Illinois State

Michigan State

CBS Detroit

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court overruled the Legislature on Wednesday, reinstating major changes to the state's minimum wage and paid sick leave laws, a victory for low-wage workers.In a 4-3 decision, the court said Republican lawmakers violated the state constitution.The laws were the result of a 2018 petition drive that collected more than 280,000 signatures.The Legislature had two options: put the proposed laws on the ballot for voters to decide or simply adopt them. GOP lawmakers chose to approve them — but then watered them down after that year's election, before Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took over in 2019....

Michigan Supreme Court restores minimum wage and sick leave laws

Louisiana State

California State

The Marshall Project

California, once a leader in finding ways to lock up fewer people by lowering sentences for some drug and property crimes, is now considering reversing course. And it is not alone. Lawmakers across the country have rolled back reforms meant to decrease reliance on police and prisons, even though data suggests that crime rates are broadly trending down.

Facing Rollbacks, Criminal Justice Reformers Argue Policies Make People Safer

New York City, NY

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Cheryl E Preston

Yesterday was the third time this year that an ad stating Chelsea Clinton lives in a beautiful Virginia home popped up on my laptop. My computer did not warn me this was a dangerous site, so this time, I clicked on the link.

Chelsea Clinton is rumored to be living in Virginia but probably still in NYC

New Jersey State

The LA Insider

As of 2024, several peculiar new laws have taken effect across the United States, showcasing the unique and often quirky nature of local legislation:. In Nebraska, bars are now required to cook a kettle of soup if they wish to sell beer. This law ensures that patrons have a hearty meal option alongside their drinks​ (World Population Review)​.

Odd New Laws in Effect Across the U.S. in 2024

Kansas State

The Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas has refused to block the nationwide enforcement of a Biden administration rule requiring firearms dealers to do background checks of buyers at gun shows, leaving Texas as the only state so far where a legal challenge has succeeded. U.S. District...

Federal judge refuses to block Biden administration rule on gun sales in Kansas, 19 other states

Nevada State

On a July afternoon, Jerry Allen Goode II sat on an overturned white bucket perched on a concrete median. In the 100-degree-plus heat, he held a sign by his feet that read, “Anything helps.” Drivers leaned out of their car windows to hand him water bottles or folded dollar bills.

Illegal to be unhoused: The U.S. Supreme Court determined local governments can enforce anti-camping laws—and local advocates are concerned

Denver, CO

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David Heitz

In addition to collecting more than 8,000 used needles in the past year from Denver drug users, the Harm Reduction Action Center passed out 10,000 meth pipes and “snort kits,” according to a newsletter sent to its supporters Thursday. They also connected about 1,700 people to medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Denver group hands out 10K meth pipes, ‘snort kits,’ connects 1,700 to treatment annually

Minnesota State

WashingtonExaminer

The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that when a person is being threatened or attacked, he or she must retreat if “reasonably possible” rather than brandish a “dangerous weapon.” In June 2021, Earley Romero Blevins pulled out a machete after a man with a knife allegedly threatened him on a rail platform in Minnesota. Blevins was […]

Minnesota Supreme Court rules person being threatened cannot brandish weapon if ‘reasonably possible to retreat’

Orange County, CA

Corcoran, CA

NewSantaAna

CORCORAN – California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials are investigating the July 28, 2024, death of an incarcerated person at California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility as a homicide.

Pimp arrested in Orange County killed by an inmate at a state prison

Black Enterprise

 New research shows that a much larger percentage of Black Americans, particularly women in that group, now make less money than their peers nationwide.
While 23% of all U.S. workers are bagging low wages as defined in a report under $17 an hour, the proportions are much higher when broken down by race and gender.
Some 32% of Black workers earn less than $17 an hour, versus 21% of white workers, based on a fresh analysis by Oxfam, which describes itself a global organization fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice. And 35% of Black women earn low wages, compared to 29%...

Report: Black Americans, Particularly Black Women, Among Those Hit Hardest By Wage Disparities

Colorado State

A bill quietly introduced this spring in the Colorado legislature to decriminalize the possession of drug paraphernalia obtained by harm reductionists has become law. As low-key as the legislation was introduced, the bill was signed into law without fanfare June 6. It garnered little to no media attention.

Colorado legalizes needles, pipes for meth and crack if obtained by harm reduction group

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The Lens

This year’s area of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico is larger than average, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday. The “dead zone” is approximately 6,705 square miles , as measured last week. Within NOAA’s 38 years of measuring the dead zone, this year’s assessment marks the 12th-largest area of low to no oxygen, which can kill fish and marine life.

Gulf ‘dead zone’ larger than average, larger than expected for 2024, scientists announce

A dangerous drug that is being mixed into fentanyl is causing those who inject it to develop a rash of sores that resembles a case of flesh-eating bacteria. People experiencing homelessness around Denver can sometimes be seen with these bloody, weeping wounds. I recently mentioned this phenomenon to a fentanyl user who told me about the xylazine connection.

Denver homeless people suffer sores as xylazine enters fentanyl supply

Polk County, FL

Fort Meade, FL

Uncovering Florida

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has made an arrest after conducting an investigation into a case of credit card fraud involving 28-year-old Burger King employee, Kellyn Miley. The incident was discussed in detail during this morning's briefing with Sheriff Grady Judd.

Burger King Employee Caught Using Customer's Credit Card for Food at Former Job

Axios

For nearly a month, about 300 staffers at the country's largest labor union haven't worked or been paid. Their employer, the National Education Association, took the rare step of locking them out of work last month amid contract negotiations. Why it matters: Barring employees from work, i.e., a lockout, is...

The largest labor union in the U.S. locked out its staff

Florida State

Jacksonville Today

Republican Donald Trump has a 7-point lead over Democrat Kamala Harris among Florida voters, 49% to 42%, according to a new poll from the University of North Florida. Four percent are backing another candidate, and 6% are undecided or didn’t answer.

New Florida poll: Trump leads; support strong for abortion and recreational weed

Orange County, FL

Akeena

On July 14th, an unsettling incident occurred in Orange County that has captured the community’s attention and sympathy. Two dogs were abandoned in a most distressing manner, pushed out of a moving vehicle. The situation took a turn for the worse when one of the dogs was hit by the car, resulting in serious injuries.

Two dogs were dumped and pushed out of a car in Florida, and one of them screamed

Kentucky State

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Kentucky’s Community Actions Partnerships have announced the starts date for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Summer Subsidy, aimed at helping Kentucky households offset summer cooling costs.

LIHEAP Summer Subsidy program to help with summer cooling costs to begin enrollment July 16

Virginia State

Ronkonkoma, NY

The New York Post reveals that two men who died in a plane crash at MacArthur Airport were from Virginia. The men had been visiting friends in Long Island and were returning home when the tragedy occurred.

Life partners from Virginia have been identified as the victims of a New York plane crash

Jersey City, NJ

Essex County, NJ

Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Efrin Wade, a former correctional officer at Essex County Correctional Facility (ECCF), has admitted to accepting $14,000 in bribes to smuggle contraband, including tobacco and a cell phone, into the facility for inmates. The announcement was made today by U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger.

Correctional Officer Guilty of Smuggling Contraband: $14K in Bribes Accepted

Hyde Park Herald

NewsBreak

Under new law, Illinois employers can’t force workers to sit through anti-union meetings

ROSEMONT – Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at curtailing the practice of “captive audience” meetings – a strategy businesses sometimes use to dissuade...

Under new law, Illinois employers can’t force workers to sit through anti-union meetings

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