after he was pulled over by police a second time for illegally using a cell phone while driving.
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Delaware Dept. of Education seeks leaner budget for 2011
By Jennifer Price, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
Secretary of Education Lillian Lowery asked state budget makers Thursday for $3.68 million less than she received in this year's budget to run the state's public education system in the next fiscal year.
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Delaware asked to invest in wind company
By Aaron Nathans, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
A startup company whose management includes former Lt. Gov. John Carney is seeking a state investment of $350,000 to establish an operation in Wilmington to manufacture support towers for wind turbines.
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Correction Department alerts Delaware to crowding crisis
By James Merriweather, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington)
Crowding at Baylor Women's Correctional Institution near New Castle, the state's only women's prison, could become a crisis even if there's a relatively small spike in crime, Corrections Commissioner Carl C. Danberg told state budget writers Thursday.
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Need a job? Senate going to pay budget expert up to $170K a year
By Dara Kam, The Palm Beach Post
Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander is setting up a new office to help him figure out if the state is spending money wisely.
Alexander and his House counterparts have grappled with the state's plummeting revenues and are facing a $2.7 billion projected spending gap in next year's budget.
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State rates teacher prep programs
By Ron Matus, St. Petersburg Times
Out of the blue, the FCAT has a new job: measuring the programs across the state that produce teachers. And it is already waving a red flag at the University of South Florida.
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Miami-Dade leaders to fight wage theft
By The Associated Press, Tallahassee Democrat
MIAMI -- Miami-Dade Commissioner Natasha Seijas announced a plan to combat the problem of wage theft -- an effort that could serve as a model for cities nationwide.
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Broward grand jury recommend pain clinic reforms
By Scott Hiaasen, The Miami Herald
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Broward County grand jury issued a damning report Thursday bemoaning the explosion of illegal painkillers sold through Broward pain clinics -- and warning that reforms passed by the Legislature may not be enough.
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No new patients being admitted to Central State Hospital
By Travis Fain, The Macon Telegraph
Georgia's state-run psychiatric hospitals continue to have serious problems, and a recent Department of Justice visit to the largest facility — Central State Hospital in Milledgeville — led the hospital to stop taking new patients indefinitely.
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Health reform in D.C. could influence gubernatorial race
By Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The fractious debate over health care reform has mostly been a federal affair. But if the version favored by the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate becomes law, leaders in the states could play a huge role by choosing to opt out of the so-called "public option."
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Grand Central Terminal for Atlanta?
By Ariel Hart, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A plan to build a major passenger terminal in downtown Atlanta might soon boast new life, in the form of an $80 million-plus jump start, state officials said at Transportation Board meetings Wednesday and Thursday.
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Adelman nominated ambassador to Singapore
By Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
State Sen. David Adelman (D-Atlanta) has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be U.S. ambassador to Singapore, the White House announced late Thursday.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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School board approves bus fare increase
By Loren Moreno, The Honolulu Advertiser
Public school parents will pay more for their kids to ride the school bus come next year after the state Board of Education voted 8-2 tonight to raise one-way fares from 35 cents to 75 cents.
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ITD hires new director
By Ben Botkin, The Times-News (Twin Falls)
The Idaho Transportation Department has a new director, just days after the former director sued the state agency over her firing.
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State senator would consider leasing tollway
By Joseph Ryan, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)
State Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, says he would consider selling the Illinois tollway to a private company if elected to the state's top post, putting him at odds with at least one challenger in the GOP primary for governor.
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Asian carp may have breached barrier
By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New research shows the fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday.
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Group hears how mentally ill fare in nursing homes
By Carla K. Johnson, Quad-City Times
Mentally ill residents of Illinois nursing homes often don't know their rights and some are confined against their will, a lawyer with 35 years' experience in mental health law told a state task force Thursday.
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UIC names new head of economics department
By The Associated Press, Quad-City Times
Professor David Merriman has also been named a professor of economics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and will continue to work as a professor of public administration in the school's College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs.
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State GOP tones down heat on Gitmo
By Joseph Ryan, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)
Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, a Springfield Democrat, seized on the attacks as fear mongering as they tried to sell the deal in a series of news conferences around northern Illinois.
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United considers first plane order in more than a decade
By Julie Johnsson, Chicago Tribune
United Airlines is close to placing its first aircraft order in more than a decade and has narrowed its search to two ground-breaking airplanes: Boeing's 787 Dreamliner or Airbus's counterpart, the A350-XWB, sources told the Tribune.
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I-90 could get new ramps at Barrington Road
By Krystyna Slivinski, Chicago Tribune
Village officials have lobbied transportation officials for the last two decades to add two more ramps at the Barrington Road interchange -- an offramp for eastbound traffic and an on-ramp for westbound traffic.
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New trial ordered for man in 1992 Lakeview slaying
By Steve Schmadeke, Chicago Tribune
The Illinois Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Salvador Ortiz for a 1992 gang-related Lakeview slaying that drew attention after Ortiz's mother, who became a community activist and advocate for her son's case, died in police custody in 2004 after being arrested on drug charges.
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Indiana wants stimulus cash for schools
By Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writer, South Bend Tribune
Indiana hopes to win $250 million or more in competitive federal stimulus grants for schools — money the state superintendent says it deserves because of recent changes lawmakers made to education policies.
