There Are 'Rogue Courts' Making It Easier for People to Vote!

Novack said she believes eliminating weekend voting "level(s) the playing field" between large urban areas and smaller suburban and rural communities that lack the resources to staff weekend hours. "If there's an office open 30 days versus an office that's only open 10 work days, there are obviously voters that have a lot more access than someone else," Novack said. "There has to come a point where it's just giving over-access … to particular parts of the state." Asked whether she thought voters in Milwaukee and Madison-communities that previously used weekend voting-had too much access, Novack said, "too much access to the voters as far as opportunities."

The bill's author, Republican Sen. Bill Seitz of Green Township, wrote an op-ed this week about his motivation for pushing the measure. "Sadly, in both the November 2015 and March 2016 elections, rogue courts in Hamilton County issued orders extending polling hours. These orders cost Hamilton County taxpayers $57,000, and forced the inside poll workers to stay around for an extra 60 to 90 minutes after already working a 14-hour day." In the instances he's citing, local courts ruled that true, unforeseen emergencies-a software glitch in 2015 that temporarily wiped out the poll books and a massive car wreck in 2016 that cut off the county's main highway-justified keeping the polls open longer so that a few thousand waiting voters wouldn't be disenfranchised.

Kenneth Brissette, 52, Walsh's director of tourism, sports, and entertainment, was indicted on a charge that he withheld city permits from a popular Boston music festival until it hired union stagehands. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, according to US Attorney Carmen Ortiz's office. An eight-page indictment released Thursday did not identify the music festival Brissette allegedly strong-armed, but the Globe reported last month that federal authorities were investigating whether Brissette had pressured organizers of Boston Calling, a biannual festival held at City Hall Plaza, to use union labor.

The federal indictment also states that, shortly after Walsh took office, Brissette warned restaurants that Teamsters members intended to disrupt the filming of the "Top Chef" television show at those restaurants, because the show's production crew was nonunion. Many of the allegations related to the "Top Chef" filming were already publicly known, through an indictment last year and a city review of the incident. Five Teamsters members were charged in September with extortion in that case, for allegedly disrupting the show's filming - by chest-bumping crew members and slashing their tires-at the Steel & Rye restaurant in Milton.

The attorney general began investigating Durham, a Franklin Republican, during the 2016 legislative session at the request of Harwell and a House committee after media reported he sent inappropriate late-night texts or had inappropriate contact with at least three women who work for the General Assembly. A preliminary report from Slatery found Durham, who is married, remained a "threat" to women in the Legislature, and Harwell banished him from his Legislative Plaza office to the Rachel Jackson building.

Womick says Harwell told him early in the session she had evidence showing Durham was guilty of inappropriate behavior but refused to show it to him the proof. Top Republican leaders called for Durham to step down, but he refused and is running for re-election in his Franklin district. The three-term legislator from southwest Rutherford County says allegations Durham propositioned someone need to be handled. But if Durham broke any laws, then the matter should be brought before the General Assembly or the House Republican Caucus, instead of being investigated by the attorney general. He claims witnesses are being intimidated and plied for names of other legislators who could be targeted. "Show us the evidence and let's get to the bottom of this and get it over with here," said Womick, who announced earlier this year he would not seek another term this fall. Four Republicans are running in the August primary to replace him.

It feels like a jagged thing. It goes whomp, whomp, whomp, whomp. And, you just feel it go boom," said Barbara Weidell. Weidell felt a large earthquake in the Luther area and then started to see damage from the earthquakes in the area. "Cracks, bricks separating, a lot of that," said Lisa Mansell. Many homeowners are getting earthquake insurance, while others are willing to take the gamble. "It's not worth it. It isn't going to cover anything. Not right now, not unless they improve it and change it," Weidell said.

Since 2014, the insurance department has had 16 different rate increase requests. Two here recently were for 100 percent increases. "We're not saying which companies right now, because they have not, we have not finalized those rate filings," said Buddy Combs with the Oklahoma Insurance Department. The insurance department plans to hold a hearing involving not only the insurance companies but citizens, as well. "One of the questions becomes is how easy is it for you to go find coverage?" Combs said.