• 19 Mar 2010 22:34

  Saturday, March 20, 2010

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• 19 Mar 2010 12:21

  CA: UC could oversee prison health By Michael Rothfeld, Los Angeles Times The Schwarzenegger administration wants to put the University of California in charge of state prison inmates' medical needs in an overhaul of the troubled corrections healthcare system that could save $12 billion over a decade, officials say. CA: Flags raised over sponsor of Democratic golf fundraiser By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times Democratic state senators will gather in La Jolla this weekend to enjoy rounds of golf, lavish hotel accommodations and gourmet meals at a fundraiser bankrolled largely by a group that wants a favor from them. DE: Historic panel OKs Woodburn solar plant project By James Merriweather, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington) The proposal to install a solar power plant atop Woodburn, a 212-year-old house that serves as the state's official governor's residence, Thursday breezed to unanimous approval by the city's Historic District Commission. FL: Aronberg expresses concern over security of state employee data By Bill Cotterell, Tallahassee Democrat A lawmaker Thursday demanded to know how a $248-million personnel contract got renewed with a Convergys operation recently sold to a British firm. FL: New rules assure public can see court records By The Associated Press, The Miami Herald Noting that the courts are moving ``inevitably into the electronic age,'' the Florida Supreme Court adopted new rules Thursday intended to assure public access to court records. The rules include guidelines for sealing and unsealing a limited range of confidential files. GA: Senate approves ban on texting while driving By Ernie Suggs, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The green band that wraps around Katherine Key's cellphone is not for show. For the Morgan County High School junior, it is a reminder: Don't send text messages while driving. IA: Compromise on texting ban might be sorted out next week By Tony Leys, The Des Moines Register Iowans would be banned from sending text messages while driving, but they could not be pulled over for it unless police also suspected them of breaking another law, under compromise legislation tentatively reached Thursday. IL: Lawmakers look to save fire districts money By John Patterson, Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) Fire protection districts would no longer be required to publish proposed ordinances in newspapers under a law the state Senate approved that instead utilizes Web sites. IL: Sexting bill passes Illinois Senate By Michelle Manchir, Chicago Tribune Students under 18 who use computers or cell phones to share nude photos of their peers would earn little more than a scolding under a measure the Illinois Senate approved Thursday to address the "sexting" phenomenon. KY: 'Sexting' bill clears Senate panel By Stephanie Steitzer, The Courier-Journal (Louisville) A measure that would give law enforcement a new option for dealing with teens caught "sexting" — sending sexually explicit photos through cell phones — cleared a Senate committee Thursday. ME: Several towns eye hold on tower construction By Rich Hewitt, Bangor Daily News BLUE HILL, Maine — With interest in wind power and communications increasing in Maine, several Hancock County towns are considering slowing things down to make sure they can effectively regulate construction of the associated towers. MN: Bill seeking to ban gang databases is opposed by cops By Chao Xiong, Minneapolis Star Tribune A bill by state Sen. Mee Moua that bans computerized databases tracking people in or affiliated with gangs is drawing criticism from law enforcement officials, who say it endangers officers and the public. MO: Missouri Senate votes to ban all motorists from texting while driving By The Associated Press, Kansas City Star Drivers of all ages would be barred from texting while driving under a bill approved by the Missouri Senate. NJ: Christie vetoes 5 service contracts approved by Turnpike Authority By Tom Davis, The Record of Bergen County Governor Christie on Thursday vetoed five professional services contracts that were approved by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority a month ago. VT: PIRG challenges Vermont Yankee application The Vermont Public Interest Research Group filed a request with the state Public Service Board on Thursday asking the panel to throw out Vermont Yankee's application for continued operation because of misinformation the nuclear plant's owners provided. VT: Leopold -- Moody's was aware of $17M Burlington Telecom debt By John Briggs, Burlington Free Press Chief Administrative Officer Jonathan Leopold said Thursday that Moody's Investor Service learned last summer of the $17 million the city spent from the city's cash pool on Burlington Telecom between late 2007 and June 2009. WA: State tax break entices tech firms to build data centers By Sharon Pian Chan, The Seattle Times To attract data centers to rural counties, Washington state will give tax breaks to tech companies that build them. WV: Some state officials block access to NCAA tourney By Ry Rivard, Charleston Daily Mail Some 20,000 state employees will be unable to watch the NCAA basketball tournament on their work computers.

