The temptation to use Halloween and the entire month of October as a tie-in to new product launches is great for brands, as the season's themes are wide-ranging, fun and unabashedly commercial. That said, PR firms and departments need to be careful...
On October 14, the International Standards Organization published a new standard that companies and organizations can use to certify their anti-bribery and corruption compliance procedures. Companies can meet the ISO 37001 standard if they implement a...
What a difference a year and even a week makes. When we started tracking the presidential election coverage a year and a half ago, we aimed to test a few theories: Higher media coverage would lead to better poll results Social media would play...
When voters head to the polls this week, many will cast votes based on who they think will be better on critical economic issues like job creation. While much of the conversation has centered on jobs being shipped overseas or raising the minimum wage...
State spending on higher education nationwide is down nearly $10 billion - an average of $1,598, or 18 percent, per student - from where it was before the Great Recession began in 2008, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Per-student...
A local ballot measure that will be contested on Nov. 8 could open the door for a statewide income tax in Washington. The citizen initiative on the ballot in Olympia, which would tax household incomes over $200,000, will likely face a legal challenge...
For 45 states and over 10,000 local jurisdictions, sales taxes provide a key source of revenue. But those taxes apply mainly to goods in most states. As the nation has shifted to a service-based economy, however, states have sought to expand their sales...
The budget woes in Kansas that have come since the enactment of major tax cuts by Gov. Sam Brownback (R) and the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature have drawn a lot of attention recently. But, in general, the 22 states where Republicans hold both...
VW Settlement to Offset Budget Cuts in MO MISSOURI Gov. Jay Nixon (D) said the state will use the first $8.7 million share it received from Volkswagen as part of a settlement over the German carmaker’s emissions cheating scandal to offset earlier...
More than $14 million has been spent on state Supreme Court races this election cycle by individuals and groups acting independently of the candidates, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. That total has already surpassed the record $13.5 million...
San Jose, California’s third-largest city by population, and dozens of other cities and counties across the state, have banned sales of marijuana ahead of a Nov. 8 vote on whether to legalize pot for recreational use. If passed - which appears likely...
Back in September Alexander K. Zakharov, the Russian consul general in Houston, wrote letters to officials in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, requesting permission to monitor polling locations in those states on Nov. 8 “for a short period of time...
During President Obama’s time in office, over 800 Democratic state legislators have lost their seats to Republicans, which is reportedly one of the Democratic Party’s worst records under any president in over a century. But due in part to...
Atlantic City Recovery Plan Rejected by State The state of NEW JERSEY has rejected Atlantic City’s recovery plan, setting up a possible takeover of that city by the state. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Charles Richman...
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton (D) and legislative leaders laid the groundwork for a post-election special session aimed at helping Gopher State residents deal with dramatic health insurance premium hikes set to go into effect in January. Dayton met privately...
Scott Asks Feds to Speed Up Zika Funds FLORIDA Gov. Rick Scott (R) urged the Obama administration to expedite federal funds to help the Sunshine State battle the growth of the Zika virus. Congress approved $1.1 billion in emergency funds in September...
Crime In Montana The MONTANA Supreme Court rules that citizens have a right to trial by jury before the state can take private property in civil forfeiture cases. The ruling brings the Treasure State in line with the majority of other states that have...
Education In Georgia The GEORGIA Supreme Court rules that a law prohibiting guns on school property supersedes one passed at the same time that allowed firearms inside school safety zones. Gov. Nathan Deal (R) signed both bills into law in 2014. The...
Environment In New York NEW YORK Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announces the finalization of more stringent emission limits for diesel generators and natural gas-fired engines commonly used to supply backup power in large buildings like hospitals and offices...
Health In Washington The WASHINGTON D.C. City Council gives initial approval to so-called ‘death with dignity” legislation that would allow doctors to prescribe a terminally ill patient drugs they could use to end their own life. The Council...
Social Policy In Virginia The VIRGINIA Board of Health votes to not require hospital building requirements for clinics that provide abortion services in the Old Dominion. The vote comes months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a TEXAS law imposing...
Potpourri In New Jersey A NEW JERSEY appellate court upholds the legal use of enclosed foothold animal traps. The court rejected a claim made by animal rights groups that the devices, generally used by some Garden State residents to trap opossums and...
Texas state House candidate Kyle Biedermann isn’t wasting any time living down to the shady stereotype many folks have of elected officials. As the Texas Tribune reports , Biedermann recently took great pains to invite a host of Lone Star State...
A request to place an early voting site on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus recently met with a pretty interesting reason for rejection: a city clerk feared it would aid a Democratic state representative’s reelection campaign because...
Singer, actor, producer...felon! Yep, that’s what the headlines screamed recently after entertainer Justin Timberlake posted a selfie from inside a Memphis voting booth to his Instagram account. Seemingly within minutes the Hollywood Reporter posted...