News Round-up
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ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Experimental wind turbines installed at taxpayer expense on the Michael V. DiSalle Government Center in Toledo failed less than two years after installation and are now sitting unused. Renewable energy advocates had promised the rooftop wind turbines would save taxpayers thousands of dollars each year in reduced electricity costs for the building. Natural gas exploration in shale formations could create more than 47,000 jobs in Illinois and spur $9 billion in statewide economic development, concludes a new study released by the Illinois Chamber Foundation. Anti-biotechnology activists submitted 350,000 signatures from registered Washington voters to put a proposed genetic modification labeling law on the state’s November 2013 election ballot. The 350,000 signatures must be verified, but are 100,000 more than necessary to put the measure on the ballot. It’s not often that cynical official Washington is outraged by chutzpah, but it happened recently when 18 Democrat senators and senators-elect sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking for a delay in the effective date of Obamacare’s medical device tax. We've seen a torrent of news from HHS over the past few days, particularly on the question of whether affordability would be determined by the price for individual coverage or for family coverage. This was a critical question because of a glitch in Obamacare which we've covered before. Essentially, the government had to choose how the affordability of a premium was calculated - whether it would be based on the price for an individual (cheaper, but covers fewer people) or for a family (far more expensive, but covers more people). EDUCATION A new study concludes girls get higher grades because they are less trouble in class. University of Georgia and Columbia University researchers found girls’ classroom decorum influences how their teachers—consciously or unconsciously—assess their performance A Utah state senator has proposed letting private investors put up $10 million dollars to fund more preschool for “at-risk” students eligible for special education. If the program proves kids learn from it, the state would pay the investors back. BUDGETS AND TAXES Top Republicans are veering away from fellow Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s transportation-funding initiative, and a growing number of alternative plans threaten to block its passage. The biggest problem facing the U.S. highway system is inadequate funding. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s latest biennial “conditions and performance” report finds that just to maintain the current state-of-repair of highways and bridges, and to prevent congestion from getting worse, would require annual spending of $101 billion, compared with the current $91 billion being spent at federal, state, and local levels. FINANCE, INSURANCE, REAL ESTATE Illinois state government has canceled a $500 million debt sale, just days after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the state’s credit rating to the worst in the nation. Nearly 20 years ago, Coy Koontz Sr., now deceased, sought a permit for four acres of his property in Orange County, Florida to be available for development, so he could sell the property and fund his retirement. TECH It’s the New Year, the pre-dawn of President Barack Obama’s second term – in which he is free to be more “flexible,” and is resolved to engage in even more illegal, unilateral power grabs. . LEGAL AFFAIRS An Ohio teacher is suing her school district for discrimination after they reassigned her from a high school to a junior high school and pressed her to resign. |
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