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Seattle, Washington -- In about six weeks, the state Legislature convenes in Olympia and there is an idea floating around to raise the tax when you sell your home.

Most homeowners don't pay any attention to the real estate excise tax until they try to sell.

Supporters say this is a way to get rid of other fees on developers, but the realtors don't like the idea at all and they're hoping to stop the plan before it gets off the ground.

Now, there's talk of raising the rates and that has realtors worried that higher prices will slow down the market.

But supporters of this idea say this is a fair way to pay for local governments that have taken real financial hits in recent years.

Some builders like it because they don't like paying impact fees on new homes.

So far, there are no firm estimates on how much a higher real estate tax would raise, but supporters say it could be more than $100 million for cities and counties.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- Speed-dating is one of the most efficient ways for singles to meet as many potential companions as possible. A five-minute meeting with one man or woman, then a five-minute meeting with the next and so on and so on.

Now, Republicans in the Utah House of Representatives will let lobbyists "date" them for a few precious minutes - as long as they donate to their political action committee.

Organizers say the idea is simply a fun, new way to raise campaign cash.

Around the nation -- They earned their reputations battling Joe Camel. Next target: The Real Thing.

Having won major settlements against big tobacco, some of the same attorneys now are honing lawsuits against the soft-drink industry.

Richard Daynard, a Massachusetts law professor who made his name working as a consultant on class actions against tobacco companies, is part of a broad effort by both private attorneys and non-profit groups to sue soft-drink companies for selling high-calorie drinks in schools.

Attorneys expect to file their first suit as soon as next month.

Pierre, South Dakota -- South Dakota's Constitutional Revision Commission is taking the easy way out, recommending a package of non-controversial changes and holding the contentious ideas for later.

That makes sense. Anything added to the November 2006 ballot already is going to have trouble finding its way amid all the other hot-button measures.

Even in a quiet year, though, it would be tough to generate interest in the proposals passed by the commission.

The proposals include, raising the standard for closing legislative sessions to the public - from a simple majority vote to a two-thirds vote of legislators.

Eliminating the requirement that titles and numbers for each piece of legislation be read out loud when it's introduced.

Eliminating the old mileage reimbursement of 5 cents a mile for lawmakers' travel to and from Pierre.

And eliminating a requirement that legislators vote by voice, a mandate that makes no sense with the ability now to vote electronically.

Salem, Oregon - Backers of proposals intended to alter campaign financing in Oregon say they have about 106,000 petition signatures, more than half the number needed to put the measures on next November's ballot.

The measures would ban contributions by corporations and labor unions and restrict the amounts that individuals could give to campaigns.

Oregon is one of five states with no limits on campaign donations.

A recent poll shows that three out of four voters favor limiting campaign contributions.

Pierre, South Dakota -- A report by a nonpartisan group says the days when South Dakota mattered in presidential races are gone, and a state senator says that makes a case for the return of the state's early presidential primary.

"There's really no reason for anyone to come here the way things are," said Sen. Ben Nessulhuf, D-Vermillion.

The report, "Who Picks the President," was written by the group FairVote. It examined how much money was spent and how many visits the candidates for president and vice president made during the final five weeks of the 2004 campaign.

South Dakota was one of several states with no visits or spending, the study said.

Lincoln, Nebraska -- Senator Ben Nelson would be re-elected in Nebraska, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. At least 52 per cent of respondents in the Cornhusker State would support the Democrat in head-to-head contests against two possible Republican rivals.

Nelson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2000, defeating Republican Don Stenberg with 51 per cent of all cast ballots. Nelson served as Nebraska’s governor from 1991 to 1999.

Nelson holds a 23-point lead over former Ameritrade CEO Pete Ricketts, and a 32-point advantage over former International Republican Institute (IRI) resident program director David Kramer.

Boise, Idaho -- New rules to protect Idaho taxpayers from paying cleanup costs for mining companies that go bankrupt have been approved by two state agencies.

They next go to the Idaho Legislature for final approval.

The rules apply to mines that use cyanide to leach gold out of ore.

They would increase the bond mining companies pay from $100,000 to the actual estimated cost to close the mine.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- Governor Lingle says she will submit four bills to the legislature next month to combat identity theft.

The Federal Trade Commission says cases of I-D theft in Hawaii jumped 188 percent between 2001 and 2004.

The F-T-C says it is now the fastest growing crime.

Lingle's proposals would allow victims of identity theft to block credit reporting agencies from releasing any information on them to unauthorized parties without permission.

Another bill would ensure that banks or other institutions tell victims when their personal information has been stolen, lost or similarly compromised.

Denver, Colorado -- Nearly half of the state's registered voters cast ballots in this month's election, setting a new record for an odd-year election.

The official turnout for the Nov. 1 election was 49.85 percent, breaking the record of 47.25 percent set in 2003.

Denver, Colorado -- On a day when many kids were writing letters to Santa, Gov. Bill Owens presented a wish list of his own to the Joint Budget Committee on Monday.

At the top of the list, Owens wants an extra $80 million to spend on roads and $10 million to help Coloradans pay their heating bills this winter.

His requests are possible because Christmas came early this year when voters approved a bigger budget by passing Referendum C.

"Fortunately, because of the passage of Referendum C, our discussion doesn't need to be about cutting programs and services," Owens said.

Owens and lawmakers have the happy problem of dealing with two infusions of money - $440 million for this year's budget and $505 million for next year, according to the governor's estimates.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- It would be a "horrible step backward for the health of Oklahomans" to repeal or lower the state's cigarette tax, a health care official said Monday.

The issue: The House Revenue and Tax Committee is looking into whether state compacts are giving some American Indian tribes an unfair advantage.

The disagreement: Some tribes say the state broke its compact when the state sales tax on cigarettes was removed as part of the tobacco tax approved last year by voters. Compacts allowing the sales tax were signed before last November's tobacco tax vote.

State officials say some tribes broke the compact by allowing the cheaper stamps to be affixed in areas outside of where they were to be sold.

The tax, approved by voters last November, is achieving its primary goal of getting smokers to kick the habit, said Wes Glinsmann, chairman of the Oklahoma Alliance on Health or Tobacco.

Glinsmann said he is aware there are unresolved issued related to the proper use of tribal tax stamps by some wholesalers and retailers, especially in the Tulsa area. He is optimistic state and tribal officials can reach an agreement to settle the dispute.

Tribal issues should be resolved, he said, but not by reducing the tax.

Doug Allen, general counsel for the Oklahoma Tax Commission, said his agency cannot enforce tribal compacts with the state. Any disputes in the compacts are to be settled by arbitration, he said.

"The ultimate long-term solution is voluntary compliance," Allen said.

Grand Junction, Colorado -- Voters may be asked next year to decide whether Colorado should deny state services to undocumented workers.

The proposed constitutional amendment failed to make the 2005 ballot, but supporters aim to gather the necessary signatures to get it on the 2006 ballot.

Republican lawmakers who support barring illegal immigrants in the state from getting such government services as food stamps say the time is right to change the way the state handles undocumented workers within its borders.

Tucson, Arizona -- If the Republicans want to have any real chance of winning this election, they must find a candidate who is strong enough to effectively challenge Janet Napolitano.

Governor Napolitano has used the veto power more times than any other governor in Arizona's history, and she has consistently used it to overrule the decisions of the people's democratically elected representatives on purely ideological grounds.

Despite her promise to Arizonans that she will address the massive, wildly out-of-control problem of illegal immigration, she has vetoed almost all the bills passed by the state Legislature.

It's no wonder, then, that voters felt the need to take matters into their own hands with the Proposition 200 ballot initiative last year.

Napolitano also tries to paint herself as a moderate on social issues, but her consistent veto of legitimate restrictions on abortion, like parental notification for minors and a ban on partial-birth abortion, prove her to be much further to the left than most Arizonans.

Valdez, Alaska -- The application submitted to the Department of Revenue by the Alaska Gasline Port Authority to develop Alaska’s natural gas reserves under the Stranded Gas Act has been denied by the state.

There has been some controversy across the state over whether or not the Stranded Gas Act is still a valid negotiating tool, considering the current high market rates for natural gas.

Since its passage, the market for natural gas has exploded across the United States, a fact noted by a report by Econ One which was commissioned by the Alaska State Legislature, that noted that under the prices natural gas is fetching that no monetary concessions would be needed to make the development of the states gas profitable for the producers.

Wailuku, Hawaii -- State Sen. J. Kalani English has paid a $1,000 fine but admitted no wrongdoing as part of a settlement with the Hawaii State Ethics Commission over free flights and other gifts he accepted from a private air ambulance company in 2002.

In the agreement, English acknowledges he was a passenger on Hawaii Air Ambulance flights between Oahu and Maui, that he was a “guest” in the Honolulu apartment of CEO Andrew Kluger, and that he used Kluger’s car. English paid the fine Wednesday, and charges that he violated state ethics laws were dismissed the same day.

The settlement agreement made no mention of at least two state-issued travel vouchers English accepted while he was allegedly flying for free, nor of legislative action English sponsored on the company’s behalf. It also did not mention another legislator’s claim that English helped him get a ride on the air ambulance.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- Utah's state coffers are flush, according to new Utah State Tax Commission estimates. These show nearly $100 million in tax surpluses this year.

If these trends continue over the next nine months, by the end of the fiscal year the state will have about $275 million extra.

A cash flow like that presents the Utah Legislature with a remarkable opportunity to take the sales tax off food. Not only is there the means to do it, legislative leaders and Utah's governor have expressed a will to do it.

