Miami-Dade commission sets special election for $830 million Jackson bond
Miami-Dade voters will go to the polls in November to decide whether to increase their property-tax rates to fund a major overhaul of Jackson Health System, the county’s public safety-net hospital...
View ArticleJeff King: Missed bill takes toll
Missed bill takes toll As our government concerns itself with private banks that charge too much for...
View ArticleBoardwalks and new parking would expand Hatteras beach access
Now that surf fishers and vacationers are shelling out $2 million a year for permits to drive on the beach at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the National Park Service has the money it needs for...
View ArticleSC farmers push for federal farm bill deal
COLUMBIA, SC — Faced with shifting federal support, rising labor demands and crumbling roads and bridges at home, South Carolina farmers issued a challenge Friday to lawmakers here and in Washington:...
View ArticleKansas Views on picking judges, concealed-carry, voting law, open meetings
Picking judges – Kansas legislators put the “process” of selecting judges for the state’s second highest court almost entirely in the hands of one person: the governor, now Gov. Sam Brownback....
View ArticleTollTags will become your next utility bill
For Meredith Bartlemay of Plano, paying her monthly TollTag account is like settling another utility bill. Until recently, Bartlemay worked in Hurst and racked up about $110 a month, most of it going...
View ArticleMyths abound in immigration reform debate
From fence opt-out clauses to free phones for immigrants, PolitiFact has tracked the rhetoric of the immigration debate — and heard plenty of falsehoods. With a bill now heading to the House, we...
View ArticleKansas considering tolls to upgrade KC-area highways
Drivers regularly drop a couple bucks as they shuttle along the Kansas Turnpike. In the years to come, pay-your-way driving could take over parts of Interstate 35, Kansas 10 and other highways that...
View ArticleDirty trick? TxDOT bypasses legislature to enact law through ‘rule change’
Indeed, they’d do it using the so-called ‘availability payment’ model, which they initially tried but failed to get passed as legislation, House Bill 3650, during the 83rd regular session of the...
View ArticleAqua NC, state’s biggest private water utility, to raise rates again
Aqua North Carolina, the state’s biggest private water and sewer company, has notified state officials it plans to seek its third rate increase in five years. The company already charges about twice...
View ArticleGov. Rick Scott learns special taxing districts have clout
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Rick Scott sounded determined a year and a half ago when he demanded a thorough review of obscure special taxing districts that have the power to “tax, spend and incur debt at the...
View ArticlePlans approved for Southeast Raleigh parks projects
RALEIGH — Two parks projects scheduled to begin construction next year will draw new visitors to Southeast Raleigh – for very different reasons. The Raleigh City Council on Tuesday approved plans for...
View ArticleMcCrory breaks his promise on abortion
On Friday, N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory reneged on his promise not to allow further restrictions on abortions in the state. Yes, he did some fancy footwork, dancing around his broken promise, telling...
View ArticleBanks branch out in the Triangle
After a hiatus of several years, banks are once again moving into the Triangle or expanding their presence here. The Bank of North Carolina, which had no local presence until three years ago, is...
View ArticleAlamo Drafthouse Cinema brings its air of Austin cool to DFW
RICHARDSON — When Wooderson, the iconic stoner played by Matthew McConaughey in the 1993 coming-of-age comedy Dazed and Confused, strides across the giant screen set up in a parking lot at Central...
View ArticleColumbia taxpayers get early glimpse of their bill for Bull Street neighborhood
COLUMBIA, SC — Early conversations by Columbia City Council about the public money it might use to pay for the city’s commitment to the Bull Street neighborhood project already are burdened with doubt....
View ArticleBig investment groups buying up Charlotte homes
Wall Street-backed investment groups have emerged as a new breed of homebuyer in Charlotte, snapping up homes in middle-class neighborhoods across the city to turn them into rentals. Four of the most...
View ArticleVeterans find out-of-state military service can cost big when starting college
WASHINGTON Some military service members and veterans are being denied their most well-known government benefit: college tuition coverage. Ted Spencer, a Navy veteran who grew up in Charlotte, N.C.,...
View ArticleFort Worth council asked to deny injured officer’s benefits
FORT WORTH — A Fort Worth police officer who is paralyzed from the chest down could lose her extended leave benefits if the Fort Worth City Council votes Tuesday to deny a request to extend them for a...
View ArticleFort Worth council ask to deny officer’s benefits
FORT WORTH — A Fort Worth police officer who is paralyzed from the chest down could lose her extended leave benefits if the Fort Worth City Council votes Tuesday to deny a request to extend them for a...
View ArticleTime runs out on fight to preserve Fort Worth prairie
A determined grassroots effort to preserve a pristine patch of prairie south of Fort Worth appears to have run out of time. Dubbed the by Jarid Manos, who spearheaded the long-odds preservation attempt...
View ArticleSome security experts criticize Blue Cross’ handling of private data
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina periodically shares the private personal and health information of hundreds of thousands of clients with a third-party company that designs the insurance...