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Indiana regulators approve heating assistance
By The Associated Press, Evansville Courier and Press
Consumer advocates say they're encouraged by state regulators' decision to allow Indiana utilities to reinstate heating assistance programs for the needy, but the next step is up to the utilities.
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Asian carp may have breached barrier
By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New research shows the fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday.
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Culver -- It's time for school reform
By Staci Hupp, The Des Moines Register
Gov. Chet Culver said today that Iowa will go after up to $175 million in federal money for schools, but there are strings attached: Schools in Iowa must change.
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Culver delivers sober message on school money
By Charlotte Eby, Quad-City Times
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver delivered a somber budget lesson to school board members from across the state Thursday, but argued financial constraints offer a historic opportunity for reforms.
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3rd-quarter foreclosure rate nears 10% in Iowa
By Donnelle Eller, The Des Moines Register
The lingering recession pushed Iowa's foreclosure rate for all loans to 2.65 percent and mortgages 30 days or more past due to 6.92 percent, a report from Mortgage Bankers Association showed Thursday.
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New Postville packer gets state assistance
By Donnelle Eller, The Des Moines Register
The new owners of the former Agriprocessors in Postville received $600,000 in state assistance Thursday for a $15 million proposal to expand and modernize the kosher beef and poultry packing plant.
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Iowa City stem cell company gets state grant
By Staff and Wire Reports, The Des Moines Register
Cellular Engineering Technologies of Iowa City received $50,000 from the state Thursday to develop a more efficient technology platform to make adult stem cells for use in medical research, drug development and clinical therapy.
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Branstad -- Iowa Poll encouraging
By Tom Beaumont, The Des Moines Register
Former Gov. Terry Branstad said Iowa voters' early preference of him over Gov. Chet Culver is helping his fundraising as the longtime Republican governor begins cranking up his campaign operation.
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In new role, Minnesota to aid other states
By Devin Henry, St. Paul Pioneer Press
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid seismic zone on the Kentucky-Missouri border. Communications go offline, highways are severely damaged, and there is not enough shelter space to house those displaced by the quake.
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Senate hopefuls squabble about terrorism, coal
By Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald-Leader
LOUISVILLE — Republicans Trey Grayson and Rand Paul exchanged sharp words on the issue of Guantánamo Bay, and Democrats Jack Conway and Daniel Mongiardo squabbled about their alliances with coal.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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In New Orleans, elation over Katrina liability ruling
By Campbell Robertson, The New York Times
NEW ORLEANS — Since the first days after Hurricane Katrina, when the streets were still under water, many residents of New Orleans and its surroundings have maintained that the flood that wrecked their lives was the government's fault, and that the government should pay for it.
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Roemer -- Trim DOE, excess staff
By Will Sentell, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
The state Department of Education is so bureaucratic and unresponsive to children that it needs to be overhauled from top to bottom, a member of the state's top school board said Thursday.
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Strain -- State still waiting for funds
By Sarah Chacko, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
The state agriculture department should have nearly all of $44.5 million in disaster recovery grants and loans in farmers' hands by Christmas, the head of the agency told legislators Thursday.
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Ark., Miss. let out of utility agreement
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Federal regulators Thursday allowed Entergy Corp.'s subsidiaries in Mississippi and Arkansas to withdraw from an agreement that includes hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for the utility's Louisiana customers.
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Victims' kin in civil-rights era cases sought
By Jerry Mitchell, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
The FBI is seeking to find family members of 33 people slain during the civil rights movement. A third of those killings took place in Mississippi, including that of Jimmie Lee Griffin, whose body was discovered on a highway near Sturgis on Sept. 24, 1965.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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New budget woes may shut down rural courthouses
By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
Maine's chief justice said Thursday that she is hopeful the judicial branch can find ways to weather the next round of deep budget cuts without closing courthouses in rural areas of the state.
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No probe for city's TABOR fliers
By Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
The state ethics commission decided Thursday against an investigation into whether South Portland should be required to file campaign finance reports because of a flier it sent regarding the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.
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Foes of gay vows face probe
By Susan M. Cover, Kennebec Journal
State ethics commission staff will soon begin an investigation into the fundraising practices of a group that contributed at least $1.6 million to defeat gay marriage in Maine.
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Maine high court rules against ATV rider
By The Associated Press, Bangor Daily News
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine's highest court has overturned a lower court judge's ruling that a state law that authorized game wardens to stop all-terrain vehicle operators without cause was unconstitutional.
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Election money may be scant
By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News
The prospect that Maine's clean election fund could run dry before the November 2010 elections is causing some concerns among gubernatorial candidates hoping to tap into the program.
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Flu vaccine slow getting to Maine
By Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News
Fewer than two-thirds of the very highest-priority Mainers — children and pregnant women — have been vaccinated against the H1N1 flu, largely due to the national shortage of vaccine, according to Maine's top public health official.
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The mortgage crisis deepens
By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Sun (Baltimore)
BALTIMORE -- The mortgage crisis has worsened to the point that about one in every 10 prime borrowers in Maryland and nationwide -- homeowners judged to be good credit risks -- were behind on payments in September.
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State slashes budget by $362M
By Liam Farrell, The Capital (Annapolis)
The latest round of state budget cuts imposed yesterday will limit student financial aid, slice Medicaid payments to hospitals and even reduce commuter bus trips for state employees when the legislature is not in session.