At least two plans are on the table. Senate President John Valentine envisions removing the food tax completely and cutting state programs by $166 million, which is roughly the state's portion of the tax. Meanwhile, House Speaker Greg Curtis wants to remove the state and local sales tax from food and raise sales tax rates slightly on non-food items to recoup most of the lost revenue. The Curtis plan would give about a $37 million sales tax cut overall. Both he and legislative Democrats have expressed concerns about removing the food tax at one time, considering the many needs that exist in state government.

Cheyenne, Wyoming -- After the state poured nearly 40 percent of its extra revenues into education over the last two years, two leading lawmakers say they believe it is time that Wyoming began providing more money to other programs.

The education spending is commendable, Sen. John Schiffer, R-Kaycee, the No. 2 ranking senator, said.

Of the $2.2 billion surplus over the last two years, $839 million, or roughly two-fifths, went to elementary, secondary and higher education, according to a Casper Star-Tribune analysis. Another $634 million, or 29 percent, went into short-term and permanent savings.

However, with the next surplus estimated at $1.86 billion, he said the Legislature should shift its attention because not everyone is going to enroll in college.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- Troubled gamblers routinely enter casinos with dollar signs in their eyes, but leave with zeros on their bank statements.

The sheer number of tribal casinos and horse-racing venues in New Mexico and Southwest Colorado creates a uniquely severe problem.

Studies have shown that the rate of gambling addiction doubles in areas within 50 miles of a casino.

In New Mexico, the state legislature, with the go-ahead from Gov. Bill Richardson, has pledged $120,000 for a public health study that will catalogue the problem of compulsive betting in the Land of Enchantment.

Experts predict the study will show that as many as 5 percent of New Mexicans are "problem gamblers." That number soars above the national average because of the state's bounty of gambling options.

Pierre, South Dakota -- A subcommittee of the state Constitutional Revision Commission has decided tentatively that all legislative districts for House members be split in two.

The proposal, which will be reviewed by the full commission when it meets again next spring, would establish two House districts within each state Senate district.

Currently, each of the state's 35 legislative districts elects one senator and two at-large House members, except for a huge district in northwestern South Dakota. District 28 is split into two House districts.

Reno, Nevada -- Nevada could become the New Hampshire of the West under a proposal being considered by national Democrats seeking to broaden the pool of voters choosing the presidential nominee.

The Silver State is one of two Western states likely to be targeted for a January presidential caucus in 2008. An early caucus would allow Nevada to join Iowa and New Hampshire at ground zero for presidential hopefuls.

At its last meeting, the DNC commission voted to add two states to the January window in an attempt to diversify the voters.

The DNC commission is moving toward adding a Western state and a Southern state in January. Stratton said Nevada and Colorado are the most likely candidates in the West, largely because neither has joined a separate movement to schedule a Feb. 5. Western States Primary.

Las Vegas, Nevada -- After never-ending discussions regarding the topic, the Nevada state Gaming Commission is finally ready to produce regulations permitting state casinos to operate handheld gaming devices.

Cantor Gaming is the company that has been selected as the future manufacturer of these mobile gaming systems.

Earlier this year, the Nevada Legislature already approved their use and, now, members of the Board are expected to generate regulations on how and where gamblers can use them. Under the discussed method of operation, in order to obtain a mobile device, players would be required to deposit money in advance, or use their casino credit.
Operation in unsupervised spaces, such as parking lots, garages and hotel rooms would be strictly forbidden.

Lincoln, Nebraska -- Senator Dennis Byars of Beatrice plans to file for re-election despite the voter-approved law that forbids him to run again, he said this week.

If Secretary of State John Gale rejects Byars’ filing Monday — which Gale plans to do — the senator will appeal to the state Supreme Court on the grounds his constitutional rights are being violated, he said.

Gale said Thursday the term limits law will require his office to reject Byars’ re-election filing, along with similar filings that come across his desk from other outgoing senators.

“I’d anticipate there will be more than one,” Gale said.

Voters approved term limits on state senators in 2000. Under the constitutional amendment, senators are limited to serving two consecutive four-year terms.

Byars is among 20 of the 49 senators in Nebraska’s one-house Legislature who are barred from seeking another term in 2006.

Byars said he has an “inalienable” right to run for re-election.

Courts in Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming have thrown out term limits, and lawmakers in Idaho and Utah repealed them.

Las Vegas, Nevada -- To hear Gov. Kenny Guinn tell it, problem gambling is something the state should have been funding "all along."

That might come as a surprise to problem gambling advocates in Las Vegas who had spent the last several years pushing for the state to earmark funds to treat compulsive gamblers.

Starting next year, the government will begin devoting a fraction of gaming taxes to a fund that will pay for problem gambling treatment and education. Legislation Guinn signed during the 2005 session also created a nine-member Advisory Committee on Problem Gambling that will review grant requests and make recommendations to fund treatment providers.

Even after the gaming industry eventually got behind the plan and made it a priority, Guinn had been on record saying that he didn't believe it was ultimately the responsibility of government to raise money for gambling treatment.

Guinn may have been playing politics.

He took a very different point of view last week when he spoke to a group of casino managers participating in MGM Grand University's Leadership Institute, a six-month program for "rising stars" at MGM Mirage properties.

He told of his private philanthropic efforts to help those less fortunate as well as efforts to boost funding for mental health services.

"You need to invest in human capital," he said. "Don't forget about the masses."

Carson City, Nevada -- Buoyed by the approval of a similar measure by Denver voters, marijuana proponents say they're growing more confident about the chances for success next year of a Nevada ballot initiative that would allow adults to possess an ounce of pot.

Neal Levine, leader of Citizens to Regulate and Control Marijuana, said he thinks the Nov. 1 vote to legalize marijuana in Denver is a sign that "the mainstream" electorate now supports adults' private use of pot.

The Denver ballot measure, approved by a 54 percent to 47 percent vote, allows people 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana.

Because of a successful petition drive by Levine's group last year, Nevadans will be faced with a similar question on the November 2006 election ballot.

Levine said the initiative is far more restrictive than a November 2002 ballot measure that was shot down by a wide margin in Nevada.

That proposal called for the legalization of 3 ounces, three times more than the current initiative.

Bismarck, North Dakota – If true property tax and school funding reform emerge from the 2007 Legislature, North Dakota will join other states in what’s become a growing movement.

Home owners and legislators in at least nine states – Illinois, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia – have taken action to cap or slow property tax increases in recent years.

And as with North Dakota, the dilemma in other states is often tied to public school funding. The lower the percentage of school expenses paid by statewide funds, the higher the local property taxes must be to make up the difference.

Property taxes are out of whack, carrying a disproportionate share, lawmakers and other officials say.

The biggest chunk of local property taxes goes to public school districts. To cut property taxes, lawmakers want to expand sales or income taxes, which are paid by everyone, statewide, regardless of property ownership.

Cheyenne, Wyoming -- Gov. Dave Freudenthal says Wyoming should put $415 million of its current surplus into a reserve account as a hedge against any possible future drops in energy prices.

Freudenthal on Friday announced that his budget scheduled for release next week will recommend placing $415 million in the Legislative Stabilization Reserve Account.

If approved by the Legislature, the transfer would bring the account, which lawmakers created last year as a "rainy day" fund, up to $500 million.

Combined with other required investments in the state's Permanent Mineral Trust Fund and Budget Reserve Account, Freudenthal said his recommended investment in the reserve account would bring total state savings to more than $1.2 billion for the 2007-2008 biennium.

Helena, Montana -- Just when it seemed as though there'd be no special legislative session to resolve Montana's school funding crisis, the governor said he'd call one after all.

Two Democrats on the interim legislative committee working on a funding formula, pronounced themselves pleased.

But Republicans, who have accused the governor of failing to provide leadership on the issue, said Schweitzer's plan was a turkey.

"The governor's inexperience is showing," said Senate Minority Leader Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, who noted that even members of the governor's own party were caught unawares.

Keenan termed Schweitzer "reckless" for calling a session without a guarantee that it would result in successful legislation.

The Quality Schools Interim Committee met for 12 1/2 hours on Friday to review a draft of a school funding bill — released that same morning — but was unable to agree on its provisions.

The draft called for spending an extra $100 million next year on public schools, which were deemed "constitutionally deficient" by the state Supreme Court earlier this year.

The governor wouldn't say what he considered a reasonable amount to spend on schools. In addition to the committee's plan, a coalition of school groups has put together an alternate funding plan, which also calls for spending about $100 million.

Helena, Montana -- The scope of a U.S. Justice Department investigation of indicted Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff is wider than previously believed and now may include his dealings with U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Montana.

Prosecutors in the Justice Department's public integrity and fraud divisions are looking at “possible influence-peddling” by Abramoff with congressional Republicans - former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas, Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, Rep. John Doolittle of California and Burns.

Burns' spokesman, J.P. Pendleton, as saying the senator's office has not yet been contacted by the Justice Department and that Burns has not retained a criminal defense attorney.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- The tobacco tax increase which Oklahoma voters approved overwhelmingly last year has run into a buzzsaw of controversy of late. The only thing really clear is that the issue is likely headed to the courts or to the Legislature.

Cherokee Nation officials admitted their stores are selling cigarettes to each other, cutting the state out of nearly $1 a pack for cigarettes. Stores are buying cigarettes with a border stamp, a lower tax rate, and reselling them in non-border stores where a higher tax rate is required.

Diane Hammons, director of the Cherokee Nation's Justice Department, said the tribe does not believe the retail-to-retail sales are wrong.

The state negotiated compacts with tribes which allow them to charge a lower rate in border areas so they can compete with smoke shops in neighboring states.

