• 11 Mar 2010 12:47

  AK: Pipeline operators go with the flow By Pat Forgey, The Juneau Empire Trans-Alaska pipeline engineers say they are confident they can keep the pipeline on which Alaska depends flowing despite declining throughput. DE: Markell pushes for renewable energy in Delaware By Aaron Nathans, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington) Gov. Jack Markell on Wednesday proposed a 10-year extension of a Delaware law that requires utilities to buy electric power from renewable sources, seeking to spur green manufacturing and help residents afford small-scale solar installations. HI: More Hawaii speeding cases likely to be thrown out on appeal By Mary Vorsino, The Honolulu Advertiser Upward of 10 excessive- speeding convictions are expected to be thrown out on appeal following a Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling last week that raised issue with police and prosecution methods in speeding cases. ID: Gov. Otter urges lawmakers not to delay the Idaho Education Network despite statehouse and courthouse fights By Brian Murphy and John Miller, The Associated Press, The Idaho Statesman (Boise) The $60 million Idaho Education Network is one of the most promising opportunities for education and communication since the telegraph, Gov. Butch Otter said Wednesday evening. ID: Idaho Senate approves ban on texting while driving By Brian Murphy, The Idaho Statesman (Boise) Put away your PDAs. IN: Lawmakers to ponder sexting bill By Dan Carden, Northwest Indiana Times (Munster) The Indiana House voted 95-0 Wednesday to study the legal issues involved when teenagers send sexually explicit photos or messages using cellular phones. VT: State regulators study call to close Vermont Yankee nuclear plant Vermont regulators are looking into whether the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant should be shut down while it is leaking radioactive tritium.

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• 11 Mar 2010 05:21

  AL: Alabama Senate panel approves ban on texting and driving By The Associated Press, The Birmingham News Alabama is getting closer to being the 20th state to ban text messaging while driving. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to approve a text messaging ban that had passed the House in January.   Read More CO: Battle brewing over online sales tax By Trip Jennings, New Mexico Independent Colorado lawmakers recently decided to impose an online sales tax, a move that is generating a battle in Denver and highlighting the pressure states face to find new revenues.   Read More FL: Texting while driving puts Florida at center of national debate By Christina Silva, The Miami Herald Momentum is building for a measure that would ban text messaging while driving, but legislators are still ironing out just how far the proposed law should go.   Read More FL: House panel approves ban on release of 911 calls By John Frank, The Miami Herald House Republicans muscled a ban on the public release of 911 calls through its first obstacle Wednesday, stacking a committee to ensure passage.   Read More IA: State Web site breach tied to foreign attacker By William Petroski, The Des Moines Register A hacking incident on an Iowa homeland security Web site last week has been linked to a foreign attacker who gained access through a security vulnerability, a state official said Wednesday.   Read More LA: Cap-and-trade proposal would benefit La. By Ted Griggs, The Advocate (Baton Rouge) Louisiana would be one of the "big winner states" under proposed federal cap-and-trade legislation that would encourage pumping the carbon dioxide generated by power plants into existing oil fields to force more oil to the surface.   Read More MA: House ends its corporate earmarks By Matt Viser, The Boston Globe WASHINGTON — Small defense companies, energy firms, and other technology start-ups throughout New England could lose tens of millions of dollars a year because of a decision by House Democrats yesterday to abruptly halt budget earmarks for companies.   Read More MA: Pricey imaging pushes up health costs By Liz Kowalczyk, The Boston Globe In just two years, spending on MRIs, mammograms, and other imaging tests climbed by at least $214 million in Massachusetts, helping to fuel a dramatic rise in the cost of outpatient hospital care.   Read More MD: House Democrats act to ban corporate earmarks By Paul West, The Sun (Baltimore) WASHINGTON — - Maryland employers, particularly those in the defense and aerospace industries, could take a hit from an election-year decision Wednesday by House Democrats to ban corporate earmarks in 2010.   Read More ME: Baldacci outlines bond plan By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News Gov. John Baldacci announced the details Wednesday of a $79 million bond proposal that includes money to save northern Maine's last major rail line and to fund transportation projects across the state.   Read More MI: Gov. Granholm pitches Michigan for Google's fiber optic broadband network By Amy Lane, Crain's Detroit Business Gov. Jennifer Granholm was in California Wednesday pitching Michigan as a site for Google Inc. to test its new ultra-high speed fiber optic broadband network.   Read More MI: Group trying to lure Google's high-speed fiber network to Grand Rapids plans flash mob on Calder Plaza By Chris Knape, mlive.com GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A grassroots online effort to lure Google to build a high-speed data network here is hoping to make a real-world splash March 19 with a "flash mob" on Calder Plaza downtown.   Read More NY: DEC acts to cut fish kills at utilities By Brian Nearing, Times Union (Albany) Power plants could face costly new requirements intended to prevent water intakes from killing massive amounts of fish and fish eggs, under a proposal announced Wednesday by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.   Read More RI: Deepwater CEO defends cost of wind energy By Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal WARWICK, R.I. — The chief executive officer of Deepwater Wind answered criticism on Wednesday about the high price of power from a wind farm that his company has proposed off Block Island, saying that a premium should be expected for a type of project that has never been done before in the United States.   Read More SC: Key approval for texting ban By Yvonne Wenger, The Post and Courier (Charleston) South Carolina drivers will be ticketed for using their phones to send text messages or e-mails behind the wheel, under a bill that got key approval in the House on Wednesday.   Read More VA: McDonnell signs offshore energy bills By The Associated Press, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) Gov. Bob McDonnell has added his signature to legislation intended to further his goal of making Virginia the East Coast's energy center.   Read More WI: Milwaukee will make play for super-fast Google Internet service By Sharif Durhams, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel There's a good chance Google runs your e-mail, knows what videos you like and tracks every query you make on the Internet.   Read More

