The use of robots from companies like Starship Technologies for last-mile deliveries skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and legislators would do well to make them easier to deploy on city sidewalks.
Agrivoltaics — putting solar panels on farmland — lead to astonishing productivity gains and improved energy efficiency. Except when they don’t.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
California’s history of gun restrictions started in 1967, when 30 members of the Black Panther Party marched into the Capitol with loaded handguns, shotguns and rifles. Today, gun control has turned into a legal battle.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
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President George Washington was the first to issue proclamations or executive orders. Their use peaked under Franklin Roosevelt, but they have been used fewer times in recent presidencies. Will Biden reverse the trend?
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
The economy has proven to be more resilient than could have been imagined a year ago. Making future growth more equitable is a priority without obvious solutions.
The American Rescue Plan can help local leaders do a lot more than cover budget shortfalls. The funds offer a chance for them to address equity issues, engage residents and create the future they want to see.
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
Though the idea of vaccine passports has attracted criticism, the state of New York has taken the plunge as the first state in the U.S. to create one, saying it will help facilitate economic activity. Here’s how it works.
The number of acceptance emails that the University of Kentucky accidentally sent out to high school seniors for a program that usually only accepts about 36 students per year. Some of the students who received the acceptance letter claimed to have never applied to, visited or went onto the website for the university. The university apologized for the mistake and said it was due to a “technical issue.”
THE FUTURE OF What’s Happening Now
Partisan lawmakers are moving to block cities and counties from managing their own police budgets and redirecting funding as they see fit. Decisions about public safety are best made close to home.
Wastewater offers high-tech jobs at the leading edge of sustainability and public health. But aging workers are leaving, creating a shortage of skilled workers. Public utilities need to step up their recruitment game.
The federal stimulus package provides $195 billion in aid to states but forbids them from using that money to pay for tax cuts. The law's language is broad enough to look like preemption.
Just about everybody agrees that we need more affordable housing, and there are lots of ideas for making it happen. So far, though, none of them have come to much.
The Promises and Pitfalls of a Modern-Day Boomtown
A decade ago, Williston, N.D., became a magnet for desperate men, thanks to oil in the Bakken Formation. In an interview, author Michael Smith talks about life in an oil patch and the human cost of fueling the nation.