Tucson, Arizona -- President Bush is scheduled to visit Arizona Monday, making a stop at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base outside Tucson Monday afternoon, then flying to Phoenix to attend a fund-raiser for Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.

Bush will speak about border security and immigration issues at the Tucson base at about 2:30 p.m., according to the White House. White House spokesman Blair Jones said no other stops in Tucson are planned.

Bush will be accompanied by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Immigration issues have come to the forefront this year, with various immigration-reform measures being debated in Congress, the higher profile of the Minutemen border watch group, the deaths of dozens of illegal immigrants in the Arizona deserts and worries by some business groups and farmers about worker shortages.

Phoenix, Arizona -- A potential $600 million state surplus is creating a schism in the business community about what to do with the extra funds.

Some industry lobbyists think the excess revenue should be used for tax breaks. But there is no consensus on whether income or property taxes should be cut first.

Others contend the top priority should be taking the cash and correcting the bookkeeping "gimmicks" used in prior years to balance the budget.

And still others think the state's financial situation provides an opportunity to invest in education.

The session starting Jan. 9 presents an opportunity for lawmakers who just last session adopted tax cuts aimed at business.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Jim Kolbe's disclosure that the time had come to "hang up the spurs" reverberated through Southern Arizona like the shot of a starting gun for a political marathon.

The race will not only dominate public-policy discussions throughout the New Hampshire-sized 8th Congressional District over the coming year, but likely will be the focus of national attention as Republicans and Democrats mount an all-out effort for control of Congress in 2006.

Adding further prominence to the race is the newfound national attention heaped on two issues that have long been key concerns in the 8th district: immigration and border security. President Bush will discuss both during a Tucson visit Monday.

Washington, D.C. -- For a man who has been dead for 16 years, Warren G. Magnuson has been involved in some lively politics lately.

His legacy has been toasted and his name invoked in debates over the Endangered Species Act, environmental protections of Puget Sound, even an effort to break up the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Much of the talk has burbled up as the Republican-controlled Congress has taken aim at environmental laws the liberal senator from Seattle once championed.

This fall, Reps. Dave Reichert, R-Auburn, and Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, both cited Magnuson in discussing the need to protect the Sound from potential oil spills. Aides to Republican and Democratic congressmen, as well as several environmental groups, have mentioned Magnuson while defending legal protections for endangered species.

"They are taking on the Magnuson mystique and Washington state lore here," said Douglas Clapp, the state's official lobbyist in D.C.

This month, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, one of Magnuson's protégés, introduced legislation that would overturn a 1977 amendment that Magnuson designed to limit the number of oil tankers entering Puget Sound. The limits were intended to protect the Sound and its marine-mammal life from oil spills.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- A conservative state senator and Utah's attorney general are joining forces to propose a new level of legal protection for an unlikely group - the news media.

Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, said he plans to sponsor a bill that would allow reporters to keep the names of their confidential sources secret, even from criminal prosecutors. Utah is one of just five states that fail to protect reporters in such cases, either through judicial case law or legislation, according to the Utah chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

"The media is regularly critical of public officials, and I am no exception," Bramble said. "But the ability of the media to get information is one of the things that sets us apart from other countries."

Bramble promises to work with Attorney General Mark Shurtleff and a task force of media representatives to draft legislation before the 2006 legislative session begins in January.

Salem, Oregon -- Oregon's economic rebound has exceeded state officials' expectations - so much so that state taxpayers could be in line for the first "kicker" rebates in six years, according to new projections.

Although the economic outlook for Oregon is one of growth, state economist Tom Potiowsky said the prospects are hardly a repeat of the robust growth of the 1990s, which delivered the spate of kicker rebates to Oregonians through 2001.

The housing market remains strong, retail and wholesale sectors are booming, and the natural-resources sector has had one of its best stretches in years - thanks in part to the demand for wood products to help rebuild where hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit.

The moderately good news on the economic front brought with it reports that taxpayers haven't heard since the sizzling days of the 1990s: Personal income tax collections now appear on track to exceed the Legislature's estimates, set in the budget earlier this year, by more than 2 percent. That's the threshold at which the state must begin paying the excess receipts back to taxpayers.

With 1.61 million income-tax filers, the average rebate would be about $150 if the kicker total remained at the projected $240.2 million. The amount would vary depending on each filer's circumstances.

Olympia, Washington -- Gay and lesbian couples across the state of Washington are growing anxious, awaiting a Supreme Court ruling that may allow them to marry.

Arguments challenging the state's ban on same-sex marriage were made before the Washington Supreme Court last March.  A ruling could come at any time.

The case involves eight same-sex couples who were denied marriage licenses in King County.

In August, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing said that the Washington State Constitution guarantees basic rights to lesbian and gay people - and that those rights are violated by a state law prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying.

Downing's ruling went on to say that the couples must be given marriage licenses.

One month later, a court in Thurston County ruled similarly.

Fargo, North Dakota -- Two of North Dakota's public service commissioners say state and local taxes on heating fuels should be repealed, arguing it doesn't make sense to tax people for providing winter heat for their homes.

Commissioners Tony Clark and Kevin Cramer said they will ask lawmakers to dump the 2 percent tax on heating fuels when the Legislature meets again in January 2007. They said they do not favor a special session for repealing the tax.

"I've looked high and low over the last few days and tried to find a philosophically worse tax in the state," Clark said. "I'm not sure that I could find one."

The commissioners called the levy a regressive tax that affects poor residents and people on fixed incomes. Clark said heating bills are exempted from taxation in 29 states, and Cramer said killing North Dakota's tax would be "an easy and clean way" to provide relief to residents.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- If she had an extra $1,000 a semester for college, Santa Fe Community College junior Andrea Lujan would be able to focus on her studies without worrying so much about expenses.

She could pay her rent, day care for her 3-year-old and other expenses more easily.

"It would make a huge difference," she said.

Lujan, a single mom, could be one of 12,500 students in the state who get the money under a plan Gov. Bill Richardson will pitch to lawmakers in January.

Helena, Montana -- A single rifle shot last Tuesday morning signaled the end of a 15-year-old moratorium on bison hunting in Montana. The state legislature this year opened a three-month season on the animals, limiting the take to 50 lucky permit holders. More than six thousand applicants vied for the coveted permits, which were awarded via a lottery earlier in the year.

During the 1980s, when bison hunting was last legal in Montana, state game wardens would phone up hunters as soon as bison strayed from the protected confines of nearby Yellowstone National Park. Animal rights activists decried hunting the innocently grazing animals as hardly sporting. The ensuing nationally televised protests and tourist boycotts forced the Montana legislature to shut the hunt down beginning in 1991.

But this year, with a bison hunter in the governor’s mansion and the din of the state’s hunting lobby growing louder, the Montana legislature lifted the ban, but not without some strings attached. For starters, the hunt is limited to a 450,000-acre area. State game officials are expressly forbidden from “helping.” And hunters must get certified in their knowledge of the rules of the hunt.

Baker City, Oregon -- Some ranchers are so fed up with the state's new plan for managing wolves expected to migrate in from Idaho that they want to close their lands for hunters and anglers.

They don't like the fact that they can't shoot wolves they suspect of preying on livestock, and that there is no state fund to reimburse them for livestock killed by wolves.

Some ranchers in Baker County have closed their land to hunters and anglers. The Oregon Cattlemen's Association has adopted a resolution to work toward that end statewide if the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopts the plan next month.

The plan was adopted last February, but has to be amended since the Legislature did not authorize key elements. It originally would have allowed ranchers to shoot wolves attacking livestock. That provision was taken out to conform to a federal court ruling that any wolves moving into Oregon would be protected as a threatened species.

Salem, Oregon -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to ask Oregon voters to approve a hefty cigarette tax hike to extend health care coverage to thousands of uninsured Oregonians.

The move comes after Republicans blocked a proposal for new taxes in the 2005 Legislature,

The new initiative, which would go on the 2006 ballot, would boost the state cigarette tax by 60 cents a pack.

Sponsors say the tax hike would help provide health insurance for nearly 200,000 low-income Oregonians who currently have no coverage.

Phoenix, Arizona -- The Sept. 12 primary is months away, but a wide field of candidates is already jockeying for three seats in the state Legislature.

Several factors make District 17, which covers Tempe and south Scottsdale, a hot race, experts say. Republicans are a few seats away from achieving a "veto-proof" edge in the Senate and the House of Representatives. That would allow them to push legislation without fearing a "no" from Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.

District 17 also is one of a handful of districts where Democrats and Republicans virtually have an equal shot at winning.

Juneau, Alaska - Ketchikan leaders didn't worry much about the national criticism of their bridge because they figured Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young had it locked in. Now they are launching a "Save Our Bridge" public relations blitz.

They need to convince Railbelt state legislators it's not a "bridge to nowhere."

"We always believed that Don and Ted would take care of this. And consequently the people in the Alaska state Legislature don't understand (the need for the bridge)," said JC Conley, one of the main organizers of Ketchikan's effort to salvage the bridge project.

"We need to go to them and explain our story," he said.

After months of ridicule, Congress last week dropped its earmarks for both the so-called "bridges to nowhere" - the Ketchikan project and Anchorage's Knik Arm crossing. The state will still receive the $452 million in federal funds. But state legislators can now spend the money on projects other than the two bridges, and legislators from the state's Railbelt population centers are questioning the Ketchikan bridge.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Arizona voters are bullish on the future of their state but just as dour on the direction of the country, a new poll shows.

