3/5: Seven Southern states make finals for education fund

Wall Street Journal: Seven Southern states picked as finalists for education funds

The Obama administration has chosen 16 finalists for extra federal education funds. Included in the $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition are Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

The administration defended the surprisingly large number of finalists, saying that all states whose applications cleared a pre-set score automatically advanced to the next round.

Independent evaluators have given especially high marks to three states on the list—Florida, Tennessee and Louisiana—for their accountability standards and for implementing systems to track student performance. All three have also pushed to expand the growth of charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently run.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Legislature overrides veto on TVA funds

ARKANSAS: Legislative session formally ends in Arkansas

FLORIDA: All state lawmakers to sign letter of objection to new NASA plan

GEORGIA: Gov. Perdue chides legislators over proposed college cuts

KENTUCKY: Jobless rate in state is highest in 26 years

LOUISIANA: Sen. Vitter wants probe into deaths of ten living with toxic Chinese drywall

MISSISSIPPI: Meth's huge toll on state will mean move to prescription pseudoephedrine

NORTH CAROLINA: Editorial: State shows signs of slipping

SOUTH CAROLINA: State has a problem with school dropouts

TENNESSEE: Opinion: Tennessee can't afford to opt out of health-care reform

VIRGINIA: Senate panel kills proposal on gun restrictions

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2/15: VA education groups against charter school plan

VIRGINIA: Education groups are against Virginia's charter school plan

State education groups are voicing opposition to Gov. Bob McDonnell's plan to boost charter schools. Virginia's school boards, superintendents and teacher groups say the measure is unconstitutional because it takes away local school divisions' decision-making power.

They also say it's wrong to potentially divert public funds to create new schools during Virginia's massive budget shortfalls.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Gubernatorial candidates lend their campaigns $5 million

ARKANSAS: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries may build wind turbine plant in Arkansas

FLORIDA: U.S. Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart won't seek re-election

GEORGIA: 191 schools to be investigated for cheating on CRCT tests

KENTUCKY: State Senate approves taking in nuclear waste from other states

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal to present budget today

MISSISSIPPI: Senate approves one tuition price for in-state, out-of-state college students

NORTH CAROLINA: Lawmakers prepare new clean-government changes

SOUTH CAROLINA: Legislators look at saving millions through funds

TENNESSEE: TVA faces uncertain future as power sales fall

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11/13:Southern voters: A snapshot

The Atlantic: Southern voters: A snapshot

"Winthrop has a poll out today of 866 respondents in 11 Southern states--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia--and what we can glean from it is: independents in the South disapprove of President Obama, Southerners as a whole don't like Democratic health care reforms, and they are generally ambivalent about the stimulus package."

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State education board wants teachers to pay more for benefits

ARKANSAS: Gov. Beebe authorizes release of flood funds

FLORIDA: Gov. Crist faces problems in Florida

GEORGIA: Prison health care costs go up as inmates age and get sicker

KENTUCKY: Gov. Beshear works to simplify enrollment process for children in health care system

LOUISIANA: House speaker challenges governor on amnesty payment plans

MISSISSIPPI: State's economic council ends 12-city tour

NORTH CAROLINA: Study says state's budget is relatively healthy

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gubernatorial candidates take questions about agribusiness, politics

TENNESSEE: TVA challenged over wastewater permits by environmentalists

VIRGINIA: State's lawmakers go after expansion of F-22 fleet

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8/21: Older Americans' concerns over health care not irrational

8/21: New York Times: Older Americans' concerns over health care not irrational

Bills in Congress, if passed, would "squeeze savings out of Medicare on the assumption that doctors and hospitals can be more efficient." President Obama has also said Medicare and private insurers could improve care and save money by following advice from a new federal panel of medical experts on “what treatments work best.”

Mr. Obama has repeatedly said, “Nobody is talking about cutting Medicare benefits.” At the same time, he wants to eliminate what he describes as “unwarranted subsidies” and giveaways to private Medicare Advantage plans, which use some of the money to provide extra benefits.

Knowing that Medicare itself faces a financial crisis, many older Americans object to Congress’s tapping the program to help pay for coverage of the uninsured.

This debate will likely continue for some time.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Gov. Riley named chairman of Southern Governors' Association

ARKANSAS: Prisoners provide labor for food bank programs

FLORIDA: State leads nation in rate of mortgage problems

GEORGIA: State's only corn ethanol plant faces bankruptcy

KENTUCKY: Jobless rate hits 11% in state

LOUISIANA: State to propose help for hurricane-damaged homes

MISSISSIPPI: Big stimulus grant goes to SmartSynch to help manage energy use at public facilities

NORTH CAROLINA: Labor unions invest in state's Democrats

SOUTH CAROLINA: New deal may end push for planned coal-burning power plant

TENNESSEE: TVA to increase electric rates, borrow billions

VIRGINIA: Creigh Deeds' speech set to brand him as moderate pragmatist

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