4/26: NC's war over taxes with Amazon escalates

Stateline: NC's war over taxes with Amazon escalates

A tax war has been sparked by states, such as North Carolina and Colorado, which are taking steps to collect taxes from online retailers such as Amazon.

Last week, Amazon sued North Carolina after the state's Department of Revenue asked the company to release the names and addresses of its North Carolina customers - information that the state would need to collect unpaid taxes. With as many as 15 other cash-strapped states considering whether to pass Amazon taxes of their own, there's a lot of attention directed toward the NC case.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: This legislative session, all ethics reform and accountability bills die

ARKANSAS: Soybean crops in the state are now experiencing black root rot

FLORIDA: Budget may include cuts to mental health and drug treatment programs

GEORGIA: Major issues finalized with two days left of legislative session

KENTUCKY: State gets $176 million to boost school budgets

LOUISIANA: Cold weather has meant fewer mosquitoes for Louisiana

MISSISSIPPI: FEMA teams head to Mississippi to help with tornado damage

SOUTH CAROLINA: Senate begins budget debate today

TENNESSEE: Half of Tennessee's youth considered "too fat to fight"

VIRGINIA: Tens of thousands of ash trees in the state at risk of dying due to Asian beetle

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

1/18: Haiti earthquake a foreshadowing of Mississippi Delta quake?

Christian Science Monitor: Haiti earthquake a foreshadowing of Mississippi Delta quake?

Geologists consider the New Madrid fault line a major seismic zone and predict that an earthquake roughly the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake (7.0 on the Richter scale) could occur in the area during the next 50 years. And, the poverty of this area is being compared to that of Haiti.

In many areas, people still live in shanties. Healthcare is sparse. Even clean water is scarce in some places. Often, public and private buildings are decades-old and fragile, needing retrofitting or strengthening. Hundreds of towns could see severe structural damage, and large segments of the population displaced, says Dr. Al-Shukri, director of Arkansas Earthquake Center.

The New Madrid fault zone crosses five state lines and the Mississippi River in at least three places. It extends from northeast Arkansas through southeast Missouri and into western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: 'Connecting Alabama' broadband initiative head to next phase

ARKANSAS: State leads the nation in battling childhood obesity

FLORIDA: State to push minority count, targeting ten groups, in U.S. Census

GEORGIA: State prisons to go smoke-free by end of the year

KENTUCKY: Bill would make it easier to build nuclear power plants in state

LOUISIANA: Editorial: Keep your eyes on the road

MISSISSIPPI: State BOE to be restructured in next few months

NORTH CAROLINA: Pig power: Business explores using pig manure as source of power

SOUTH CAROLINA: Confederate flag still visible in state, even as it's gone from top of State House dome

TENNESSEE: Sen. Alexander's nuclear push faces many obstacles

VIRGINIA: Lawmakers to consider ethics reform plans

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

12/17: Tainted, toxic -- but legal -- tap water

New York Times: Tainted, toxic -- but legal -- tap water

A 35-year old federal law regulating tap water is very out-of-date -- and scientists say that what Americans are drinking from the tap can pose serious health risks, but still be legal in the eyes of the government. Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, yet there are more than 60,000 chemicals used in the U.S. which can find their way into the drinking water.

A study found that various contaminants were often associated with increased incidents of disease. However, that research — like all large-scale studies of human illnesses — sometimes cannot definitively say that chemicals in drinking water were the sole cause of disease.

Take a look at water quality, state-by-state. This may drive filter sales.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State's 2011 education funding request considered 'unrealistic'

ARKANSAS: State enacts tougher penalties for animal abusers

FLORIDA: Rail bill signed by Gov. Crist

GEORGIA: V. P. Biden to announce funds for high-speed internet to rural areas

KENTUCKY: Gov. Beshear bans text messaging by workers driving state-owned vehicles

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal's office to push legislation to give board of ethics appeal power

MISSISSIPPI: Lawmakers say fees may spike, not taxes

NORTH CAROLINA: State is #1 in number of certified teachers for 14th year in a row

SOUTH CAROLINA: House panel votes down Sanford impeachment plan

TENNESSEE: State leaders and advocacy groups participate in Copenhagen climate conference

VIRGINIA: Gov. Kaine may renew car tax debate

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

12/8: EPA says greenhouse gases hazardous to health

Christian Science Monitor: EPA says greenhouse gases are hazardous to human health

The Environmental Protection Agency's announcement on greenhouse gases was made on the first day of the climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Environmentalists applauded the move. "This means the US can go to Copenhagen and negotiate from a position of strength. It shows the world that the Obama administration is serious about tackling the climate problem even if legislation in the Senate falls flat,” says Frank O’Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, an environmental watchdog group. “It’s also a reminder to the Senate that if they sit on their hands, the Obama EPA is going to do something to regulate these emissions.”