View ArticleSome security experts criticize Blue Cross’ handling of private data
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina periodically shares the private personal and health information of hundreds of thousands of clients with a third-party company that designs the insurance...
View ArticleNC legislators consider curbing power to protest local developments
RALEIGH Legislators may scale back the power of property owners to fight developers, with a bill that would eliminate the use of the “protest petition,” a bargaining chip for the neighbors of gas...
View ArticleEditorial: Texas lawmakers’ stubborn refusal to pay for roads
Longtime North Texans can regale you with the back-in-the-day wonder of tossing a quarter into a basket in Dallas for the privilege of driving a clean, modern, no-stop-light road all the way to Six...
View ArticlePublic raises concerns at hearing on I-77 toll lanes
After Thursday’s second and final public hearing on the proposed design and location Interstate 77 toll lanes, the project is one step closer to construction. The public open-house and hearing was held...
View ArticleRoad Worrier: NC leaders hope road dollars can sweeten a sour economy
RALEIGH — We need jobs. We don’t have a lot of money to spend on new roads and transit projects. So let’s focus those few dollars where they will stimulate job growth and economic development. That’s...
View ArticleLocal politics needs more genuine diversity
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the constraints of our political choices. The sameness of our political incumbents and their challengers’ socio-economic composition is alarming. Many times the...
View ArticleWhat you see is what you get
Before the infamous snow cone-shaped Hills of Snow structure in Smithfield became a symbol of summertime and a must-see landmark for tourists, it was a play place for Kristy Hill Hinnant. When Hill...
View ArticleNew nutrition standards may make students healthier but hurt the bottom line
Eighth-grader Hannah Edwards often brings her lunch from home because she’s not a fan of the cafeteria food at East Cary Middle School. But she’s happy to supplement her meal with a snack from school;...
View ArticleSenate Republicans unveil stricter NC voter ID bill
RALEIGH Resurrecting one of the legislative session’s most contentious issues, Senate Republicans unveiled a new voter ID bill Thursday that would further restrict the forms of photo identification...
View ArticleS.R. 836 toll plaza to stop accepting cash Sunday
Though new toll rates and full-fledged electronic toll collection will not go into effect until next year on State Roads 836 and 112 — the Dolphin and Airport expressways — an initial step in that...
View ArticleReal Deals: NC Realtors experience rare political defeat with tax bill
When it comes to the real estate industry and politics, it’s rare that the industry ends up on the losing side of a debate no matter the party in charge. Its lobbying prowess at the local, state and...
View ArticleI-77 toll lane hearing in Charlotte tonight
The state will hold a second and final open house and public hearing today on its proposed design and location of Interstate 77 toll lanes from Brookshire Freeway in Charlotte to just past Exit 35 in...
View ArticleNC tax bill closes some loopholes while preserving and extending many others
RALEIGH Chiropractors are losing a sales tax break that may increase the cost of vitamins and other nutritional supplements for their patients. Newspapers would have to charge sales tax to subscribers...
View Articlean even better version of the story
LOS ANGELES -- — I’ve written a new lede for this story because there have been major developments. Virginia’s governor is livid that his famously tight-fisted state could face higher borrowing costs...
View ArticleSounding Off: How do rising toll rates affect your commute?
RAISE YOUR VOICE: Share your own opinion online at dallasnews.com/sendletters. Sign up for Sounding Off or submit a guest column (and include your full name and contact information) by visiting...
View ArticleCary mayor: ‘We’ll take what we can get’ in lake cleanup
Wake County’s elected officials may have saved the Jordan Lake Rules, but they predict several years’ delay for efforts to keep polluting runoff out of the regional water supply. To replace the...
View ArticleCash tolls end on Dolphin Expressway
Drivers on State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway will no longer be able to pay the toll with cash. On Sunday, the toll plaza went all electronic. From...
View Article• 07/22/2013 - Illinois Tollway Launches Mobile Website for I-PASS Customers...
(Source: State of Illinois) NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 22, 2013 ILLINOIS TOLLWAY LAUNCHES MOBILE WEBSITE FOR I-PASS CUSTOMERS Managing I-PASS accounts now possible anytime, anywhere DOWNERS GROVE,...
View ArticleNC land vs. power line case heads to court
The collision between a wealthy video game developer and the Rutherford County electric cooperative that’s condemning his land is headed to court. Video game developer Tim Sweeney estimates that his...
View ArticleUnconstitutional loan guarantee by highway department raises ire
There’s a catch to TxDOT’s loan guarantee. The Texas Constitution prohibits the state highway fund from being used to guarantee loans: "Nothing contained herein shall be construed as authorizing the...
View ArticleN.C. budget gives locals a veto over ferry tolls
RALEIGH — Unable to settle a two-year argument over competing proposals to make travelers start paying for trips on ferry routes that have always been toll-free, state legislators have decided to let...
View ArticleCritics: Spending on Miami-Dade highway landscaping excessive
During the recent debate over a new toll rate on State Road 836/Dolphin Expressway, critics accused the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority of spending excessive amounts of money on landscaping for its...
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