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Port of Baltimore to get multi-million-dollar upgrade
By Michael Dresser, The Sun (Baltimore)
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to announce today that a company will invest hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade the port of Baltimore - a project likely to bring thousands of jobs to the city.
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Dixon's fate in jurors' hands
By Julie Bykowicz and Annie Linskey, The Sun (Baltimore)
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Twelve Baltimore residents are now deciding the fate of Mayor Sheila Dixon, who stands accused of five criminal charges involving theft or embezzlement of gift cards. The jurors deliberated for about four hours Thursday, sending the judge several questions before the end of the day.
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Shrewsbury opposes medical waste facility
By The Associated Press, Boston Herald
SSHREWSBURY, Mass. — Shrewsbury residents are mobilizing against a proposal to build a 21,000-square-foot medical waste disposal facility near a residential neighborhood in town.
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State jobless rate declines, bucking trend
By Robert Gavin, The Boston Globe
The Massachusetts unemployment rate dropped last month for the first time in two years, and job losses slowed - signs the state's beleaguered job market may be stabilizing.
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Bay State flu 'crisis'
By Marie Szaniszlo, Jessica Van Sack, Richard Weir and Edward Mason, Boston Herald
Weeks before its predicted peak, the swine flu pandemic already has hit a historic high in the Bay State, with one hospital unit reporting a third of its nurses felled by the raging virus and a local health official warning that the Thanksgiving holiday could only accelerate the outbreak.
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Jobless rate drops in Bay State
By The Associated Press, Cape Cod Times
The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell last month for the first time in nearly 2½ years as the job market was spurred by expansion in the science, health and business services sectors.
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Gubernatorial candidates spar over local aid
By John R. Ellement, The Boston Globe
WESTBOROUGH, Mass. -- Timothy P. Cahill has spent 22 years in public life, but the state treasurer said he was nervous as he rose to speak to some 200 business people at a breakfast meeting here yesterday.
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State ready to fill in Big Dig's missing links
By Peter DeMarco, The Boston Globe
It was touted as the Big Dig's greatest open-space gift to Boston: a spectacular ribbon of parks, paths, and pedestrian footbridges linking the Esplanade to both the Rose Kennedy Greenway and Boston Harbor. But when the Central Artery/Tunnel Project officially wrapped up two years ago, only half of what was promised had been built.
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Baker narrows list of running mates
By Frank Phillips, The Boston Globe
As part of a decision that will significantly shape next year's gubernatorial race, Republican Charles D. Baker is reviewing a final list of four potential running mates, including a district attorney, the GOP's two top legislative leaders, and a lawmaker known for her political candor, a campaign adviser said yesterday.
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No agreement, no $147m upgrade
By Meghan E. Irons, The Boston Globe
Massachusetts has missed an opportunity to tap into as much as $147 million in grant money available under the federal stimulus package because of a deep disagreement between the Patrick administration and residents of Roxbury and Mattapan.
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Charles Baker cooks up plan to cut pension abuse
By Hillary Chabot, Boston Herald
Job-hopping to inflate state pensions and out-the-door parachutes higher than $90,000 will be banned under a new proposal by Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Baker, as a Herald review shows the number of retirees raking in that much or more shot up 30 percent this year.
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Shrewsbury opposes medical waste facility
By The Associated Press, Boston Herald
SSHREWSBURY, Mass. — Shrewsbury residents are mobilizing against a proposal to build a 21,000-square-foot medical waste disposal facility near a residential neighborhood in town.
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Another property tax blow on horizon
By John Wisely, Detroit Free Press
Michigan home values have taken a nose dive in the past two years, and experts say commercial and industrial property values are about to do the same.
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Bills aim to force pay cuts
By Dawson Bell, Detroit Free Press
Calling it "another option to consider" in addressing the financial crisis gripping Michigan's public schools, an Oakland County lawmaker wants to empower the state schools superintendent to make unilateral cuts to the pay and benefits for school employees under some circumstances.
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Asian carp may have breached barrier
By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New research shows the fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday.
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In new role, Minnesota to aid other states
By Devin Henry, St. Paul Pioneer Press
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid seismic zone on the Kentucky-Missouri border. Communications go offline, highways are severely damaged, and there is not enough shelter space to house those displaced by the quake.
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Mortgage crisis hits prime borrowers
By Christopher Snowbeck, St. Paul Pioneer Press
More prime borrowers in Minnesota fell behind on mortgage payments during the third quarter, according to a report released Thursday, as delinquencies and bank foreclosures nationally hit record highs.
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Property tax forecast -- up, but not as much
By Bill Salisbury, St. Paul Pioneer Press
Property taxes would increase an average of 3.5 percent across Minnesota next year if local governments adopt their proposed levies, the state Revenue Department announced Thursday.
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State says it needs more than stimulus
By The Associated Press, St. Paul Pioneer Press
The state Department of Transportation said in its 20-year plan, released this week, that federal economic stimulus money does not solve immediate or long-term funding needs.
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Lawmakers' trips hit amid revenue crunch
By Elizabeth Crisp, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
Senate leaders have eliminated all taxpayer-funded out-of-state travel for the rest of the fiscal year. Meanwhile, the House is considering a proposal to limit its members to one out-of-state trip each this fiscal year, said House Management Committee Chair J.P. Compretta, D-Bay St. Louis.