The majority of those polled, 62 percent, said they believe Arizona "is headed in the right direction." At the same time, 53 percent said they believe the country is headed the wrong way, which closely mirrors the 54 percent of Arizonans who said they disapprove of the job President Bush is doing.

Crawford, Texas - More than a dozen war protesters returned to a roadside near President Bush's ranch before dawn Wednesday, defying two new local bans on roadside camping and parking.

About an hour after the group pitched six tents and huddled in sleeping bags and blankets, a McLennan County sheriff's deputy arrived and warned the group to leave or face arrest.

Former U.S. diplomat Ann Wright told the deputy that most of the group would stay in the public right-of-way because they believed the bans restrict their free-speech rights. The deputy said the group would have two more warnings, then he drove away.

Dallas, Texas -- The Legislature must fix the state's unconstitutional property tax system for public schools, the Texas Supreme Court ordered Tuesday, but lawmakers are off the hook for a big tax hike to pour billions more into education funding.

The latest decision in the state's long-running school finance litigation was a partial victory for hundreds of school districts that filed the lawsuit because it will force lawmakers to pass a new education funding system before the 2006-07 school year.

But state leaders also claimed vindication because the ruling stopped short of requiring a massive infusion of new money into public education as school districts had sought. Still, the court cautioned that current funding levels for schools are barely adequate.

Chicago, Illinois -- A businessman who won a state lease under George Ryan entertained Ryan at his luxurious Jamaica home for years, and every time, Ryan handed him a check to cover his lodging. But Harry Klein testified at Ryan's corruption trial Tuesday that he always reimbursed Ryan in cash.

Klein said it was at Ryan's insistence that he took checks for $1,000 or $2,000, depending on the length of his stay at the beachfront home. But Klein said he reimbursed Ryan because he and his wife didn't want to take money from a houseguest. Ryan and Klein continued with that arrangement every time Ryan and his wife, Lura Lynn, visited for either one week or two weeks most years from 1993 to 2002, Klein testified.

But Klein said he never expected state business in exchange for giving Ryan free stays in Jamaica. He also said Ryan paid for his own food and expenses and bought things such as a microwave and a year of cable for the home.

Olympia, Washington -- For nearly 70 years, Washington's independent, ticket-splitting ways were encouraged by a "blanket primary" that allowed voters to pick a favorite for each office, regardless of party label.

But a series of federal court rulings doomed that system several years ago, holding that political parties have a First Amendment right to pick their own nominees and exclude crossover voters.

Then-Gov. Gary Locke last year used his veto pen to create a so-called Montana primary, requiring voters to restrict themselves to one party's action, although ballot choice was kept confidential. Voters tried it in September, 2004, but many disliked the loss of crossover voting.

A few weeks later at the general election, voters approved a so-called "Top 2" replacement by a landslide 60 percent. This plan, also called the Louisiana or Cajun primary, is a lot like the old blanket primary, allowing a voter to pick a favorite for each office, with the top two going to the November runoff, regardless of party.

But the federal court didn't like this any better.

The Grange, the group that has made wide-open primaries a signature issue, and state attorneys are appealing. State and Grange spokesmen say it's a tough case, but that they still hope to win back the Top 2 system.

The political parties say they are very certain of victory.

Lawyers submitted briefs to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals last week and await word on scheduling of oral arguments. No decision is expected before spring. The losing side is likely to ask the Supreme Court for review.

Seattle, Washington -- Many workplaces have sexual harassment policies. Now, doctors offices in Washington State do as well, thanks to new rules passed Friday by the State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

The Commission has received complaints about physicians asking patients out on dates, or asking for sexual favors. The new rules ban that and other non-medical acts that fall short of obvious sexual contact.

The Washington State Medical Association opposes the rules. It says there are already enough ways to discipline doctors. Opponents also say the new policy could be used to unfairly strip the licenses of good doctors.

Oregon has rules that prohibit dishonorable conduct by physicians. But the guidelines don’t spell out sexual misconduct the way Washington’s new rules do.

Salem, Oregon -- Gov. Ted Kulongoski became the first Democrat to formally file papers for the May 2006 gubernatorial primary, confirming what he has been telling aides for months.

Kulongoski's commitment to run for re-election could give pause to fellow Democrats who have been talking openly of challenging him.

The low-key election filing - there was no news conference or campaign kickoff event - also allowed Kulongoski to keep the emphasis on his role as the incumbent governor rather than just being another candidate.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- State government just keeps on raking in the money as Utah's economy continues churning. And pressures to spend a bunch of that money and give tax cuts with a bunch of it also has been increasing as the Tax Commission's cash register rings on.

The growth in jobs, construction and "new revenue data indicate Utah is in a major economic expansion," said Doug Macdonald, chief economist for the Utah State Tax Commission, which compiles the monthly revenue updates.

Does the growing surplus ensure some kind of tax cut next year?

"I believe it does," said House Speaker Greg Curtis, R-Sandy. "When the economy is growing at such an unexpected rate, and government revenues are substantially more than anticipated, we must look at returning them."

Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said he believes the latest revenue report adds weight to a position he took two weeks ago: "Take the sales tax off food, and do so without raising other taxes."

Republican Governor Jon Huntsman ran last year on a campaign platform that included removing the sales tax from food, although the governor has not put forward an exact plan on how to do that.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- Gov. Bill Richardson announced his intention to seek $50 million from the New Mexico Legislature to fund an endowment for the College Affordability Act, which was signed into law earlier this year but that did not receive any appropriation in the 2005 legislative session.

The College Affordability Act scholarships would be worth up to $1,000 per semester and would be entirely based on financial need. If the endowment is funded in the January session, no more than a third of the money will be used to fund scholarships for the 2006-2007 academic year.

Richardson also proposed $10 million for career, technical-vocational programs, and $1 million to redefine the New Mexico High School Competency Exam to align it with higher education requirements.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Governor Napolitano criticized a state court appellate court saying a three-judge panel “took their sweet time” in not ruling until last month on appeals to challenges to the state’s legislative and congressional district maps.

The delay means the case won’t be resolved before the 2006 elections.

Both the timing and outcome of the Court of Appeals ruling Oct. 18 represented major setbacks for Arizona Democrats’ efforts to force the state Independent Redistricting Commission to draw a new legislative map that includes additional competitive districts.

The Court of Appeals panel unanimously overturned a trial judge’s ruling that agreed with the Democrats, who last week filed an appeal with the Arizona Supreme Court.

Republicans, who hold a 5 1/2-percentage point lead over Democrats in statewide voter registration, hold majorities in both the state House and Senate.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Governor Napolitano, who has announced she will ask the Legislature to provide funding to fight border-related crime, said that without knowing what Congress might send to the president in the way of immigration reform, it’s hard to say how much of an issue it will be in the governor’s race.

“We have to be very strong and very realistic about immigration,” she said.

U.S. House Republican leaders reportedly will try to pass legislation for tightened border security and tougher immigration enforcement before the end of the year, including tougher sanctions against illegal immigrants, smugglers and employers who hire undocumented workers.

President Bush’s immigration plan would permit some illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. to legally stay for several years as long as they hold jobs that no U.S. citizen wants. The plan would require these immigrant workers to return to their countries after their time in a temporary worker program expires.

Arizona’s congressional delegation is at the forefront of proposals to deal with illegal immigration.

Phoenix, Arizona -- While lawmakers draft a proposal to limit how quickly the state increases spending, activists pushing to get a similar plan on the ballot in 2006 as an initiative are saying they might wait until 2008 because of a potential constitutional challenge.

Chad Kirkpatrick, chairman of the Arizona Federation of Taxpayers, the group that would spearhead an initiative drive for the proposal, says the chances are “50/50” the group will hold back at least a portion of the proposed ballot measure because of concerns that amending the state constitution in one fell swoop may violate the single-subject clause of the constitution.

The initiative, known as the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR, would restrict increases in government spending to reflect the state’s population growth plus the rate of inflation. Any revenue the state collects beyond that amount would either be returned to the taxpayers or saved in a rainy day fund the state could tap during tough economic times.

Denver, Colorado -- In semi-arid Colorado, there are well-known reasons for the high cost of water service. Among them: scant reservoir space and an immense mountain range separating water from people.

A less-discussed reason is that in Colorado, water is property, and in much of the state, somebody already owns a right to use every gallon. Getting that water requires entering a volatile market where prices can double in an instant.

In the West, the battle for water has long been depicted as a clash of greedy, growing cities against a dwindling supply of life's fundamental building block.

But the stories of the Denver suburbs illustrate something else: how the competition for water to fuel metro Denver's growth has created an unregulated and often untraceable commodities market in Colorado - one that is making a lot of people wealthy and has encouraged private investors to look for new and profitable ways to deliver water to the Front Range.

Helena, Montana -- A legislative funding panel balked Friday at endorsing a 186-page rewrite of Montana’s unconstitutional school-funding system, possibly snuffing hopes of a special session next month to provide more money for public schools.

The Quality Schools Interim Committee didn’t give up on its five months of work, agreeing after a marathon meeting to come back to Helena in two weeks and review the bill again.

“It’s clear that this committee is committed to finishing this funding formula (bill),’’ said Rep. Rep. Monica Lindeen, D-Huntley.

But she said there’s no way the panel can have anything ready for a December special session, as had been anticipated and that final action by the Legislature may have to wait until the 2007 regular session.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- The new year could bring a new life to hundreds of homeless in Las Cruces.

Gov. Bill Richardson has plans to ask the New Mexico Legislature for $2 million for a new program to help the homeless get back on their feet.

The money would be used to set up personal bank accounts that people would use to find a job, home or even create a small business.

If approved, more than 3,000 homeless residents would be helped.

