4/28: Officials consider setting oil spill on fire

Wall Street Journal: Officials consider setting oil spill off La. coast on fire

Response efforts continued on offshore drilling as an oil spill off Louisiana's coast spread. The oil slick had grown Tuesday to 100 miles by 45 miles—or about the size of Jamaica. The fast-moving slick was about 20 miles off the Louisiana coast Tuesday morning and the state had activated a response plan, the U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday.

While Coast Guard officials admit a controlled burn of some pockets of the crude sitting on the water's surface isn't an optimal solution, they say it is better than allowing the oil to hit the beaches and marshes that line the Gulf Coast, which will likely happen by this weekend if weather patterns hold.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State is second cheapest for home health care

ARKANSAS: Conservative activist group files lawsuit against health care plan

FLORIDA: State's budget deal avoids tax hikes, major cuts

GEORGIA: State roads considered among the best, says U.S. PIRG study

KENTUCKY: State could rekindle debate on illegal immigration following Arizona law passage

MISSISSIPPI: Storm damage in state 'well north of $50 million'

NORTH CAROLINA: Study says state has 15th worst business tax environment

SOUTH CAROLINA: Wetlands to be restored following 2002 oil spill in Charleston Harbor

TENNESSEE: Construction contracts up considerably in March

VIRGINIA: State's universities begin signing off on nearly 10% tuition increases

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4/23: Group says MS youth are unfit for military service

Clarion-Ledger: Nonprofit group says Mississippi youth are unfit for military service

Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit group of retired military officers, said Thursday that 75% of 17-24 year olds are not qualified for military service. In Mississippi, they cite the low graduation rate, high childhood obesity and large numbers of youth in the justice system as problems for the state and for national security.

"We need to support long-term strategies in our state that will help our young people in Mississippi maintain healthy lifestyles, help them to succeed in school and help keep them on the right side of the law," retired Brig. Gen. Augustus Collins said.

"If we can give our kids a good solid foundation, we won't have to deal with these other problems, and that solid foundation comes with early childhood education," Shields said. Mississippi is the only state in the nation without a state-funded pre-kindergarten program.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Legislative session ends without passing ethics reform

ARKANSAS: Former Pres. Clinton in Little Rock promoting green energy

FLORIDA: Gov. Crist signs into law a bill that expands use of private-school vouchers

GEORGIA: More state employees seeking retirement as future is uncertain

KENTUCKY: State Supreme Court strikes down aid to private religious school

LOUISIANA: Ecological risk grows as oil rig sinks off Louisiana coast

NORTH CAROLINA: Ten sites chosen by Duke Energy for solar panels

SOUTH CAROLINA: Loophole has allowed SC political caucuses to spend secretly

TENNESSEE: House Speaker threatens to remove two lawmakers over tax quarreling

VIRGINIA: State to end criticized test for special needs students

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4/7: GA's public defender system may revert back to county control

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia's public defender system may revert back to county control

In 2003, Gov. Perdue signed the Georgia Indigent Defense Act into law, which created a new statewide network of public defender offices to replace an uneven system of county-run indigent defense programs, many of which were found unable to protect the rights of poor people accused of crimes.

But now, key state lawmakers and the governor are considering proposals that would transfer a large chunk of the state system back to county control.

Norman Fletcher, a former chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, called any plan to return part of the system back to county control "a terrible idea."

"It would be taking us back to essentially where we were in 2003," Fletcher said. "I think it would be a disastrous step and ultimately lead to litigation in state or federal court to make sure this system is the constitutional duty of the state, not the counties."

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State's shellfish waters closed over fears of contamination

ARKANSAS: AG McDaniel rejects health care ballot measure for second time

FLORIDA: Legislators consider allowing corporations to contribute to fund for private schools

KENTUCKY: U.S. Senate race heats up in both parties

LOUISIANA: Wildlife refuge in La. suffers spill of thousands of gallons of crude oil

MISSISSIPPI: Federal permission for state to cut Medicaid payments still pending

NORTH CAROLINA: Fight over state road-building funds leaves no one happy

SOUTH CAROLINA: Congressmen take questions from 400 business leaders on health care

TENNESSEE: Opinion: Should teens be on sex registry?

VIRGINIA: State lost 21,200 construction jobs over the last year

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4/2: MS voters to decide on 2011 ballot when life begins

Clarion-Ledger: Mississippi's voters to decide on 2011 ballot when life begins

Petitioners gathered 106,325 signatures to get an initiative on the 2011 ballot for voters to define when life begins. Voters will decide whether a 'person' should be defined as any life 'from the point of fertilization, cloning or equivalent thereof.'

The personhood petition is the second voter-led effort that has secured enough signatures to appear on the November 2011 ballot. The other seeks to require voters to show identification at the polls in Mississippi.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State Senate votes for health care opt out bill

ARKANSAS: Court says undocumented aliens can't bring lawsuits anonymously

FLORIDA: House approves budget; long negotiations likely between the chambers

GEORGIA: State appeals water rights ruling

KENTUCKY: Senate approves charter schools in attempt to get federal education funds

LOUISIANA: Interior secretary says state will be first to benefit from expansion of oil and gas exploration

NORTH CAROLINA: President Obama to visit state today to talk jobs

SOUTH CAROLINA: New state law could make retrofitting homes easier

TENNESSEE: Political discord prompts hundreds to enter Tennessee's federal and state races

VIRGINIA: Gov. McDonnell quits wind energy coalition

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Megaregion talks held in Charlotte

Charlotte Observer: Megaregion talks held in Charlotte

The 'megaregion,' described as stretching from Raleigh, NC to Birmingham, Ala. , is drawing a lot of attention from elected officials, executives, planning officials, and academics. Closed-door sessions, hosted by Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, were held on Tuesday to consider the fast-growing urban area.

The megaregion's population is expected to grow by almost 70 percent by 2050, according to estimates presented at the Atlanta forum. Its gross regional product is $1.1 trillion, 10 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product.

A news conference will be held today to allow the mayors to discuss what issues they've identified from the energy, transportation, and environmental sectors.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Solution to tri-state water wars is....conservation

ARKANSAS: Chinese ambassador to U.S. says Arkansas is key to trade with China

FLORIDA: State approves plan to build nuclear plant in Levy County

GEORGIA: State's leaders call for immigration reform

KENTUCKY: State's tax revenue receipts show economy is still down

LOUISIANA: Survey shows state's residents vulnerable to swinging oil rates

MISSISSIPPI: Black male enrollment lags at state's colleges

NORTH CAROLINA: Congressman Butterfield faces hecklers at health care forum

SOUTH CAROLINA: Drug addiction running high among S.C.'s health-care workers

TENNESSEE: Editorial: A new role for Tennessee
"If America is headed, however haltingly, toward a more environmentally responsible and energy independent path, Tennessee is well positioned to lead the way."

VIRGINIA: Fairfax Co. schools look at new CDC swine flu strategy

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