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Ark., Miss. let out of utility agreement
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate (Baton Rouge)
Federal regulators Thursday allowed Entergy Corp.'s subsidiaries in Mississippi and Arkansas to withdraw from an agreement that includes hundreds of millions of dollars in refunds for the utility's Louisiana customers.
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Miss. high court tosses out wrongful death award
By The Associated Press, The Sun Herald (Biloxi)
A $75,000 award to a family who claimed Lisa Williams' death resulted from Laurel police officers' failure to arrest Kenneth Wilson after two distrubance calls has been thrown out by the Mississippi Supreme Court.
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Miss. levee board sues EPA over flood project
By The Associated Press, The Sun Herald (Biloxi)
GREENVILLE, Miss. -- Environmental groups have intervened in a lawsuit filed by a Mississippi levee board over the Environmental Protection Agency's veto of a $220 million flood control project that dates back decades.
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USM tragedy list continues to grow
By Ed Kemp, Hattiesburg American, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
University of Southern Mississippi senior McKenzie C. Beilmann, 24, known as "Cole," planned on traveling internationally through a career in construction. He had his eye on South America. But his death in a two-vehicle accident Wednesday evening on U.S. 98 deprived him of that chance. Instead, it places him on a tragic list with six other Southern Miss students to die this semester.
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Victims' kin in civil-rights era cases sought
By Jerry Mitchell, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson)
The FBI is seeking to find family members of 33 people slain during the civil rights movement. A third of those killings took place in Mississippi, including that of Jimmie Lee Griffin, whose body was discovered on a highway near Sturgis on Sept. 24, 1965.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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In new role, Minnesota to aid other states
By Devin Henry, St. Paul Pioneer Press
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid seismic zone on the Kentucky-Missouri border. Communications go offline, highways are severely damaged, and there is not enough shelter space to house those displaced by the quake.
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University weighs tighter limits on stem cell research
By Monica Davey, The New York Times
LINCOLN, Neb. — In an unusual pushback against President Obama's expansion of federal financing of human embryonic stem cell research, the University of Nebraska is considering restricting its stem cell experiments to cell lines approved by President George W. Bush.
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Senators will work around Heineman's schedule to wrap up session
By JoAnne Young, Lincoln Journal Star
Gov. Dave Heineman called 49 senators to Lincoln 2 1/2 weeks ago to find a solution to a budget crisis. He met with the Appropriations Committee and other key committee chairs Nov. 2, and held briefings with others, to outline his proposal to cut the two-year budget to fill a gap in revenue. Then, according to a few senators, he more or less disappeared.
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McGill named head of Urban Affairs Committee
By JoAnne Young, Lincoln Journal Star
Lincoln Sen. Amanda McGill was elected Thursday to chair the Legislature's Urban Affairs Committee.
She will succeed Omaha Sen. Mike Friend, who resigned this summer to become the first director of the state's Office of Violence Prevention.
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UNL and witch settle lawsuit
By The Associated Press, Omaha World-Herald
A woman who sued the University of Nebraska last year, saying the school fired her because she is a witch, has agreed to settle the case for $40,000.
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State sells $131 million in bonds
By Staff Reports, Nevada Appeal (Carson City)
Nevada Treasurer Kate Marshall has announced the sale of $130.9 million in general obligation bonds at one of the lowest interest rates ever.
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The Strip -- License approved for Aria
By, Las Vegas Review-Journal
There was never any doubt Thursday whether Nevada gaming regulators would approve a casino license for the centerpiece resort inside the $8.5 billion CityCenter development.
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A forceful entry by Christie, and a sober exit by Corzine
By David M. Halbfinger, The New York Times
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — In a vivid contrast of their styles and standing, a soft-spoken Gov. Jon S. Corzine delivered a choked-up goodbye here Thursday while Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie vowed to "force change" on New Jersey even if it meant dragging his adversaries to the table.
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Governors don't call this home
By David M. Halbfinger, The New York Times
It is a 20-room Greek Revival mansion, with Italian gardens, a music room and a wood-paneled library. But no one seems to want to live in Drumthwacket, the governor's residence in Princeton Township, N.J.
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Dem leader -- Economy trumps gay marriage
By Staff Reports, The Star-Ledger (Newark)
Following a dust-up over gay marriage in which he said he was taken out of context, Senate Majority Leader Stephen Sweeney said it would be irresponsible for Democrats to bring a bill to vote if they are not sure it will pass.
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Christie lays down his law for state
By Staff Reports, The Star-Ledger (Newark)
In his first major speech since Election Day, Gov.-elect Chris Christie told local officials yesterday they better step up and become part of the solution, or he would become their problem.
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Essex Democrat is on track as next Assembly speaker
By Chris Megerian and Josh Margolin, The Star-Ledger (Newark)
Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver now has a clear path to become speaker of the lower house, after her only remaining competition for the post, Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman, dropped out of contention yesterday.
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Colleges spot chance to fight sexual assault
By Staff Reports, The Star-Ledger (Newark)
On college campuses across the state, students mix in dormitories and mingle at parties, but experts say they remain dangerously shy about confronting the warning signs of sexual assault.
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State mulls reducing Medicaid coverage
By Barry Massey, The Associated Press, Santa Fe New Mexican
Gov. Bill Richardson's administration is proposing to overhaul Medicaid and scale back health care services to some lower-income New Mexicans to cope with a projected budget shortfall of $300 million next year in the state's largest health care program.