Around the nation -- Soaring state tax collections have created momentum for tax cuts in 2006, when most governors and legislators will face voters.

State and local revenue rose 7.2% in the first nine months of this year, the biggest jump since 1990, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Spending is up 6%, the most since 2001.

Three years of strong revenue growth have left many states with large surpluses. New Mexico is looking at a $1 billion surplus. Florida expects more than $3 billion.

Even financially troubled California took in $3.4 billion more than it spent in the budget year that ended June 30 — the state's first surplus since 2000. California's deficit was erased by a 13.2% revenue increase.

Portland, Oregon -- Short-term lenders in Portland charge an average 480 percent on loans aggressively marketed to workers sometimes struggling between paychecks, a consumer research group reported Wednesday.

Many of the 69 payday lenders operating in Portland charge customers $60 for a two-week $300 loan, which amounts to an annual interest rate of 521 percent, according to the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group in a 15-page survey report called "Preying on Portlanders."

Borrowers who are unable to pay back a loan in two weeks are charged another $60 to extend it two more weeks. They can do up to three such rollovers and, after eight weeks, pay $240 in fees on the $300 they borrowed.

The number of short-term lender licenses statewide has doubled over the last five years to 356.

Rapid City, South Dakota -- Funding for South Dakota public schools is not adequate, according to a firm hired by an education group.

But the consultants - Augenblick, Palaich and Associates - have not yet backed that up with numbers, said Brian Aust of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota.

The contention was in a preliminary report this past week to the Alliance for Education, comprised of the Associated School Boards of South Dakota, School Administrators of South Dakota, South Dakota Education Association, ESD+6, Mid-sized School Coalition and the South Dakota Coalition of Schools.

Money from 127 of South Dakota's 172 school districts helped fund the $153,000 study by the education finance consulting firm.

Beaumont, Texas -- Beaumont Fire Chief Micky Bertrand was suspended this week for condoning the purchase of tobacco products for firefighters in the week following Hurricane Rita.

Bertrand was suspended for seven days by City Manager Kyle Hayes and will be back on the job Wednesday, said Charles Mullins, the assistant fire chief.

Mullins authorized the purchase. Bertrand later stood by the decision and did not discipline him, Mullins said, prompting Hayes to suspend Bertrand.

With firefighters at their posts around the clock beginning the Thursday before the storm, they also were running out of clean clothes and personal hygeine items, Mullins said.

When the opportunity arose to purchase supplies, Mullins said he included tobacco items to boost morale for the overworked firefighters.

"You need to sustain the spirit as well as the body," Mullins said.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- As state health officials heralded Oklahomans' participation in Thursday's Great American Smokeout, tobacco retailers complained loudly to a legislative committee about the state's new cigarette tax.

Mike LaFevers, who owns 10 convenience stores in Poteau, said he was being discriminated against because of the tax and a series of compacts that allow different, lower rates for Indian tribes.

"How long do the Oklahoma taxpayers have to subsidize the Indians?" LaFevers asked during testimony before the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Del City, is chairman of the panel, which is conducting an interim study on the issue.

Olympia, Washington -- Anti-tax activists are again aiming their sights at the Washington state estate tax.

Unable to derail an estate tax adopted by Democrats in the state Legislature earlier this year, opponents say they now plan an initiative for 2006 that would wipe out the state's renewed tariff on personal estates.

"It is a tax on the deceased's estate. The heirs don't even get a sniff of it until the vultures in Olympia have theirs," Dennis Falk, campaign manager for the Committee to Abolish the Washington State Estate Tax, declared.

State legislators voted in April to re-enact a state-level estate tax. The money goes toward class-size reductions and additional enrollment slots in state universities and colleges. The tax rate ranged from 10 percent to 19 percent, and it mirrors the federal tax in that it exempts the first $1.5 million of an estate this year and the first $2 million in future years.

Olympia, Washington -- The high failure rate among high school students taking the state's high-stakes assessment test is spurring the state's top school official to push for a new $42 million summer school program.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson hopes to give those students an opportunity to spend five weeks of their summer break in the classroom, trying to learn the reading, math and writing skills they will need to graduate from high school in 2008. At the top of her 2006 Legislative agenda is money to pay for her voluntary statewide summer school program.

"We can't hide the fact that we gave diplomas last year to kids who couldn't read," Bergeson said.

Seattle, Washington -- The Republican challenge to the ballots cast by Teri Carpenter, Elizabeth Stanhope and about 200 other King County voters Nov. 8 isn't really about those votes, nor about the outcome of the election, which wouldn't change in any event.

It's an early skirmish in what the GOP promises will be a long and bitter war, a conflict that breaks sharply along the political divide, with both Republicans and Democrats claiming the moral high ground.

"It's perfectly logical to see that we're tying to prevent vote fraud," state GOP Chairman Chris Vance said.

His Democratic counterpart, Paul Berendt, countered, "The Republicans have been fighting to take away the right of people to vote."

To Vance, it's simple: The votes of voters registered at private mail boxes or commercial storage units are illegal and shouldn't be tallied.

Denver, Colorado -- Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., and interfaith leaders failed to agree on wording for a joint statement.

What began as a search for common ground between Congressman Tom Tancredo and Colorado interfaith leaders has disintegrated, with the two sides unable to agree on a joint statement about religion, terrorism and retaliation.

For more than two months, the Colorado Republican and a group of Muslim, Christian and Jewish representatives tried to broker peace after Tancredo suggested it was acceptable to bomb Muslim holy sites in response to terrorist attacks.

Not only did the envisioned statement crumble over a few words but the religious leaders came away even more upset over Tancredo's comments linking Islam to the French riots and to a Sept. 11 memorial.

Austin, Texas -- Awaiting only final marching orders from the Texas Supreme Court, a high-profile committee of business leaders headed by a prominent Democrat is poised to tackle the divisive issues that roiled three sessions of the Legislature this year: tax and education funding overhauls.

The 24-member Texas Tax Reform Commission, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and led by his one-time political rival, Democrat John Sharp, will begin work today on recommendations for cutting school property taxes and raising new revenue for education through higher business and consumer taxes.

The issues dominated Austin while lawmakers struggled and squabbled, but they have receded as policymakers await the high court's ruling on a lawsuit by school districts over the state's funding system.

"We are open to everything except an income tax," the former state comptroller said, adding that even expansion of gambling in Texas, which failed to pass the Legislature, will be on the table.

Any recommendations face the legislative gantlet, though, and reaction among lawmakers has been polite if not enthusiastic.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick have already agreed to appoint seven members from each chamber to seek a compromise once the Supreme Court has ruled. Unlike the Sharp panel, the House-Senate committee will look at not just taxes, but also school reforms and new funding rules for education.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- For more than two years, officials in the county, which is home to spectacular redrock vistas enshrined in countless Hollywood films, have been sticking a figurative finger in the eye of the Interior Department, daring it to do something about the federal road signs they have removed and the county road signs they have put up in and around the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. All without authorization from the Bureau of Land Management, and in defiance of the BLM's existing transportation plan for the area.

County officials frankly admit they are trying to provoke a response from the feds to force a lawsuit or a criminal trespassing charge that will land them in court and give them a chance to make their claim to the roads under an old mining law known as Revised Statute 2477, which granted rights-of-way across federal land.

Boise, Idaho -- Many Idahoans do not make a livable wage and the state needs to create more jobs with higher pay, according to a committee that studied jobs and wages in Idaho.

The committee organized by Idaho Community Action Network in conjunction with Northwest Federation of Community Organizations and its supporters released the Northwest Job Gap Study.

The study estimated living wages for families in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, the number of job openings that pay a living wage, and the gap between living wage jobs being created and the number of people searching for those jobs.

Idaho's Legislature also should consider raising the minimum wage and creating a state insurance system to drive costs down and a heating assistance program for low-income earners, the committee said.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- Governor Linda Lingle will ask the Legislature for $15 million to help the state prepare for a possible flu pandemic.

The state Department of Health would use the money to stockpile antiviral medications and develop a data management system to track and monitor illnesses around the state.

State officials said their plan generally conforms to the National Pandemic Flu Plan released this month by President Bush.

The national plan recommends stockpiling enough antiviral pills to treat 25 percent of a state's base population -- about 300,000 Hawaii residents.

State hopes of getting a share of the federal bird flu money were quashed yesterday when the 2006 health-spending bill was defeated by the U.S. House.

Denver, Colorado -- With illegal immigration promising to be a hot-button issue in the Colorado General Assembly’s 2006 session, the state’s top Democratic lawmakers are helping prepare a multistate forum on immigration to be held here Dec. 12.

Legislators have been invited from Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico to join Colorado lawmakers at the regional meeting being co-sponsored by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a left-leaning public policy organization.

San Francisco, California -- Taking a step closer to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s goal of building a million solar roofs in 10 years, the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a proposed decision today to replenish the 2006 pot of money for businesses interested in installing solar power while also setting a deadline of December 15, 2005 to finalize a larger solar proposal intended to achieve the governor’s broader solar goals that include residential roofs as well.

After the California legislature broke for the year without passing SB 1 (Murray), The Million Solar Roofs bill, Gov. Schwarzenegger announced his intention of establishing sufficient rebate funds for a million homeowners, businesses, schools and farms to invest in solar power via the PUC.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano pooh-poohed possible state income tax cuts for next year. Napolitano was asked recently about Republican plans to slice state income taxes when the state Legislature reconvenes in January.

Arizona is poised to run a large budget surplus and GOP lawmakers and some business groups want to cut personal income taxes. Such reductions, advocates say, would bolster economic growth and help middle and upper middle income families as well as small businesses who file under individual categories.

