The New Hampshire house voted today to repeal the Emergency Powers Act, which allows the government to take private property during a declared state of emergency.

The bill’s supporters call the Emergency Powers Act a government overreach.

Given that manufacturing got prominent play in the State of the State address and is a key piece of President Obama's new jobs initiative, StateImpact's in full-on da

The state House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban the use of GPS devices to secretly track people. The bill would make such tracking illegal someone without a court order.

This was a bill that seemed destined to disappear: in committee it was voted 14 – 0 to refer it for more study. With an election coming up, that would almost certainly mean that the bill would never be seen again.

The host and executive producer of Soul Train has died. The Los Angeles police department is reporting that Don Cornelius was found dead at his home in Los Angeles this morning from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

We'll admit it: The telephone pole property tax sounds like a dry topic for the 2012 Legislative session at first glance.

And at second glance, for that matter.

A Chicago-based company – The Heico Companies - is interested in buying Isaacson Steel in Berlin, which is undergoing bankruptcy, the New Hampshire Business Review is reporting today.

The Business Review quoted “several parties involved with the bankruptcy,” as the source.

Every family has its secrets. Few compare to the Lickteigs. Steve Lickteig was adopted by a devout, Roman Catholic family. Growing up in a small house on a Kansas farm, Steve was adored by his eight older siblings, but sheltered from a painful secret about his identity. And everyone in their small town knew the truth before he did. Steve is a producer for NPR and now filmmaker.

In the President’s 2010 State of the Union speech, Obama touched on a Supreme Court decision that has come to define the heated debate surrounding the financing of campaign 2012.  The GOP defends Citizens United on the basis of free speech – while democrats decry the vast sums of anonymous cash as allowing unlimited corporate influence in elections. Notably, however, neither party is arguing against the power of money in politics, with major candidates reaping the benefits of the ads well-funded super PACs can afford to buy.