From The Gadsden Times:

Riley delivered his State of the State speech Tuesday night to Alabama's Legislature. He sounded nothing like the governor of a state facing a projected $642.5 million hole in its General Fund budget and a $34 million deficit in its Education Trust Fund budget for the 2011 fiscal year.

Riley said Alabama can avoid cuts to non-education programs and boost education spending by 8 percent. He proposes to do that with the same life preserver that's kept Alabama's current financial condition from being even worse - federal money.  Read more.