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The newly empowered Republicans in Pennsylvania are considering changing the way the state awards its electoral votes in presidential elections despite growing concerns by some Republicans that the move could backfire. A new bill would award electoral votes by Congressional district, all but guaranteeing that both candidates would win at least some electoral votes even if they lost the state's popular vote. It could even swing the outcome of a close presidential election.

"Letters: Congressman Lance's vote on TRAIN Act wasn't in New Jersey's best interest To the Editor: Congressman Leonard Lance voted against New Jersey's interest by supporting a bill that will affect our health and economy. Lance, who is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted in favor of the TRAIN Act, (H.R. 2401), an outright attack on clean air. This legislation would block health safeguards issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and prevent mercury standards from being adopted. Lance represents the 7th District in Central Jersey, an area that was ranked number 17 on a list ranking the nation's worst air quality, particularly for smog. Representing an area that is already burdened with poor air quality and pollution makes Lance's decision even worse. Thousands of Americans die every year from illnesses related to poor air quality. These numbers will increase if we continue on this path, costing thousands of lives and billions of dollars in health bills. Lance not only voted against our health, but our economy as well."

North Carolina on Tuesday took a big step toward losing its status as the last state in the Southeast without a constitutional amendment making it clear that marriage is legal only when there is a bride and bridegroom.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Sunday granted women the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, the biggest change in a decade for women in a puritanical kingdom that practices strict gender separation, including banning women from driving.

ALLENDALE - The Northern Highlands Regional High School Board of Education is expected to vote tonight on a revised policy governing student publications. The changes to the policy come in response to an incident in the spring in which a story written for the student newspaper, The Highland Fling, was censored by administrators. "I think we saw there were concerns last year," Board of Education President Barbara Garand said, adding that the policy has previously been revised a "couple of times." Among those concerns, she said, were the use of anonymous sources, which students would need to divulge to their adviser under the new policy. The school board approved a revised version of the censored story, written by Adelina Colaku, that was published in June after a three-month fight. The story detailed an ongoing dispute between former Superintendent John Keenan and nine tenured administrators and supervisors. The original version raised concerns over the use of anonymous sources. Michael Rightmire, whose job as director of technology had been eliminated in May and was a source in the article, agreed to go on the record for the revised version of Colaku's story. John Woodnick, the newspaper's faculty adviser for 10 years, stepped down from the Fling, but continues to teach English. Colaku said she is particularly concerned with the change in policy regarding anonymous sources. "The law says if an adviser knows who anonymous sources are and the administration wants to know, they can ask and the adviser is obligated to tell them," she said. "That would have been a great impediment on the procession of my story," Colaku said. Gina Palermo, editor in chief of the Fling in 2012-13, said she is concerned with the regulation that says school-sponsored publications should "foster a wholesome school spirit and support the best traditions of the school." Instead, she said student newspapers should be held to the same standards as professional media. "In a professiona

The Senate is scheduled to vote late Monday afternoon on a last-chance spending bill to extend government operations into the new fiscal year and top off federal funds for disaster relief.

ROME - In his narrowest escape yet, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi barely survived a confidence vote on Friday, saving his government from collapse but effectively preventing it from legislating.

In his narrowest escape yet, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi barely survived a confidence vote on Friday, saving his government from collapse but effectively preventing it from legislating.

(CNN) -- A bipartisan group of lawmakers in Washington State voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, putting Washington on the path toward becoming the seventh state in the nation to legalize marriage for gay and lesbian couples.

Saudi Arabia's king announced on Sunday women would be given the right to vote and stand in elections, a bold shift in the ultra-conservative absolute monarchy as pressure for social and democratic reform sweeps the Middle East.

"WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate passed a bill Wednesday to keep the federal government running after March 27, approving a six-month spending measure that adds to the unpopular cuts of sequestration. The $984 billion "continuing resolution" passed by a vote of 73 to 26. It makes additional across-the-board cuts of 1.9 percent to 2.5 percent in various categories of spending on top of the $85 billion in annual cuts mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 -- the infamous deal that created the failed super committee and the resulting budget sequestration that slices $1.2 trillion over a decade."

"The Maryland General Assembly approved a measure Friday to repeal the state's death penalty. The House of Delegates voted 82 to 56 Friday to pass a bill already approved by the Senate, according to the AP. Maryland makes the 18th state to ban capital punishment."

TRENTON - The state Senate passed a bill legalizing gay marriage this afternoon by a vote of 24-16. The bills passage elicited a round of applause from those in the audience wearing blue in support of the bill, which Gov. Chris Christie has promised to veto.

RARITAN TWP. - The Township Committee unanimously voted to approve the Raritan Junction redevelopment plan, which envisions turning the former Yale property into a mixed-use development that will include residences, retail spaces, offices and recreation areas. The intent of the mixed-use design is to create a neighborhood town center on what is an existing brownfield with an abandoned and obsolete industrial facility, township Planner Jamie Sunyak said. The plans will impact student parking at Hunterdon Central High School. Future plans call for a smaller lot with more than 100 spots for students.

(CNN) -- The Maryland Senate voted Thursday evening to legalize same-sex marriage, the latest sign of growing national recognition of such unions among gay and lesbian couples.

"Every public school district in New Jersey would be required to set guidelines on how its employees communicate with students online under legislation set for a vote in the state Senate today. The bill (S441) would require that the policy be written, and include "provisions designed to prevent improper communications between school employees and students made via e-mail, cellular phones, social networking websites, and other Internet-based social media." If it passes both houses and is signed by Gov. Chris Christie, school districts would have four months to adopt the policy."

Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Both the upper and lower houses of Japan's parliament elected Finance Minister Naoto Kan to be the nation's new prime minister Friday, following the resignation of Yukio Hatoyama from the post earlier this week.Kan is the country's fifth prime minister since 2006. The Diet, Japan's parliament, voted after the Democratic Party of Japan tapped Kan to lead the party earlier Friday.

A law requiring new drivers under 21 to display decals on their license plates won unanimous approval from the New Jersey Assembly in 2009. But as the controversial rule takes effect today, 10 members of the lower house - including six who voted yes - are working to rescind it.

NFL owners voted Tuesday to put the 2014 Super Bowl in the new $1.6 billion Meadowlands Stadium that this season will become home to the New York Jets and Giants. It's the first time the league has gone to a cold weather site that doesn't have a dome and, until now, those places couldn't even bid on the big game.

TUCSON, Ariz. - President Barack Obama on Tuesday ordered 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border, pre-empting Republican plans to try to force votes on such a deployment.