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• 10 Mar 2010 23:30

  Thursday, March 11, 2010

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• 10 Mar 2010 07:53

  AL: Hudson-Alpha tax bill passes House, but must return to Senate By Bob Lowry, The Huntsville Times The Alabama House Tuesday approved a Senate-passed bill that would restore tax exemptions granted by the Legislature to the Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville in 2005. AR: Grant to fund start-up aviation technology program By Staff Reports, Arkansas News Bureau A $3.4 million federal grant will fund an aviation technology program at Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, the school announced Tuesday. CA: Battle heats up over Southern California Gas smart meter proposal By Marc Lifsher, Los Angeles Times Natural gas consumers could pay more than $1 billion to put radio-controlled smart meters on their homes, even though an agency judge has ruled that the proposal by Southern California Gas Co. is a money loser. CO: Amazon.com debate heats up at Colorado Capitol By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post The political battle over taxing online sales made through retailers such as Amazon.com intensified Tuesday, with Democrats saying the state should not back down from trying to collect money it's owed and Republicans arguing the new law should be repealed. DE: Valero expects to close sale of Delaware City refinery By Jeff Montgomery, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington) A group led by European refiner Petroplus will likely sign a deal to buy the Delaware City Refinery some time this month, a top Valero official said Tuesday, raising hopes for a reopening of the 210,000 barrel per day complex. GA: Georgia could restrict sex offenders from Facebook By The Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution State Rep. Rob Teilhet is introducing a measure Tuesday that would allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to send sex offenders' information to Facebook, MySpace and other sites. IA: Owe Iowa taxes AND have a cell phone? Uh, oh! By Jason Clayworth, The Des Moines Register Delinquent Iowa taxpayers in hiding would get a wakeup call under a bill approved today by the House that would allow the state to subpoena cell phone records. IA: Teen-only texting ban rejected by Iowa Senate With a super-quick "no" vote, the Iowa Senate today rejected a version of a ban on texting while driving that would affect only teenagers. IN: Texting-driving 'bad idea,' even though it's still legal By Jon Seidel, Gary Post-Tribune Attorney General Greg Zoeller and a Fort Wayne senator urged Hoosiers not to send text messages while driving Tuesday, even though the General Assembly failed to pass a law banning the act this year. IN: State backs AT&T in anti-texting campaign By Niki Kelly, The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) The ads in a new AT&T public-awareness campaign against texting and driving unveiled Tuesday by state and local officials are stark and simple. LA: Louisiana's LIGO facility affected by Chile quake By Jordan Blum, The Advocate (Baton Rouge) When the Chile earthquake struck Feb. 27, its shocks temporarily shut down research operations at the LIGO Livingston Observatory. ME: Energy idea may be tested in Maine By Tux Turkel, Kennebec Journal An inventor from California who claims to have found a commercially viable way to produce hydrogen from water wants to test the patented technology in Yarmouth. The pilot project would use effluent from the town's wastewater treatment plant and hydroelectricity from the Royal River to produce hydrogen and other gases to supply all of the energy for the plant, and perhaps other town buildings. ME: Panel rejects warning labels on cell phones By Meg Haskell, Bangor