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• 18 Mar 2010 21:05

  Friday, March 19, 2010

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• 18 Mar 2010 15:07

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• 18 Mar 2010 07:19

  Thursday, March 18, 2010

  Not your grandma's bingo By Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer All three types of machines pictured here were once in operation in Alabama before the governor’s task force on illegal gambling confiscated them. Their owners deemed the machines legal electronic bingo, but the task force called them illegal slots. It has the drama and suspense of a John Grisham novel: pre-dawn gambling raids by state troopers, rumors of political payoffs, rowdy demonstrations at the State Capitol and a fly-over at this year’s Rose Bowl in California with a banner that read, “Impeach Corrupt Alabama Gov. Bob Riley.” All this fuss over bingo? While many other cash-strapped states are trying to expand gaming as a way to get more revenue, Alabama's outgoing governor is on a mission to stamp out illegal gambling in the Heart of Dixie. AK: Will telephone bill vote mean higher bills for customers? By Laura A. Bischoff, Dayton Daily News Although no member of the Ohio House voted against it, consumer advocates are still unhappy with a bill to overhaul how telephone companies are regulated in Ohio, saying it'll water down consumer protections and bring higher monthly bills. AZ: Sponsor -- Arizona bill on texting on hold for now By Paul Davenport, The Associated Press, Arizona Daily Sun (Flagstaff) The sponsor of an Arizona Senate bill to prohibit texting while driving says it's temporarily on hold. CA: Fair Political Practices Commission considers how to regulate social media in politics By Staff Reports, The Sacramento Bee Should campaign chatter on the Twittersphere squeeze "This tweet was paid for by" into the 140-character blasts? A Fair Political Practices Commission subcommittee considered that and other questions at a hearing Wednesday on regulating political communications on new media platforms such as blogs, social networking sites and YouTube videos. CA: Schwarzenegger administration considering buying $5,000 devices to combat in-home care fraud By Susan Ferriss, The Sacramento Bee The Schwarzenegger administration is considering buying $5,000 high-tech devices to photograph and fingerprint Californians who get subsidized in-home care for the elderly and disabled. The MorphoTrak "mobile biometric identification" device can fingerprint, snap a photo and transfer data to government systems, according to state social service officials. DE: Governors push wind proposals By Aaron Nathans, The News Journal (New Castle-Wilmington) A group of 29 governors, including Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, is calling on Congress to extend renewable energy incentives and require every U.S. electric utility to buy one-10th of its energy from renewable sources by 2012. FL: Crist, congressional delegation seek to retain Florida's NASA ties By Alex Leary, St. Petersburg Times WASHINGTON — Declaring "we're all united on space," Gov. Charlie Crist met with Florida lawmakers Tuesday in an attempt to turn back proposed landmark changes to NASA's mission in the state. FL: House proposes to overhaul PSC's structure By Mary Ellen Klas, The Miami Herald Florida's Public Service Commission would undergo a complete face lift under a draft House proposal released Tuesday that moves the commission's regulatory staff into a separate entity that answers to the Legislature and tightens qualifications for commissioners. GA: Georgia debates online voter registration By Ashley Speagle, Chattanooga Times Free Press Georgia senators passed a bill Wednesday to allow full online voter registration, but some legislators said that could cause more problems in verifying voter eligibility. GA: Pet microchip measure approved by House By Nancy Badertscher, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Microchips under the skin might prove beneficial under pet-lover legislation passed Wednesday by the Georgia House. HB 1106, sponsored by state Rep. Gene Maddox (R-Cairo), a veterinarian,would require animal shelters to scan any cat or dog that's to be adopted or euthanized for an owner-identifying microchip. HI: Abercrombie stresses education and jobs in first campaign ads By Richard Borreca, Honolulu Star-Bulletin The first