Virginia Congressional candidate Mike Webb wasn’t happy about losing in the June primary for the Old Dominion’s 8 th Congressional District to GOP rival Matt Wavro. He was in fact quite ticked, feeling that Wavro had sabotaged him. But it...
Ice cream lovers in Ohio may soon have a new option when they trundle into their local ice cream parlor – booze-infused ice cream. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports , making hooch-laden ice cream is already legal in the Buckeye State. So is...
As an incumbent, OREGON Gov. Kate Brown wasn’t expecting to have too tough of a primary opponent. But she probably never expected to face something like this. As Willamette Week reports , Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Dave Stauffer proposed a...
Former PENNSYLVANIA Gov. Ed Rendell – eternally blessed with a bad temper and a blunt nature - has never been shy about dining on his own foot. The former gov was at his best again last week while trying to explain how presumptive GOP presidential...
What industry forecasts and emerging trends are consultants predicting for their own industry this year? We took a closer look to see what could be uncovered in the news. Interestingly enough, many of the trends that are impacting other industries have...
Energy industries have received a lot of unwelcome attention lately—and it’s not just oil companies like Petrobras and Unaoil that are feeling the watchful eyes of the public and regulatory agencies. While those scandals may have dominated...
The presidential election. Beyoncé. The NBA playoffs. Prince. You might wonder what each of these entities have in common, but a scroll through social media or visit to your favorite news outlet can answer that question. Each of the above...
Forgive the pun, but it probably won’t come as a shock that the energy industry ranks near the top when it comes to bribery and corruption risk. Some of the largest enforcement actions ever under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act have taken...
Last year, Millward Brown , a global brand strategy and advertising organization, predicted a “mind shift in focus from ‘big’ data to streamlined ‘intelligent’ data.” Of course, that’s easier said than done, especially...
Some people might have presumed the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage would have settled or at least diminished the nation’s long culture war over civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It did...
Thirty-eight states have considered legislation this year aimed at either protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals from discrimination or denying such protection, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. The majority of the...
Alaska lawmakers reached a budget agreement in special session last week just in time to prevent layoff notices from being sent out to state employees. The $4.26 billion deal would close a projected $3.2 billion budget hole using funds from an $8 billion...
In addition to approving a state budget last week, the Alaska House also passed HB 374 , calling for $55 million in subsidization for some health insurance plans in the state. The action came after Lori Wing-Heier, the director of the Alaska Division...
With cigarette smoking rates in the U.S. dropping, and cigarette tax revenues dropping along with them - from $17.1 billion in 2011 to $16.3 billion in 2014 - states have begun turning to cigarettes’ unlit and mostly unregulated counterparts, e...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) signed a bill into law last month legalizing games “involving wagering” in residents’ homes as long as those games aren’t held more than once a week, aren’t advertised and don’t involve...
AK Gov Signs Highway Funding Bill ARKANSAS Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed a bill that will tap the state’s budget surplus, investment returns and other funds to provide nearly $50 million for highway projects in the coming fiscal year (ARKANSAS...
California looks to be headed for another busy and expensive campaign season. More initiatives have already qualified for the state’s November ballot than in the last two decades. “We’re expecting at least 15, maybe as high as...
Most Montana lawmakers disapprove of the term limits law approved by voters in 1992, arguing it has drained the Legislature of institutional knowledge and shifted power to the governor, lobbyists and bureaucrats. Secretary of State Linda McCulloch, likewise...
Virginia’s Republican legislative leaders have filed suit to block Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s executive order in April restoring voting rights and the ability to seek public office to more than 200,000 felons who have completed their...
GOP Lawmakers Want Special Session on Campaign Finance in MT Ten Republican MONTANA lawmakers have taken the rare step of calling for a special session to address what they say are “defects” in state campaign finance law and close a “loophole”...
In a stark reversal of policy from his predecessor, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) announced last Thursday that State Police will now routinely check with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency about the status of suspects...
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R) recent veto of a half dozen bills, most of which he deemed unwarranted, “sophomoric,” or “legislative ‘logrolling,’” has likely set up a contentious override session next spring...
IL Gov. Rauner, Lawmakers Expand Medical Pot ILLINOIS Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) and legislative leaders agreed to a compromise to extend and expand the Prairie State’s pilot medical marijuana program. Under the agreement, the program will continue...
LA Approves HB 266 The LOUISIANA Senate approves HB 266 , so-called “ban the box” legislation that would ban government agencies from asking job applicants about their criminal history until they have been granted an interview for an open...
Crime & Punishment in CT The CONNECTICUT Supreme Court upholds its own earlier ruling that it would be unconstitutional to execute inmates on the state’s death row given the state abolished the death penalty in 2012. The court’s decision...