Daily News Citing a lack of solid scientific evidence and an aversion to inciting unwarranted consumer anxiety, the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee voted Tuesday against requiring all cell phones sold in Maine to be labeled as emitting cancer-causing radiation. MO: Mo. fire marshal says change smoke alarm batteries By The Associated Press, St. Louis Post-Dispatch The state fire marshal is urging Missourians to change the batteries in their smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms this weekend. OH: Texting ban gets moving in House By Jim Siegel, The Columbus Dispatch One week ago, state Rep. Linda Bolon was doing her best to avoid a texting driver on I-71 north of Columbus. Yesterday, her committee took a key step toward banning texting while behind the wheel. PA: Pa. to offer rebates for efficient home heating By Staff and Wire Reports, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Federal economic stimulus money soon will start providing rebates to Pennsylvanians on the purchase of new Energy Star-rated hot-water heaters, furnaces and boilers. RI: LNG project economic boon, asserts CEO By Peter B. Lord, The Providence Journal The head of Weaver's Cove Energy delivered a strong response to critics of his proposed $700-million LNG terminal project in Fall River Tuesday afternoon, saying it would be safe, it would not disrupt activities on Narragansett Bay and it would help lower the state's record-high energy and electricity rates. RI: Business group balks at cost of wind power By Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal WARWICK, R.I. — Some of Rhode Island's largest users of electricity have come out for the first time in opposition to a proposed power-purchase agreement between National Grid and the developer of an eight-turbine wind farm in waters off Block Island.   Read More TX: Leaders OK Capitol security upgrades By Brandi Grissom, The Texas Tribune The big three state leaders approved seven new security measures for the Capitol, and none of them are X-ray machines or metal detectors that the director of the top Texas police agency said are critical to keep the pink dome safe from armed intruders.   Read More US: States square off against Amazon over sales tax By Martin Kaste, National Public Radio (Audio) The last time you bought something online, there's a good chance you didn't pay sales tax. Online retailers often don't charge the tax, but that doesn't mean you don't owe it. And as states around the country struggle with huge budget deficits, they're looking for new ways to make sure you pay it.   Read More VA: Va. hopes to reach revised tech contract with Northrop Grumman this month By Jeff E. Schapiro, Richmond Times-Dispatch No joke -- Gov. Bob McDonnell wants a deal with Northrop Grumman before April Fool's Day that could mean more money for the beleaguered information-technology contractor.   Read More VA: Virginia Beach council supports text-only LED signs By Aaron Applegate, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) Videos of hamburgers, scrolling interest rates and flashing Bible study ads would be out. But a City Council proposal floated Tuesday would allow electronic signs that are toned down.   Read More VT: State Public Service Board to review request to close nuclear plant By The Associated Press, Burlington Free Press Two weeks after lawmakers voted to close Vermont Yankee in 2012, Vermont regulators are being pressed to act sooner — shutting it down immediately — because of leaking tritium that environmental groups say is polluting the environment.   Read More WV: Mon delegates fight to keep WVNET jobs home By Alison Knezevich, Charleston Gazette Morgantown lawmakers are fighting Gov. Joe Manchin's plans to move a state Internet services organization out of their district.   Read More

