Critics upset over turtle harvesting

KENTUCKY: Critics say commercial harvesters are taking too many turtles

The Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, joined by Kentucky Heartwood and two dozen other groups, has asked eight Southern and Midwestern states to end "unsustainable commercial harvests."

Demand for turtle meat by China has meant a rise in capturing fresh-water turtles in the U.S.

"Turtles are an important part of aquatic ecosystems, and this unsustainable trade needs to be stopped," said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate with the diversity center.

The other states said to have inadequate turtle protection laws are Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Sen. Shelby criticizes AIG bonuses

ARKANSAS: House approves grocery tax cut of one-cent

FLORIDA: State workers may face 5% pay cut

GEORGIA: State law puts non-offenders on Georgia's sex offender registry

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal plans several out-of-state fundraisers for re-election campaign

MISSISSIPPI: State may pay for workers' obesity surgery

NORTH CAROLINA: Woolly adelgid taking a toll on state's hemlock trees

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gov. Sanford's stimulus plan rejected by Obama administration

TENNESSEE: Rural lawmakers band together to increase economic clout

VIRGINIA: Gubernatorial candidate announces plan to reform Virginia government

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