Illinois State

Inmates from Stateville get ready to move to other prisons. Inmates at Illinois’ Stateville Correctional Center must be moved to other prisons around the state by the end of September following a federal judge’s order. The Chicago Tribune reports the judge sided with attorneys who said the living conditions at Stateville were too hazardous for those being held there. The Pritzker administration plans to demolish the prison, but plans haven’t been finalized.

Illinois quick hits: Inmates from Stateville get ready to move to other prisons; State Department of Revenue to evaluate property tax system

Louisiana State

East Baton Rouge Parish, LA

(The Center Square) — A Louisiana legislative committee met on Tuesday to discuss the disbursement from more than $88 million in movable, assessed property tax value that presently goes to East Baton Rouge Parish. That assessment provided more than $10 million for the parish, but other parts of the...

Lawmakers aim to distribute movable property tax revenues more equally

Ohio State

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The Lantern

On Tuesday, licensed Ohio dispensaries began legally selling non-medical marijuana to consumers; however, the drug’s possession, growth and/or usage are still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus. Credit: Jefferee Woo/Tampa Bay Times/TNS [Original caption: Four citizen-led petitions with proposals to update Dallas’ charter hit the 20,000 valid signature threshold to make it on the Nov. 5 election ballot, including one that would ban police officers from arresting or citing people carrying less than four ounces of marijuana.] As of Tuesday, students 21 and older can now legally purchase marijuana in Ohio.

Dispensary sales of recreational marijuana began Tuesday; possession and usage still prohibited on Ohio State’s campus

A new state law will expand fentanyl education for grades 6-12 in Illinois schools beginning with the 2025-26 school year. Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a bill sponsored by state Sen. Laura Ellman. The Illinois Department of Public Health said a lethal dose of fentanyl is smaller than a drop of water. Opioids containing fentanyl and other drugs are involved in 70% of fatal drug overdoses.

Illinois quick hits: Fentanyl education expanding; Mars acquires Kellanova; cicada shot creator fined

Colorado State

David Heitz

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

Pompano Beach, FL

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Akeena

In a shocking revelation, Kings Mart, a grocery store in Pompano Beach, has been slapped with a series of severe health violations by the Florida Department of Agriculture. The inspection, carried out by Francis Odio, uncovered a disturbing range of problems that have led to the immediate closure of several sections of the store.

An inspection found bugs in the food and rodent poop on the shelves at a Florida grocery store

New York State

(The Center Square) – Two businesses have sued New York Attorney General Letitia James in federal court saying she has threatened, prosecuted and intimidated pregnancy help organizations. James’ actions are labeled by lawyers as violations of the First and 14th Amendments. The Center Square was unsuccessful getting answers to...

New York attorney general named in abortion rights litigation

(The Center Square) – The cost of food assistance in the U.S. has dropped from its peak during the pandemic, but is still 23% higher than it was during pre-pandemic times, according to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, what used...

Food stamp costs are on the way down but still far higher than pre-pandemic days

Denver, CO

No, pallet shelters for people experiencing homelessness don’t fold into caskets. It’s a question a reader posed one of the first times I wrote about pallet shelters. I find the pallet shelters to be more palatable than ice fishing tents. The Colorado Village Collaborative operates both micro-communities and the so-called Safe Outdoor Spaces with the tents. We all learned the tents are not safe when a fire roared through a CVC Safe Outdoor Space, destroying the compound quickly. Officials never disclosed a cause of the fire.

Opinion: No, pallet shelters for homeless in Denver, Aurora don’t fold into caskets

Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville Today

A historic marker could be erected to honor the victims of the racist mass shooting at the Dollar General store in Jacksonville’s New Town neighborhood nearly a year ago. If approved by the Jacksonville City Council, a marker would be installed at Kings Road and Canal Street on Aug. 25, a day before the first anniversary of the shooting, when a white gunman took the lives of three Black people.

Memorial considered to honor Dollar General victims

(The Center Square) – With rising unemployment in Illinois and the rest of the country, the “R” word has reared its ugly head and that is recession. For much of the year, it appeared the Federal Reserve had successfully navigated the task of tempering the highest inflation in decades while keeping the economy from sinking into a recession.

Rising unemployment and a volatile stock market raising concerns about the economy

Pennsylvania State

(The Center Square) – The debate over gun violence prevention often boils down to constitutionality and grim crime statistics. While the human impact of the issue can’t be fully measured, it's not impossible to put some real numbers behind the fallout. Mary Kenah, policy council for Everytown for...

The $567M price tag of gun violence in Pennsylvania

New Orleans, LA

(The Center Square) – A recent audit found that the city of New Orleans can't accurately determine how long it takes to pay its vendors. Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack's office found in its report that the city's purchasing software, the Budget, Requisition, and Accounting Services System, generally pays invoices within 30 days but doesn't record the entire invoicing process.

Report: New Orleans city government has issues with vendor payments

South Carolina State

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Colleton County, SC

Explore Beaufort SC

Some beachgoers were in for a surprise this week when a bizarre looking prehistoric fish washed ashore in Colleton County along Edisto Beach at Edisto Beach State Park. It turned out to be an atlantic sturgeon.

Rare Atlantic sturgeon washes ashore on South Carolina beach

Arizona State

(The Center Square) – Some small businesses in Arizona can now request small loans of $50,000 and under, the governor’s office announced last week. Dubbed the “Arizona Microbusiness Loan Program,” it uses $5 million in funding allocated from the legislature last year to distribute loans using partners financial institutions at the local level. A microbusiness in Arizona is defined as those with five or fewer employees, according to a news release.

Arizona 'microbusiness' loan program now available

Savannah, GA

Daily Coffee Press

Newly returned indictments in the Southern District of Georgia include felony charges for illegal firearms possession and drug distribution, while additional defendants have been sentenced to federal prison or await further proceedings after pleading guilty to federal gun charges.

Federal Charges in Southern GA: Indictments and Sentences for Firearms and Drug Offenses

Phoenix, AZ

(The Center Square) – Former Arizona House Democratic Leader Dr. Eric Meyer will fill the vacant seat in Legislative District 4. Former Rep. Laura Terech left the Phoenix area seat shortly after the legislative session ended in June, and she now works at the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.

Former Arizona House Democratic leader appointed to Phoenix area vacancy

Georgia State

(The Center Square) — The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Georgia nearly $14.3 million to help rehabilitate nonprimary airports statewide, officials said. The money, part of $636 million for 320 grants in 46 states and American Samoa, ostensibly aims to improve airport infrastructure. It was awarded as part of the 2024 Airport Improvement Program's fourth round of grants, and the Georgia award includes more than $13.3 million in entitlement spending and $924,275 in discretionary spending.

Feds give Georgia $14.3M for airport block grants

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

NewsBreak

Illinois facing growing housing crisis as property taxes continue to increase

(The Center Square) – Illinois now ranks as the least affordable state for housing in the Midwest, with 1 in 3 households paying more than 30%...

Illinois facing growing housing crisis as property taxes continue to increase

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