Stories From The States

West Virginia lawmakers fought until the wee hours of the morning – and the final minutes of this year’s session March 14 over Raylee’s Law . Named for 8-year-old Raylee Browning, the bill would have prevented a parent from pulling a child out of public school to homeschool if social services is investigating abuse or neglect in the home. One of the highest profile bills of the session, the measur...

At least 37 states offer some sort of financial incentives to businesses building data centers. The incentives aren’t just a drop in the bucket either. In Virginia, for instance, the state has notched up about $1.6 billion in data center tax breaks.  Public opposition is on the rise, however, and some states such as Virginia and Ohio are reconsidering whether to keep offering the financial breaks....

States legislators have advanced a record number of bills attacking LGBTQ rights over the past few years. Many bills include, but aren’t limited to, restrictions on access to health care, forced outings in schools or barriers to accurate IDs. In February, the Kansas legislature passed a new law that invalidated driver’s licenses and criminalizes bathroom use for transgender residents. Trans people...

Executions in the United States have been on the decline over the past few decades, yet 27 states still enforce the death penalty – and many are imposing it more often.  One very recent case in Alabama illustrates the complicated and emotional debates unfolding around the death penalty.  In 2025, Alabama executed five people, and the state was set for its first execution of 2026 this month. Charle...

Since the 2022 Dobbs decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, state governments decide how they’ll regulate abortion. This includes which organizations receive reproductive health funding.  Crisis pregnancy centers, religiously affiliated organizations that advertise free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds but dissuade women from pursuing abortions, are seeing an influx of taxpayer dollars. At the same ti...

For years, voucher and scholarship programs that used taxpayer dollars for private school tuition were limited to low-income or special needs students.  Now, states like Arizona, Iowa and Texas have universal programs that allow any student to use public money for private school tuition. By the 2026-2027 school year, at least 17 states are expected to have that policy.  There’s been a significant...

Since President Donald Trump’s return to office, elections have been a priority for his administration.  The FBI raid of an election warehouse in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing 2020 ballots. The Department of Justice demanding voter registration lists and other information from all states. Mail-in ballots at risk of not being postmarked. Trump’s threat of a federal takeover of state elections. Tr...

President Donald Trump is still pushing Republican-led states to redistrict their congressional maps to help the GOP maintain control of the House of Representatives after the 2026 midterm elections. It led to an unusual burst of mid-decade redistricting in some states, such as Texas and North Carolina that have passed new maps increasing a GOP advantage. Democratic-led states California and Virgi...

For years, private prison companies have been a key partner to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the government carried out its immigration agenda. In 2025, they’ve been rapidly expanding, though they’re also facing pushback in several states.  CoreCivic is one of the biggest private prison companies in the United States, whose pockets have gotten substantially deeper after President Don...

For decades, government funding was withheld from historically Black public colleges and universities, such as Tennessee State University.  States across the South have grappled with the question: What could be possible if those debts were repaid? In Episode 13, we’ll hear from our colleagues at the Tennessee Lookout and WPLN News.  Together, they produced The Debt , a reported project and podcast...

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs have faced constant attacks from the current Trump administration.  Early in his second term, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders to terminate federal programs with any mention of DEI. This included the end of funding to some National Institutes of Health programs.  Some states pushed back, and now the Trump administration has agreed to d...

In the days since Jan. 7, when Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, the public is getting a closer look at how many communities are resisting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.  Volunteer rapid-response teams and loosely organized patrols in Minneapolis and other cities are tracking and following federal immigration agents to disrupt operations and...

With the rise of AI development, tech companies are investing billions to build massive data centers.  Virginia is home to over 500 data centers and counting . State officials there say their construction will boost local economies and create long-term jobs.  One former data center technician in South Carolina doesn’t agree. And anxious residents are pushing back against the projects worried they...

State lawmakers have taken the lead on regulating kratom. The controversial herbal supplement is often used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms.  Last summer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration pushed to ban 7-hydroxymitragynine, also known as 7-OH, saying it posed serious health risks and should be classified as a controlled substance with heroin and LSD.  In Louisiana, leg...

The Trump administration proposed $12 billion in aid to farmers to help recover from temporary market disruptions and high production costs.  However, the administration did not mention the effect of the tariffs that Trump put into place, which critics have said are responsible for decreased agricultural exports and hurting farmers’ bottom lines.  While these one-time payments are expected to prov...

As childhood vaccination rates fall, several diseases once considered eradicated are back and spreading, most notably measles and whooping cough.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been vocal in changing vaccine recommendations for children, particularly calling for restrictions on COVID-19 and Hepatitis B vaccines. It’s all despite the CDC’s own data showing they are safe and eff...

SNAP benefits are back, but the federal government is hinting at changes to the food-assistance program. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins has called for the almost 42 million people who receive SNAP to reapply and has threatened to yank funding from Democratic-led states.  Meanwhile, some food banks and food pantries are experiencing an increase in demand even after the government reopene...

If you’re standing along the beach in southeast Rhode Island, you might see some wind turbines out in the ocean. They are part of a major project meant to build up the renewable energy supplies in Rhode Island and Connecticut eventually powering 350,000 homes.  The Revolution Wind project was about 80% completed when the Trump administration abruptly paused its construction. Although work has now...

This week we’re detouring from our regular programming exploring current events in the states and D.C. to revisit a collaboration delving into the most contentious yet successful wildlife restoration story in U.S. history – wolf reintroduction.  We’re handing the reins to our colleagues at the Idaho Capital Sun and Boise State Public Radio . Earlier this year, they released a five-episode podcast...

Many GOP-led states like Indiana are facing pressure from the president to redistrict.  However, Utah’s redistricting fight was spearheaded by voters, who ultimately won.   In Episode 3, Katie McKellar from the Utah News Dispatch will break down the state’s recent redistricting fight between anti-gerrymandering groups and the Utah Legislature.  You’ll also meet Katharine Biele , one of the plainti...

Across the country, many communities are seeing an increased presence of federal immigration agents. Chicago, Los Angeles and New York City have seen aggressive and sometimes violent tactics from ICE officers trying to apprehend people from the street and from their homes.  In Episode 2, you’ll meet Ayman Soliman , a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain. He was detained by ICE for 73 day...

The passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” deeply slashed Medicaid funding. Almost $1 trillion will be cut from the program over the next ten years. But what does it look like for recipients now in 2025?   In Episode 1, you’ll meet a current recipient, 26-year-old Emma Widmar from Racine, Wisconsin, who considers Medicaid a lifeline.  "I simply would not be able to have a quality of life. I would...

The federal government is making drastic changes to public policy and pushing so many programs “back to the states”.  It’s hard to know what it all means for you, your family and your community.  Stories From The States will put into perspective how what’s going on around one side of the country could affect you on the other end. Our first episode launches Friday, November 7th.  States Newsroom is...

Daily news especially in today’s time can get overwhelming. At times it’s hard to keep up how it all could impact you, your family and your community.  To help with that, we’re launching Stories From the States.  Here’s an exclusive sneak peek into an upcoming episode on the impacts of Medicaid funding cuts.  Our first episode launches on Friday November 7th.  States Newsroom is the largest nonpro...

We’re launching a podcast to help make the news cycle a bit more digestible.  Host and States Newsroom publisher Chris Fitzsimon, with producer Mallory Cheng, will focus on one theme in the news playing out in the states.  Each episode will put into perspective how what’s going on around one side of the country could affect you on the other end. Our first episode launches on Friday November 7th. ...