Stateline

Cities prepare referendums for taxing sugary drinks

By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

Voters in three California cities and one in Colorado will decide next month whether to slap a special tax on sugary drinks like soda and sports thirst-quenchers after costly, high-stakes campaigns that are pitting healthy-lifestyle advocates against the beverage and…

In some states, Medicaid rules make it more difficult to treat addiction

By Christine Vestal, Stateline

Finding and paying for addiction treatment remains a challenge for low-income Americans.

Police body cameras capture hours and hours of footage with no national consensus on how to release it

By Sarah Breitenbach, Stateline

At least 21 states have instituted policies that range from treating body camera footage like other public records to imposing outright bans on releasing footage.

Short on cash, cities and states consider taxing nonprofits

By Elaine S. Povich, Stateline

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — When New Haven Mayor Toni Harp gazes out her office windows, she can see across the street to Yale University’s idyllic buildings and grounds — none of which are on her city’s property tax rolls.

As pipeline projects grow, so do protests

By Jen Fifield, Stateline

As more oil and gas pipelines crisscross the country, environmental and energy lawyers say protests against them are becoming increasingly common.

How bad translation by court interpreters can turn misunderstanding into injustice

By Rebecca Beitsch, Stateline

Because many states and localities don’t use tested court interpreters and ignore federal rules for when interpreters are required, many criminal defendants and civil litigants with limited English skills are not equipped to navigate the complex legal system, jeopardizing their…

What happens to developmentally disabled as parents age, die?

By Jen Fifield, Stateline

About 860,000 people over 60 years old nationwide are caring for someone with intellectual or developmental disabilities in their home.

Amid anti-immigration wave, some small towns welcome refugees with open arms

By Tim Henderson, Stateline

Small towns from Montana to Georgia are increasingly accepting refugees as they grapple with shrinking and aging populations.

Amid shortage of psychiatric beds, mentally ill face long waits for treatment

By Michael Ollove, Stateline

Across the country, a critical shortage of state psychiatric beds is forcing mentally ill patients with severe symptoms to be held in emergency rooms, hospitals and jails while they wait for a bed, sometimes for weeks.

How texting 911 could help people in crisis

By Sarah Breitenbach, Stateline

So far few states and cities have adopted 911 texting, but that will change over the next several years, as utility companies abandon old copper phone lines for fiber optic cables.