Weekly Southern news roundup

Here's a roundup of news from the past week from each Southern state that you might find interesting:

AL: Alabama planning first alligator hunt
Prompted in part by reports of alligators further inland than is natural, Alabama's Conservation Advisory Board voted unanimously to institute the state's first alligator hunt. The hunt will take place for a week during late August 2007.

AR: Huckabee's 'F' not a failure on the campaign trail
Despite the Cato Institute's 'F' rating of Governor Mike Huckabee's handling of budget and fiscal matters, political scientists say that it will not hurt his chances in the November election. A Huckabee spokeswoman responded, "We give the Cato Institute an 'F' for failing to get accurate information." Missouri Governor Matt Blunt was the only governor to receive an 'A' rating from the think-tank.

FL: Nationwide's 72 percent tax hike to be denied
Homeowners in Florida can rest assured that Nationwide's requested 72 percent hike in property insurance rates will be denied by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. In some areas the hike would be as little as 3.5 percent, but in others it would near 180 percent. Office Commissioner Kevin McCarty says, "That's just not sustainable for people to pay."

GA: Politicians slam letter to voters
Last week, the Georgia State Election Board mailed about 200,000 letters to Georgia voters suggesting that a photo ID was required at the polls on November 7. The letters were sent after a judge struck down the state's new photo ID requirement--Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta was joined by Sen. Barak Obama (D-Illinois) and Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) in requesting a federal investigation of the matter in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez.

KY: Foes assail Oldham smoking-ban plan
Oldham County is currently debating a plan that would ban smoking in public buildings and require businesses to post no smoking signs. Critics cite the harshness of the plan's consequences and the repercussions on smoking outside of buildings.

LA: Natural selection
Orleans Parish is debating phasing out magnet schools. Currently the parish operates 12 magnet schools that characteristically maintain high-achieving students. Critics argue the system is too exclusionary.

MS: Masons struggle with racial separation
Freemasons across the south have become increasingly self-segregating in the past few years. The fraternal order operates a "separate-but-supposedly-equal" system with Grand Lodges being predominantly white and Prince Hall lodges being predominantly black.

NC: Groups call for tax reforms
The Center for Emerging Issues, the subject of a post last week, recently organized a forum at Winston-Salem State University to examine the tax structure within North Carolina. Like many southern states, North Carolina's tax structure does not take full advantage of its tax base, collecting only about 27 percent of potential revenue.

SC: New longleaf forests to sprout from grants
The Conservation Reserve Program plans on paying landowners to plant and maintain longleaf pine forests in S.C. The longleaf pine hasn't seen widespread growth in the south since the early 1900s when loggers began planting the cheaper loblolly pines.

TN: $$ sought for spillway at Reelfoot
The dam that holds Tennessee's largest natural lake is deteriorating quickly, but permit issues and environmental concerns have hampered repair or expansion. The state DOT is seeking $12 million to replace the current spillway.

VA: Ballot measure would offer incentive in blight area
In November, Virginians will vote on whether or not to offer incentives to builders who chose to develop designated depressed areas. Incentives to builders who rehabilitate or conserve existing structures could receive up to a 50 percent tax break.