July 1, 2021

Tropical Storm Elsa forms, expected to reach Gulf of Mexico next week

Tropical Storm Elsa formed overnight in the Atlantic and is expected to reach the Gulf of Mexico next week, forecasters with National Hurricane Center said Thursday morning.

It's too early to tell if the storm could be a threat to Louisiana.

The latest track from the National Hurricane Center has Elsa entering the Gulf of Mexico early Tuesday on the western side of the Florida. However, forecasters said there is "significant" uncertainty in the long-range track.

Elsa is the fifth named storm of the 2021 hurricane season. The categories, in order of increasing strength, are tropical depression, tropical storm and hurricane (categories 1 through 5).

Read more: https://www.nola.com/news/hurricane/article_3d1b68be-d9f0-11eb-8c5a-0f99ca1efc46.html

July 1, 2021

'Y'all are crappy neighbors': Rutherford County residents slam landfill expansion plan at public

‘Y’all are crappy neighbors’: Rutherford County residents slam landfill expansion plan at public hearing


Rutherford county residents on Monday evening blasted a plan to expand a regional landfill located in fast-growing Murfreesboro suburbs that serves as the final destination for trash from 27 surrounding counties.

Republic Services, operators of the Middle Point Landfill, have proposed expanding the controversial landfill by nearly 100 acres, lengthening its estimated 7 years of remaining life by upwards of 25 more years.

The expansion would be a win for Rutherford County residents, who do not have to pay for trash hauling under the city’s operating agreement, Mike Classen, the landfill’s general manager, told a packed audience at the Rutherford County courthouse during the meeting of the Tennessee Region Solid Waste Planning Board.

“It doesn’t get more cost effective than free,” Classen said.

His message was greeted with skepticism — and, at times, outright hostility — by more than a dozen local residents who stepped forward to take turns at the microphone to speak about odors that seeped into homes, layers of dust that covered patio furniture days after being wiped down, damaged roads from trash trucks and concern about the impact of air and water quality from the landfill, which sits adjacent to the source of the county’s water supply.

Read more: https://tennesseelookout.com/2021/06/29/yall-are-crappy-neighbors-rutherford-county-residents-slam-landfill-expansion-plan-at-public-hearing/

July 1, 2021

Louisiana state worker insurance to cover obesity surgery after governor signs bill into law

Louisiana's health insurer for state workers, teachers and retirees will soon cover weight loss surgery for people who are obese, under a bill signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Sen. Regina Barrow, a Baton Rouge Democrat, had previously tried to get the Office of Group Benefits to cover gastric bypass surgery and other types of weight loss surgeries, to lessen the health conditions associated with obesity. But lawmakers had raised concern about the costs.

Barrow made some adjustments to the legislation and won unanimous support from the House and Senate in the recently ended legislative session. The governor agreed to the idea and signed the bill, which will take effect Aug. 1.

To be eligible for the health procedure, members of the Office of Group Benefits insurance system must have a body mass index of at least 40 — or 35 or more if they have two qualifying health conditions. They'll have to pay 20% of the costs for preoperative services and a $2,500 co-pay and other charges for the surgery.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_969ef4c6-d6a5-11eb-8e5c-7b579cb5d211.html

July 1, 2021

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh move ahead with plastic bag bans as Pennsylvania's preemption nears its

Philadelphia and Pittsburgh move ahead with plastic bag bans as Pennsylvania’s preemption nears its end


HARRISBURG — Cities and townships hoping to ban plastic bags within their borders may finally have the legal authority to do so in Pennsylvania.

When the Republican-controlled legislature passed the state budget last week, it didn’t renew a statewide preemption on single-use plastics, opening the door for cities and municipalities to approve new prohibitions or enforce existing bans.

Officials and activists from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh hailed the decision as a win for curbing the environmental impact of plastic. Philadelphia and some of its surrounding townships had filed suit to challenge the state’s preemption, asserting it was unconstitutionally slipped into a budget-related bill.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a bunch of municipalities moving swiftly to try and get their own policies on the book,” said David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment and a supporter of the ban.

Read more: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/06/pa-plastic-bag-ban-preemption-philadelphia-pittsburgh/

July 1, 2021

N.J. attorney general stepping down to lead SEC's enforcement division

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, the first Sikh-American attorney general in U.S. history, will be leaving his position to join the Securities and Exchange Commission at the end of next month.

Starting July 26, Grewal will serve as director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, the agency said Tuesday.

"The Enforcement Division has a critical role to play in finding and punishing violations of the law," Grewal said. "I'm excited to get to work with the talented team of public servants to uncover and prosecute misconduct and protect investors. I thank Governor Murphy for the opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey and all of the colleagues with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work during my career in the state."

"I'm honored and delighted to welcome Attorney General Grewal to the SEC," SEC Chair Gary Gensler said. "He has had a distinguished career as New Jersey's chief law enforcement officer and as a prosecutor at both the local and federal levels. He has the ideal combination of experience, values and leadership ability to helm the Enforcement Division at this critical time. I look forward to working closely with him to protect investors and root out wrongdoing in our markets."