television and radio commercials in the campaign for governor, airing this week by former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, focus on employment, education and an end to Furlough Fridays. IA: Tentative compromise reached on texting By Rod Boshart, Quad-City Times An Iowa House-Senate conference committee reached tentative agreement today on a texting compromise that would ban most drivers from sending or reading text messages and ban cell phone use by young drivers altogether. IL: Welfare office computer glitch causes concern By Kurt Erickson, The Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale) A state welfare office in central Illinois has been virtually shut down for most of this month due to a computer glitch. MA: Deval Patrick casts wide 'Net in first online chat By Jessica Van Sack, Boston Herald Jabbing his computer keyboard like a bantamweight, a feisty Gov. Deval Patrick took on Herald readers yesterday in a lively one-hour online chat that at one point had him punching away in ALL CAPS. MA: A $63m push to retrofit housing By Andrew Ryan, The Boston Globe Mayor Thomas M. Menino will announce today what is being billed as the largest energy efficiency overhaul in public housing in the nation's history, a sweeping initiative designed to save electricity, countless gallons of water, and millions of dollars. MD: Responsibility unclear on mail security By Tricia Bishop, The Sun (Baltimore) The U.S. Postal Service, which is charged with screening mail for safety, failed to detect bullets that were sent with threatening letters to at least two Baltimore judges in the past week. And it's unclear if it could. There appears to be no technology in place to identify the ammunition sent in the mail. MI: Michigan expands Web help for small, rural libraries By The Associated Press, Detroit Free Press The Library of Michigan is expanding its efforts to help small and rural libraries boost their online presence. MN: MN House panel votes no on porn-free hotel bill By The Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune A bill that would prohibit Minnesota government employees from staying in hotels with pay-per-view pornography has failed in a House committee. MN: A bright idea in the states' rights fight? By Baird Helgeson, Minneapolis Star Tribune State Rep. Dean Urdahl has a message for the federal government: Keep your laws off my light bulbs. MT: E-mails -- No pressure from Dems in poaching case By The Associated Press, Billings Gazette Internal e-mails released Wednesday show top officials at the governor's office and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Park were aware a Madison County poaching investigation involved a prominent Republican who later went to work for Denny Rehberg. Read More NC: E-mail archiving goes at snail's pace By Michael Biesecker, The News & Observer (Raleigh) In July, Gov. Bev Perdue signed an executive order directing the state's information technology staff to implement a new system "as soon as practicable" to automatically archive government e-mail for 10 years. But eight months later, only 1.4 percent of the 60,787 e-mail accounts maintained by the state are on the new archiving system.   Read More NE: Driving-texting ban endorsed By Martha Stoddard, Omaha World-Herald OMG! Nebraska drivers may have only a few months left to write text messages from the road. State lawmakers Tuesday gave first-round approval to a bill that would ban texting or sending other written communications while driving.   Read More NE: Nebraska awarded $6.8M for health info exchange By The Associated Press, Lincoln Journal Star Nebraska has been awarded more than $6.8 million in federal stimulus funding for the state's digital health information exchange. The Nebraska Health Information Initiative provides the technical infrastructure for the exchange project, which has been under development since 2005.   Read More NM: State voting machines secure at private facility By Bryant Furlow, New Mexico Business Weekly (Albuquerque) Automated Election Services (AES) is storing a total of 43 state-owned voting machines without charge at its Rio Rancho facility, according to secretary of state spokesman James Flores.   Read More OH: Ohio House passes bill easing rules for landline phone providers By Shaheen Samavati, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) CLEVELAND -- The Ohio House today unanimously approved its own version of a bill that would loosen state regulations on traditional landline phone providers.   