2/10: Michelle Obama launches fight against childhood obesity

Washington Post: Michelle Obama launches fight against childhood obesity

First Lady Michelle Obama has released a national program to fight childhood obesity called "Let's Move!" The program will be backed by as much as $1 billion a year in federal funds for the next ten years.

At its core, the initiative has four pillars: more nutrition information, increased physical activity, easier access to healthy foods and, ultimately, personal responsibility. And, it has garnered bipartisan support.

Obama's initiative challenges the Food and Drug Administration to work with food and beverage producers, who have announced their support of Obama's proposals, to improve package labeling. And there will be a push to reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act as a way of improving school meals.

It's something all states should get behind, especially those in traditionall overweight Southern states.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State to help laid-off casino workers even though casinos are illegal

ARKANSAS: House approves no-raise expenses bill

FLORIDA: Citrus growers lost 7.4 million boxes of fruit from freeze, agency says

GEORGIA: State has $1 billion in unclaimed funds

KENTUCKY: State to be the first to endorse new national education standards

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal says he won't raise state taxes

MISSISSIPPI: State Senate approves charter school plan

NORTH CAROLINA: Probe into private flights extended to all 2008 and 2004 gubernatorial candidates

SOUTH CAROLINA: Senate approves property tax break

TENNESSEE: Lottery sales surge with two new games available

VIRGINIA: Del. Cole wants to criminalize involuntary implantation of human microchips

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2/2: SELC ranks South's top threatened natural places

Daily Progress: SELC ranks South's top threatened natural places

The Southern Environmental Law Center released its top ten places in the South it believes are facing immediate peril. The sites noted are in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

"The major environmental threats we face in this country are playing out in the Southeast," said Jeff Gleason, SELC’s deputy director. "Our region is contributing disproportionately to global warming, and, in fact, our six southeastern states, if viewed as a single country, would be the world’s seventh largest source of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions."

In the Carolinas, the Catawba-Wateree waterway (NC & SC), Cape Fear River (NC), and freshwater wetlands near Charleston were named. Georgia's Ogeechee River and right whale calving grounds made the list. Alabama's Black Water River, the Ocoee Region in Tennessee, the Chesapeake Bay and Roanoke River Basin in Virginia, and Southern Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and Tennessee also made the list.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Opinion: Alabama's gambling situation is a mess, and this must not be allowed to continue

ARKANSAS: Juvenile detention facilities overcrowded in state

FLORIDA: Lawmakers asked by environmental group to ban plastic shopping bags

GEORGIA: Legislators again push to drop annual property tax on autos

KENTUCKY: New initiative covers birth-to-graduate learning

LOUISIANA: Analysis shows that casinos are not recession-proof

MISSISSIPPI: Lawmakers vote on pseudoephedrine prescriptions law

NORTH CAROLINA: Civil Rights museum opens in Greensboro in famous Woolworth's building

SOUTH CAROLINA: Court ruling to protect state's wetlands

TENNESSEE: Gov. Bredesen delivers final state of the state address

VIRGINIA: State Senate bills say 'no' to requiring health insurance

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1/20: States upset over health care reform

Stateline: States upset over health care reform

State leaders are concerned that the health care overhaul will put more costs on already overburdened state budgets. Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said he was “'moderately outraged” at the inconsistent treatment states could receive under the bill, according to the Nashville Business Journal. Bredesen, a former health care executive, estimated the Medicaid expansion could cost his state as much as $1.2 billion over five years at a time when the state is looking at a $1.5-billion budget gap.

Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama said the Nebraska deal “reeks to me of legalized bribery,” according to the Montgomery Advertiser, while attorneys general in more than a dozen states have threatened to sue, arguing the preferential treatment is unconstitutional.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: House passes ban on texting while driving

ARKANSAS: Legislators react to discrimination claim on lottery distribution

FLORIDA: New standards for tattoo industry to be taken up by legislators

GEORGIA: State's coastal aquifers could provide more water than currently provided

KENTUCKY: Ten Commandments back on wall of Kentucky courthouse

LOUISIANA: Casino revenue down 15.8% in December

MISSISSIPPI: State House wants governor to tap rainy-day and stimulus fund to balance budget

NORTH CAROLINA: State GOP leaders plan to block parts of health care bill

SOUTH CAROLINA: Legislators set to approve commercial property tax relief today

TENNESSEE: Gov. Bredesen wants to tie college funding to graduation rates

VIRGINIA: Gov. McDonnell outlines bold economic plan

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1/12: Southern states fail at discouraging tobacco use

Reuters: Southern states fail at discouraging tobacco use

The American Lung Association has issued a state-by-state report that grades federal and state governments on cigarette taxes, laws banning smoking in the workplace and elsewhere, tobacco prevention and control efforts, and programs to help smokers quit.

Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia received all failing marks. None of the 50 states excelled in all areas. However, the ALA gave the government credit for giving the FDA the power to regulate tobacco, and credited Congress for more than doubling the federal per-pack cigarette tax, from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Conservation leaders want state to extend land preservation program

ARKANSAS: Gov. Beebe to cut budget another $106 million

FLORIDA: State considers reinstating $44 million back-to-school tax break

GEORGIA: New speaker promises to bring renewal to the 'people's House'

KENTUCKY: Federal judge upholds tough restrictions on tobacco advertising

LOUISIANA: Adult education to bear brunt of State DOE cuts

MISSISSIPPI: Underachieving schools studied by legislative task force

NORTH CAROLINA: State still failing when it comes to tobacco control

SOUTH CAROLINA: State NAACP wants more accurate census count this year

TENNESSEE: Skeptical legislators want more detail on Gov. Bredesen's education bill

VIRGINIA: State ranks among the worst for highway safety

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12/31: New 2010 law will limit payday loans in Kentucky

KENTUCKY: USA TODAY: New 2010 law will limit payday loans in Kentucky

Borrowers will be limited to two loans totaling no more than $500 at any one time. Payday lenders typically apply high interest rates on loans tied to a borrower's employment paycheck.