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Governors of Georgia, Florida and Alabama to meet over water rights

ARKANSAS: Education advocate, former state senator Jodie Mahony dies

FLORIDA: State's high court may require more specific Miranda warnings

GEORGIA: Ethics reform to be a big topic of 2010 legislature

KENTUCKY: Control of state Senate to be decided in today's special election

LOUISIANA: Tax amnesty brings in $466 million, three times more than expected

MISSISSIPPI: "Green" Grand Bay Coastal Resources center dedicated

NORTH CAROLINA: Drunk driving fatality rate drops in state

SOUTH CAROLINA: State lawmakers want to outlaw texting while driving

TENNESSEE: Editorial: Local clinics could vanish along with state funding

VIRGINIA: State's charter school law gets 'fail' from education reform group

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

11/17: Electric car coalition launched by top businessmen

Associated Press: Electric car coalition launched by top businessmen

The new coalition is aimed at getting the federal government to make a major investment in electric transportation, pointing to electric cars as the best way to confront the nation's dependence on imported oil. Businessmen from Nissan Motor Co., Fedex Corp., PG&E, and battery developers A124 Systems and Johnson Controls-Saft are involved.

The coalition is urging Congress to pass a series of tax credits and loan guarantees to bring 14 million electric cars to the road by 2020 and more than 100 million by 2030. The group envisions a network of electric vehicles in six to eight cities in the short term and an expansion across the country, making 75 percent of all vehicle miles traveled powered by electricity by 2040.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Timber theft a growing problem in the state

ARKANSAS: Sen. Lincoln gets pressure from all sides as Senate vote on health care reform nears

FLORIDA: Gov. Crist looks at special session for high-speed rail discussion

GEORGIA: Nonprofit studies GA's large rural student population, notes low graduation rates

KENTUCKY: AARP rallies against further state budget cuts

LOUISIANA: State's politics complicated in national health care debate

MISSISSIPPI: Gov. Barbour proposes merging eight universities into five

NORTH CAROLINA: Gov. Perdue says jobless rate to rise even as economy gets better

SOUTH CAROLINA: 2009 Homeless County reveals depth of problem in SC

TENNESSEE: State's budget gap could reach $1.5 billion next year

VIRGINIA: Delegate Hamilton quits House, which may end ethics probe

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

10/6: Coverage vs. cost in debate on health care

New York Times: Coverage vs. cost in debate on health care

Democrats face tough choices when they take up health care legislation in Washington -- affordable prices for health insurance policies vs. policies that offer comprehensive health benefits.

The different versions of the legislation would all require insurance companies to provide coverage more generous than many policies sold in the individual market today. That is good for consumers, Democrats say.

But Republicans say the new requirements would mean added costs for some consumers and for the government, which would help pay premiums for millions of low- and middle-income people.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State's financial problems likely to persist into 2011 budget

ARKANSAS: Despite ban, predatory lenders still operating in state -- on Internet

FLORIDA: Policy group assessing offshore drilling in Florida

GEORGIA: Federal judge reiterates ruling against Georgia in tri-state water war

KENTUCKY: Gov. Beshear wants new psychiatric facilities for youth

LOUISIANA: Some state agencies to opt-out of Gov. Jindal's 'outcome based budgeting'

MISSISSIPPI: Commission on Colleges of SACS says state should consolidate, eliminate college programs

NORTH CAROLINA: Hospitals in state begin information campaign on SIDS

SOUTH CAROLINA: State Supreme Court to hear Sanford ethics case

TENNESSEE: High school dropouts in 2009 could cost state $6.5 billion in lost income

VIRGINIA: Voters to decide which party controls House of Delegates

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

10/1: La., Miss. to get grants to add uninsured children to health plans

AP: More uninsured children to be added to La., Miss. health plans

Nearly $2.2 million will go to Louisiana and Mississippi agencies to help find uninsured children who are eligible for either of two programs and enroll them. The aim is to get the children into Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program.

The grant money will cover a two year period, ending December 31, 2011.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Advocates for the poor say state's census figures are wrong

ARKANSAS: Police prepare to enforce new texting, cellphone-while-driving laws

FLORIDA: Home insurance rates could go up in Florida

GEORGIA: Federal judge rejects state's plan to fix mental hospitals

KENTUCKY: State gets grant to help create jobs

NORTH CAROLINA: Beginning today, it's illegal in NC not to recycle plastic bottles

SOUTH CAROLINA: Gov. Sanford doesn't want ethics report released

TENNESSEE: Number of uninsured could soar in state if health system not changed

VIRGINIA: Study shows high return on state's investment in higher education

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