Dec 17th, 2008 · Kemba Smith was sentenced to 24 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine — though she never handled the drug — because of mandatory sentencing laws. She was pardoned in 2000, and she urges President Bush to grant clemency to inmates with similar stories.
Sep 12th, 2008 · As the hurricane bears down on the Texan coast, residents from Galveston to Houston face mandatory evacuations. While many people are fleeing, others are staying put.
Sep 12th, 2008 · Hurricane Ike is expected to make landfall — as a Category 3 hurricane — late Friday or early Saturday south of Galveston, Texas. Officials issued a mandatory evacuation order and warned of "certain death" for those who don't leave, but NPR's Ari Shapiro says plenty of people remain.
Sep 1st, 2008 · Emergency officials in Jefferson Parish, just outside New Orleans, have ordered the first-ever mandatory evacuation of the entire parish. Jefferson Parish's Director of Emergency Management Kenneth Padgett talks about the order.
Aug 29th, 2008 · Officials in Texas and Louisiana have put their National Guardsmen on standby as Tropical Storm Gustav makes its way toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. In New Orleans, officials said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary. Friday is the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina striking New Orleans. Is New Orleans prepared for another major hurricane?
Jul 10th, 2008 · Hundreds of wildfires are still burning out of control in California. In the northern part of the state, one area has been in and out of mandatory evacuations for the past two weeks. One couple, Joan and Jerrold Lively, recently returned to their home.
Jun 14th, 2008 · Officials in Des Moines, Iowa, have ordered a mandatory evacuation as a second levee falls to the cresting Des Moines River.
Feb 25th, 2008 · San Francisco began the nation's only mandatory paid sick leave policy one year ago. Now, a dozen states and the District of Columbia are watching San Francisco's progress as they consider whether to adopt similar policies.