Read More PA: Court says parents can block 'sexting' cases By Tamar Lewin, The New York Times In the first federal appeals court opinion dealing with "sexting" — the transmission of sexually explicit photographs by cellphone — a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Wednesday that parents could block the prosecution of their children on child pornography charges for appearing in photographs found on some classmates' cellphones.   Read More PA: Appeals court won't rule on free speech, 'sexting' link By Nathan Gorenstein, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- A federal appeals court Wednesday decided not to decide whether photos in a "sexting" controversy are free speech protected by the First Amendment.   Read More PA: Bill would make 'sexting' a misdemeanor for teens By Staff Reports, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A bill to make "sexting" a second-degree misdemeanor rather than a felony has been approved by the House Judiciary Committee.   Read More RI: Governors release plan to expand wind energy development By Alex Kuffner, The Providence Journal A bipartisan group representing the governors of 29 states unveiled a plan Tuesday for the federal government to boost the development of wind power across the country.   Read More RI: R.I. ahead of curve in Internet use By Cynthia Needham, The Providence Journal As federal regulators roll out a far-reaching plan to expand Internet access nationwide, while boosting speed and reducing prices for those who already have it, officials say the proposal could have a significant impact on Rhode Island, improving health care, education and business services.   Read More SD: State gets grant for electronic medical records By Staff Reports, Argus Leader (Sioux Falls) South Dakota will receive $6,081,750 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to facilitate statewide health information exchange and improve health information technology.   Read More US: States pressure e-tailers to collect sales tax By Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Wall Street Journal The economic slump is helping rekindle a debate on whether online retailers should have to collect state sales taxes, a question that has pitted the new economy against the old.   Read More VT: Vermont department streamlines services By Terri Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press WATERBURY, Vt. -- April Goodrich used to work in the Morrisville district office of the Department for Children and Families, working with local clients seeking benefits. Today, the Hyde Park woman takes calls from clients all over the state from a desk in Waterbury, part of a new system that state officials say will be more efficient.   Read More VT: Vermont House supports texting ban and more By Nancy Remsen, Burlington Free Press iles Selib, 18, a senior at Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, listened Tuesday as the House debated whether to pass a ban on texting while driving or a more comprehensive, but controversial highway safety bill.   Read More VT: Vt. is sued over phone tracking By The Associated Press, The Boston Globe The ACLU of Vermont is suing the state after unsuccessfully seeking to find out whether police agencies are using cellphone tracking technology to keep tabs on people's whereabouts.   Read More WA: Tax break for data centers OK'd; laws lose controversial term By Brad Shannon and Jordan Schrader, The Olympian Lawmakers approved a tax break Wednesday for technology companies' computer servers, the first piece of Democrats' jobs agenda to go to Gov. Chris Gregoire for her signature and one with the bipartisan support lacking for other job-creation proposals.   Read More WA: WA Senate OKs data center tax exemption By The Associated Press, The Olympian The state Senate has approved a temporary tax exemption for companies that want to build server farms in Washington.   Read More WY: State official -- C minus unfair grade for state Web site By Phil Noble, Cowboy State Free Press During this week — "Sunshine Week" to open government advocates — we are looking at how Wyoming state government could be more accessible to the public. One of the main public interfaces with government is its Web site(s), in this case wyoming.gov.   Read More Recent stories from Stateline.org Or click here to visit our archives

