December 20, 2015 SC bill to make mammoth official state fossil on ice over 'God' amendment A bill fulfilling an 8-year-old girl’s wish to designate a type of woolly mammoth as South Carolina’s official state fossil has been put on ice after a state senator proposed an amendment declaring God created the animal.
December 20, 2015 Colorado town considering measure to issue licenses to drone hunters The measure in the rural Adams County town of Deer Trail is a tongue-in-cheek challenge to federal surveillance programs.
December 20, 2015 New Va. transportation commission can rack up ‘unlimited’ debt, critics say If Gov. Terry McAuliffe approves, a 21-member board will decide how $200 million in regional sales and gas taxes will be spent on transit projects in the Tidewater area.
December 20, 2015 Judge stays most of ruling ordering Ohio to recognize out-of-state gay marriages Judge Timothy Black on Wednesday stayed his ruling ordering Ohio to recognize the marriages of gay couples who wed in other states.
December 20, 2015 Pa. lawmakers suggest tax credit to beef up dwindling volunteer firefighter force Two Pennsylvania state lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow municipalities to waive local earned income taxes for volunteer first responders.
December 20, 2015 Bloomberg to spend $50M on new gun control effort in challenge to NRA Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will spend $50 million this year to build a nationwide grassroots network on gun control in a direct challenge to the National Rifle Association, The New York Times reported.
December 20, 2015 WV governor vetoes abortion bill, sparking outrage from national pro-life group West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, Democrat, has vetoed a bipartisan bill to ban abortion in the state after 20 weeks, drawing sharp criticism from pro-life supporters.
December 20, 2015 NY charter school dispute exposes fault lines for Dems prior to 2016 The future of the Democrat Party is being charted in New York as its governor and the city's mayor wage a battle over charter schools that touches on race, unions, Wall Street money and other issues that stand to redefine the party.
December 20, 2015 Washington lawmaker floats $150G litter fine on paper that criticized him A Washington state newspaper is crying foul after a state senator proposed making the paper pay a $150,000-a-year fine for being “one of the top polluters in the county.” It just so happens that the lawmaker, state Sen. Don Benton, had been the subject of a series of critical articles in the same newspaper.
December 20, 2015 Christie not involved in bridge plot, law firm says An outside law firm brought in by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to examine the bridge closure scandal reported Thursday that their investigation found the governor was not involved in the plot.