3/11: Record unemployment rates in the South

New York Times: Four Southern states posted record unemployment rates in January

Unemployment rose in 30 states in January according to the Labor Department, and of the top five states, four are in the South: South Carolina, 12.6 percent; Florida, 11.9 percent; North Carolina, 11.1 percent; and Georgia, 10.4 percent.

In South Carolina, the unemployment rate is expected to pass 13% this year. "The worst is not over," said Sam McClary, a labor analyst for the South Carolina employment commission.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State's infant mortality rate, out-of-wedlock births are up

ARKANSAS: Gov. Beebe responds to Justice Department's action on mass institution

FLORIDA: Bill to ban texting while driving moves forward in legislature

GEORGIA: RehydrateUS.org launched by Savannah man

KENTUCKY: Political signs banned from state highways

LOUISIANA: State would benefit from cap-and-trade proposal

MISSISSIPPI: State faces federal lawsuit over children's mental health

NORTH CAROLINA: Foreclosure filings up 54% from February 2009

SOUTH CAROLINA: Payback of $2.5 billion in federal loans could take state 5-9 years

TENNESSEE: Racist e-mail from Nashville hospitality CEO could hurt state's tourism industry

VIRGINIA: State is first to ban mandatory health insurance

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

2/24: Illegal immigrant numbers rise in the Southeast

AP: Illegal immigrant numbers rise in Southeast

A new federal report shows that Georgia had the greatest percentage increase among the 10 states with the biggest illegal immigrant populations during 2000-2009, with more than 480,000 immigrants noted during that period. In 1990, Georgia had just 35,000 illegal immigrants.

North Carolina is also one of the top 10 states for the sheer size of its illegal immigrant population, estimated at about 370,000 in January 2009 as compared to 260,000 in 2000, according to the report by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Immigration Statistics.

As recently as the 1980s, Southeastern states with the exception of Florida had very few immigrants, legal or illegal, Jeff Passel of the Pew Hispanic Center said. A recession in California in the early 1990s, and a ready supply of low-skilled jobs in other regions prompted immigrants to look elsewhere, especially the Southeast, Passel said.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Lawmakers consider ban on public release of 911 calls

ARKANSAS: International students boost state's economy by more than $23 million

FLORIDA: Supreme Court approves Florida's version of Miranda rights warnings

GEORGIA: Statewide campaign -- Exit 2 Text It -- aimed at teen motorists

KENTUCKY: Group rallies against payday lenders

LOUISIANA: State to get $77 million more in stimulus money for health care

MISSISSIPPI: Gov. Barbour gives President Obama advice -- 'jobs, jobs, jobs' should be priority

NORTH CAROLINA: State lags behind on disclosing hospital infections

SOUTH CAROLINA: State considers early release of 3,000 prisoners as way to save money

TENNESSEE: New biorefinery to convert wood products into diesel or jet fuel

VIRGINIA: Primary victims of state budget: Education and Medicaid

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

2/5: Senate likely to be less diverse after elections

Washington Post: Senate likely to be less diverse after elections

In contests in Florida, Texas and North Carolina, black candidates face daunting challenges to joining the Senate, from difficulty raising cash to lack of name recognition to formidable rivals.\\

By next year, the number of black Senators could be zero, despite the fact that 12.2% of the population is black. David Bositis, a senior political analyst with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, noted that blacks don't make up the majority population in any state and in states where there are large numbers of blacks, as in the South, there are racial divisions that make getting elected difficult.

Florida is more likely to produce the next Hispanic senator than it is the next black senator.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Legislation on using Alabama Trust Fund for roads and bridges is withdrawn

ARKANSAS: FEMA to provide federal funding to state for flood damage

FLORIDA: 7.5% drop in property taxes over three years hurts state's budget

GEORGIA: State gets a "D" from voter rights group

KENTUCKY: House approves ban on texting while driving

LOUISIANA: Sen. Landrieu defends $400 million Medicaid deal

MISSISSIPPI: State stops prison growth by releasing more nonviolent offenders

NORTH CAROLINA: Sen. Larry Shaw says he won't seek re-election

SOUTH CAROLINA: Conference to draw 200 to discuss future of state's land use

TENNESSEE: Sen. Alexander introduces bill to reduce mercury emissions

VIRGINIA: Bill to end ban on radar detectors advances

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

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

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