Income tax cuts are gaining momentum among conservative groups, small-business advocates and Republican lawmakers.

The Democratic governor did not sound like a tax cut fan when asked about a possible plan at her weekly press conference with reporters.

Napolitano first said she was not going to speculate about possible tax cut plans. Then she added a more pessimistic view of sweeping tax cuts that could be put forward by Republicans next year.

Napolitano is up for re-election next year and Republicans want to press her hard on tax cuts. A Napolitano veto of a major tax cut package would provide plenty of campaign fodder for Republicans in next fall's elections.

GOP legislative leaders are looking at a number of sweeping tax cut plans and income tax reductions have gained support as lawmakers discuss the matter with business advocates.

Phoenix, Arizona -- A newly formed group of multimillionaire entrepreneurs wants the Legislature to approve major tax cuts, including reductions for both businesses and individuals.

The proposals are still being drafted but could total $400 million. That includes $100 million cut for corporations and $300 million of income tax cuts for individuals, with the money coming from an anticipated state budget surplus.

Members of the Arizona Free Enterprise Club formed the group earlier this year after expressing frustration with what they viewed as the rapid expansion of state government and the lack of a tax-cut mentality at the Capitol.

"The thing that we have to educate people on is that this shouldn't be the government's choice to keep the money," said Steve Voeller, the club's president and a former congressional staffer. "They are not entitled to it. People can keep more of the money they earn, and they will invest it."

The Free Enterprise group's founders included Phoenix-area entrepreneurs and investors Dave Thompson, Randy Kendrick, Sam Garvin, Dean Riesen and Eric Crown.

Scottsdale, Arizona -- Top legislative leaders offered cool assessments of Governor Napolitano's performance on budget issues and suggested that they expect the GOP-controlled Legislature to be at odds with her on spending and tax issues during the upcoming session.

Senate President Ken Bennett told a business-oriented tax lobbying group that the state's fiscal picture is brightening but that the state would be in relatively poor shape if lawmakers had gone along with past Napolitano proposals on spending and borrowing.

Bennett and House Speaker Jim Weiers also said they and fellow lawmakers should be more assertive about publicly taking credit for the state's fiscal shape.

Earlier, Napolitano budget director Gary Yaquinto told the Arizona Tax Research Association that the state's spending rate is relatively low commpared with other states and that imposition of new spending limits would crimp such areas as education and health care.

Maricopa, Arizona -- Construction is expected to start in December or January on an ethanol-producing plant outside of Maricopa that would produce more than 50 million gallons of the clean-burning fuel a year.

John Skelley, president of Arizona Grain Inc., said groundbreaking would take place at the company's grain-storage facility five miles east of the Pinal County town as soon as financing is pinned down.

The plant would be owned and operated by Pinal Energy.

The proposed plant received its final permits from the city of Maricopa this week, which should clear the way for financing.

The plant, which will take a year to build, will cost $60 million.

Juneau, Alaska -- Gov. Frank Murkowski on Wednesday defended his preference for a natural gas pipeline proposal by three North Slope oil companies over two competing applications.

BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil have the advantage because they hold the leases to the North Slope gas, Murkowski told an audience at the Resource Development Council of Alaska's annual conference in Anchorage.

Other would-be pipeline sponsors would have to sue the oil companies to get to the gas, putting the project in doubt and possibly delaying construction, he said.

The oil companies also have the cash needed to pay for the project, which is estimated to cost more than $20 billion, Murkowski said.

Juneau, Alaska -- The Alaska Permanent Fund Corp.'s board of trustees has approved a major increase in the amount of the state's $31.7 billion rainy-day account it puts into alternative investments, such as hedge funds and venture capital projects.

The board also approved new regulations to keep more of its investment information confidential.

Alternative investments -- from private equity entities to hedge funds and commodities -- now make up just $292 million of the fund's assets. The change adopted by the trustees at an Anchorage meeting this week would allow that amount to increase to $2.5 billion, at the fund's current value.

The bulk of the fund's investments are now in stocks, bonds and real estate.

Austin, Texas -- The state Republican Party avoided prosecution, and potentially grand jury indictment, by agreeing Thursday to comply with state law preventing use of corporate contributions for political purposes.

The agreement follows an investigation by Travis County Attorney David Escamilla, who handles misdemeanor charges, into the party's spending of $5.6 million in corporate money during the 2002 campaigns.

The Texas GOP acknowledged in the agreement with Mr. Escamilla that it improperly spent more than $65,000 on political activities. Texas law allows corporate or union money to be used to cover the administrative expenses of a political party or committee, and the party said the improper spending stemmed from misunderstandings about what constituted overhead.

Denver, Colorado -- Eleven Republican legislators met Wednesday to collect expert testimony on illegal immigration, but serious statistics and calls for strict enforcement were mixed with what one critic called "fear of Mexicans."

Former state Sen. John Andrews testified first, calling illegal immigration "a silent invasion," threatening the American traditions of assimilation and respect for law.

Madeleine Cosman, former professor of medical law at City College in New York, said illegal immigrants in California are giving birth to sick children to collect welfare.

Testifying on a DVD shown at the hearing, she said that "people from Mexico" are the cause of a rise in diseases that "explode hearts" and cause other horrendous symptoms.

Yeh Ling-Ling of the Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America warned that Mexicans are planning to "reconquer" the southwestern United States and that some are voting and "even running for office."

The meeting in the old state Supreme Court at the Capitol was set up by the Republican Study Committee of Colorado, formed this year to help Republican politicians in state government focus on such issues as lower taxes, personal responsibility and limited government.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- The Department of Education will receive an additional $6.4 million in Federal Impact Aid because of the number of children displaced by housing renovations on military installations.

State Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Pearl City, Newtown, Royal Summit), who discovered the provision that allows for additional funding for students forced to live off-base, said applying for the additional funding has brought in almost $20 million in extra funding over the past three years.

This extra $6.4 million will be a 16 percent increase from the $40 million the DOE was anticipating.

Federal Impact Aid pays for a portion of the educational costs of federally-connected students, such as school operating expenses like textbooks, computers, utilities and staff salaries.

St. George, Utah -- Education and how environmentalists "put a crimp" on what the Utah Legislature tries to do were among the topics discussed Tuesday evening during a preview of the upcoming legislative session.

The forum included Mike Noel, R-Dist. 73, and those he called the "Sunshine Boys" from Washington County: Sen. Bill Hickman, R-Dist. 29; Rep. David Clark, R-Dist. 74; Rep. Brad Last, R-Dist. 71; and Rep. Steve Urquhart, R-Dist. 75.

Three women in the audience who were there to ask about education issues included Alice Holmes of Hurricane, Kathleen Wagner of Hurricane and Sue Porter of Richfield.
The women are educators and said, after the meeting, that it left them with some real concerns.

"If they want to build the economy, they have to put their bucks in education," Holmes said.

Porter said the percentage of the state's budget allotted to education is steadily declining. One question during the forum asked about the Legislature's plan to deal with an increase of students with less teachers.

Last said the topic is causing a great deal of concern locally and throughout the state. Because housing is so expensive in Washington County, it is difficult for people to go into teaching as a profession, he said.

Santa Fe - Gov. Bill Richardson proudly declares himself a tax-cutting Democrat, and says if you don't believe him, you can ask the conservative Cato Institute.

In each of his first three years in office, Richardson has pushed through big-ticket tax cuts. In 2003, the Legislature reduced taxes for those in the upper bracket. Last year it removed the tax on food and some medical services. And this year it passed a tax break for those in the middle- and lower-income brackets.

But, at the same time the Legislature has passed those big-ticket tax cuts, it has also raised taxes and fees on everything from vehicle registrations to cigarettes - a total of 46 increases in all. These have come without nearly the fanfare given to the tax cuts.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- Twelve Pearl harbor sailors, ranging in rank from seaman apprentice to lieutenant and assigned to the USS Chung Hoon, one of the Navy's newest destroyers, have been convicted of charges ranging from fraternization to adultery.

In all, 13 Chung Hoon sailors were involved in the incidents, which the Navy said took place from September 2004, when the destroyer was commissioned at Pearl Harbor, to last April.

Bismarck, North Dakota -- Lawmakers say they plan to consider property tax limits as part of an effort to increase North Dakota's share of aid to local schools. The cap may limit tax payments to a percentage of the market value of property.

The Legislature's interim Finance and Taxation Committee agreed Tuesday to consider a property tax limit, in the context of lessening local schools' dependence on property tax collections to finance their operations.

Property taxes and other locally collected fees now pay about 43 percent of schools' expenses, the Department of Public Instruction says. State money provides about 42 percent, and the federal government provides most of the remainder.

The North Dakota Legislature this year rebuffed a plan to abolish school general fund property taxes, and replace them with higher income and sales taxes.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma -- Complaints the state's tobacco tax drives Oklahoma smokers out of state and that tribal stores sell cigarettes with wrong, cheaper tax stamps were discussed Monday by a committee formed as part of last year's passage of the tax.

Retailers on the committee said Oklahoma had the cheapest cigarette tax in the region before the state's tax took effect Jan. 1 and now has the highest.

The tax is blamed for sending smokers to buy cigarettes in states with lower taxes and giving some American Indian tribes an unfair advantage over nontribal retailers.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- The Army has banned the use of cell phones by drivers at all of its Hawaii bases, a policy that includes headsets and hands-free devices.

It's a policy that state lawmakers shied away from adopting this past legislative session.

The policy memorandum was signed on Nov. 7 by Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division, whose jurisdiction covers Army posts that include Schofield Barracks, Tripler Army Medical Center and Fort Shafter.

