A 4-square-mile wildfire in a rural San Diego County community has destroyed roughly a dozen homes and has left one man dead, a sober reminder the state has a large number of high risk homes and that Southern California’s peak wildfire season is almost here.
The Shockey Fire had forced the community of Tierra del Sol to remain under evacuation orders, with a total of about 80 homes evacuated at the fire’s height. Those evacuations ended Tuesday afternoon.
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Connecticut officials are pushing ahead with plans to set up the new health insurance exchange, a marketplace where individuals and businesses can find affordable coverage, by next fall.
The federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week awarded the state a $107 million grant. It was the latest allotment from the federal government as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law. To date, the state has now received a total of $116 million.
Connecticut is one of a handful of states to have received a so-called Level-Two Establishment Grant. It joins Washington, Rhode Island, Maryland, Nevada and Vermont.
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Arkansas’ revenues in March were ahead of last year and beat official projections, as the state saw increases in nearly all major tax collections, the state’s finance office said on April 3.
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said net available revenues totaled $356.3 million last month. That’s $40.5 million above March 2011 and $42.4 million above forecast. The state’s fiscal year-to-date revenues total $3.3 billion, which is $94.7 million above last year and $62.6 million above forecast. Arkansas’ fiscal year begins July 1.
Department Director Richard Weiss said the state isn’t planning to adjust its forecast upward because of the increased revenues, but said he believes it shows the state is slowly recovering from the economic downturn.
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