Against all odds, election officials delivered a safe and secure election during a public health crisis. But a year later, they are looking for innovative ways to restore public trust in their work.
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For decades, toxic runoff from abandoned coal mines has left streams and rivers lifeless in the Mountain State. Then two men decided to reverse the damage taking place in their own backyards. -
Too many lives that could be turned around are being wasted. We should be reforming and rehabilitating the people we lock away, giving them the opportunity to become productive citizens.
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In 1918, with the Spanish flu raging, workers had little choice but to continue riding the trams and trains. Today, at least in America, they can work from home or ride alone in their car.
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Native Americans have had a deep-seated dislike for Thanksgiving and its sanitized version of colonial history. Fifty years ago, they took action and said enough is enough. A protest was born.
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Gov. Dan McKee said the state will soon allow residents to prove their vaccination status with an app, which will be voluntary and businesses will still decide if they want to require proof of vaccination.
Three candidates’ 2020 campaigns were funded by dark money and one received funds illegally from a former state senator to help skew the election for the Republican candidates, yet no official penalty has been served.
Labor data suggests that Gov. Mike DeWine’s decision to cut the extra $300 of federal funds from unemployment benefits 10 weeks ahead of the federal deadline had little effect on moving people back into the workforce.
A report has found that low-income households in Detroit spend at least 25 percent of their disposable incomes on water and sewer bills. With inflation, water costs in Detroit have tripled between 1980 and 2018.
St. Louis County’s proposed 2022 budget is $43 million larger than this year’s, amounting to $463 million. The increase is projected to cause a 1.9 percent bump in property taxes.
Pembroke Park is determined to separate from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office even though the department building project is stalled and costs have increased. Now the town may not have its own force until 2023.
The state’s transportation section is not on track to meet its aggressive climate goals of reducing emissions by 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. By the end of 2020, the state had just 32,000 registered zero-emission vehicles.
The state’s 2007 repeal of the requirement to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun is connected to an increase in the number of stolen firearms, firearm deaths and further gun deregulation.
For rural communities like St. Helena, the billions the state will receive from the infrastructure bill for Internet and road repairs could have a massive impact. The community sits about 34 percent below the national income average.
Prior to COVID, San Antonio had allowed as many as 16,000 scooters to operate on city streets but now the allowance has dropped to just 2,000. The scooter industry may be here to stay, but not without change.
Last spring, a majority of lawmakers approved removing some supplies from the list of banned drug equipment but it wasn’t a large enough margin to overturn the veto from Gov. Hogan. Efforts to overturn the veto continue.
To deal with a multimillion-dollar deficit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cut $99.9 million in overtime. But as crime and homicides increase across the county, officials say that’s not feasible this year.
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Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas’s former top health officer, regarding the criticism and pushback from the governor and state Legislature. Norman led Kansas through the coronavirus pandemic until he abruptly resigned last month after he was asked to step down. (Associated Press — December 2, 2021)
COVID-19 has helped to highlight the racial disparities in health-care services that stem from implicit bias from doctors and medical algorithms. But for many Black patients, the discrimination goes beyond negative attitudes.
Tennessee is projected to collect $655.2 million in the 2022 fiscal year through its gas and diesel taxes. As gas-powered vehicles give way to EVs, the state will need to make up the lost fuel-tax revenue.
The transit agency normally employs about 2,300, but is currently down about 150 workers, forcing it to trim services for dozens of bus routes. It is offering $2,000 hiring bonuses and may consider rehiring retired operators.
The drones will be developed to transport heavy loads, like firefighting supplies, industrial packages and even human transplant organs, and will be able to fly continuously for up to seven hours.
Despite having won several judicial and local elections, GOP members in at least one county continue to demand an audit of the 2020 presidential election, causing confusion and uncertainty about future elections.
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People call it the “next normal” but the truth is it’s long overdue. The future of work is now here.
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The number of U.S.-based employer layoffs that occurred in November, a decrease of 34.8 percent, the fewest since May 1993.
The amount in pounds of plastic that is produced by the U.S. each year and ends up in the world’s oceans. In total, the U.S. produces more than 46 million tons of plastic annually, making it the world’s top plastic waste producer.
The number of years by which California’s Sierra Nevada mountains could experience a snowless future, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The number of states in which the Biden administration’s worker vaccine mandate has been blocked by a federal judge.
The proportion of American federal workers who are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19. The Agency for International Development has the highest partial vaccination rate at 97.8 percent.
The number of oil barrels that the United States plans to draw from its emergency oil reserves in the coming months to try and bring down high gas prices.
The amount, in federal Edward J. Bryne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced will be used to support the state’s criminal justice system via drug task forces, school resource officers, justice technology initiatives and more. Overall, 156 grants were awarded to 140 local agencies across 56 counties.
The approximate time in minutes that Vice President Kamala Harris held presidential power on Friday, Nov. 19, while President Biden underwent a routine colonoscopy. Harris is the first woman and the first South Asian American to hold presidential power.
The proportion of people aged 15 to 24 who reported that social media is a “go-to” source of information, as compared to just 17 percent of those aged 40 and older.
The increase in drug overdoses in the U.S. during the 12-month period ending April 2021 as compared to the previous 12-month period.
The approximate number of pieces of debris left in space after the Russians launched a test missile that destroyed a satellite. The U.S. condemned the test as reckless and irresponsible. It left a cloud of debris in earth’s orbit and forced astronauts aboard the International Space Station to briefly take shelter as a precaution.
The amount that Washington state is seeking from three drug distributors for their role in the nation’s opioid epidemic. The money would be used to pay for treatment services, criminal justice costs, public education campaigns and other programs over 15 years.
View demographic data showing representation of racial and ethnic minorities in each police department.
Newly released data shows an increasingly diverse American population. About 30 percent identify as racial or ethnic minorities, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.
Governing is building a 50-state map to visualize the changes underway to declare states “Open for Business” even as the coronavirus remains at large across the country.
Recent data shows that while overall spending has increased, there is great variation among states on public education expenditures per student. The average is $12,612, but New York spends nearly double that amount.
A comprehensive view of the states’ marijuana laws regarding medical use, workplace accommodations and driving under the influence. Today, 36 states and the District of Columbia allow medical use of marijuana.
View population density and land area data for U.S. cities.
State totals on active duty, reserve forces and civilian employees for each branch of the military.
Connecticut tops the list of states whose taxpayers receive the least bang for their buck from the feds.
Voters made Texas the 19th state to add legal protections for hunting and fishing, which are now also the preferred methods for controlling wildlife.
In hopes of reducing the city's high crime rate, Camden, N.J., made a controversial and unprecedented move a year ago to replace its police force.
Data shows total law enforcement staff and per capita rates.
Thirty-seven states had legalized same-sex marriage prior to the Supreme Court ruling.
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The 2021 Ideas Challenge recognizes innovative public policy that positively impacts local communities and the NewDEAL leaders who championed them.
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Drug coverage affordability really does exist in the individual Medicare marketplace!
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Understand the differences between group Medicare and individual Medicare plans and which plans are best for retirees.
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For a while, concerns about credit card fees and legacy processing infrastructure might have slowed government’s embrace of digital payment options.
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How expanded financial assistance, a streamlined application process and creative legislation can help Black and brown-owned businesses revive communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
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In recent years, local governments have been forced to adapt to a wildly changing world, especially as it pertains to sending bills and collecting payments.
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Workplace safety is in the spotlight as government leaders adapt to a prolonged pandemic.
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While government employees, students and the general public had to wait in line for hours in the beginning of the pandemic, at-home test kits make it easy to diagnose for the novel coronavirus in less than 30 minutes.
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Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.
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