2/5: Senate likely to be less diverse after elections

Washington Post: Senate likely to be less diverse after elections

In contests in Florida, Texas and North Carolina, black candidates face daunting challenges to joining the Senate, from difficulty raising cash to lack of name recognition to formidable rivals.\\

By next year, the number of black Senators could be zero, despite the fact that 12.2% of the population is black. David Bositis, a senior political analyst with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, noted that blacks don't make up the majority population in any state and in states where there are large numbers of blacks, as in the South, there are racial divisions that make getting elected difficult.

Florida is more likely to produce the next Hispanic senator than it is the next black senator.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Legislation on using Alabama Trust Fund for roads and bridges is withdrawn

ARKANSAS: FEMA to provide federal funding to state for flood damage

FLORIDA: 7.5% drop in property taxes over three years hurts state's budget

GEORGIA: State gets a "D" from voter rights group

KENTUCKY: House approves ban on texting while driving

LOUISIANA: Sen. Landrieu defends $400 million Medicaid deal

MISSISSIPPI: State stops prison growth by releasing more nonviolent offenders

NORTH CAROLINA: Sen. Larry Shaw says he won't seek re-election

SOUTH CAROLINA: Conference to draw 200 to discuss future of state's land use

TENNESSEE: Sen. Alexander introduces bill to reduce mercury emissions

VIRGINIA: Bill to end ban on radar detectors advances

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1/29: Editorial: Share the water across the South

ARKANSAS, Press-Register: Editorial: Share the water across the South

"Negotiate, don't litigate.

"That’s the best advice we can offer officials in Mississippi, Alabama and other Southern states that have been embroiled in long, costly courtroom “water wars.”

"Millions of dollars in legal fees have flowed into the decades-long struggle that pits Georgia against Alabama and Florida. In recent years, time and money have been invested in the fight between Mississippi and the city of Memphis over water in an aquifer that straddles the Mississippi-Tennessee-Arkansas state lines. (More)

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State lawmakers want President Obama to focus on national security

FLORIDA: State Farm drops 125,000 Florida property policies

GEORGIA: No high-speed rail for Georgia, just funds for feasibility study

KENTUCKY: State partners with Microsoft to offer free technical training

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal condemns break-in at Sen. Landrieu's office

MISSISSIPPI: Merger of three Historically Black Colleges 'dead on arrival'

NORTH CAROLINA: Gov. Perdue goes on 'secret vacation' to a 'warm place'

SOUTH CAROLINA: Bill on warrantless search heads to Chamber floor

TENNESSEE: Grassoline: Switchgrass to be used by ethanol refinery in TN

VIRGINIA: Bill to toughen seat-belt law stalls in House

If you have a news story about public policy to suggest, send an email to info@bettersouth.org