Recent Updates

  • Mo. high court hears arguments on incentive fund

    Mo. high court hears arguments on incentive fund

    Politics 09/21/2012

    Missouri Supreme Court judges are weighing two potentially contradictory sections of legislation while deciding whether a new law creating an incentive fund for high-tech businesses can take effect. Arguments Wednesday before the high court focused o...

  • Federal agency charged with enforcing consumer finance laws

    Federal agency charged with enforcing consumer finance laws

    Politics 09/13/2012

    The new federal agency charged with enforcing consumer finance laws is emerging as an ambitious sheriff, taking on companies for deceptive fees and marketing and unmoved by protests that its tactics go too far. In the 14 months it has existed, the Co...

  • N.Y. probing equity firms, including Bain

    N.Y. probing equity firms, including Bain

    Politics 09/05/2012

    New York's attorney general is investigating tax strategies of some of the nation's largest private equity firms, including Bain Capital, founded by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, an official familiar with the probe said Sunday. Attorne...

  • Federal court rejects GOP-drawn Texas voting maps

    Federal court rejects GOP-drawn Texas voting maps

    Politics 08/29/2012

    Stadiums and hospitals removed from the districts of black congressional members and country clubs newly drawn into those of white incumbents. A lawyer emailing "No bueno" to a Republican staffer about plans that risked leaving a paper trail and jeop...

  • Court upholds summary for St. Louis police measure

    Court upholds summary for St. Louis police measure

    Politics 08/22/2012

    A Missouri appellate court has upheld the proposed ballot summary for an initiative that would end state control of the St. Louis Police Department.The Missouri Court of Appeals' Western District ruled Tuesday that the summary is fair and sufficient....

  • Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law

    Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law

    Politics 08/15/2012

    A Pennsylvania judge isn't stopping a tough new voter identification law from going into effect.Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson on Wednesday refused to grant an injunction that would have halted the law requiring each voter to show a valid ph...

  • Fed. appeals court denies ex-Ill. governor appeal

    Fed. appeals court denies ex-Ill. governor appeal

    Politics 08/08/2012

    A federal appellate court in Chicago has denied an appeal filed by imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan.The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals released a 16-page ruling on Monday denying the 78-year-old Republican's appeal.A ruling in his favor...

  • Pa.'s tough, new voter ID law heads to court

    Pa.'s tough, new voter ID law heads to court

    Politics 07/25/2012

    The first legal test for Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification law is arriving.A state Commonwealth Court judge will begin a hearing Wednesday on whether to block the law from taking effect in this year's election while the court considers a ...

  • Goldman agrees to settle mortgage debt class action

    Goldman agrees to settle mortgage debt class action

    Politics 07/18/2012

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with investors who claimed losses on $698 million of securities backed by risky mortgage loans issued by defunct subprime lender New Century Financial Corp. Lawyers for the investors...

  •  Wash. Senate hopeful sought to seal court files

    Wash. Senate hopeful sought to seal court files

    Politics 07/18/2012

    A couple months before Brad Toft emerged as the only Republican in a crucial state Senate race, he pressed officials to seal records from a past court case. In a signed letter, Toft seemed to suggest that he wasn't the same person cited in the court ...

  • Wis. town barred from beefing up farm water rules

    Wis. town barred from beefing up farm water rules

    Politics 07/11/2012

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a rural town lacksthe authority to impose tougher water-quality standards on a livestockfarm than the state requires.Magnolia, a community about 30 miles south of Madison, granted LarsonAcres Inc. a pe...

  • Texas Voter ID Law to be Tested in a Federal Court

    Texas Voter ID Law to be Tested in a Federal Court

    Politics 07/09/2012

    The fate of Texas' controversial new voter ID law - which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls - is set to be decided this week in a federal court in Washington. The state, which claims the law will prevent voter fraud, is seekin...