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Editor’s Picks From Around the Web
US: Compromise struck on highway spending bill in U.S. Senate
Senators reached bipartisan agreement on a bill that would increase highway spending over the next three years and set transportation policy through 2022. The agreement was struck as a national contractors association reported that highway and transit construction employment fell in 25 states this summer.
NY: New York board to propose minimum wage for fast-food workers
A board formed to review the minimum wage for New York’s 180,000 fast-food workers is expected to recommend boosting entry-level hourly pay from .75 to .
MS: Mississippi admits failure in reforming foster care system
In a yearslong federal case, Mississippi admitted that it has not met court-ordered requirements to reform its foster care system.
WI: Wisconsin Gov. Walker calls for dismantling state elections board
Republican Gov. Scott Walker said he wants to scrap Wisconsin’s independent Government Accountability Board that oversees elections and which authorized an investigation into his 2012 recall campaign.
CA: California bills would crack down on using drones during wildfires
California lawmakers want to make sure that drones flown by hobbyists don’t get in the way of fighting wildfires. One bill would give firefighters immunity for damaging any drone that gets in their way. Another proposes jail time and increased fines for operators of those drones.
AZ: Arizona ends budget year with million surplus
Arizona is closing out its fiscal year books with a million surplus — a nearly million turnaround from the hole the state thought it would be in at this point.
KS: Kansas governor seeks investigation of abortion clinics
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback called for a state investigation into whether abortion clinics in Kansas sell fetal tissue and organs left over from abortions. The call is in response to two sting videos on Planned Parenthood by an anti-abortion group. Planned Parenthood of Kansas said it does not engage in the practice.
IL: Court overturns some convictions of former Illinois governor
A federal appeals court threw out five of 18 counts of corruption against former Illinois Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, vacated his 14-year sentence, and ordered him retried on the five counts that stem from a scheme to sell President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat.
MD: Contractor that built Maryland’s health exchange to pay million
The main contractor hired to build Maryland’s flawed online health exchange, Noridian Healthcare Solutions, will pay million to the state and the federal government to avoid a lawsuit over its performance. The website crashed moments after launching last year.
NJ: New Jersey lawmakers seek solution for university-owned casino
New Jersey lawmakers want to clear away restrictions that prevent Stockton University from selling an Atlantic City casino that it bought last year. Regulations limit the university’s ability to develop or sell the Showboat casino property.
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