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• 09 Mar 2010 21:00

  Wednesday, March 10, 2010

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• 09 Mar 2010 12:13

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• 09 Mar 2010 07:18

  AL: Northrop Grumman's withdrawal from tanker race makes Mobile, Gulf Coast business leaders glum By Jeff Amy, Mobile Register MOBILE, Ala. -- Disappointment spread quickly through the regions business community Monday after Northrop Grumman Corp. announced it would not bid to build aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. CA: Northrop Grumman drops bid for aerial refueling tanker contract By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times Northrop Grumman Corp. said Monday that it was dropping out of the race for a $35-billion Pentagon contract to build 179 aerial refueling tankers, leaving its rival Boeing Co. as the sole bidder for one of the largest military contracts in U.S. history.   Read More FL: In Florida, Web operations sprout to report on the Capitol By Lucy Morgan, St. Petersburg Times Envision a well-financed news organization created by big oil companies. Or big power companies. Or gambling casinos. Or a political party. Or anyone else who could afford the tab. Could they just open up shop in the state capital and become a "news" organization? Absolutely. And you wouldn't necessarily know if they had done so.   Read More FL: Lawsuits pull the plug on voting-machine monopoly By Marc Caputo, The Miami Herald The nation's largest voting-machine company probably won't be called a monopoly for much longer in Florida and other states.   Read More FL: State plays percentages, reserves domain names for frontrunners By Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat It looks like the state of Florida is banking on either Attorney General Bill McCollum or Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink succeeding Gov. Charlie Crist next year.   Read More FL: Obama headed to Florida in April to talk NASA By Alex Leary, St. Petersburg Times WASHINGTON — Facing opposition from Florida politicians, President Barack Obama will travel to the state in April to make the case for landmark changes to the space program.   Read More   Read More IA: Broader mobile device ban OK'd by House By Jennifer Jacobs, The Des Moines Register Iowa's younger and less experienced drivers would not be allowed to use cell phones while driving - not to text, read e-mails, dial or answer calls - under a bill the Iowa House approved Monday.   Read More ID: Lawmaker's plan would put school spending online By The Associated Press, The Idaho Statesman (Boise) A state lawmaker's plan to make public education spending more transparent would require Idaho school districts to upload their checkbooks online.   Read More LA: Rethinking the economy By Gary Perilloux, The Advocate (Baton Rouge) Political heavyweights — including LSU, Southern University and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber — have completed a $145,000 blueprint for making Baton Rouge a region known for innovative companies.   Read More MA: Deval Patrick makes Mass. pitch at GoingGreen event By Christine McConville, Boston Herald Gov. Deval Patrick has called on top executives from the nation's clean technology businesses to help make Massachusetts the industry's national leader.   Read More MN: Sophisticated Minnesota fraud ring has global tentacles By Dan Browning, Minneapolis Star Tribune A joint state and federal task force has been quietly targeting what investigators say is a sophisticated organized crime ring in the Twin Cities with about 200 members who have allegedly stolen identities, taken over bank and credit card accounts, distributed counterfeit checks and currency and defrauded businesses and banks nationwide.   Read More MT: Wind lobby -- Restricting federal grant money will hurt development of power projects By Mike Dennison, Billings Gazette A national wind-power lobby says a proposal by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and others requiring recipients of federal clean-energy grants to use "made-in-America" parts will slow project development and end up costing jobs in Montana.   Read More NE: Around the Rotunda -- Txt me latr By Nancy Hicks and JoAnne Young, Lincoln Journal Star In the Nebraska Legislature, audible cell phones, laptops or other wireless devices -- with a couple of specific exceptions -- are not allowed, which means they can't ring or make sounds.   Read More NM: Law allows drivers to renew licenses online By Staff and Wire Reports, Santa Fe New Mexican New Mexicans will be able to renew their driver's licenses online or over the phone, thanks to two bills signed into law Monday by Gov. Bill Richardson.   Read More OR: Where clouds displace forests By Joel Millman, The Wall Street Journal PRINEVILLE, Ore. — The rumble of backhoes and bulldozers on the outskirts of this city of 10,000 is sweet music to a municipality that has lost hundreds of blue- and white-collar jobs in the recession. With a combination of cheap power and favorable climate, Prineville is joining the region's new gold rush: housing electronic data.   Read More US: More states propose Internet sales taxes By Declan McCullagh, CNET Jeremy Bray received an e-mail message this morning with an unwelcome surprise: Amazon.com told him it had canceled its affiliate program, which provides small payments for referring customers, for everyone in the state of Colorado.   Read More WV: W.Va. career centers to get computers, broadband access By Eric Eyre, Charleston Gazette West Virginia is getting $1.9 million in federal economic stimulus money to replace computers and expand technology at 20 workforce training career centers.   Read More

