4/9: Al Gore speaks at Duke on climate crisis

News & Observer: Al Gore speaks at Duke on climate crisis

Speaking at the spring Duke Environment and Society Lecture presented by the Nicholas School of the Environment, the Nobel Prize winner said it takes bigger changes "than just light bulbs" to counteract climate change. He argued for changing laws, from those that influence environmental impact to those that regulate lobbying and campaign contributions.

Gore spent less time presenting evidence for global warming, focusing instead on possible solutions and ways to involve communities. In addition to solar energy, he discussed possibilities for wind power, geothermal power and other renewable energy sources.

The largest source of new energy is efficiency, he said, noting only 10 percent of the gasoline used in vehicles is used to power them.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: House rejects proposal to drop sales tax on groceries

ARKANSAS: Wind turbine plant to be built by Mitsubishi in Arkansas

FLORIDA: Lawmakers approve sweeping school changes

GEORGIA: Gov. Perdue says AG should sue over voting check

KENTUCKY: Impasse over state budget could impact upcoming elections

LOUISIANA: State's two public university systems spent millions on D.C. lobbying

MISSISSIPPI: State nursing home groups file lawsuit over Medicaid cuts

SOUTH CAROLINA: State is 'fine' with accepting out-of-state nuclear waste, temporarily

TENNESSEE: House increases prison time for armed robbery

VIRGINIA: State restructures troubled IT outsourcing contract

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

1/25: 24 states' laws could be moot with campaign finance change

New York Times: 24 states' laws could be moot with proposed campaign finance change

Laws in 24 states will be directly or indirectly called into question after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the federal government may not ban political spending by corporations or unions in candidate elections.

Richard Hasen, an election law specialist at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said he expected state judicial races to be especially affected by the Supreme Court decision. States like Florida and Ohio can expect to see the biggest and quickest influx of money, as it is relatively expensive to run campaigns and most are competitive.

However, David Primo, a political science professor at the University of Rochester, counseled caution about predicting the impact of the Supreme Court decision. While it grants corporations and unions new access, it is also likely to spur state officials and campaign reform groups to push for new types of restrictions.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Unemployment in state hits 11%

ARKANSAS: U.S. Rep. Marion Berry to announce retirement today

FLORIDA: Some expect President Obama to announce billions for high speed rail in Florida

GEORGIA: Report says state's foster care system has problems of abuse and neglect

KENTUCKY: Census officials having a hard time filling jobs in Kentucky

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal gets boost with anti-tax stance

MISSISSIPPI: Doctors turn to Iran to find out how to reduce MS's high infant mortality rate

NORTH CAROLINA: N.C. Attorney General suggests way to resolve water issue with S.C.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Lawmakers put off tax evaluation report

TENNESSEE: Regular legislative session opens today with dire budget situation

VIRGINIA: Coalition wants to create offshore wind industry

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

12/11: Climate policies as job creators

Center for American Progress: Stronger climate policies will create low-carbon jobs worldwide

From John Podesta, Saya Kitasei and Andrew Light:

"This week, delegates from 192 countries arrived in Copenhagen to move forward on the terms of a new international agreement on curbing carbon pollution. Nevertheless, many countries, including the United States, are under severe attack that the measures they are taking to address climate change cannot be justified while their economies remain weakened by the global recession. The International Labor Organization estimates that global unemployment in 2009 will increase by between 18 million and 50 million relative to 2007. Stimulating growth, reducing unemployment, and maintaining competitiveness have become top priorities around the world.