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Giuliani won't run for governor, GOP officials say
By Joseph Spector, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester)
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is not planning to run for governor next year after spending months considering whether to seek the seat, Republican officials said Thursday.
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Gay couple rights OK'd by state's top court
By Joseph Spector, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester)
In a case that mirrors a Rochester-area decision, the state's top court on Thursday upheld the rights of Westchester County and the state to legally extend benefits to same-sex couples married in other states.
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Governor -- 'There is no deal'
By Casey Seiler, Times Union (Albany)
The work goes on, but the legislators are gone. Members of the state Senate and Assembly left the Capitol on Thursday with plans to return on Monday -- if, that is, their leaders manage to hammer out a package to close the state's estimated $3.2 billion budget deficit.
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Giuliani eyes Senate run
By Suzanne Sataline, The Wall Street Journal
Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who has been widely rumored to be interested in running for governor, is weighing "a real possibility" of seeking a U.S. Senate seat next year, a former Giuliani campaign aide said.
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Pork politics key to Bruno reign
By James M. Odato, Times Union (Albany)
Under Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno's rule, $85 million a year in discretionary funds known as member items were doled out by senators with political considerations in mind, a high-level Senate aide said Thursday under oath in Bruno's federal criminal trial.
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For Bruno, how Albany works is also on trial
By Nicholas Confessore, The New York Times
The longtime secretary for one of the most powerful politicians in New York spent as much time on his private business, handling bills and correspondence, as she did on his public duties, like arranging meetings with lawmakers.
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Aid to help businesses hit by closed bridge
By Bob Gardinier, Times Union (Albany)
The state will provide nearly $3 million in economic assistance to businesses affected by last month's closing of the Champlain Bridge, a major link between New York and Vermont.
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UNC tuition hike too small, some say
By Eric Ferreri, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Students at UNC-Chapel Hill will continue to pay far less for their educations than peers at most of the campus's competitors under a tuition plan approved Thursday. And that, some say, is a problem.
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Perdue rethinks life terms
By Mandy Locke, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Gov. Beverly Perdue's third take: Prison officials never doled out credits for good behavior to those sentenced to life in the 1970s. It's the latest position Perdue's administration has taken on the question of freedom for dozens of inmates convicted of murder, rape and robbery more than three decades ago.
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Prisoners allege sex abuse
By Mandy Locke, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Four female inmates have filed a federal class-action lawsuit accusing North Carolina prison officials of subjecting female prisoners to extensive sexual violence and harassment amounting to cruel and unusual punishment.
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Stam sees a chance for eminent domain bill
By Benjamin Niolet and Rob Christensen, The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The departure of state Sen. Tony Rand has a lot of people wondering how the Senate will operate without the powerful master of rules, legislative maneuvers and hardball politics. It even has state Rep. Paul Stam wondering whether he'll finally get a favorite bill passed in the Senate.
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N.C. Sen. Boseman says she won't run again
By The Associated Press, The Winston-Salem Journal
State Sen. Julia Boseman, the first openly gay person elected to the General Assembly, said yesterday that she won't run for a fourth term in the Senate next year, citing family responsibilities.
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Doctor is brusque. Patient complains. Doctor fires back.
By Sarah Avery, The Charlotte Observer
Dr. Earl Sunderhaus, an Asheville eye doctor, has what might charitably be described as a brusque bedside manner. That much is not in dispute. But the N.C. Medical Board may decide Sunderhaus overstepped the bounds of decency when he recently told a patient she was irresponsible for being unemployed, on Medicaid, and relying on taxpayers to cover another pregnancy after giving birth less than a year earlier.
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Dakotas deal with vaccine shortages
By Wayne Ortman, The Associated Press, The Bismarck Tribune
The uncertainty over weekly allotments of a limited supply of H1N1 vaccine has complicated efforts to organize immunization clinics and distribute it to hundreds of providers in North Dakota and South Dakota.
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State of the University set for Dec. 1
By Staff Reports, Grand Forks Herald
UND President Robert Kelley will give the annual State of the University address at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 1, as part of the University Council meeting in the Memorial Union Lecture Bowl.
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Delinquent loans rise to record number
By Jim Weiker, The Columbus Dispatch
A report, issued yesterday by the Mortgage Bankers Association, found that loan delinquencies rose to record levels in the third quarter of this year.
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Bill aims to help workers due pay
By Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch
Senate Democrats say it's time to expand the state's ability to investigate and resolve instances in which workers are not paid wages owed them.
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Strickland vows to punish domestic abusers
By Mike Wagner, The Columbus Dispatch
In response to a Dispatch investigation that showed Ohio's tolerance of and indifference toward domestic violence, Strickland called for a sweeping examination of, and reforms to, Ohio's approach to the crime.
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Slot-like machines in a legal muddle
By James Nash, The Columbus Dispatch
Attorney General Richard Cordray's office insists that it cannot decide whether slot-like Sweepstakes machines are legal in Ohio because courts haven't ruled on the devices.
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Casino issue won big with absentee voters
By Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch
Voters who cast an absentee ballot in the Nov. 3 election generally were much more likely to support the statewide issue authorizing casinos than those who went to the polls Election Day, final unofficial results show.
