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Missouri cannabis regulators target ‘lab shopping’ in new rules
This story first appeared in the Missouri Independent. In the marijuana industry, they say potency is king. Producers all over the country are competing to put the most intoxicating product on the shelves. And that can leave the labs who test these products in a tough spot. At least, that’s been the case in California […] The post Missouri cannabis regulators target ‘lab shopping’ in new rules appeared first on Stateline.
‘Who’s going to work there?’: Lawmakers grapple with labor shortages
INDIANAPOLIS — For years, Indiana’s GOP-controlled legislature has focused on creating a business-friendly climate by pushing favorable tax rates and regulations, aiming to foster the creation of good-paying jobs across the state. The way Republican state Sen. Michael Crider sees it, those moves have worked: Companies such as...
How Washington state is treating housing as health care
This story first appeared in the Washington State Standard. Washington state is trying something new when it comes to housing: treating it as health care. Apple Health and Homes is a multi-agency state program launched last year that focuses on providing housing to people with health and behavioral health challenges. What’s unique is that the […] The post How Washington state is treating housing as health care appeared first on Stateline.
As ranked choice voting gains momentum, parties in power push back
Over the past decade, ranked choice voting has become increasingly popular. From conservative Utah to liberal New York City, 13 million American voters in 51 jurisdictions — including all of Alaska and Maine — now use the system, under which voters rank candidates based on preference, leading to an instant runoff in a crowded race.
Alabama health department approves birth center regulations
This story first appeared in the Alabama Reflector. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Thursday approved a set of rules that would require birthing centers to have oversight by a physician or medical director at its State Committee of Public Health meeting in Montgomery. The rules proposed would also require birth centers to […] The post Alabama health department approves birth center regulations appeared first on Stateline.
Towns could save themselves from wildfire — if they knew about this money
PACKWOOD, Wash. — Last year, Don Pratt fled from his home as a wildfire swept down the mountainside here in Washington’s Cascade Range. “Heading out, I thought it was the last time I was going to see the house,” he said. As residents evacuated and smoke engulfed the small mountain community, fire crews with bulldozers […] The post Towns could save themselves from wildfire — if they knew about this money appeared first on Stateline.
Couch, car or curb: Defining which young person is ‘homeless’ affects aid state by state
The spectrum of youth homelessness is vast. It includes young children sleeping with their mothers in crowded shelters and families living in tent encampments in public parks. There are teenage runaways who have fled abusive homes to live on the streets and kids who spend their nights hidden in cars or abandoned buildings.
Nearly half the states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students
When Cristian Dubon Solis was getting ready to graduate from a Boston high school in 2020, he started planning to apply to college. It was only then he realized that as an immigrant lacking permanent legal status, he wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition at Massachusetts state universities, nor for state-sponsored financial aid. With no way to […] The post Nearly half the states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students appeared first on Stateline.
Don’t poo-poo these states’ pleas to keep the parks pristine
DENVER — Earlier this summer, Adam Ducharme made an unpleasant discovery while helping volunteers install signs telling visitors where to camp, park or launch boats near Leadville, a mountain town surrounded by 14,000-foot peaks in central Colorado. “We were digging holes, putting in signs, and then backfilling the holes...
Judge sides with youth in Montana climate change trial, finds two laws unconstitutional
This story first appeared in the Daily Montanan. The State of Montana’s failure to consider greenhouse gas emissions from energy and mining projects violates the state constitution because it does not protect Montanans’ right to a clean and healthful environment and the state’s natural resources from unreasonable depletion, a judge ruled Monday in a victory […] The post Judge sides with youth in Montana climate change trial, finds two laws unconstitutional appeared first on Stateline.
Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore.
While sweltering heat in prisons without air conditioning has long been an issue in the South, extreme heat waves worsened by climate change are expanding the problem into Northern states. In recent years, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin have seen extreme heat in prisons. Many of these states lack the necessary infrastructure for […] The post Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore. appeared first on Stateline.
The newest form of school discipline: Kicking kids out of class and into virtual learning
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report. It wasn’t the first time Ventrese Curry’s granddaughter had gotten into trouble at school. A seventh grader at a charter school in St. Louis, she had a long history of disrupting her classes and getting into confrontations with teachers. Several times, the school issued a suspension and sent Curry’s granddaughter home.
Hospitals block much-needed birth centers in the South
When Katie Chubb announced in 2021 she was planning to open a freestanding birth center in Augusta, Georgia, it seemed like everybody in town was excited about it. She met with local physicians and nurses who said they would welcome her Augusta Birth Center as a provider of midwifery services for low-risk pregnancies. Hundreds of […] The post Hospitals block much-needed birth centers in the South appeared first on Stateline.
‘Conscience’ bills let medical providers opt out of providing a wide range of care
This story was produced by KFF Health News. A new Montana law will provide sweeping legal protections to health care practitioners who refuse to prescribe marijuana or participate in procedures and treatments such as abortion, medically assisted death, gender-affirming care or others that run afoul of their ethical, moral or religious beliefs or principles. The […] The post ‘Conscience’ bills let medical providers opt out of providing a wide range of care appeared first on Stateline.
Few states extend fertility treatment coverage to Medicaid recipients
As more states require private insurers to cover fertility-related health care, many efforts to extend similar protections to Medicaid patients this year have foundered over cost concerns. Only two states provide significant fertility coverage through Medicaid: New York, which offers fertility medications, and Illinois, where Medicaid will cover the storage...
Ohio voters reject constitutional amendment changes
This story first appeared in the Ohio Capital Journal. The Republican-led effort to make amending Ohio’s constitution more difficult has failed. As of 11:45 p.m. local time, unofficial results for the Aug. 8 special election show voters rejected Issue 1 57% to 43%. The Associated Press called the race at 9 p.m. While precincts were […] The post Ohio voters reject constitutional amendment changes appeared first on Stateline.
Pot smell and safety concerns ignite disputes over public smoking
Carl Sack is no fan of marijuana. He tried smoking once in high school and hasn’t touched it since. And he doesn’t just dislike the clouds of pot smoke he encounters around Duluth, Minnesota — he hates them. “I can’t stand to be around the stuff,” he said. But he’s still adamantly opposed to local […] The post Pot smell and safety concerns ignite disputes over public smoking appeared first on Stateline.
States seek to let teens as young as 14 serve booze in restaurants
WASHINGTON — As a former bartender and current tipped worker, Trupti Patel knows that customers tend to get grabby when there is alcohol involved. After working in the food service industry for more than a decade, she is accustomed to dealing with drunk customers who get out of hand, especially if they become belligerent or […] The post States seek to let teens as young as 14 serve booze in restaurants appeared first on Stateline.
Students blocked from campus when COVID hit want money back. Some are getting refunds.
Thousands of college students will get hundreds of dollars in compensation as colleges and universities move this summer to settle multimillion-dollar lawsuits stemming from canceled classes and activities during COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. While some of the class-action suits against the colleges and universities are still in litigation, and still others...
Texas AG appeals judge’s order that allows women with complicated pregnancies to get abortions
This story originally appeared in The Texas Tribune. A Texas judge on Friday issued a temporary exemption to the state’s abortion ban that would allow women with complicated pregnancies to obtain the procedure and keep doctors free from prosecution if they determined the fetus would not survive after birth. But hours later, the attorney general’s […] The post Texas AG appeals judge’s order that allows women with complicated pregnancies to get abortions appeared first on Stateline.
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