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• 08 Mar 2010 21:03

  Tuesday, March 9, 2010

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• 08 Mar 2010 13:09

  Monday, March 8, 2010

  CO: Taxpayers can see where money goes on new website By Staff Reports, The Denver Post A new website that will provide taxpayers estimates of how their taxes are spent and allow them to vote on whether that amount is appropriate was unveiled Sunday. GA: Georgia makes good on promise to expand biotech industry By Dan Chapman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Last May, the state spent nearly $2 million hosting the biotech industry's biggest annual convention at the Georgia World Congress Center. Billed as the debutante ball for the state's life science industry, Georgia leaders vowed to recoup their investment in the 2009 Bio International Convention. It appears they did. GA: State agencies go online By Joy Lukachick, Chattanooga Times Free Press Posted to the Georgia Department of Corrections' Facebook page is a notification that says 13 people "like" the photo album of 143 cadets who graduated from one of the department's training classes. In another section of the department's site, alerts for events are accessible for anyone to see. HI: Hawaii lawmakers considering tighter regulation of mopeds By Michael Tsai, The Honolulu Advertiser Norman and Jennifer Shishido, of Kaimuk?, readily acknowledge that mopeds are a convenient, relatively inexpensive means of transportation for many people. HI: Hawaii officials tout online school testing By Loren Moreno, The Honolulu Advertiser Hawai'i public schools have begun testing a new online version of the state's annual assessment exam, which officials say will be a better gauge of student progress than the current paper-pencil test, once it is rolled out next school year. IL: Proposal -- Let students register at home, vote on campus By Benjamin Yount, Illinois Statehouse News, The Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale) The potential of thousands of new voters on college campuses across Illinois has lawmakers in Springfield split on plan that would make it easier for some of those voters to cast a ballot. IN: Local lottery office closed By Chelsea Schneider Kirk, Gary Post-Tribune Along with the Gary office, the Hoosier Lottery also closed offices in Fort Wayne, Terre Haute and Jeffersonville, according to lottery spokeswoman Lucia Anderson. MA: Was John Walsh's post a trick or Tweet? By Jessica Van Sack, Boston Herald It may be the first cyber-publicity stunt of the 2012 Senate race, but the way state Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh tells it, it was just a Twitter malfunction. MD: Witnesses testify at Md. hearings for breathalyzer devices By Ashley Halsey III, The Washington Post As the witness softly wept about her lost loved one, most members of the Maryland House Judiciary Committee were absorbed in the laptop computers open on their desks. Three of them were on Facebook. It did not matter much, because the man who will decide whether to stiffen Maryland's drunken-driving laws gave her his complete attention. MD: Texting bans loom, but supporters lack statistical evidence By Ben Giles, The Capital (Annapolis) COLLEGE PARK, Md. - State Sen. Mike Lenett, D-Montgomery, once took his two sons, David and Aaron, to a Baltimore Orioles game. As Lenett and the boys crossed a street on their way from the stadium to a downtown-parking garage, he spotted a woman driving her car and using her cellular phone --- she was headed straight for David. ME: Can wind farms, fisheries coexist? By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News ROCKPORT, Maine — For centuries, New England fishermen have used boats small and large to reap the natural bounties found below the surface of the Gulf of Maine. But fishermen soon may be forced to share those waters with even larger structures built to capture the gulf's other abundant resource: the wind. MT: Montana universities offering more online classes as technology advances By Mary Pickett, Billings Gazette A lot has changed in the 12 years that Montana State University Billings has offered classes online. NH: Storm aftermath -- Customers get a break By Mark Hayward, The Union Leader (Manchester) Telephone and cable companies will reduce bills of customers who lost service due to the late February storm, but electric utilities won't do so because they provide power on a metered basis, company officials and a consumer advocate said. NJ: N.J. Senate resolution would require the chamber go paperless By The Associated Press, The Star-Ledger (Newark) Party leaders on both sides of the aisle in the New Jersey Senate say it's time for the chamber to go paperless. NM: House approves interim committee webcasting By Kate Nash, Santa Fe New Mexican In the not so surprising news category, the House today signed off on a measure that would broadcast interim committee meetings on the Internet. RI: Mixed views on Block Island over proposed wind farm By Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal NEW SHOREHAM, R.I. -- Looking out beyond Block Island's Southeast Light and the Mohegan Bluffs below, the Atlantic Ocean stretches to the horizon. On a clear day, the wind-whipped waters meet the pale sky in a wash of blue. SC: Lie detector tests may be required By Glenn Smith, The Post and Courier (Charleston) Police officers accused of misconduct could soon be asked to take lie detector tests to keep their badges as part of an effort to weed troublemakers from the ranks of state law enforcement, authorities said. TX: Texas' NASA fight soars even as state's clout fades By Stewart M. Powell and Bradley Olson, The Houston Chronicle WASHINGTON — Texas' hard-charging campaign to save NASA's back-to-the-moon Constellation program may have star-struck optimism on its side, but the political and historical realities could prove too daunting to overcome. VA: Lobbyists stop anti-loophole bill on hotel taxes By Bill Sizemore, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk) In a tough budget year, state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple thought she had found a way to plug a tax loophole and claim an estimated $33 million in annual revenue for Virginia and its hard-pressed localities.   Read More VT: Vermont Yankee continues inspection of pipeline By Staff Reports, Burlington Free Press VERNON, Vt. -- Vermont Yankee engineers and technicians contined their investigation into the source of a radioactive isotope leaking from the nuclear plant.   Read More WA: Sen. Eide sticks to her guns on cellphone bill By Lillian Tucker, The Seattle Times Sen. Tracey Eide reinforced her message Saturday that using a cellphone while behind the wheel is dangerous -- for drivers of any age -- and that laws prohibiting it need to have a backbone.   Read More Secretary of state database collects emergency contact information for Illinois residents By Ashley Rueff, Herald & Review (Decatur) DECATUR, Ill. -- Spending a few minutes on your computer today could mean the world to you and your family in the future.   Read More

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• 07 Mar 2010 00:22

  Sunday, March 7, 2010

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