Governors

Gov. Jim Edgar's airplane was struck by lightning Wednesday, causing flames in its cabin, but it made a safe emergency landing. No one was injured. The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air with six passengers, including Edgar, was flying through a storm at about 10,000 feet when it was struck about 10:35 a.m. CDT south of Peoria, said Edgar spokesman Gary Mack, who was aboard. The pilots deployed oxygen masks and the passengers grabbed fire extinguishers, Mack said.

An FBI investigation into allegations of voter fraud in Gov. Parris Glendening's razor-thin victory over a Republican rival has turned up no evidence of widespread criminal wrongdoing, a published report said. The Baltimore Sun, quoting unidentified FBI sources, said the investigation uncovered some irregularities but no evidence of serious vote tampering or other criminal conduct alleged by Ellen R. Sauerbrey. Sauerbrey lost to Glendening by fewer than 6,000 votes.

Good morning, America! It's 9 a.m. Do you know where your television is? Unplugged, turned off, shut down, and with the remote control unit buried--or better yet, battery-free: This, anyway, is the official position of the governor of Maine, Angus King, the first--and most vociferous--state official to endorse national TV Turnoff Week. Which is interesting, even ironic, since King spent 15 years hosting this state's most popular public affairs television show.

The governor of Minnesota today will visit Orangewood Children's Home to study the facility as a possible model for similar institutions in his state for abused and neglected children. Gov. Arne Carlson and his wife, Susan, an attorney, are active in children's issues and are hoping to use the visit to gain insight into the growing problem of providing care to abused children, officials said. The tour will be hosted by Orange County Supervisor William G.

As Gov. Pete Wilson nears the point of no return in deciding to grab for the ultimate political prize--the American presidency--he might be nagged by the unhappy experience of the last sitting California governor to succumb to presidential lust. After all, look how Wilson got where he is now. In fact, no California governor has come close to winning the White House while serving as chief executive in Sacramento. The last to try was Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr.

The former president of a tiny Arkansas bank was indicted Tuesday by a Whitewater grand jury for alleged irregularities in the financing of President Clinton's 1990 campaign for governor of Arkansas. The indictment of Neal T. Ainley, once president of the Bank of Perry County, was obtained from a grand jury in Little Rock, Ark., by independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr as part of his sweeping investigation of Clinton's personal investments and campaign financing before he became President.

Pete Wilson was sworn into office for his second term as California's 36th governor Saturday morning and was quickly dubbed "the tough-love governor" for a speech that warned of a harsh reality for the state's indigent and those who break its rules. The Republican chief said it is unfair to law-abiding taxpayers that criminals, welfare dependents, illegal immigrants and uneducated youths are draining resources from the government and jeopardizing the state's viability.

Republican governors once again called on the federal government Sunday to give states more freedom in crafting a new welfare system, while Clinton Administration officials and other Democrats warned that such an approach--without safeguards--could hurt millions of poor children. "You know, if you give us the flexibility, you'd be surprised at how much opportunity there is out there for 50 governors to come up with new programs," Wisconsin Gov. Tommy G.

A new politics that you might call "reverse pork barrel" took center stage in America last week, with huge implications for local communities, businesses and the economy in general. Gov. Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey made tax cuts the theme of the Republican reply to President Clinton's State of the Union message. "All across America, the voters have chosen smaller government, lower taxes and less spending," she said.