12/15: Environmentalists target soft toilet paper

Tennessean: Environmentalists target soft toilet paper

Environmentalists say the super-soft toilet paper pushed by manufacturers like Kimberly-Clark and Procter & Gamble are anti-green. Greenpeace, the Natural Resources Defense Council and other environmental groups are urging these companies to stop using wood from virgin forests to make tissue products. But, even as Americans say they support green initiatives, they also say in surveys that they don't want to sacrifice comfort.

Darby Hoover, a senior resource specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, understands the pressure of customer demand but wonders: Do we really need toilet paper to be as soft as it can be or do we need it just soft enough? Other countries — particularly in South America, Africa and Asia — seem to be OK with "soft enough."

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Lawmakers say state can't maintain retirees' benefits as they are

ARKANSAS: Judge allows non-religious display at Arkansas Capitol

FLORIDA: Federal grant may mean up to $700 million to Florida schools

GEORGIA: Tri-state water talks begin today between Georgia, Florida and Alabama governors

KENTUCKY: State has highest cancer death rate in the nation

LOUISIANA: State serves as a model in teacher assessment under new initiative

MISSISSIPPI: Food stamp program in state shows big increase in participation

NORTH CAROLINA: Commentary: Should an atheist councilman in NC be allowed to serve public office?

SOUTH CAROLINA: Racial health disparities outlined in South Carolina report

TENNESSEE: State's judges often judged in secret by judicial officials

VIRGINIA: Group says increase in gas tax could help solve budget problem

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

11/27: Some states sell or lease public buildings for budget-building

Stateline: Some states sell or lease public buildings for budget-boosting

While it's a quick way of raising cash, some say the strategy of selling or leasing public property is a short-term fix that delays making more difficult budget decisions.

Todd Haggerty, a National Conference of State Legislatures policy associate, said: “States are having to look at anything and everything to close these (budget) gaps. For the most part, easy decisions have already been made, so states are now looking at more difficult options.”

And in the South:

ALABAMA: Editorial: Alabama needs charter schools

ARKANSAS: State approves electric power rate increase

FLORIDA: Congressional primary rescheduled due to Passover conflict

GEORGIA: State is failing to make progress in lung cancer battle

KENTUCKY: Executions suspended by state's highest court

LOUISIANA: Public option on healthcare not likely in Louisiana, some say

MISSISSIPPI: State program aims to keep diabetics out of the hospital

NORTH CAROLINA: Proposed port has small town worried about traffic, noise

SOUTH CAROLINA: Tax-free 'Second Amendment' weekend likely to mean higher gun sales

TENNESSEE: Sex offender tracking gets trickier with wireless devices in use

VIRGINIA: Tobacco-rich Virginia goes smoke-free in restaurants Dec. 1

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

10/19: States consider Internet rules for campaign fundraising

AP: States consider Internet rules for campaign fundraising

Florida mayoral candidate Scott Wagman bought an ad that popped up online when anyone ran a Google search for his opponents' names. The Florida Elections Commission ordered Wagman to remove it and pay a $250 fine, even though the required disclaimer was longer than the 68 characters allowed in the text of the ad, which wasn't "paid for" until someone clicked on it.

An ongoing debate is raging about how "old media" rules governing campaign spending should apply to the "new media" of the Internet age. When does a blog connected to a campaign need to disclose its allegiance? Does a candidate's personal Facebook page need a disclaimer if it is updated by a staffer? Can a campaign-related tweet - a message posted on social media site Twitter - even be regulated?

"Policing this is going to be a tremendously difficult thing, let alone writing the rules," said Edwin Bender, executive director of the National Institute on Money in State Politics, a nonprofit group in Helena, Mont.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: If health care overhaul fails, 46,000 Alabamians will lose health benefits says report

ARKANSAS: GOP hopes to unseat Democrat Vic Snyder, the state's lone liberal voice

FLORIDA: Files full of personal information found in mortgage company's trash

GEORGIA: U.S. Dept. of Justice rejects Georgia's voter tracking system

KENTUCKY: Gov. Beshear to tour state this week holding education press conferences

LOUISIANA: Cancer rate hits alarming numbers in Louisiana

MISSISSIPPI: State's harvest ruined by excessive rain, costing farmers $377 million

NORTH CAROLINA: Economic summit on education and economy at NCCU today

SOUTH CAROLINA: Coastal alliance formed by SC, GA, FL, NC to handle regional issues

TENNESSEE: State may have to cut total of $1.1 billion from 2010 budget

VIRGINIA: Judge rules for second time that VA violated voting rights of military personnel

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