"Yet growing evidence suggests that investing in a low-carbon economy will not only reduce our dependence on fossil fuels but generate new economic opportunities. In fact, the global recession has increased the urgency of building new industries that can support new jobs and sustainable growth during the 21st century. Policymakers around the world have seized this opportunity, creating renewable energy and energy efficiency provisions in domestic stimulus bills and designing climate legislation to produce dividends in employment and economic growth." More

And in the South:

ALABAMA: State's public schools spend savings to keep doors open

ARKANSAS: Group of medical professionals looks at how state will adjust to Medicaid changes

FLORIDA: Editorial: High-speed rail is on fast track

GEORGIA: Environmentalists say state could do more in water conservation

KENTUCKY: State revenue is up for first time in eleven months

LOUISIANA: Dramatic drop in number of Louisiana smokers noted

MISSISSIPPI: Economist says education was a factor in sluggish state economy

NORTH CAROLINA: Editorial: Keep the reform train rolling

SOUTH CAROLINA: New study shows manufacturing still a mainstay of state's economy

TENNESSEE: Group renews effort to block Tennessee's foster-care law

VIRGINIA: Wind power turbines now allowed in one Virginia county

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

11/18: Analysis of tax systems in U.S. released

ITEP: Distributional analysis of tax systems in the 50 states

A state-by-state look at how fair each state's tax systems are, considering both state and local taxes paid by different income groups in 2007. The study shows which states have done the best and worst job of providing fairness in their tax systems overall.

One overall conclusion: Nearly every state and local tax system takes more proportionally from middle and low income families than from the wealthy -- "most tax systems are regressive."

Of the eleven Southern states we cover, Tennessee, Florida, and Alabama are among the ten most regressive tax states among the 50.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Black Belt's future projected to be in biofuels, some say

ARKANSAS: 2010 governor's race to be impacted by economy

FLORIDA: Top senators say state should drop out of federal Medicaid system

GEORGIA: On population count, South Georgia could lose legislative seats

KENTUCKY: State considers how to repay federal jobless funds loans

LOUISIANA: Poll finds race relations mostly unchanged in last year

MISSISSIPPI: 79 of state's 82 counties declared a disaster by heavy rain, drought

NORTH CAROLINA: Human trafficking seen as a problem in NC due to highways, agriculture

SOUTH CAROLINA: State's onshore winds may not be enough for power generation

TENNESSEE: State parks may cut jobs, close amenities to save money

VIRGINIA: New economic engine for N. VA could come from Ignite Institute

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

11/12: Obstacles exist for electric car use

Tennessean: Obstacles exist for electric car use

A few cities in the U.S. will be targeted in an electric vehicle push and a program is being launched to provide a network of recharging stations. Included in these cities is Nashville, and there's concern about consumer hesitance to the vehicles.

"If every one of us had a car or two in the garage that was charging every night, could that be handled?" said Joe Hoagland, TVA's vice president for environmental policy, science and technology. "I'm not sure." If people want to fast-charge vehicles at the same time, it could mean transformers blow.

Efforts to stagger charges or build larger transformers are being pursued, as are ways to improve batteries, figure out the best way to give electric cars a 100-mile range, and establish ways for people to pay if they need to plug in while visiting a friend or shopping.

It'll have to be convenient to get the public's buy-in.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State's aversion to charter schools may be over as federal dollars available

ARKANSAS: Agriculture in state could be taking $650 million hit this harvest

FLORIDA: State ranks 7th on Pew Center's list of 'States in Fiscal Peril'

GEORGIA: State may raise fees for public services & licenses instead of raising taxes

KENTUCKY: Q&A with Rand Paul, candidate for U.S. Senate seat

LOUISIANA: Opinion: Senator fails to keep immigrants out of 2010 Census

MISSISSIPPI: Opinion: Justice too slow for death row inmates

NORTH CAROLINA: No more test points for cash in Goldsboro school, say officials

SOUTH CAROLINA: New study shows state could save $5 billion if more energy efficient

TENNESSEE: Gov. Bredesen open to furloughs and contract freezes

VIRGINIA: State to work with Delaware and Maryland on off-shore wind energy

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

10/8: Homeowners with tainted Chinese drywall could lose insurance

Miami Herald: Homeowners with tainted Chinese drywall could lose insurance coverage

Chinese drywall is causing lots of problems, besides the rotten-egg smell and health issues that include troubled breathing, nosebleeds and headaches.