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New natural gas pipeline boosts Ohio
By Jon Chavez, Toledo Blade
Natural gas from the $4.4 billion Rockies Express pipeline had been flowing into a terminal at Lebanon, Ohio, between Cincinnati and Dayton since June.
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Oklahoma chided for litter-trial additions
By Robert J. Smith, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
U.S. District Judge Greg Frizzell on Thursday chastised an attorney working for the state of Oklahoma for overloading its poultry-litter lawsuit with paperwork.
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Horse Sensitivity
By Amanda O'Toole, Tulsa World
STILLWATER, Okla. — The wild mustangs Freedom, El Compadre and Felio were featured during the halftime show at Oklahoma State University's football game Thursday in an effort to raise awareness of the plight of wild horses.
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OSU faculty face mandatory furloughs
By Cheryl Hatch, Corvallis Gazette-Times
Under the proposal, faculty members will have to take a minimum of three unpaid days and a maximum of 12, depending on their salaries and whether they're on nine-month or 12-month contracts.
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Tax measures represent next economic crossroads
By Peter Wong, Statesman Journal (Salem)
With Oregon's economy and tax collections apparently stabilizing, the next development affecting state services and aid to public schools will hinge on how Oregon voters decide the Legislature's budget-balancing tax measures Jan. 26.
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Criminal deportations spike in Pacific Northwest
By Manuel Valdes, The Associated Press, seattlepi.com
SEATTLE -- Deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records from Alaska, Oregon, and Washington this past year spiked by nearly 40 percent, while overall removals dropped for the first time in five years, according to new data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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BPA proposal for new high-voltage line draws heat
By The Associated Press, The Olympian
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A Bonneville Power Administration proposal to build a new high-voltage power line across one of several possible corridors between new substations in Castle Rock, Wash., and Troutdale, Ore., is drawing heated comment.
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State October jobless rate flat
By Ann Belser, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In recent months Pennsylvania has been in step with the nation in terms of unemployment, staying about a point behind the national rate as both rates slowly ticked up.
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State taking heat for 'chaotic' flu shots
By Steve Twedt, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In the last several weeks, as the H1N1 flu has swept through the nation and health officials scrambled to find scarce vaccine, questions have been raised about how Pennsylvania chose to handle the process of distributing the limited doses available.
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Some don't report how stimulus funds spent
By Tom Fontaine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Stung by criticism over data showing billions in federal stimulus money going to nonexistent congressional districts in Pennsylvania and other states, the government corrected its Web site created to track the money.
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Rendell revises gaming claim
By Brad Bumsted, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Gov. Ed Rendell on Thursday backed off his claim the FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office investigated the state gambling board's award of slot licenses in 2006 and found nothing.
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Sanford relents on ethics report
By Staff and Wire Reports, The Post and Courier (Charleston)
Gov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to remove the last hurdle to a long-delayed House of Representatives impeachment investigation of his travel and campaign expenses.
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Candidate for governor raises Confederate flag issue
By Gina Smith, The State (Columbia)
The Confederate flag must be removed from the State House grounds if South Carolina is to attract jobs, according to one Democrat running for governor. Thursday, Mullins McLeod, a Charleston attorney, released a plan to create jobs and reopened an old S.C. wound about whether it's appropriate to fly the flag on Capitol grounds.
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Ethics panel votes to charge Sanford
By John O'Connor, The State (Columbia)
Gov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to remove the last hurdle to a long-delayed House of Representatives impeachment investigation of his travel and campaign expenses.
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Harrell promised copy of Gov. Sanford ethics investigation report
By Tim Smith, The Greenville News
Some lawmakers want to see more detail about ethics charges facing Gov. Mark Sanford before making up their minds, while others say they are disturbed by the State Ethics Commission's finding that the governor violated state ethics laws in his travels and campaign expenses.
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Role of black colleges in higher education touted
By Wayne Washington, The State (Columbia)
The presidents of six colleges and universities in South Carolina met Thursday morning with the chief executive officer of a private foundation that has given at least $2 million to a pair of historically black colleges and universities in this state.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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'Superload' could be big draw on Upstate roads
By Paul Alongi, The Greenville News
A load longer and heavier than a jumbo jet will today begin a slow trek across Greenville County, clogging some of the area's busiest roads and leaving in its wake an economic impact expected to reach the tens of thousands of dollars.
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DOT -- Highway tax hike unlikely
By Bob Mercer, Capital Journal (Pierre)
The Legislature will be presented a package of proposed tax increases for highway funding in the 2010 session, but state Transportation Secretary Darin Bergquist said Thursday he doesn't foresee lawmakers coming up with any more money for road maintenance and projects.
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Pricey fight over ban expected
By Peter Harriman, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls)
Backers of a statewide smoking ban say they expect to be outspent by opponents in what's expected to be a hard-fought campaign after deciding Thursday not to appeal a judge's ruling.
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Dakotas deal with vaccine shortages
By Wayne Ortman, The Associated Press, The Bismarck Tribune
The uncertainty over weekly allotments of a limited supply of H1N1 vaccine has complicated efforts to organize immunization clinics and distribute it to hundreds of providers in North Dakota and South Dakota.
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TVA price increases fuel higher tax payments
By Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Higher electricity prices may have squeezed recession-weary consumers in the past two years, but the higher TVA rates are helping to funnel more money into state and local government coffers.
