Mary Murphy, the longest-serving woman in the Minnesota Legislature, died Christmas Day after a brief illness. She was 85.

Colleagues remember Minnesota Sen. Kari Dziedzic as a rare politician who shunned the limelight and consistently found common ground across the aisle. Dziedzic died last month after a two-year battle with cancer. She was 62.

A New York state legislator talks about the world-renowned Bronx Zoo, which lies in his district and recently celebrated its 125th birthday.

David Nething, who retired from the North Dakota Senate in 2012 as the nation's longest-serving Republican state senator, has died. He was 91.

Ryan Nesselrodt is a fellow with the West Virginia Science and Technology Policy Fellowship, a program that provides rigorous, nonpartisan policy research for members of the West Virginia Legislature.

Beth Reiley is a principal legislative analyst in Oregon’s Legislative Policy and Research Office.