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State-run college tuition frozen for 7th year in a row
(The Center Square) — After another funding increase from the state, Pennsylvania’s public colleges will again freeze tuition for the seventh year. The $35 million boost (a 6% increase) in the state budget for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education keeps tuition at $7,716 for undergrads. Pennsylvania was an early adopter of tuition freezes; the University of North Carolina system has done so for eight years, keeping tuition at $4,553. ...
Florida county's issues with tourist taxes have been addressed
(The Center Square) – Several issues identified in a previous audit have been addressed in Escambia County, the Florida auditor general says. The office of Sherrill F. Norman reviewed the Board of Commissioners and clerk of the Circuit Court. At issue were use of tourist development taxes. According to the audit, state law allows counties to levy and impose the taxes made up of five separate local tax options. Counties...
National debt surpasses $34.9 trillion for first time in history
(The Center Square) – The national debt has surpassed $34.9 trillion for the first time in U.S. history. It did so as the federal government’s “borrowing binge and spending spree continues,” EJ Antoni, an economist with the Heritage Foundation, said. Antoni points out that interest on the federal debt was “equal to 76% of all personal income taxes collected in June” and is the Treasury's “largest source of revenue and...
Menendez conviction prompts renewed push for New Jersey pension reform
(The Center Square) — New Jersey Republicans are renewing a push to strip "corrupt" elected officials of their state pensions following the conviction of Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez on federal bribery charges. The proposal would revoke public pensions for New Jersey government officials and employees convicted of committing a crime while in office. It was initially filed following Menendez's indictment on Sept. 22 on bribery and corruption charges. On Tuesday,...
Illinois news in brief: Madigan seeks to have bribery charges tosses; ISU student trial delayed; section of I-55 closed
Madigan's defense team wants bribery charges tossed Lawyers for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are seeking to get some of the corruption counts against him tossed out. Madigan’s lawyers are seeking dismissal of 14 of the 23 counts in light of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the bribery case of the former mayor of Portage, Indiana. The court narrowed the scope of federal public corruption law, finding that it is a criminal act to take bribes before an official act but not if...
Manufactured homeowners still protesting rent gouging
(The Center Square) – Manufactured home communities offer affordable housing options for people on fixed incomes, but in Pennsylvania, homeowners say “predatory” lot rent increases threaten their way of life. Two bills that could resolve the issue have lawmakers at odds and expressing skepticism about their prospects. Manufactured homes are constructed in factories and assembled on-site. Residents typically own the home, but not always the land on which it sits....
Poll: Voters want affordable products, but wary of foreign trade practices
(The Center Square) – American voters want the economic benefits of foreign trade but also support more restrictions on and better scrutiny of bad actors, according to the results of a new poll. The Center Square Voters' Voice Poll asked voters five questions about trade policy, including whether the U.S. should allow companies violating safety standards or worker rights to sell their products to Americans. The poll was conducted in...
Pittsburgh schools earmark $52,000 to address racism in math
(The Center Square) - The School District of Pittsburgh will hire a consultant to put on a series of virtual workshops addressing racism in math. The district is paying $52,000 to Nth Education Partners for a series of eight, two-hour long virtual workshops where “participants will reflect on the instruction and pedagogy that supports schools in moving toward justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in math classrooms,” according to the district. ...
Number of Medicaid users in Louisiana drops
(The Center Square) – Registration for Medicaid in Louisiana dropped 18.5% from about 2.1 million to 1.7 million over the last 12 months, according to a recent report. More than two-thirds of nonrenewals were terminated for procedural reasons, meaning registration forms incorrectly completed or not completed. Across the United States, about 1 in 3 Medicaid enrollees never completed the renewal process. Medicaid is health insurance program for low-income and people...
Beacon poll: Stop local governments from hiring contract lobbyists
(The Center Square) – It’s not clear how many people are or were aware of the process of local governments hiring contract lobbyists to lobby the state and federal government. But a new Beacon Center poll makes it clear that taxpayers are against the practice. Only 5% of likely voters support the practice, with 72% of the 1,200 who responded to the poll saying they were against it and 24% saying they are unsure. ...
Wisconsin congressman claims assault at RNC; others differ
(The Center Square) – Western Wisconsin’s congressman says he was assaulted at Milwaukee’s Republican National Convention, but a women’s group disagrees. Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden took social media Tuesday to say a protester with the group Code Pink assaulted him while he was standing in line at the RNC. “While standing in line to enter an event at the RNC today, I was assaulted by what appeared to be...
Report: President Biden considering SCOTUS reforms
(The Center Square) − President Joe Biden is considering formally supporting reforms to the Supreme Court, including the introduction of term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code, the Washington Post reported. Such reforms reflect increasing frustration among Democrats and Joe Biden’s supporters regarding recent controversies involving Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito, as well as landmark rulings by the court's conservative majority. Biden is reportedly also contemplating...
Lara Trump: Frightening assassination attempt a defining moment for nation
(The Center Square) – Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee and daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump, appeared saddened but proud when recalling the "frightening" assassination attempt Saturday against her father-in-law at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa. “There is no doubt that Saturday was one of the most frightening moments of my father-in-law’s life,” Lara Trump told the audience at Tuesday night's Republican National Convention. “Millimeters separated him from life and certain death. And yet, it was in the midst of it...
Haley, DeSantis hammer Biden on national security policy
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump's top two challengers in the GOP presidential primary earlier this year criticized President Joe Biden's policies in back-to-back appearances Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley mostly stuck to the thee of the night, "Make America Safe Again," touching on issues ranging from the deadly withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza that started under Biden's watch,...
Bird says Democrats, Republicans differ on public safety
(The Center Square) - Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird called Democrats the party of "defund the police" at a four-minute speech given at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, Democrats like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have made life miserable for law enforcement," Bird said. "They treat police like criminals and criminals like victims. And tragically, many crime victims feel abandoned by a justice system that doesn't seem to put their interests first. They deserve better than what these 'defund the police' Democrats deliver." ...
Sanders: Republican governors are doing what Joe Biden refuses to do
(The Center Square) - Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Republican governors are doing the job Joe Biden refuses to do in her speech at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday. "We've deployed the National Guard to the border. We've cracked down on crime and drugs. We cut taxes to give hard-working Americans a break from 'Bideninflation.' And we empower parents with universal school choice across the country," Sanders said. ...
Texas judges issue additional rulings blocking Title IX revisions
(The Center Square) – Two federal judges have ruled in favor of Texas and Texas plaintiffs in separate lawsuits filed to block a Biden administration Title IX rule change from going into effect. Texas is now the 15th state where the revisions are blocked from going into effect ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas Amarillo Division...
American Muslims for Palestine ordered to comply with Virginia AG records request
(The Center Square) — A Virginia court has ordered American Muslims for Palestine to comply with records requests from Attorney General Jason Miyares' office attempting to investigate whether the group has ties to terrorists. The Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, also known as American Muslims for Palestine, is affiliated with AJP Action, a group that lobbies for Palestinian rights on Capitol Hill. It’s also the parent organization for National Students for Justice in Palestine, which has chapters at all four of the Virginia...
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