New York State

Jacksonville, FL

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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

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

New Jersey State

Paterson, NJ

New Jersey Monitor

Sen. Joe Cryan said he has questions about whether prosecutors with the Attorney General's Office are “rushing to judgment.”

Senator renews call for investigation into office that prosecutes public corruption

Virginia State

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Kentucky Vibes.net

Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of A.I. software. On July 28, 2024, a TikTok video posted by Erica W., known as @tasteofmelanin on the platform, garnered significant attention after she exposed disturbing racist decorations in an Airbnb rental. The incident occurred in a rental property that Erica had booked, although the exact location remains unspecified. The video has since gone viral, prompting widespread concern and leading to the removal of the listing from Airbnb's platform.

Airbnb Listing Taken Down After Black Woman Finds Hanging Monkeys and Cotton Used As Decor

Wisconsin State

The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected Republican legislators’ calls to give counselors at Wisconsin’s troubled youth prison more leeway in controlling and punishing inmates after a counselor was killed during a fight at the facility this summer. U.S. District Judge James Peterson sent a letter Tuesday to state Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Van Wanggaard and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers telling them if they want changes at Lincoln Hills-Copper Lake Schools they should file a formal legal motion and need to show current restrictions on counselors are endangering staff and inmates. The youth prison in northern Wisconsin has been plagued by allegations of staff-on-inmate abuse, including excessive use of pepper spray, restraints and strip searches. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit in 2017 demanding improvements at the prison. Then-Gov. Scott Walker’s administration settled the case in 2018 by agreeing to a consent decree that prohibits punitive confinement, restricts confinement to 12 hours, limits the use of mechanical restraints to handcuffs and prohibits the use of pepper spray.

Judge rejects GOP call to give Wisconsin youth prison counselors more freedom to punish inmates

Ohio State

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

Arizona State

The Arizona grand jury that indicted 18 Republican supporters of Donald Trump who falsely claimed he won the state in the 2020 election wanted to consider also charging the former president, but prosecutors urged them not to, according to court documents filed this week. The court records filed by Democratic...

Arizona prosecutors asked grand jurors not to indict Trump in state’s fake electors case

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

Montana State

Wyoming State

WyoFile

To increase the genetic diversity of an island population of grizzly bears , Wyoming and Montana wildlife managers recently worked together to import fresh bloodlines into the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Two Montana grizzly bears trucked to Wyoming to bolster genetic diversity, help states’ delisting case

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

With hurricane season posing a consistent threat six months out of the year, who would not like a little help getting their home ready for the harsh weather to come? Senate Bill 7028: My Safe Florida Home Program, approved by Governor DeSantis on April 24, 2024, and effective as of July 1, appropriates a one-time total of $200 million from 2024 to 2025 for the purpose of funding hurricane mitigation grants and inspections, as well as outreach and administration costs, to support homeowners in Florida.

DeSantis Signs New Bill Giving $200 Million To Homeowners

The Center Square

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court determined that voters must provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote through a state voter registration form – an emergency order requested by Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen.
                Arizona was joined by 23 other states in filing a brief in support of the Arizona law that requires proof of citizenship in order to vote.
                “On August 1, a three-judge panel vacated...

U.S. Supreme Court allows Arizona voter ID law for November election

Los Angeles, CA

California State

For nearly a century, California and other states forced Native American youth into boarding schools, aiming to erase their cultural practices while separating children from parents, placing them in a foster system that often left them without any ties to their communities. It was only in the late 1970s that...

California law helps tribes keep kids out of foster care. A new court ruling strengthens their hand

Georgia State

Georgia Recorder

A state Supreme Court’s decision reversing a lower court’s ruling that a private contractor was exempt from the Georgia Open Records Act is being hailed as a win for open government. The court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a private contractor working for a public entity is still subject to the law and can be sent […]

State Supreme Court rules Open Records Act applies to private contractors working for governments

The Biden administration told the Supreme Court on Friday that parts of an Arizona proof-of-citizenship voter law should remain on hold for the coming election.

Justice Department urges Supreme Court to keep parts of Arizona’s proof-of-citizenship voter law on hold

The Hill

An informational pamphlet for Arizona voters about a constitutional amendment to create a right to abortion can use the words “unborn human being” to describe a fetus, the state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. The justices ruled the language was impartial, reversing a lower court’s decision and siding with...

Arizona Supreme Court allows ‘unborn human being’ language for abortion amendment voter pamphlet

Cheyenne, WY

WHITE MOUNTAIN—“That’s a lot of horses,” lamented Cheyenne resident Robyn Smith from a high-desert ridgeline. It wasn’t her first exasperated exclamation. “Argh, oh crap,” was her immediate reaction to learning a federal judge had given the Bureau of Land Management the OK to proceed with plans to fully remove two wild horse herds from the landscape in southwest Wyoming.

BLM wins two lawsuits, clearing way for elimination of two Wyoming wild horse herds

Camden, NJ

Cornelius, NC

Morristown Minute

CAMDEN, N.J. – Lisa Smith, 61, of Cornelius, North Carolina, has admitted to her role in a fraudulent scheme involving over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today that Smith pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams in Camden federal court on July 17, 2024, to a charge of bank fraud conspiracy.

Woman Pleads Guilty to $3.5M COVID Relief Scam

Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said he will consider more DUI patrols if voters legalize recreational marijuana use in Florida. Voters will consider Amendment 3 in November. It would allow adults 21 or older to possess, purchase or use marijuana products and marijuana accessories for non-medical purposes.

More DUI patrols possible if marijuana issue passes

Fox News

The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new decision that one Republican commissioner warns could incentivize DEI practices on companies that offer price-varied goods and services nationwide.

New FTC decision could 'inject' DEI into business practices nationwide, GOP commissioner says

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

NewsBreak

Lawmakers ask for state probe into OTB buyouts

The refusal of the Off-Track Betting Corp. to rescind lucrative buyouts to three top executives triggers request for investigation by the state Attorney General and Inspector...

Lawmakers ask for state probe into OTB buyouts

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