Headlines
Public scholarship money finds its way to private schools
MS: Guard killed in riot at private immigration prison
NH: State proposes to hand off its prisons to private company
OH: Ohio Turnpike limiting pay and benefits to save $4 million yearly
OH: Helium: Inflated prices
VA: County auditor calls for parking ticket quotas

Public scholarship money finds its way to private schools
A growing number of states have passed laws that allow taxpayer-supported scholarship funds, but they have been twisted at the expense of the neediest. Spreading at a time of deep cutbacks in public schools, the programs are operating in eight states and represent one of the fastest-growing components of the school choice movement. This school year alone, the programs redirected nearly $350 million that would have gone into public budgets to pay for private school scholarships for 129,000 students, according to the Alliance for School Choice, an advocacy organization. Legislators in at least nine other states are considering the programs.  New York Times

MS: Guard killed in riot at private immigration prison
Sixteen prison employees and three inmates were hurt during the incident. The prison is owned and operated by the Correction Corporation of America (CCA), the nation’s largest private prison company. The Natchez facility houses around 2,500 adult males, most serving sentences for returning to the United States after being deported…CCA houses around 75,000 offenders and detainees in more than 60 facilities around the country, 44 of which are company-owned. The company employs nearly 17,000 people. The ACLU, which has been highly critical of CCA and the rest of the private prison industry in the past, released a statement Monday saying that this weekend’s incident “should make clear to Mississippi and every other state that for-profit incarceration must end.” “The riot this past weekend at the Adams County Correctional Center is indicative of what can happen at facilities run by private prison companies like Corrections Corporation of America, who have incentives to cut corners even at the expense of decent and safe conditions,” the statement said. “Staff and guards are too often poorly paid and trained, conditions of confinement are often woefully inadequate and levels of violence can be higher at for-profit facilities.” TPM

NH: State proposes to hand off its prisons to private company
If outside bidders make a high enough offer, New Hampshire may be the first state with the dubious distinction of privatizing its entire male prison population. Think Progress

OH: Ohio Turnpike limiting pay and benefits to save $4 million yearly
Executive Director Rick Hodges denied the cost cuts are aimed at boosting the turnpike’s revenue and enhancing its appeal to companies that might one day lease the 241-mile toll road. A lease of the turnpike or a takeover by the Ohio Department of Transportation are among options consultants are studying for Gov. John Kasich’s administration. Kasich has pitched the idea of leasing the turnpike in exchange for several billion dollars in up-front cash. Hodges said the moves are part of a “complete reorganization” and in keeping with the turnpike’s mission of providing the best service at the lowest cost. Cleveland Plain Dealer

OH: Helium: Inflated prices
Local florists already contending with high gas prices are now seeing the cost of helium float upwards, too, forcing them to blow up not just balloons but also their prices. The inflated prices are a result of a nationwide shortage of helium, the second most abundant element in the universe after hydrogen…According to the Associated Press, helium is in short supply because of the 1996 Helium Privatization Act that called on the government to sell off most of its helium reserves by 2015…According to media reports, the Helium Privatization Act was passed in an effort to save the federal government money. It orders a sell-off of the government’s helium reserves in the Hugoton-Panhandle Gas Field that spans Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. The Marietta Times

VA: County auditor calls for parking ticket quotas
Just outside the nation’s capital, Fairfax County, Virginia depends heavily on motorists to prop up its annual budget. Speed traps help generate $7.7 million in revenue through the courts and another $3.1 million from parking citations. In a quarterly report to the board of supervisors, the county Office of Financial and Program Audit (OFPA) raised the alarm that meter maids have not sufficiently productive. The county employs 18 full-time meter maids, but police officers, fire marshals and police volunteers are all expected to help. Duncan Solutions, a private vendor, handles processing, billing and adjudication of tickets in return for a cut of the profits that totaled $1,075,000 in 2010. The company’s “AutoProcess” software creates a chart tracking which police districts generate the most citations over time. The current champion is the Mason District with 8088 citations, but five years ago it was the Fair Oaks District with 4839 tickets. The Newspaper.com