In 1890, American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote, “Control of the sea by maritime commerce and naval supremacy, means predominant influence in the world; because, however great the wealth product of the land, nothing facilitates the...
I recently got some tips from Christine Hayes, Director of Market Insight and leader of a very cool and innovative research team. She shared her thoughts on trend spotting and tracking; a process that can identify opportunities, predict competitor strategies...
In 2006, the word, ‘google’ was added to both the Oxford Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Is it any wonder that nearly a decade later, everyone feels like they have the ultimate news and business research tool at their...
You might be expecting to see autumn colors—red maple leaves, orange pumpkins, golden fields—but October seems to be dominated by pink. It appears that everyone is going pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Even WWE pro wrestlers and NFL...
The image of the tobacco-chewing baseball player or manager – think Don Zimmer over any stage of his approximately 100 years in the game – is as iconic as the any in the sport. But that may all be changing in California, where Gov. Jerry Brown...
MI Approves SB 240 The MICHIGAN House approves SB 240, legislation that would bar the sale and distribution of powdered alcohol in the Wolverine State. The bill returns to the Senate (MLIVE.COM). Business In CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown...
Unlike some of his gubernatorial counterparts around the country, Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I) is a believer in climate change, saying it is having a devastating impact on numerous Last Frontier communities. But Walker says the cost of dealing with it...
Multistate lawsuits challenging White House policy have been de rigueur since the Affordable Care Act. Over two dozen states are opposing the Obama administration’s plan to defer the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants. And at least 20...
Fueled by a drought in the western states that’s now in its fourth year, wildfires have burned nine million acres nationwide this year, well over the five million-acre average for the past decade, according to National Geographic and the National...
Speaking of California, you might have heard the Golden State is darned near out of water. Now desperate, officials are pondering a plan that would normally make them roll their eyes – shipping water in from Alaska, a state with no such shortages...
A measure bound for Denver, Colorado’s Nov. 3 ballot would raise the city’s sales tax to help local college students cover the rising cost of their tuition. Supporters of Measure 2A - who include Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (D) and former...
While much of the West suffers through an epic drought that has contributed to a deadly fire season, state and local officials are bracing for a severe El Nino winter that could bring substantial rain along the Pacific Coast and significant snowfall in...
Responding to a new U.S. Census report that shows incomes have fallen by 14 percent for African-Americans in Minnesota since 2013, Gov. Mark Dayton (D) announced the creation of an office within the state Department of Employment and Economic Development...
Every state has laws governing personal conduct in the voting booth, some of which ban the taking of photographs or the revealing of a marked ballot, according to Ethan Wilson, a policy associate at the National Conference of State Legislatures’...
Opponents of Internet gambling in the U.S. Congress have tried to ban it for years without success. But legislation currently being floated on the Hill would initiate a two-year study on Internet gambling - and ban states from legalizing it for at least...
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) unveiled a proposal last week to help stem a rising tide of heroin and other opioid-related deaths in the Bay State. Under his plan, a doctor’s initial opioid prescription per patient could be for no more than...
WY energy revenues well below forecast WYOMING Gov. Matt Mead (R) announced at a news conference last week that the state will likely face a budget shortfall of $100 million to $200 million in the current fiscal year because energy revenues are lagging...
All of Texas has been giddy this baseball post season, what with both the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros unexpectedly making the American League playoffs. And when both teams got to within one win of facing each other in the AL Championship Series...
It took almost 20 years, but California finally has a regulatory framework for its multi-billion dollar medical marijuana industry. Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a trio of bills earlier this month that collectively govern virtually all aspects of the legal...
MA Approves HB 3806 The MASSACHUSETTS House approves HB 3806, a bill that creates a local registration process for scrap metal dealers and requires those dealers to tag and hold purchased items for at least 48 hours. If contacted by law enforcement...
Hogan Completes Chemo MARYLAND Gov. Larry Hogan (R) completed his final round of chemotherapy treatment for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hogan posted on his Facebook account that since being diagnosed in June he has undergone 30 days of 24-hour...
Education in CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoes AB 967, a bill that would have required public and private colleges and universities to adopt uniform processes for handling sexual assault cases, to report how many cases are received and subsequently...
Environment In CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs a plethora of environmental bills, including: SB 185, which requires the state’s two massive public employee pension funds – the California Public Employee Retirement System and the...
Health In CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoes AB 159, so-called “right-to-try” legislation that would have allowed drug companies to make available to terminally ill patients drugs that have not yet been approved by the U.S. Food...
Social CA CALIFORNIA Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signs AB 775, which requires Golden State crisis pregnancy centers to provide patients with information about affordable contraception, abortion and prenatal care (KCRA.COM [SACRAMENTO]).