Stefanie Gardin, Army spokeswoman, said Mixon's cell phone ban centered on "safety."

"Every day, thousands of soldiers and civilians are on our streets," Gardin said. "Whether they're drivers or pedestrians, they have a right to the safest environment possible. The new cell phone policy helps ensure their safety by limiting additional distractions to motorists."

There is no cell phone usage ban while driving on Navy and Air Force bases.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- The scene looks like something out of a movie -- a squadron of motorcycle police leads a fleet of government vehicles, SUVs with tinted windows -- through the streets of a foreign city.

It is March 2004, and Gov. Bill Richardson has come to Chihuahua, Mexico, to attend a meeting of the New Mexico-Chihuahua Commission and sign a trade agreement. A pack of television cameramen, walking backward and shooting as they go, lead the way as Richardson and then-Chihuahua Gov. Patricio Martinez stroll the hallways of the historic state building, followed by a heard of men dressed in dark business suits.

Richardson is treated like visiting royalty at every stop. The meeting completed and the agreement signed, he and Martinez are whisked away in a small RV, where they celebrate the pact with shot of tequila before Richardson boards one of two state planes that were used to fly officials to the meeting.

Richardson's frequent travel rankle his opponents, even before a controversial decision to disregard the spending limit set by the Legislature and purchase a new $5.5 million jet.

South Padre Island, Texas – Border security should not be lost to a hasty evacuation as a hurricane approaches, a Border Patrol official said Tuesday, warning the governor's evacuation task force of long bottlenecks at security checkpoints in the Rio Grande Valley.

Federal officials cannot allow those "waiting to do harm to the United States to cloak themselves" in the rush inland, Chief Lynne Underdown of the Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley sector said Tuesday.

Illegal immigrants, Chief Underdown said, could avoid detection at the checkpoint by heading to shelters in McAllen, about 60 miles inland.

Salt Lake City, Utah -- A Utah hate-crimes bill that would eliminate victim categories has drawn a cool reception.

Democratic representative David Litvack, a longtime sponsor of what has become a perennial measure, said he has been considering offering a bill that would replace the penalty enhancement called for in past bills with an aggravating factor, to be considered by the sentencing judge or the pardons board.

Litvack has said the possible new direction arose out of a working group as a way to "hopefully take some of the venom out of the issue" and garner Republican support for the measure.

Hate-crimes bills in Utah have failed repeatedly.

Cheyenne, Wyoming -- Governor Dave Freudenthal wants the state to pay $100 million to help cover infrastructure costs in the eight Wyoming counties most affected by natural gas development.

The governor on Monday announced that he will include the $100-million request in his 2007-2008 budget recommendations.

"Right now, the state gets the revenue, and the local governments get the bill," Freudenthal said. "The surge in natural gas production has strained some local budgets in Wyoming to the breaking point as towns and counties try to meet dramatically increased needs for infrastructure."

Wyoming's 15 other counties would also benefit under Freudenthal's proposal by facing reduced competition for another grant program.

Cody, Wyoming -- State legislators assured commissioners and city council members from Park County last week that the $1.86 billion state surplus will boost municipal funding.

Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, expects the surplus to reach $2 billion by February when the Legislature meets.

“Natural gas in Wyoming is red hot,” he said. “We're number three in the country. The bottom line is natural gas demands are expected to go up. That will bode well for (municipal funding).”

Lincoln, Nebraska -- Springfield did it. So did South Sioux City and Dakota City. Now, Southeast Nebraska towns including Gretna, Ashland, Papillion and Waverly are looking at laws that would restrict where registered sex offenders could live within their city limits.

The proposed ordinances mostly mimic an Iowa state law that prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school or licensed day care. Two thousand feet is about four or five blocks or about one-third of a mile.

After that law took effect in September, some Iowa towns passed more restrictive ordinances that also bar sex offenders from living near parks, playgrounds or libraries.

In some cases, towns have become virtually off-limits for sex offenders.

In its next term, the Nebraska Legislature may consider similar measures in response to concerns that Iowa sex offenders may migrate here to avoid the new restrictions.

Bismarck, North Dakota -- North Dakota's sharp increase in its marriage license fee this year has made it one of the nation's most expensive states to get hitched, a survey shows.

The survey, reviewed Monday by the Legislature's interim Judiciary Committee, showed only five states - California, Florida, Minnesota, Tennessee and Wisconsin - that charge more than North Dakota's $65 fee for a marriage license.

In California and Wisconsin, the license fee varies by county. California counties may charge up to $80, while the fee can reach $100 in Wisconsin.

Carson City, Nevada -- The number of workers in state government and in the university system will exceed 25,000.

There will be $350,000 set aside to continue developing the Nevada Online Encyclopedia.

And the Boulder City Railroad Museum will be improved and expanded with an $859,140 appropriation.

Those and other facts about the state's spending pattern for the next two years are included in the Nevada Legislative Appropriations Report, released last week.

Prepared by the Legislative Fiscal Analysis Division, it details where the 2005 Legislature spent taxpayer money.

A breakdown of spending shows 33.9 percent of the budget goes to kindergarten through high school; 19.8 percent to the university system, 28.3 percent to human resources; 8.9 percent to public safety; 2.8 percent to constitutional agencies; 3 percent to finance and administration and 1.7 percent to commerce and industry.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Governor Janet Napolitano has quietly dropped plans to seek federal emergency funds to help pay for more law enforcement along Arizona's southern border.

The governor said Monday that she believes the request would be a fruitless pursuit that would "fall on deaf bureaucratic ears" at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

An aide said the governor's decision was based, at least in part, on the billions of dollars the federal government is spending on relief after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Helena, Montana -- The Helena School District Board of Trustees approved in a 5-2 vote to approve a school-funding resolution that urges Gov. Schweitzer to convene a special session to address school funding needs.

According to superintendent Bruce Messinger, most of the educational community believes that there is a critical need for a legislative special session next month.

The board has concerns about funding for the next school year if a remedy isn’t reached.

The board’s resolution states that, “Helena Public Schools will not be able to maintain the present level of educational programs unless additional resources are added to the funding formula by the Legislature in a special session.”

The governor has indicated he would call a special session if a consensus could be reached. The Quality Schools Interim Committee is scheduled to meet on Friday with hope of reaching a final agreement on a plan that will compel the governor to make his move.

Helena, Montana -- Gov. Brian Schweitzer's popularity is strong, while U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns' support appears to be dropping, a poll released Thursday shows.

Leading state Democrats did far better than Republicans in the poll, with Democratic U.S. Sen. Max Baucus enjoying one of his highest approval ratings while Republican Congressman Denny Rehberg hovers around 50 percent.

The results came a day after the pollsters reported that President Bush's popularity in Montana reached a new low.

Sacramento, California -- On November 9 2005 the day after the special election the Nissan Corporation announced its moving its north American headquarters from Los Angeles (Gardena) to Tennessee.

The writing on the wall couldn't be clearer, and a possible trigger or professional nod to other companies who were for a time holding off moving to see if our governor could turn the state around might be at hand.

Other California companies such as Google and eBay are expanding into Arizona, seeking a haven from the high costs of doing business. And economic development leaders say the trend can only grow as the two states' economies become more joined at the hip.

DHL Systems, the package delivery giant that consolidated data centers from the Bay area and other locations in Scottsdale in 2002 and has continued to add offices and hundreds of employees.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the Calabasas, Calif.-based mortgage lender, opened a campus in Chandler and expects to have 4,000 customer-service representatives, information-technology workers and other employees here by the end of 2006.

Intel Corp., the Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker, has begun building a third plant in Chandler.

Honolulu, Hawaii -- High demand for flu shots, and manufacturing troubles for Chiron Corp., one of the country's leading suppliers of vaccine, have caused shortages. The Hawaii Medical Service Association, Times Supermarkets and Longs Drug Stores canceled flu clinics this month, prompting lines that went out the door and down the block yesterday at Wal-Mart.

Sharon Lau was pushing her 98-year-old aunt, Teruko Kawabe, in a wheelchair. She said she had tried to get her aunt vaccinated by her doctor, but was told in September and again last month that he didn't get a supply of vaccine.

Sioux Falls, South Dakota -- Two anti-abortion counseling services have been allowed to join a legal battle over a state law that would further tighten abortion restrictions in South Dakota.

Federal Judge Karen Schreier recently granted a motion to allow the Alpha Center of Sioux Falls and the Black Hills Crisis Pregnancy Center of Rapid City to intervene in the federal lawsuit. Schreier says both organizations could be helped or harmed, depending on the outcome of the case. She also says the counseling centers have different interests than the main parties in the lawsuit.

The measure passed by the 2005 South Dakota Legislature would force doctors to tell women that abortions end human lives and may later cause serious psychological problems for women who have abortions. Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota has challenged the measure as unconstitutional.

Kansas City, Missouri -- Some legislators are worried that a proposed constitutional amendment to increase cigarette taxes for health care has language that could tie their hands in setting Medicaid spending.

The language also appears to conflict with part of the Missouri Constitution that prevents ballot measures from spelling out how lawmakers spend money. Critics say the confusion could open the measure to a legal challenge even before it gets on the ballot next November.

The amendment would raise taxes on cigarettes from 17 cents to 97 cents a pack and raise taxes on other tobacco products from 10 percent to 30 percent. All told, state officials estimate the measure could generate $351 million to $499 million a year.

The money would be dedicated to paying doctors and hospitals more to treat Medicaid and uninsured patients; providing debit cards for uninsured people with certain conditions to help cover medical expenses; and funding anti-smoking programs.

