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The LATEST from AL
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- Stateline Story
Cuomo Declines to Back Longtime House Speaker
TRANSITION WATCH: New York's governor-elect sends mixed signals on Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Alabama legislators promise to focus on ethics and other news of the historic shift in power in the states.more -
- Stateline Story
Alabama Republicans Fight Over BP Reimbursement
TODAY'S TAKE: A dispute among top Republicans in Alabama over how the state should recoup tax revenues lost as a result of the BP oil spill is escalating. BP and Governor Bob Riley are blaming Attorney General Troy King for a lawsuit they say is complicating their negotiations over how the state can get its money back. more
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- Stateline Story
Bashing Oil Industry is Tricky Politics in Gulf States
Now that oil has stopped gushing in the Gulf of Mexico, state and local governments are tallying the economic losses they have suffered-and vowing to hold BP accountable. But they are moving carefully, mindful that much of the region's economy depends on the industry they are confronting. more
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- Stateline Story
Did Race to the Top Help or Hurt the Push for a Common Curriculum?
States were working on a common set of education standards before the Obama administration decided to make adoption of them part of Race to the Top. The prospect of winning federal money motivated some states to pass the standards, but the administration's blessing may have turned others away.more -
- Stateline Story
Gulf States Fear Long-Term Fiscal Effects of Oil Disaster
The Gulf Coast states were hopeful that 2010 would be a year of economic revival. Now, one of the worst environmental tragedies in U.S. history is jeopardizing the future of the tourism, fishing and deep-water oil drilling industries. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida do not have the money to offset the revenue losses and are counting on BP to rescue them.more -
- Stateline Story
Alabama Bingo Investigation Intensifies
TODAY'S TAKE: Federal officials are probing corruption in Alabama's bingo battle, yet another twist in the convoluted saga over whether the state should allow electronic bingo machines to raise money for local governments or charities. Agents from the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney's office and the FBI say they have found "substantial evidence of corruption" around a legislative battle to formally legalize the bingo machines, which look similar to slot machines, according to The New York Times. On April 11, the Birmingham News reported that at least two lawmakers had worn wires as part of the investigation after they had received offers from bingo lobbyists that they considered bribes. more
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April 1, 2010
Prison Count 2010
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the number of state prisoners in the United States has declined, according to Prison Count 2010, a survey by the Pew Center on the States. more
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- Stateline Story
Not Your Grandma's Bingo
It has the drama and suspense of a John Grisham novel: pre-dawn gambling raids by state troopers, rumors of political payoffs, rowdy demonstrations at the State Capitol and a fly-over at this year's Rose Bowl in California with a banner that read, "Impeach Corrupt Alabama Gov. Bob Riley." All this fuss over bingo? While many other cash-strapped states are trying to expand gaming as a way to get more revenue, Alabama's outgoing governor is on a mission to stamp out illegal gambling in the Heart of Dixie.more -
- Stateline Story
Spinning the Stimulus
Economists credit the federal stimulus package for helping bring an end to the recession. Most governors say the money prevented more drastic spending cuts and tax increases in their states. But a few Republican governors who took the money contend the stimulus was a mistake.more -
- Stateline Story
Is It ‘Raining’ Hard Enough?
Faced with historic revenue drops, states have tapped their rainy day funds in fiscal 2009 and 2010 at levels not seen since the 2001 recession to help close budget gaps totaling some $290 billion. The decision to go to these funds has renewed the debate about how much states should be setting aside in reserves and when to use the money. A few states, meanwhile, have been able to leave their funds intact.more