"Kentucky seems to be leading the way" in limiting payday loans, said Meagan Dorsch, spokeswoman for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

A leading grower of tobacco and maker of cigarettes, North Carolina will join the states making it illegal to light up inside most restaurants and bars. Excluded are cigar bars, country clubs and places operated by non-profit organizations such as veterans groups.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Prepaid Alabama College Tuition (PACT) program changes upset contract holders

ARKANSAS: Editorial: Arkansas gets a nice break

FLORIDA: Peacocks a problem for much of Florida

GEORGIA: State's super speeder law to begin Friday

LOUISIANA: Spending reduction plans released by Gov. Jindal's office

MISSISSIPPI: Lawmakers to consider tax on pre-sweetened soda

NORTH CAROLINA: State is 8th most religious in nation, according to Pew Research Center

SOUTH CAROLINA: A.G. McMaster joins 12 others in threatening lawsuit over health care deal

TENNESSEE: State's Medicaid program on electronic health records to get $2.7 million in federal funds

VIRGINIA: Gov.-elect McDonnell proposes privatizing state's liquor stores

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11/30: Commentary on Electoral College and the South

Southern Political Report: John Tures: Electoral College is stacked against the South

"How many times have you heard that a candidate can't win the Electoral College without winning the South, only to find somebody prevails by only taking a handful of states below the Mason-Dixon Line? Well, you may be surprised to learn that the South is largely disenfranchised by the Electoral College. In layman's terms, Dixie is getting gypped out of a lot of votes in the Presidential Election.

"Most Southerners I talk to about the subject don't even realize what's happened. After all, they have some of the largest states in the Electoral College, like Texas (34), Florida (27), Georgia (15) and North Carolina (15). Take those four alone and you're about a third of the way to the White House."

(For more, click here)

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Editorial: Who will lead Alabama recovery?

ARKANSAS: State ranks 40th in overall health as smoking and obesity still problems

FLORIDA: 2009 hurricane season mild for Florida

GEORGIA: State takes more careful approach to public-private toll road planning

KENTUCKY: 'Sin taxes' bring in new revenue for some towns

LOUISIANA: Educators in New Orleans fight hunger in schools

MISSISSIPPI: Alliance built among Southern states to win federal tanker deal

NORTH CAROLINA: State officials see big increase in fake ID labs

SOUTH CAROLINA: A look at state trends in senior tax breaks

TENNESSEE: Lawmakers questioning state program allowing radioactive waste in landfills

VIRGINIA: State's new smoking ban begins December 1

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11/24: South Atlantic households to spend less this holiday season

Atlanta Business Chronicle: South Atlantic states' residents to spend less this holiday season

A survey published by The Conference Board says states in the South Atlantic will spend an average of $346, while households in the nation as a whole will spend an average of $390. Last year, the national estimate was $418.

"Consumers are approaching the holiday season very cautiously," said Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, in a statement. "Job losses and uncertainty about the future are making for a very frugal shopper. Retailers will need to be quite creative to entice consumers to spend, both in stores and online this holiday season, as consumers most certainly will expect major markdowns and bargains."

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Central Alabama high school students struggle to read

ARKANSAS: A look at Gov. Beebe's 'rising star'

FLORIDA: Coalition says pending federal pollution rules won't be worth the cost

GEORGIA: Outside second-hand smoking risks tested by UGA researchers

KENTUCKY: Gov. Beshear asked to halt executions until death penalty study is complete

LOUISIANA: State says dredged river sediment could be used to rebuild coast

MISSISSIPPI: State sets up new accountability system for all schools

NORTH CAROLINA: Leaky underground oil tanks a problem for the state

SOUTH CAROLINA: Hate crimes on the increase in South Carolina

TENNESSEE: State lawmakers seek delay of workers' comp bill

VIRGINIA: Gov. Kaine hasn't ruled out tax increases to deal with budget

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11/16: Study shows FL at risk for fiscal calamity

Orlando Sentinel: Study shows Florida is at risk for fiscal calamity

Florida, with an economy built on rapid growth, is experiencing a worse slowdown in its economy than other states. A study last week by the Pew Center on the States identified Florida as one of the states at risk of fiscal calamity and cited its reliance on population growth as contributing to its economic woes.

"Florida's population is shrinking -- a disturbing trend for a state that has built its economy, and structured its state budget, on the assumption that throngs of new residents will move to its sunny shores each year," said the report.

However, what might seem like slow growth for Florida is still higher than in much of the rest of the nation, William Frey of The Brookings Institution said. Even if Florida growth slows to 2 percent a year, that's still twice the national average.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Study says state may not recover jobs until 2013

ARKANSAS: State gets research edge with tobacco funds

FLORIDA: Sink says state ban on gay adoption must go

GEORGIA: State House speaker says he tried to commit suicide

KENTUCKY: Anonymous online attacks seen in state's Senate race

LOUISIANA: Committee to consider lifting oyster moratorium

MISSISSIPPI: State BOE to vote on school accountability plan this week

NORTH CAROLINA: Fees at community colleges jump nearly three times over last year

SOUTH CAROLINA: Lawmakers consider new property tax rules

TENNESSEE: State's H1N1 immunization system is model for others

VIRGINIA: New leaders elected to state's Democratic House caucus

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