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TX: Number of migrant children held in Texas reaches new high
The 5.5 percent increase, to nearly 5,400 children, marks the largest month-over-month growth since the end of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy in June, even as four new shelters opened in Texas in the last month.
DC: AG opens inquiry into sex abuse by Catholic priests in Washington
District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine, a Democrat, said his office has begun an investigation of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the archdiocese of Washington, the latest in a string of state-level law enforcement officials now looking into the Catholic Church’s handling of abuse complaints.
IN: Indiana AG won’t be charged in alleged groping
A special prosecutor said he will not charge Indiana’s Republican attorney general with a crime even though he believes allegations from four women who said the state’s chief law enforcement officer drunkenly groped them at a party in March.
NY: In New York, implementing mental health education is uphill struggle, observers say
New York lawmakers repeatedly questioned State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia about what they say are lapses and gaps when it comes to implementing the new mental health literacy component into the public-school curriculum, which was mandated in legislation two years ago.
PA: New Pennsylvania laws help grandparents in wake of opioid epidemic
Grandparents taking responsibility for raising their grandchildren in Pennsylvania have new help available to them under two pieces of legislation signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.
AK: Lawsuit challenges holding Alaska psychiatric patients in jail without charges
Because the state-run Alaska Psychiatric Institute is understaffed and can’t take more patients and hospital emergency rooms are full, the state since the beginning of October has been sending some involuntarily committed people to be detained in jail while waiting for evaluations.
WV: West Virginia AG about to take ‘horrible deal’ on opioid suit, senator says
Citing “reliable sources,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin criticized Republican West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey for alleged plans to settle a lawsuit later this week against one of the nation’s largest drug shippers for million.
TN: New date set for death row inmate’s electric chair execution
The Tennessee Supreme Court set an execution date for Nov. 1 for death row inmate Edmund Zagorski following a brief delay to accommodate his request for the electric chair rather than a lethal injection method that experts said causes several minutes of severe pain.
OR: Oregon city to ban plastic bags
The Salem City Council is poised to ban plastic shopping bags across the Oregon city and give businesses deadlines in April and September 2019, depending on their size, to fall in line with the rules.
VT: Moody’s drops Vermont’s longstanding triple A rating
The influential credit rating agency factored in Vermont’s slower-than-average economic growth, aging population and high pension obligations as a reason.
MO: Missouri voters without IDs won’t have to sign affidavit to vote, judge rules
Missouri voters who do not have a photo ID when they arrive at the polls will no longer have to sign a sworn statement to cast a ballot. Cole County Senior Judge Richard Callahan clarified an earlier decision that jettisoned the sworn statement as a requirement.
CO: Colorado ethics commission to investigate governor’s travel
Colorado’s Independent Ethics Commission has determined that a complaint filed against Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper regarding his out-of-state travel has merit and will investigate. The complaint accuses Hickenlooper of traveling the globe in private jets and rooming in expensive hotels paid for by businesses in violation of the state’s ethics laws.
NE: Hate Nebraska’s new tourism campaign? Take a deep breath, interest is building
Nebraska’s new tourism tagline is on the lips of Nebraskans, in conversation and social media, whether they love it or not. It’s causing a wave of relevance for the state across the nation, and even internationally.
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