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TVA cuts bonuses; no pay raise for top brass
By Dave Flessner, Chattanooga Times Free Press
For the first time since the Tennessee Valley Authority revamped its top management about three years ago, the federal utility didn't give pay raises or performance bonuses to its top managers this year.
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Water quality penalty expected next year
By Cliff Hightower, Chattanooga Times Free Press
Chattanooga could be fined as early as next spring for not living up to the standards of its water quality permit, a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation official said Thursday.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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Perry rejects clemency in death penalty case
By Mike Ward, The Austin American-Statesman
Rejecting a rare recommendation to commute a death sentence, Gov. Rick Perry refused Thursday to stop the execution of a man convicted of murder for his role in the 1996 shooting death of a Houston convenience store clerk. Less than an hour later, Robert Lee Thompson, 34, was executed at a state prison in Huntsville.
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Despite his millions, Shami faces steep climb to governor's office
By Corrie MacLaggan and Jason Embry, The Austin American-Statesman
HOUSTON — With hundreds of supporters watching, businessman Farouk Shami leapt into the Democratic gubernatorial primary field Thursday with plenty of hoopla and a promise to spend millions more than his opponents will likely raise, but he will face obstacles that even money may not allow him to overcome.
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State (board) of agitation
By Abby Rapoport, The Texas Tribune
Legislative frustration and national efforts to standardize state curricula threaten to diminish the State Board of Education's authority. For now, members are just trying to get along — but the rifts are still as big as ever.
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Hospital war
By Emily Ramshaw, The Texas Tribune
DALLAS — As lawmakers in Washington hammer out a health care reform bill, physician-owned specialty hospitals — a quarter of which are in Texas — face an uncertain fate. Those under development could see bulldozers, not cranes. Those already in operation may face serious limits on growth.
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Investment firm stands by reports on gifts to State Board of Education official
By Jeff Horwitz, The Dallas Morning News
State Board of Education member Rick Agosto has accused an investment company of incorrectly reporting that it gave him more than $1,000 in gifts before it sought a lucrative contract with the board. But the company has insisted that its disclosures are generally correct and said in letters to the Texas Education Agency that the disagreement may partially result from differences in accounting.
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Settlement delay costs HISD $82 million
By Ericka Mellon, The Houston Chronicle
Houston ISD schools have gone without at least $82 million for technology upgrades while the district is under federal investigation for questionable deals with computer equipment vendors.
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Who's got the swine flu vaccine?
By Tony Plohetski and Nathan Adkisson, The Austin American-Statesman
State health officials said Thursday that they have funneled most doses — about 147,000 in Travis County — to private physicians, urgent care clinics and hospitals, where workers must decide whether patients meet the criteria to receive the scarce immunizations.
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Abortion bill approved by Utah legislative committee
By James Thalman, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
A bill that would make seeking an illegal abortion a second-degree felony as well as remove any immunity for Utah women seeking illegal abortions was approved by a legislative committee Wednesday morning.
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Utah oil and gas leases should be reinstated, report says
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)
A new analysis by an association representing oil and gas producers asserts the Department of the Interior thwarted the public process and "second-guessed" its own land managers when it yanked bids on oil and gas parcels sold at a controversial auction in Salt Lake City last December.
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5 Democrats make pitch for governor
By Terri Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press
Marcella and Chris Chiarello of Shelburne went to Thursday night's gubernatorial candidate forum hoping for hints that will help them choose from a field of five Democratic candidates with strikingly similar viewpoints.
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Worker deaths hold fast in Vermont
By Staff Reports, Burlington Free Press
Work-related fatalities last year in Vermont remained the same as a year earlier, bucking a decline across New England and the nation.
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Vermont smokers seek help quitting
By Nancy Remsen, Burlington Free Press
Vermont is likely to fall short of reducing the number of adult smokers to 11 percent of the population -- the target set in 2000 for 2010. Still more smokers are seeking help, especially from the state's online Web site -- Vermont Quit Network.
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Feds hit farms looking for illegal immigrants
By Sam Hemingway, Burlington Free Press
Federal immigration officials served subpoenas on at least four Vermont dairy farms Thursday as part of a national crackdown on businesses suspected of using immigrant workers who have entered the country illegally.
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Aid to help businesses hit by closed bridge
By Bob Gardinier, Times Union (Albany)
The state will provide nearly $3 million in economic assistance to businesses affected by last month's closing of the Champlain Bridge, a major link between New York and Vermont.
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Hampton Alcoa plant lays off 250
By The Associated Press, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk)
HAMPTON, Va. -- Alcoa Howmet is laying off 250 workers, or nearly a quarter of its work force, at its Hampton manufacturing plant.
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State budget gap widens
By Brad Shannon, The Olympian
An additional $760 million in hoped-for state revenue evaporated in the latest economic forecast, and lawmakers began talking up the pros and cons of tax increases to help plug a budget shortfall now estimated at $2.7 billion.
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Ranks of uninsured swell in state
By John Stucke, The Spokesman-Review (Spokane)
Washington state is on pace to reach a dangerous milestone within 14 months, Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said Thursday: 1 million uninsured residents.
