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Editor’s Picks From Around the Web
WI: Wisconsin Gov. Walker signs 20-week abortion ban
Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, making Wisconsin the 14th state to do so. The laws in some states have been ruled unconstitutional because they ban abortions before the time that a fetus is considered viable by the U.S. Supreme Court.
OH: Ohio Gov. Kasich jumps into 2016 presidential race
Gov. John Kasich is declaring for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. The second-term Ohio governor is the 16th GOP candidate to jump into the race.
US: Children left behind in economic recovery, report suggests
A report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation found more U.S. children living in poverty than before the Great Recession: 22 percent in 2013 compared with 18 percent in 2008.
PA: More than a quarter of Pennsylvania prisoners are mentally ill, study finds
An analysis of Pennsylvania’s correctional system found that 28 percent of the state’s more than 87,750 inmates had a mental illness. Of those inmates, about a third had a “serious mental illness” such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
IA: Iowa jury delivers guilty verdict in Hot Lotto scam
Iowa jurors convicted Eddie Tipton, a former information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association, on two counts of fraud for orchestrating a winning ticket worth $14.3 million in a December 2010 Hot Lotto draw. The lottery association provides games such as Hot Lotto and Powerball to lotteries nationwide.
KS: Kansas lowers estimates of cash reserves
Less than a month into the new fiscal year, Kansas’ Legislative Research Department projects the state will have about $67 million in reserves at the end of the year instead of an anticipated $86 million. And that’s assuming Republican Gov. Sam Brownback makes $50 million in spending cuts.
AZ: Arizona governor orders ban on sale of fetal tissue
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey ordered state health officials to ban the illegal sale of tissue from aborted fetuses. The directive responds to a video that showed a Planned Parenthood executive discussing providing fetal body parts to researchers — something the organization said does not occur in Arizona.
FL: Florida’s solar battle heats up
Florida’s utility industry and rooftop solar advocates are fighting over a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would allow homeowners and businesses to sell power generated through rooftop solar back to the grid. Utility companies want to control the sale of solar power in the state.
CA: Yellow alert proposed for hit-and-runs in California
Assemblyman Mike Gatto wants the California Highway Patrol to be able to post alerts on freeway message boards that describe vehicles involved in hit-and-run accidents. The yellow alert system would add to alerts for missing children and adults, and attacks on police officers.
TX: Texas lawmaker wants people to be able to carry guns in hospitals
Hospitals are one of the few remaining gun-free zones in Texas, and Republican state Rep. Drew Springer wants to change that by proposing that staff and visitors be allowed to bring firearms into hospitals for self-defense.
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