The Associated Press

The last return flight for soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division arrived at Fort Campbell this weekend. The brigade’s return marked the end of a 9-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Gov. Pat Quinn wants Illinois residents have the option to register to vote online. Quinn says the state's election process must move into the 21st century. Supporters tout the proposal as a way to simplify registration and attract the Millennial Generation that has traditionally been absent from the election process.

The Kentucky House is voting today on legislation that would strengthen oversight of the state's more than 1,200 local taxing districts. The vote was postponed yesterday.  The House Committee on Local Government approved the legislation Wednesday. The measure sets up a system for auditing the taxing districts, which spend some $2.7 billion a year to operate rural fire departments, airports, sanitation districts and even libraries. It would also create an online database where taxpayers could review financial reports for each taxing district.

Gov. Pat Quinn's ethics proposal outlined in his State of the State speech is raising eyebrows. His idea is to ban Illinois lawmakers from voting on anything that might help them personally. But there are questions about the proposal’s targets and if it's necessary when Illinois has to deal with major financial problems. Others question if Quinn is laying groundwork for re-election. He dismissed those questions Thursday, saying it's long been his priority. But some lawmakers say they were confused by the timing. Especially because Quinn didn't focus heavily on his goal of overhauling pensions and Illinois traditionally enacts reforms after scandal.

Lawmakers in Kentucky are again considering lifting a Prohibition-era ban on the sale of alcohol at restaurants, bars and retail stores on Election Day. The Senate Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee has already given initial approval to legislation that would allow alcohol sales during hours that polls are open. The measure, sponsored by Republican Sen. John Schickel of Union, now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has approved that provides hundreds of millions of dollars for road projects and a boost for more child abuse investigators. Quinn signed the bill yesterday after the Senate voted 38-15 to approve the supplemental appropriation. It's meant to shore up parts of state government that are running short of money with half of the budget year to go. The bill includes $675 million in unanticipated federal and state money available for road projects this spring.

Gov. Bill Haslam denies the state lost a case in which the Tennessee Department of Children's Services must provide the public records of children who died or nearly died after the agency investigated reports they had been abused or neglected.The Republican governor says the state is simply adhering to a Nashville judge's ruling that it provide the records. Chancellor Carol McCoy ruled last month the agency had to redact and release the documents, calling the state's argument that it needed more time "unpersuasive."

The Illinois Department of Insurance is warning consumers that a Florida-based company is illegally marketing home warranty services to residents in the state. The agency says Arkidus Home Protection continues to market the warranties despite a previous cease and desist order from the Illinois Insurance Department. They say the state of Florida has taken similar action against Arkidus for illegal activity. The company markets warranties for household appliances via the Internet.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says the toughest issue for the state is its worst-in-the-nation public pension system, but he only made scattered references to it throughout his State of the State address Wednesday. Quinn supports Senate Bill 1, which would increase contributions and reduce benefits. The bill sponsored by Senate President John Cullerton failed to get a House vote. Illinois has nearly $100 billion in unfunded liability.

An Illinois Senate committee has approved legalizing gay marriage for the second time in a month. The Executive Committee voted 9-5 yesterday to move legislation giving marital rights to same sex couples to the Senate floor. The Democrats have a 40-member majority and say they have the votes needed. The same committee OK'd a similar measure just after the New Year in the final days of the last General Assembly. But a floor vote was scuttled because supporters feared they were short of the 30 necessary votes.