Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Thompson leads 13th District race, plans focus on costs, access
EPHRATA — Joshua Thompson led Deanna Martinez by 3,278 votes for the 13th Legislative District’s state representat…
Virus jump swells California lines for tests; shortages loom
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Before Brian Haag returned to work styling hair at a Los Angeles salon last month, he wanted to ensure his clients he was not infected with coronavirus, so he booked an appointment for a test and…
California death row inmate has sentenced reduced to life
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A California death row inmate had his sentence reduced to life with a chance of parole after San Francisco's district attorney called capital punishment “undeniably cruel."
New Mexico halts school sports, indoor dining, filmaking
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico will halt indoor restaurant service, close state parks to nonresidents and suspend autumn contact sports at schools in response to surging coronavirus infections within its boundari…
Nevada governor orders bars closed again in hotspot counties
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday that Nevada would reimplement restrictions on bars and restaurants in certain counties to prevent further spread of coronavirus due to what he called a…
Watchdog details storm of political pressure in Sharpiegate
Political pressure from the White House and a series of “crazy in the middle of the night” texts, emails and phone calls caused top federal weather officials to wrongly admonish a weather office for a tweet that co…
Task force: Businesses feigned moving to get tax credits
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Businesses applying for lucrative tax credits from New Jersey from 2013 to 2019 said they planned to relocate out of state in order to get awards but never intended to move, a task force provin…
Judge refuses to order Houston to allow Texas GOP convention
HOUSTON (AP) — A state judge on Thursday declined to reverse Houston's decision to cancel the Texas Republican convention's in-person events because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mayor: Virus surge makes Hawaii traveler testing plan unsafe
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said Thursday it’s not safe to follow through with a plan to allow out-of-state travelers to use a negative COVID-19 test to bypass a 14-day quarantine requirement begin…
Arizona governor caps restaurant capacity as virus spreads
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday capped restaurants at half of their capacity but declined to shut them down entirely as he looks to beat back one of the world's largest outbreaks of the coronavir…
No votes yet in "as long as it takes" Nevada budget session
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada lawmakers on Thursday were more than a day into their emergency legislative session, but with a $1.16 billion revenue shortfall in front of them, the only choice they had made was to…
Nevada church appeals virus attendance cap to Supreme Court
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Leaders of a rural Nevada church are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to suspend the state’s 50-person cap on religious gatherings while an appellate court considers their claim that COVID-19 restric…
Bolivian president has COVID-19 as virus hits region's elite
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s interim president and Venezuela’s No. 2 leader announced Thursday that they have been infected with the new coronavirus, just days after Brazil’s leader tested positive as the pande…
Mississippi governor vetoes criminal justice bills
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has vetoed two criminal justice bills, one of which would have given thousands of offenders the chance at parole from the crowded prison system.
California scrambles for more firefighters amid pandemic
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California enters wildfire season, the state is scrambling to find sufficient firefighters amid the coronavirus outbreak that has depleted the ranks of inmates who usually handle some o…
Kennedy, Markey working to get back out on campaign trail
BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III took to the campaign trail Thursday to press for a post-COVID-19 recovery package.