Thirty states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving; 11 of the laws were passed this year. The assertion that those efforts are futile will be a major issue at this week's annual meeting here of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Researchers at the Highway Loss Data Institute compared rates of collision insurance claims in four states -- California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington -- before and after they enacted texting bans. Crash rates rose in three of the states after bans were enacted. USA Today
Rise in Poverty Hits Sun Belt Cities
It is no surprise that the poverty rates in the Sun Belt and California and Florida should outstrip the national average; these are the places where cheap credit bridged the gap between slow-growing middle-class wages and fast-growing real estate prices which helped take the economy down. But these places, of course, were the boom-towns of our last economic expansion. Next American City
Supergraphics Out, but Digital Signage Still OK
County Commissioners Shoot Down Twitter Ban
The electronic chirping can continue during Cook County, Ill., board meetings, as commissioners shot down a plan today to ban members from Tweeting during meetings. Several members of the board's Rules Committee expressed frustration with the messages Commissioner Tony Peraica sends out to followers of his Twitter account as debates rage. Chicago Tribune
County OKs Hookah Policy
To the Utah County Board of Health, hookah pipes are the same as cigarettes and cigars. The board unanimously voted Monday to adopt a policy treating hookah pipes like any other tobacco product, fully subject to the Indoor Clean Air Act. It’s expected the state Department of Health will issue an administrative rule declaring hookah pipes subject to Utah’s indoor-smoking law. Salt Lake Tribune
Charges Dropped in Trooper Taping Case
Museum of Art Fires 50 Security Guards
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is turning to reserve police officers and college students in a new strategy to upgrade security and customer service. As part of an overhaul estimated to save $600,000 annually, the museum fired 33 full-time security officers and 23 part-time gallery attendants Monday. Indianapolis Star
Indianapolis May Lease Parking Meters
Under Mayor Greg Ballard's proposal, a team led by Dallas-based ACS would pay the city $35 million upfront and give the city a cut of revenue over time while taking responsibility for running the 4,000-meter system in Downtown and Broad Ripple. Indianapolis Star
Public Official Gets to Keep All Four Elected Posts
An Illinois public official was ousted by a judge from three of his four elected offices Monday morning, then reinstated by another judge hours later during an emergency hearing. "I think it's a victory for the people that elected me," said Keith Price, who is an alderman, library board member, school board member and Park District president in Harvey, Ill. Chicago Tribune
Local Taxes Affecting Congressional Races
Even after the real-estate bubble burst, many counties, cities and school districts continued to raise property taxes. Between late 2008 and the end of 2009, while income-tax and sales-tax collections were plummeting, combined state and local property-tax collections grew. Wall Street Journal
Duluth Takes Aim at Dotcoms on Tourism Tax
The Duluth City Council voted unanimously Monday to authorize the city to initiate a legal tussle that could pit the community against third-party Internet clearinghouse sites that offer unsold local hotel rooms, often at a discount. These businesses collect a percentage of revenue for their trouble and pay Duluth hoteliers the remainder. While local hotels have been paying taxes on the basis of what they receive for their rooms, many of the Internet intermediaries have not paid any tourism taxes on their cut. As a result, the city contends it is being shortchanged. Duluth News Tribune
Warning Flags over D.C. Internet Voting Plan
A national good-government organization and a group of leading computer scientists are raising concerns about a new Internet voting initiative set to debut for District voters in the coming weeks. Absentee voters living overseas this year have the option of participating in a new "digital vote-by-mail" system. Absentee D.C. residents have been able to cast ballots by faxing them or attaching them to a regular e-mail, with the understanding that their vote would not be private. The new process encrypts the completed ballot and allows blind counting. Washington Post
State Ban on Internet Gambling Ruled Constitutional
The Washington Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a state ban on online gambling is constitutional. Jurist