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Criminal deportations spike in Pacific Northwest
By Manuel Valdes, The Associated Press, seattlepi.com
SEATTLE -- Deportations of illegal immigrants with criminal records from Alaska, Oregon, and Washington this past year spiked by nearly 40 percent, while overall removals dropped for the first time in five years, according to new data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Saving two programs funded by state focus of public forum
By Kathie Durbin, The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)
The Southwest Washington Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities will hold a public forum Saturday to build support for the preservation of two state-funded programs that help seniors and the disabled and their families.
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Man gets $4 million after jail beating
By Staff Reports, The Olympian
A man who suffered permanent brain damage from a beating by his cellmate at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton has received a $4 million settlement from the Washington State Department of Corrections.
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BPA proposal for new high-voltage line draws heat
By The Associated Press, The Olympian
VANCOUVER, Wash. -- A Bonneville Power Administration proposal to build a new high-voltage power line across one of several possible corridors between new substations in Castle Rock, Wash., and Troutdale, Ore., is drawing heated comment.
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Vote block extends special session to fourth day
By Staff and Wire Reports, Charleston Daily Mail
House Republicans on Thursday blocked the Legislature from voting on two bills sought by the Manchin administration, throwing a special session into a fourth day. In a largely symbolic move, the Republicans prevented Democrats from suspending House rules Thursday to advance one bill that would have made changes to the state gasoline tax and another to encourage the use of energy sources other than coal by state utilities.
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Foster-care agencies seek higher payments
By Alison Knezevich, Charleston Gazette
Private foster-care agencies in West Virginia hope state lawmakers will boost their daily payments, saying it will help them retain good foster parents and social workers who care for abused and neglected children.
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WVU Tech athletic department losing money, audit shows
By Phil Kabler, Charleston Gazette
West Virginia University Institute of Technology's athletic department has a losing record when it comes to finances, running budget deficits of more than $1 million for each of the past two academic years, a legislative audit released Thursday concludes.
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W.Va. lawmakers mull ruling on e-mail secrecy
By The Associated Press
A state Supreme Court justice says West Virginia's Freedom of Information laws are too narrow to fully serve the public's right to know, and some lawmakers are willing to look at changing the code.
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US survey -- Southern counties most obese
By Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press, Montgomery Advertiser
ATLANTA -- The first county-by-county survey of obesity reflects past studies that show the rate of obesity is highest in the Southeast and Appalachia, with two Alabama counties -- Greene and Dallas -- having adult obesity rates that are among the highest in the nation.
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Troubled mortgages at record level in state
By Thomas Content, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
One of every nine homeowners in Wisconsin was behind on mortgage payments or in foreclosure at the end of September - a record level that industry observers said Thursday is likely to rise.
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Asian carp may have breached barrier
By Dan Egan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
New research shows the fish likely have made it past the $9 million electric fish barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal Sentinel late Thursday.
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Committee rejects tax measures
By Bill McCarthy, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne)
The Legislature's Joint Interim Revenue Committee declined on Wednesday to sponsor any of a series of tax measures.
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Don't blame wind, officials say
By Dustin Bleizeffer, Wyoming Tribune-Eagle (Cheyenne)
Power producers have installed more than 500 megawatts of wind energy generation in Wyoming in the past year.
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Senate panel debates offshore drilling
By Siobhan Hughes, The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- A Senate panel on Thursday battled over whether the country could expand oil and gas drilling in coastal waters without damaging the environment, spotlighting one of the big fights over climate legislation.
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Mayors sound alarm over drop in city revenues
By Conor Dougherty, The Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON -- Mayors from four U.S. cities said they are facing a once-in-a-generation fiscal crisis and that federal stimulus funds have, so far, been largely unhelpful in helping them balance budgets hit by steep drops in nearly every source of municipal revenue.
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GOP officials urge candidates to avoid shrill tone
By Peter Wallsten, The Wall Street Journal
AUSTIN, Texas -- Republican governors Thursday urged GOP candidates competing in 2010 elections to not harshly attack President Barack Obama, citing polls that show his personal popularity remaining strong despite unease over his policies.
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In new role, Minnesota to aid other states
By Devin Henry, St. Paul Pioneer Press
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes the New Madrid seismic zone on the Kentucky-Missouri border. Communications go offline, highways are severely damaged, and there is not enough shelter space to house those displaced by the quake.
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The mortgage crisis deepens
By Jamie Smith Hopkins, The Sun (Baltimore)
BALTIMORE -- The mortgage crisis has worsened to the point that about one in every 10 prime borrowers in Maryland and nationwide -- homeowners judged to be good credit risks -- were behind on payments in September.
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Gateses give $290 million for education
By Sam Dillon, The New York Times
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Thursday announced its biggest education donation in a decade, $290 million, in support of three school districts and five charter groups working to transform how teachers are evaluated and how they get tenure.
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Watchdog urges caution on claims of 640,000 stimulus jobs
By Michael Cooper, The New York Times
WASHINGTON — The government watchdog overseeing the federal stimulus program testified Thursday that he could not vouch for the Obama administration's recent claims that the money had saved or created 640,000 jobs. He suggested that the administration should have treated the number with more skepticism.
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Great American Smokeout 2009 -- Which states have most smokers?
By Tracey D. Samuelson, The Christian Science Monitor
Those promoting Thursday's Great American Smokeout 2009 have their work cut out for them. That's because cigarette use among Americans, after declining for decades, has remained virtually unchanged for five straight years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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