Grewal has served as New Jersey's top law enforcement official since Jan. 2018 after being nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy and confirmed by the state legislature.

Read more: https://www.phillyvoice.com/new-jersey-attorney-general-gurbir-grewal-stepping-down-sec/

July 1, 2021

Left out of state budget, Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will 'maintain minimum services' with Ag

Left out of state budget, Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement will ‘maintain minimum services’ with Ag funds


The state Department of Agriculture will kick in $1.5 million from its own budget after state lawmakers failed to approve supplemental funding for dog law enforcement across Pennsylvania.

Officials confirmed the transfer out of the agency’s $34.9 million general government operations fund on Tuesday. The $1.5 million is the same amount the Wolf administration sought in the form of a supplemental transfer in the $40.8 billion spending plan that the Legislature approved last week.

The bureau had been the recipient of a $1.2 million supplemental transfer a year prior.

The funds will cover the difference between the revenue the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement generates from dog licensing fees and its expenses. The fee for dog licenses in Pennsylvania has not changed in more than two decades, creating gaps in funding for the bureau as operating costs continue to rise.

“These funds will be used to continue maintaining minimum mandated services until the legislature acts to increase the dog license fee,” Agriculture Department spokesperson Shannon Powers told the Capital-Star.

Read more: https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/left-out-of-state-budget-bureau-of-dog-law-enforcement-will-maintain-minimum-services-with-ag-funds/

July 1, 2021

Mike Curb joins fight against Tennessee anti-trans bathroom signage bill with federal suit

A contentious Tennessee bill requiring businesses to post signs if they allow transgender people to use the bathroom of their choosing is facing another attack in the courts.

Mike Curb, music industry heavy-hitter and former California lawmaker, called the law discriminatory and hostile when announcing a new federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

“My grandmother Eloisa Salazar faced incredible discrimination as she grew up on the Mexico-U.S. border, and her experience shaped my family’s and my company’s values. It is hard to believe that our LGBT community in Tennessee is being assaulted with so much harmful legislation, much of it being signed by Governor Lee, at a time when our country needs to come together more than ever before," Curb said in an emailed release.

The first-of-its-kind law requires businesses to post signs about transgender-friendly bathrooms and is expected to take effect July 1. It was signed by Gov. Bill Lee in May.

Read more: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2021/06/30/tennessee-anti-trans-bathroom-signage-bill-federal-lawsuit-mike-curb/7814422002/

July 1, 2021

Leaders of Young Dems call for end of "slate," urge accountability and change

A group of leaders of the Young Democrats have released a letter calling on the Kentucky Democratic Party to ensure fairness and transparency in the election of its executive committee. Specifically, the letter calls for the end of a “governor’s slate” of candidates for the committee, and for the equal treatment of all persons running for the committee.

The letter comes two days before the KDP state convention, at which time the quadrennial “reorganization” process will culminate with the election of members of the State Central Executive Committee, the leadership board of the party.

The Young Democrats movement has been growing in recent years across the state, both in numbers and in activity. It appears they are ready to make their voices heard within the party as well.

Here is the letter as received by numerous media outlets across the state.

Read more: https://forwardky.com/leaders-of-young-dems-call-for-end-of-slate-urge-accountability-and-change/

June 30, 2021

Hutchinson will send Arkansas troops to the Mexican border. Why? Who knows?

Well, it didn’t take long for Governor Hutchinson to back off expressed reluctance to send Arkansans to the Mexican border.

At a news conference earlier today in which he said he would NOT send state troopers, as some states have done, he noted a difference between a request from governors and the president; a question about the mission, and a question about whether the Arkansas Guard had specific abilities useful to the mission.

Read more: https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2021/06/29/update-hutchinson-will-send-arkansas-troops-to-the-mexican-border-why-who-knows

June 30, 2021

ACHE receives $32M gift to promote health and wellness

The Arkansas Colleges of Health Education (ACHE) received a $32.3 million anonymous gift to fund a health-and-wellness initiative in Fort Smith and surrounding areas.

“This tremendous, anonymous gift will help ACHE continue to fulfill its mission at a much faster pace,” CEO Kyle Parker said. “We are not just studying problems; we are creating solutions.”

Plans are in place for how this donation will be used at ACHE. Renovations are already underway on the ACHE Research Institute Health and Wellness Center (RI/HWC) in Fort Smith and should be completed by December 2022. The updated facility will offer health-professions and scientific-community students opportunities in a variety of disciplines while allowing other institutions to take part in inter-professional education combining the arts with clinical intervention and discovery research to promote health and wellness in the community.

Parker said the first floor of the center comprising more than 60,000 square feet and another 15,000 square feet outside will be converted into a new health-and-wellness center that will house a community art gallery and more. It also will include space for art instruction for students and the community; an artist-in-residence program; applied arts where occupational- and physical-therapy students can create and produce adaptive devices using a 3-D printer; a ceramics lab with kiln to improve hand and eye coordination and art creation; and a performing arts theatre for productions and dance.

Read more: https://armoneyandpolitics.com/ache-receives-32m-gift-to-promote-health-and-wellness/