States are projecting income tax revenue growth of 3.6 percent and sales tax growth of 3.1 percent this fiscal year, down from 4 percent and 3.6 percent respectively last fiscal year and well below annual averages prior to the Great Recession, according to analysis of state legislative budget reports...

Seven states suffer from weak governance, according to a report released last week by credit-rating agency Moody’s Investor Service. What earned those states - Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island and Wisconsin - the less than ringing endorsement from Moody’s...