Phoenix, Arizona -- Only two years removed from record deficits, Arizona faces a possible $750 million budget surplus as Gov. Janet Napolitano and lawmakers head into 2006.

State leaders already are considering their options, which range from increased spending for education and pay hikes for state workers to tax cuts or putting the money away for an economic downturn.

The surplus is the result of record tax collections from Arizona's real estate, construction and tourism industries. Some lawmakers worry that the boom may soon turn into a bust and that much of the money should be socked away to offset a future deficit. Others say money should go to state employee pay raises.
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So expect some pitched political battles when the legislative session begins Jan. 9.

Reno, Nevada -- Blacks and Hispanics stopped by Reno police are twice as likely as whites to be searched, handcuffed or asked to get out of their vehicles after the stop is made, a new study says.

Reno police say initial findings of an ongoing study shows racial profiling is not a factor in the local traffic stops. But they said the department will accept a recommendation to continue studying the matter.

The 2001 Nevada Legislature required law enforcement agencies to conduct racial profiling studies in traffic stops. The Reno City Council authorized money for the study.

Bismarck, North Dakota -- - After nearly a month under a city smoking ban, restaurant-bar managers say business has dropped.

"We just don't see the crowds coming in for the late evenings like we used to," said Jason Johnson, the general manager of TGI Friday's in Bismarck. "Week nights and weekends - we notice around 9:30, the bar is pretty much empty."

The new city ordinance bans smoking in restaurant bars. It is more restrictive than state law, which allows smoking in bars that are part of restaurants, bowling alleys or motels, if the bars are enclosed.

Madison, Wisconsin -- The state Assembly on Thursday voted to make Wisconsin the first state to allow prison inmates access to Communion wine.

"If this bill passes and is signed into law, Wisconsin will allow prisoners who are alcoholics to consume alcohol in prison," said Rep. Joe Parisi, D- Madison. "This is not a First Amendment issue; this is a mental health issue."

But supporters of the measure, which passed the Republican-controlled Senate last month, said wine is a vital part of the sacrament for most Christians. Many ministers and priests say their faith precludes substituting grape juice for wine during prison Communions.

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania -- Two state Supreme Court justices – the only names on Pennsylvania’s Nov. 8 statewide ballot – ran into a buzz saw of voter wrath over a pay raise approved by legislators whose names won’t be on the ballot until next year.

Justice Sandra Schultz Newman squeaked by with only 54 percent approval, while voters ousted her fellow justice, Russell Nigro, with 51 percent voting to dump him. It is the first time that a judge has been tossed off the bench in the 36 years since the state established its retention system, which seeks voter approval of elected judges every 10 years.

Carbondale, Illinois -- President Bush's administration has threatened to sue Southern Illinois University, alleging its fellowship programs for minority and female students violate federal civil rights laws by discriminating against whites, men and others.

The U.S. Justice Department charged that three SIU programs that aim to increase minority enrollment in graduate school exclude whites, other minorities and males, in violation of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act.

"The University has engaged in a pattern or practice of intentional discrimination against whites, non-preferred minorities and males,'' says a Justice Department letter sent to the university last week.

Olympia, Washington -- Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) rejected ideas to impose a harder five-year deadline on welfare aid and cut back child care subsidies.

Instead, Gregoire will ask the Legislature for $46 million more in welfare funding. She expects that, combined with program changes, to close a $91 million hole in welfare spending in the state's two-year budget.

Seattle officials welcomed many of the governor's ideas and the fact that she decided not to restrict eligibility for child care subsidies. Seattle has its own child care program for families just above the state income limits, and the proposed change could have meant longer waits.

In the end, anti-poverty leaders were pleased with much of a final plan that calls for more money and faster case reviews and claims to improve child support collections, education and training.

Santa Fe, New Mexico -- Officials have their work cut out for them in re-establishing the state's fiscal integrity and investment reputation, winning back public confidence and minimizing fallout from the scandal that is rocking the state Treasurer's Office.

The trick will be convincing everyone who has an interest that the corruption was the act of individuals and is not systemic.

But the guilty plea Tuesday by former state Treasurer Michael Montoya - and his shocking admissions before federal Judge James Parker about kickbacks he got from investment commissions he funneled to cooperating investors - leaves no doubt the state needs extensive reforms.

Billings, Montana -- If Montanans want to see the economy grow, its physical and intellectual infrastructure must be upgraded and maintained, a Democratic state senator says.

“Companies move to where there are good schools, hospitals and infrastructure,” said Sen. Jim Elliott, D-Trout Creek. “We have good people, but we have to stop gutting infrastructure as the Republicans have.

Elliott, a holdover senator in the 2006 election cycle, is traveling the state, preparing the seedbed for Democrats running for the Legislature next year.

Democrats won the Montana Senate last year and gained a 50-50 tie in the House. They also captured the governor's seat, reversing a decade of GOP control of both chambers of the Legislature and the governor's office.

Lincoln, Nebraska -- Prosecutors plan to look at state birth records involving men who have fathered children with girls 15 and younger for possible legal action.

Attorney General Jon Bruning is involved in a highly-publicized prosecution of a Falls City man accused of impregnating and then marrying a 14-year-old girl.

State statistics show that men 19 years of age or older fathered 90 babies in Nebraska born to girls 15 or younger from 2000 through 2004 alone.

The agency also has records for all those births, listing the names of the mothers, fathers and their ages.

The Legislature last session eliminated the statute of limitations for prosecuting first-degree sexual assault. Before that, it was seven years.

Sacramento, California -- Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced the 2005 Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) program set a record with the seizure of 1,134,692 plants during the eradication season.

The 2005 total surpasses the previous record, set last year, by 513,377 plants.! The marijuana eradicated in 2005 had an estimated street value of more than $4.5 billion.

Headed by the California Department of Justice (DOJ), the multi-agency CAMP program also includes the California National Guard (CNG), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), the Central Valley High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (CVHIDTA), the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), California State Parks and local law enforcement agencies throughout the state.

Around the nation -- Less than three percent of the $250 billion settlement between the tobacco companies and the fifty states has been used to fund anti-smoking campaigns.

When the tobacco industry settled out of court with the 50 states seven years ago this month, state officials said the money would be used to prevent kids from starting to smoke.

Boise, Idaho -- The Idaho Transportation Dept. chose a joint venture of Washington Group International, Boise, and CH2M Hill, Denver, on Nov. 2 to manage a $1.2-billion expansion and construction program for more than 254 miles of highways.

The program, dubbed "Connecting Idaho," was approved by the state legislature in April as a means to improve highway safety and facilitate commerce in the state. Steve Johnson, senior executive vice president of Washington Group, says that the firm has been focused on the project since Gov. Dirk Kempthorne (R) delivered his address introducing it in January.

Olympia, Washington -- Voters who pulled the plug on dueling medical-malpractice initiatives may finally prod lawmakers to change the system, officials say.

Democratic legislative leaders believe their previous attempt at a compromise, which failed by a slim margin in the state Senate, is a strong starting point for the 2006 Legislature.

Some Republicans, however, say they're not ready to give up limits on pain-and-suffering awards that some blame for driving malpractice insurance rates to intolerable levels.

Juneau, Alaska -- Gov. Frank Murkowski said Wednesday he hasn't decided whether he's going to seek re-election next year and won't make up his mind until he finishes with the gas pipeline negotiations.

"I'll think about it after the gas line. I'm just not ready to do it," the Republican governor told reporters in Juneau.

The wait could pose a problem for other possible Republican candidates waiting for Murkowski to decide before they commit to the race. Campaign finance law limits the amount candidates can get from a contributor in each calendar year. So politicians not raising money by New Year's are at a disadvantage.

Republican Lt. Gov. Loren Leman said Wednesday he will run for governor if Murkowski doesn't. But Leman has not ruled out challenging Murkowski and is not going to wait forever for Murkowski to make a decision.

Former Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin is running for governor no matter what Murkowski does. But at least two other Republicans, Fairbanks Sen. Ralph Seekins and Fairbanks businessman John Binkley, are waiting to hear Murkowski's plans before making a decision.

Meanwhile, the two Democratic candidates for governor, state Reps. Ethan Berkowitz and Eric Croft, have started their campaigns and are raising money.

Anchorage pollster Ivan Moore said he thinks it's a smart political move for Murkowski to keep quiet. Republicans interested in challenging Murkowski in next year's Republican primary are "going to be very hard pressed to succeed unless they raise a significant amount of money this year," Moore said.

That of course is Murkowski's whole point in this charade. No serious campaign watcher really thinks he'll take a pass on re-election.

Austin, Texas -- Texas social conservatives want to translate their resounding victory on a gay marriage ban into broader results: reducing the state's divorce rate and passing a nationwide amendment to prevent same-sex unions.

Rep. Warren Chisum, who wrote the amendment, Proposition 2, endorsed by Texas voters by a ratio of more than 3-1, said Wednesday that it's too easy for spouses to split up.

The state should consider repealing or modifying its no-fault divorce law, the Pampa Republican said.

"Gee whiz, our divorce rate's higher than New York," Mr. Chisum said.

He proposed that between now and their next regular session in 2007, lawmakers study ways "to make marriage thrive more in our state."

Meanwhile, leaders of the pro-amendment campaign said Tuesday's vote should add momentum to the drive to have Congress pass a federal constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage.

Texas became the 19th state to place a gay marriage ban in its constitution with an overwhelming vote Tuesday, 76 percent to 24 percent. Just one of Texas' 254 counties – Travis, home of traditionally liberal Austin – voted against it.

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