Prisons Hit Hard By Virginia Budget Cuts; Utah’s Time-Zone Change?
The Virginia State Capitol in Richmond. Adam Bies / Shutterstock.com
Also in our State & Local news roundup: ‘I don’t feel safe’ in Harrisburg, says armed lawmaker who opened fire on city streets.
Here is our State & Local news roundup for Thursday, October 16, 2014 ...
RICHMOND, Virginia: Virginia’s prisons will see 90 percent of the 565 layoffs planned for state executive agencies in a budget-cutting plan aimed at cutting spending by $92.4 million this year. As Michael Martz of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced on Wednesday that state aid to state universities and colleges and local governments will be cut, too.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah: The Beehive State might dump daylight savings time. Bolstered by a survey of state residents showing a majority would favor staying on Mountain Standard Time all year, two state legislators are considering a bill that would would have Utah match Arizona’s time scheme, which stays on standard time all year, Lee Davidson of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg
HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania: A Pennsylvania state legislator who carries a handgun for safety exchanged gunfire on the streets of Harrisburg during an attempted armed robbery on Tuesday night. The incident, according to Wallace McKelvey of the Patriot News raised awareness about the safety of lawmakers and staffers around the Capitol. "I don't feel safe walking the streets in Harrisburg," the lawmaker said.
SPOKANE, Washington: Mayor Dave Condon is forgoing a $7,000 pay raise saying that the issue of his proposed 2015 pay hike has become a distraction for the city. As Nicholas Deshais reports for The Spokesman-Review, “Condon’s salary was set to climb to nearly $180,000, which would almost match that of Seattle’s mayor. The increase in pay sparked an uproar, and the City Council said the budget didn’t reflect the ‘community’s values.’”
ELKHART, Indiana: City officials are putting the brakes on a proposed new ordinance that would establish new regulations and inspections for restaurants and other businesses that dump, fats, oils and grease into the city’s sewers. As Dan Spaulding of The Elkhart Truth reports, the city plans to do additional outreach with business owners and rethink some of the rules, which have been criticized by some as burdensome.
(Top image via Adam Beis / Shutterstock.com; second image via bodhichita / Shutterstock.com)
NEXT STORY: The Urban Future of the American Suburb