State News

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a lawsuit against a Saudi Arabian-backed company on Tuesday, alleging that its “excessive groundwater pumping” violates state law. Mayes filed this lawsuit against Fondomonte Arizona, LLC, in Maricopa County Superior Court.

Michigan is one of the most-expensive states in the nation for child care, leading some to label it a “crisis” for parents, who are increasingly choosing to opt out of it. A new report from the Committee for Economic Development found there are 23% fewer children in paid child care throughout the state, decreasing from 400,807 in 2019 to 306,595 in 2022. It is unlikely that just one factor is contributing to those decreases.

A new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) found that the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has not tried to recover over $40 million in overpayments that went to healthcare providers under the state’s Medical Assistance program. In Minnesota, DHS is responsible for administering several healthcare programs including Medical Assistance (MA), the state’s Medicaid program.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) and Altoona Police Department (APD) did not immediately respond to press inquiries from The Pennsylvania Daily Star seeking answers regarding the authenticity of the alleged leak of the handwritten "manifesto" reportedly found in the backpack of Luigi Mangione, who has been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The FBI referred The Daily Star to the NYPD.

Police say a handwritten document was found with Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old man arrested as a person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York, during his arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania on Monday. After the Altoona Police Department confirmed it arrested a person who a McDonald's employee said matched the description of Thompson's killer, New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch confirmed in a press conference on Monday that Altoona police arrested Mangione, finding weapons and clothing consistent with those worn by the killer, as well as a "handwritten document" that allegedly explains Mangione's motivations.

Derek Chauvin’s new attorney indicated in court documents filed late last month that the former Minneapolis police officer plans to ask for his convictions to be overturned or, in the alternative, request a new trial. Chauvin was found guilty in April 2021 of second-degree manslaughter, second-degree murder, and third-degree murder in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear his case in November 2023, ending his direct appeal.

The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity. “Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.

Legislation proposed in the Virginia General Assembly on December 1 by Senator Tammy Brankley Mulchi (R-Clarksville) would require student athletes to provide a written statement by a physician that affirms they seek to participate in a sports team that corresponds to their biological gender, prevents biological males from playing on teams designated for girls, under the threat of civil litigation. Blankley Mulchi's SB 749 would require schools to clearly state whether sports teams are male, female, or coed, and mandates any team participating in the Virginia High School Sports League which "is expressly designated for 'females,' 'women,' or 'girls,'" must "not be open to any student of the male sex."

Local officials caught defying Pennsylvania election law may find themselves without a job. Rep. Joe D’Orsie, R-York, is drafting legislation that would give the state House the power to remove county and municipal officials from office. It’s similar to the impeachment process and would ultimately require voter approval.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr urged those nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Labor (DOL) and Department of Agriculture (DOA) to reconsider the decision by the Biden-Harris administration to raise the minimum wage for foreign farm labor in a Friday letter. After congratulating Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Brooke Rollins on their nominations, Carr urged them to address "the continuously rising" wages the government mandates for temporary farm workers allowed to enter the United States through the H-2A visa program, which allows qualified foreign workers to fill agricultural roles.

One Wisconsin Democrat is taking hardline against the state’s governor over the next round of state funding for local schools. Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, took to social media to push back on Gov. Tony Evers’ latest comments on the state budget.

With the Tampa Bay Rays' $1.3 billion stadium plan in limbo, it's easy to forget that the team is now on the fourth iteration of a new home. The proposed stadium is to anchor a $6.5 billion development in St. Petersburg's historic Gas Plant District. The Pinellas County Commission could vote on its share of the bonds to finance the new stadium Dec. 17, while the St. Petersburg City Council will take up its share Jan. 9.

Proposition 479 is no longer facing a lawsuit after the Maricopa County Republican Committee scrapped their case. The committee was suing the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors for certifying the results in the race as a victory for the half-cent sales tax for transportation uses, as the group argued that it did not meet a 60% threshold necessary for a tax to take effect. Proposition 479 passed with 59.8% support of voters in the county – the largest in the state.

More than half of the school districts in Ohio have implemented cell phone policies, a year ahead of a deadline set by a new state law. Gov. Mike DeWine signed a law in May that requires local school boards to establish local cellphone policies rather than the state limiting use for students during the school day.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office on Friday confirmed the arrest of two illegal immigrants who were charged with firing at a moving vehicle during a road rage incident, causing damage to the vehicle but no injuries to its passengers, prompting Sheriff Mike Chapman to urge the federal government to improve border security. In a press release, the sheriff's office announced the arrests of Aldo Betancourth Rivera and Jimmy Paredes Madrid, who authorities described as, "both of Sterling and undocumented."