Around the Nation

Houston Chronicle, April 9, 2007
"A boost for child Medicaid services"
The state will spend $700 million over the next two years to improve health care for needy children under the settlement of a class-action lawsuit presented in court Monday.
The money will be used to increase rates for doctors and dentists, improve outreach to families and add mobile clinics. Independent evaluators will issue reports to ensure that children are receiving their recommended checkups.
The state also has committed to reducing wait times on a Medicaid hotline, hiring additional social workers and providing more transportation services for families to get their children to the doctor.
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Los Angeles Times, April 9, 2007
"California 'Green' project makes critics see red"
Highlighting the environmental pitfalls of harnessing "green" energy, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's push to import nonpolluting power to Los Angeles could require building power lines and transmission towers through a national forest, two desert wildlife preserves and a rustic hamlet used in countless westerns.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the 85-mile-long "Green Path" energy corridor designed to bring solar, geothermal and nuclear power from southeastern California and Arizona would slice across the Big Morongo Wildlife Preserve north of Palm Springs, Pioneertown near Yucca Valley, Pipes Canyon Wilderness Preserve and a corner of the San Bernardino National Forest before crossing over the Cajon Pass and connecting with existing power lines in Hesperia.
More than a dozen preservation and community groups have condemned the mayor and DWP for a plan that they say would destroy priceless vistas, natural areas and wildlife corridors.
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The Seattle Times, April 10, 2007
"Both houses OK online voter registration"
Washington would become the second state in the country to allow online voter registration under a measure passed by the Legislature on Monday.
The measure passed the Senate 30-17. It overwhelmingly passed the House last month and now heads to Gov. Christine Gregoire.
"This bill acknowledges that technology and times have changed," said Sen. Eric Oemig, D-Kirkland. "We do many things on the Internet today."
The measure is based on Arizona's Internet registration system, EZ Voter, which allows Arizonans to register online at a secure site maintained by ServiceArizona, the same company that runs the state's online automobile registrations.
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The New York Times, April 8, 2007
"Housing slump pinches states in pocketbook"
State tax revenues around the country are growing far more slowly this year and in some cases falling below projections, a result of the housing market slowdown that has curbed voracious spending on real estate, building materials, furniture and other items.
Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida, speaking in January, anticipated cuts in spending and proposed property tax relief for state residents.
Nowhere is the downturn more apparent than in Florida, where tax revenue is projected to drop this year for the first time since the energy crisis of the 1970s.
But other states, especially those where housing prices soared in recent years, are also seeing their collections slow, especially in the sales and real estate transfer tax categories. While the economy remains generally strong and it is too early to predict whether the housing slump will have long-term effects, some states will have to adjust their wish lists.
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USA Today, April 9, 2007
"Cops give LED flashlights a try"
Cops' most important piece of equipment, next to their gun and handcuffs, is getting a makeover.
A race is on to reinvent the police flashlight to take advantage of new technologies, and the results could change what's tucked in belts worn by cops across the country. It's pitting two flashlight makers in Southern California against a third, Mag Instrument, which has long dominated the market with its iconic Maglite.
The Los Angeles Police Department, often a testing ground for new law-enforcement products, just began distributing to its officers new flashlights made by Torrance, Calif.-based Pelican Products. The flashlight, called the Pelican 7060 LED, is the product of two years of research for a flashlight that's brighter than the metal ones often carried by cops and too small to double as a billy club.
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