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• 17 Mar 2010 01:53

  Wednesday, March 17, 2010

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• 16 Mar 2010 12:55

  AR: Beebe names health information technology coordinator By Staff Reports, Arkansas News Bureau Gov. Mike Beebe today appointed former state Human Services Director Ray Scott of Little Rock to serve as Arkansas' coordinator for health information technology. NM: New law settles old issue of who owns NM's voting machines By Trip Jennings, New Mexico Independent The longstanding battle over who owns the state's more than 1,900 voting tabulators – the counties or the state – appears settled, and none too soon with this year's elections fast approaching. OK: Social media records pose archiving woes By Paul Monies, The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) State and local government agencies want to be your friend on Facebook and broadcast their latest tweets via Twitter, but existing state laws can limit their effectiveness. US: More courts swear by digital technology By Liisa Rajala, USA Today Courts in Iowa, Minnesota and New York are considering replacing at least some court reporters with digital recording systems to cut costs. VA: McDonnell signs emergency legislation overhauling VITA By Jeff E. Schapiro, Richmond Times-Dispatch Gov. Bob McDonnell now is directly responsible for fixing a problem he inherited: Virginia's troubled information-technology bureaucracy and its fractious dealings with contractor Northrop Grumman. VT: Burlington Telecom panel awaits consultant's report By John Briggs, Burlington Free Press The Burlington Telecom "blue ribbon committee" voted unanimously Monday to wait until a newly hired financial consultant assessed BT before hearing a proposal from the so-called Group of 9 to take control of the troubled municipal telecom company. WV: WVU researcher gets grant to study cyber attacks By The Associated Press, Charleston Daily Mail FAIRMONT, W.Va. -- A West Virginia University teacher is using a federal grant to help develop techniques to be able to decrease the threat of cyber attacks.

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• 16 Mar 2010 05:33

  AL: Alabama.gov launches free iPhone app By Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times If you're looking for information from the state, there's an app for that.   Read More FL: Biomass plant plans on hold By Gerald Ensley, Tallahassee Democrat The controversial proposed biomass plant in Gretna is on hold.   Read More FL: Drilling report's conclusions disappoint both sides By Jim Ash, Tallahassee Democrat With its chief proponent saying he is in no hurry, the push to open Florida waters to oil and gas drilling inched past another milestone Monday when a House panel was briefed on a report by a Florida think tank.   Read More FL: PolitiFact -- Rubio's Cash for Clunkers claim runs on fumes By Amy Sherman, St. Petersburg Times The statement The Obama administration "spent more money on the Cash for Clunkers program than the space program." Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio, Feb. 8, in Florida Today   Read More FL: Effort to ban release of 911 calls likely dead By John Frank and Steve Bousquet, The Miami Herald With opposition building, House Speaker Larry Cretul is apparently abandoning his effort to make 911 calls confidential.   Read More MA: Cities, towns pull out stops for superfast Google network By Hiawatha Bray, The Boston Globe At least 100 communities across America — maybe more — are vying for the attention of Google, which is holding an open raffle called "Google Fiber for Communities'' this month.   Read More MA: Turbine failures stir up concern By Doug Fraser, Cape Cod Times When the 100-foot-tall wind turbine at Bartlett's Ocean View Farm hurled one of its broken blades nearly 200 feet Jan. 18, it was a statistical anomaly. Wind energy experts claim, and statistics seem to show, failure rates are low.   Read More NV: Nevada part of appliance rebate plan By John G. Edwards, Las Vegas Review-Journal Nevada is among about three dozen states that soon will offer you a rebate of as much as $200 if you trade in your clunky old clothes washer, refrigerator, freezer or dishwasher for a more efficient model.   Read More NY: N.Y. offers alerts on sex offenders By Cara Matthews, Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester) New Yorkers who want to keep track of certain sex offenders can now register with the state's NY-ALERT system to receive e-mail, text message, fax or telephone notifications when moderate- and high-risk sex offenders move.   Read More NY: Getting wired for the future By Chris Churchill, Times Union (Albany) Many rural New Yorkers live in neighborhoods bypassed by the information superhighway. The Federal Communications Commission wants to change that.   Read More PA: Acquittal in 2008 crash that killed lawmaker By The Associated Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette A jury on Monday acquitted a man of vehicular homicide while driving drunk in a 2008 crash that killed a state lawmaker.   Read More WI: State to partner with Minnesota, Manitoba at BIO conference By Kathleen Gallagher, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Wisconsin will join Manitoba and Minnesota hosting a reception at the BIO International Convention in Chicago in May, the Wisconsin Technology Council said Monday.   Read More

