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  • Gas prices questioned
    Fill up with gas in Lexington and you'll pay about $3.96 a gallon. Fill up in Cincinnati and it will cost $4.04 -- and $4.08 in Indianapolis.

  • Ky. considers four-day workweek
    COVINGTON, Ky. -- Gov. Steve Beshear is close to announcing a plan to deal with high gas prices that is likely to include four-day workweeks for some state employees.

  • Sour economy limits states' options in '08

    (Updated 4 p.m. EDT, July 2, 2008)


    For many states, 2008 will be remembered for record numbers of home foreclosures, $4-a-gallon gasoline and the beginning of a slide into new fiscal woes after two years of overflowing coffers.

    Stateline.org’s annual state-by-state look at legislative accomplishments, covering 36 states so far, discerns the trends and precedents emerging from state capitals this year.

  • 2008 state-by-state summary
    (Updated 12:11 p.m. EDT, July 3, 2008)

    Here’s Stateline.org's state-by-state rundown of significant legislative action in 2008.

  • Beshear taps major fund-raiser for post
    Gov. Steve Beshear has made room on the state payroll for a veteran Kentucky Democratic Party fund-raiser and Frankfort lobbyist.

  • State probes fireworks incident
    FAIRFIELD TWP., Ky. -- A man who dashed through flames and exploding fireworks to escape his burning garage could face felony charges for manufacturing fireworks without a license, the fire chief said Wednesday.

  • Beshear announces $10.8 million for median cable barriers
    More than 44 miles of highways in five Kentucky counties will have cable barriers installed in the medians to prevent vehicles from crossing into oncoming traffic, Gov. Steve Beshear announced yesterday.

  • New medians to prevent collisions
    Gov. Steve Beshear announced his plan to add 44.2 miles of median cable barriers on sections of heavily traveled highways.

  • States' unemployment funds dwindling
    The funds states use to pay unemployment benefits are running low, raising fears of higher taxes on businesses and less money to help out-of-work employees during tight economic times.

  • Tipsters urged to text police
    TAMPA, Fla. - Police in the 1970s urged citizens to "drop a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes anonymously. Now in an increasing number of cities, tipsters are being invited to use their thumbs - to identify criminals using text messages.

  • State workers: Thank God It's Thursday
    (Updated 1:45 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2008)

    In the face of $4-a-gallon gasoline, Utah is imposing four-day workweeks for most of its state employees in a newly invigorated trend at the state and local level to combat record-high energy costs.

  • July brings bumper crop of new laws
    New state laws that take effect Tuesday will change life for many, as they crack down on California’s cell-phone-chatting drivers, Colorado’s deadbeat parents and New Mexico’s human traffickers, among others.


  • State by state, it's still a tight race
    Finally, the last primary votes have been cast, and Barack Obama and John McCain are jousting with each other. But even as Obama opens up double-digit leads in two national polls, the election is still poised to be decided in a half-dozen toss-up states.

  • WORTH NOTING: Washington Dems sing a different tune
    The Washington state Democratic Party gets criticized for an attack ad linking an Italian-American politician to the Sopranos. The Pennsylvania Senate considers a bill to expand bathroom access to people with bowel disorders. And North Carolina's motor vehicle department is embarrassed by a sample license plate on its Web site. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.


  • Violent weather taking toll on states
    A string of deadly tornadoes and damaging floods in 17 states this year has raised questions about public safety, the toll on infrastructure and how to pay for recovery.

  • Ultrasound at center of state abortion wars
    A new Oklahoma law slated to take effect Aug. 1 requires doctors to show a woman considering abortion an ultrasound image of her fetus and recite details of its development. Experts expect a slew of similar statutes next year as abortion foes push states to require the procedure for all abortions.

  • States credit foreign language study
    Some states are rewarding high school students who study a foreign language outside of the classroom. Connecticut became the latest state to give school credit to students who take private classes and pass a proficiency test.

  • When sessions end, gavels and hankies fall
    (Updated 12:51 p.m. EDT, June 23, 2008)

    Lawmakers mark adjournment of their legislative sessions with a circus of ceremonies, from handing out tomato plants and heaving paper skyward, to singing state songs and awarding senator superlatives.

  • States save the date
    (Updated 5:45 p.m. EDT, June 20, 2008)

    Don’t try to renew your driver’s license Friday (June 20) in West Virginia. State agencies’ doors are closed for West Virginia Day. Lawmakers in 41 states have added at least 37 state holidays to the annual calendar, celebrating the likes of King Kamehameha I in Hawaii, Casimir Pulaski in Illinois and Cesar Chavez in California and Colorado.

  • WORTH NOTING: Scout takes a hike from Md. mansion
    Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley evicts Scout, one of his family’s dogs, from the governor’s mansion. The Colorado Lottery turns to scratch-and-sniff to attract customers. And a Florida prisoner launches a bid for the state House. In case you missed those stories this week, “Worth Noting” fills you in.

  • Jobs are at risk if Congress doesn't fix the Highway Fund
    State budgets and nearly 400,000 jobs are at risk if Congress fails to replenish the Highway Trust Fund,  John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, writes in a commentary for Stateline.org.

  • Calif. gay marriage ruling sparks new debate
    (Updated 5 p.m EDT, June 12, 2008)
    The California Supreme Court reignited a political wildfire with its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage in the most populous state in the union, but the issue already has burned out in more than half the states.

  • Will Obama have coattails in the South?
    High turnout among African-Americans and younger voters could reshape the Southern political landscape this fall. But Democrats may find gains in statewide contests thwarted by bad timing and a potential conservative backlash.

  • At-risk gubernatorial seats increase
    After a pair of hard-fought primaries, North Carolina joins Missouri, Washington and Indiana on Out There's list of states where partisan control of the governorship could flip this fall.

  • Will Democrats grow legislative edge in '08?
    For the past several election cycles, the Democrats have been on a roll in legislative elections. This year, the party is well-positioned to hold its majority of chambers — but greatly expanding Democratic control may not be in the cards.


  • 'Purple' states turn a little more 'blue'
    The national polls point to a tight presidential race in November. But Democrats have a bit more to cheer about than Republicans do, regardless of who wins the Democratic primary, according to the latest state-by-state electoral-vote projections by “Out There.”

  • Governors pitch ambitious programs
    Billion-dollar deficits in California, New York and Arizona haven’t stopped governors there and elsewhere from proposing big-ticket items for 2008. Stateline.org looks at proposals from governors’ 2008 "state of the state" speeches and provides an exclusive summary of all the addresses so far.


  • Summary of the State of the Commonwealth Address
    Making his first state-of-the-commonwealth address, Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear on Jan. 16 bluntly warned legislators: “The revenue outlook is grim.” Vowing not to raise taxes, Beshear said his administration would address the state’s unprecedented budget shortfall — estimated at nearly $900 million over two years — by trimming government spending and making state agencies more efficient and responsive.

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