Author

Kevin Hardy

Kevin Hardy

Kevin Hardy covers business, labor and rural issues for Stateline from the Midwest.

This land is our land: States crack down on foreign-owned farm fields

By: - December 4, 2023

Andy Gipson gets concerned even when American allies such as the Netherlands and Germany invest in large swaths of Mississippi’s farmland. “It just bothers me at a gut level,” he said. For Gipson, Mississippi’s commissioner of agriculture and commerce, the growing trend of foreign ownership could threaten what he views as the state’s most valuable […]

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs a slew of bills passed during the special legislative session held from Sept. 11-14, 2023, in Little Rock. (John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate)

Worries over secrecy grow as state officials shield records from the public

By: - November 20, 2023

Just weeks after lawmakers in Little Rock passed legislation shielding certain state records from public disclosure, opponents launched an effort to amend the Arkansas Constitution to protect access to government documents. “The coalition that’s coming together on this is about as broadly bipartisan as you could get — from the extreme, extreme right to the […]

‘I felt so naughty’: New open carry alcohol laws boost downtowns

By: - November 6, 2023

Holly Smith Mount wanted to be first. Smith Mount, chair of the city council in Huntington, West Virginia, was determined to see her community launch the state’s initial outdoor drinking zone — an idea made possible only after the legislature changed the state’s alcohol law earlier this year. “I will fully admit I’m very competitive,” […]

Seeing ‘Red’ after Taylor Swift debacle, lawmakers weigh concert ticket rules

By: - September 5, 2023

There’s no question what motivated state Rep. Kelly Moller to push for changes in Minnesota law on concert ticket sales. “Really, it was the Taylor Swift debacle for me,” she said. A self-professed Swiftie, the Democrat found herself among millions of other Americans unable to buy tickets last year to Swift’s Eras Tour. She preregistered […]