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• 15 Mar 2010 22:22

  Tuesday, March 16, 2010

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• 15 Mar 2010 09:36

  AZ: Bill would ban embryo sales, human-animal 'hybrids' By Alia Beard Rau, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) A bill working its way through the state Legislature sounds like a science-fiction novel, with its wording to prevent the creation of "human-animal hybrids." AZ: Rules vary on availability of government e-mail trails By JJ Hensley, The Arizona Republic (Phoenix) For most of us, it's hard to imagine life without e-mails. The technology has been around for more than 15 years. The word "e-mail" first made it into the pages of The Arizona Republic in a 1993 column by the late Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko. CT: Connecticut lawmakers warm to beefed-up cell phone ban for drivers By Martin B Cassidy, Connecticut Post Beefing up fines for violating the law that bans using hand-held cell phones while driving will help deter a growing problem with on-the-go phoning, texting and other digital dalliances, West Hartford Police Chief James Strillacci told lawmakers Friday. FL: Obama's NASA plan agitates Florida By Alex Leary, St. Petersburg Times The entire congressional delegation is fighting to preserve an iconic industry with a major presence in the state. The battle reached such a pitch last week — with politicians stoking fears about thousands of lost jobs and the Russians and Chinese overtaking our cosmic might — that Obama said he will travel to Florida on April 15 to explain himself. MD: Sunshine Week -- Experts say access to online public records must expand By Erin Cox, The Capital (Annapolis) In an age when anyone with Internet access can download Michael Jackson's autopsy report, one would think a benign record like minutes from County Council meetings would be available. They are not. MD: Welcome to the brave new world of 'cybersecurity' By Ryan Justin Fox, The Capital (Annapolis) Six years ago, millions of computer systems and networks around the country and world were attacked by a record number of viruses and worms that leaked sensitive personal and financial information. MT: Increased demand, computer problems delay coverage By Mike Dennison, Billings Gazette After waiting several weeks late last fall to get Medicaid health coverage for her newborn son, 30-year-old Melissa Marsh, of Helena, thought the problem was solved but got a rude surprise when she sought medical care. NC: Textiles finding new niche in the N.C. economy By G.S. Davis, The News & Observer (Raleigh) At the College of Textiles at N.C. State University, researchers are spinning corn, oyster shells and crude oil into new materials that bear little resemblance to the traditional fabrics produced by generations of mill workers throughout the South. SC: Web site receives upgrade By Yvonne Wenger, The Post and Courier (Charleston) South Carolina residents and visitors can access everything from copies of their birth certificates to school report cards to an online service to pay traffic tickets and fines. TX: State privatization champion gets contract to help clear up welfare mess By Robert T. Garrett, The Dallas Morning News A former state official who played a major role in the state's biggest privatization fiasco is now making money trying to help Texas fix the problems that resulted. US: Appliance rebates get hot-and-cold response from buyers By Julie Schmit, USA Today Some states are seeing fewer people than hoped take advantage of federal rebates for energy-efficient appliances. As of late last week, Georgia, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan had issued less than 25% of their funds despite offering rebates for at least a month. US: Will the national broadband plan come up short? By Joel Rose, National Public Radio (Audio) The Federal Communications Commission says its much anticipated national broadband plan, which will be unveiled Tuesday, will help make Internet access faster, cheaper and more pervasive. UT: Utah Department of Health's paperless-records push to get $6 million By The Associated Press, The Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) Health officials in Utah will get more than $6 million to move toward paperless medical records. WV: WVNET employees won't be moved, state officials say By Alison Knezevich, Charleston Gazette State officials say concerns about job losses at an Internet services organization in Morgantown are unfounded.

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