In Florida, many homeowners have filed claims with their home insurers to repair the drywall damage. That's turning out to be a dead end: Most property insurers are denying the claims because homeowners policies don't cover contamination or building material defects. But once an insurer knows there is drywall damage in a home, the existing damage could be the trigger for not renewing a policy unless repairs are made.

Thousands of homes in the nation are affected, as noted by The New York Times.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: State gets $27 million in energy stimulus funds

ARKANSAS: European companies can give state good economic opportunities, says Gov. Beebe

GEORGIA: 80-member water 'contingencies' task force meets

KENTUCKY: State lawmakers want more info available to public on government spending

LOUISIANA: 35,800 new jobs forecast over next two years in Louisiana

MISSISSIPPI: Health care scorecard puts Mississippi at bottom of list

NORTH CAROLINA: State health plan will penalize smokers and the obese

SOUTH CAROLINA: Public hearing set for offshore wind energy

TENNESSEE: State ranks 39th in health care study

VIRGINIA: "Book club" gatherings a new campaigning trick for Deeds in governor's race

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

9/8: Florida GOP chairman reverses course on Obama's speech

Washington Post: Florida GOP chairman reverses course on Obama's speech

The speech that President Obama will give to school children today at 1 p.m. has generated a lot of news.

After last week's comments from Florida GOP chairman Jim Greer, who accused the president of trying to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda," the actual reading of the remarks elicited a different response. Greer said he'll now let his children watch. "It's a good speech," Greer said Monday. "It encourages kids to stay in school and the importance of education, and I think that's what a president should do."

Some schools will be showing the speech live, while others will record it and show it at another time -- or not at all.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: Gov. Riley heads to Europe to recruit businesses

ARKANSAS: State lawmakers taking a look at prison after incidents

FLORIDA: New tax on tobacco results in lower sales of cigarettes

GEORGIA: Budget cuts mean cases piling up in state's courts

KENTUCKY: Global Green Cars to build electric vehicle plant in Kentucky

LOUISIANA: Economist says state's shrimpers face 'fight of their lives'

MISSISSIPPI: AG Jim Hood challenges Gov. Barbour on partial vetoes

NORTH CAROLINA: Outer Banks Ocean Energy Corp. wants to build offshore wind farm

SOUTH CAROLINA: State's lawmakers staking out key roles in the health care debate

TENNESSEE: Solar farm project waiting on federal approval

VIRGINIA: Gov. Kaine says state employees must take one furlough day

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

8/31: Open access at risk as Internet turns 40

Clarion Ledger -- Open access at risk as Internet turns 40

The researchers who created the Internet (no, not Al Gore) intended the open network to be a place for freely exchanging information. Now, 40 years later, despite developments in social networking like the World Wide Web and Facebook, the openness may be breaking down.

To blame: Spam and hacking force network operators to put up security firewalls. Some governments block access to the Internet within their borders. And some commercial applications create policies to thwart their competition, further limiting what some devices can do.

Already, there is evidence of controls at workplaces and service providers slowing the uptake of file-sharing and collaboration tools. Video could be next if consumers shun higher-quality and longer clips for fear of incurring extra bandwidth fees. It'll be interesting where the Internet goes in the next 40 years.

Also in the South:

ALABAMA: H1N1 virus hits Alabama college campuses

ARKANSAS: Arkansas Medicaid launches adult dental program

FLORIDA: Little done to enforce state hotel regulations on pest infestation

GEORGIA: Average global temperatures up, but not in Georgia

KENTUCKY: Reclaimed coal strip-mining sites being used for agriculture

LOUISIANA: Gov. Jindal orders state agencies to buy Louisiana shrimp

MISSISSIPPI: State to pilot civil rights courses for K-12 students

NORTH CAROLINA: OLF environmental impact study delayed in the state

SOUTH CAROLINA: State seeks innovative way to rebuild reefs for oyster beds

TENNESSEE: Cigarette waste the target of a new pollution study in the state

VIRGINIA: 19-tower wind tower project in Virginia draws criticism from neighboring state

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