Without federal help, cities in the Northeast and Midwest face heavy cost burdens to upgrade aging roads, bridges and water systems. Younger municipalities in the South and West are beginning to have similar problems.
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The idea has come up again and again, and now there’s a flurry of experimentation. But it never seems to take hold. -
The pandemic made it easier to get—and keep—food assistance. In some places, those expanded benefits are drawing to a close.
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When the rush for unemployment insurance crashed government websites in 2020, we learned how to navigate traffic surges in a crisis. So why weren’t sites prepared to handle vaccine appointments?
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The state’s eviction moratorium is coming to an end June 30. Since the earliest days of the pandemic, housing analysts have worried about a wave of evictions whenever the state lifts protections for renters. Carolina Reid, associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of California, Berkeley, has been tracking vulnerable renters throughout the pandemic. She says the state could help renters facing eviction — if enough money gets to them in time.
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A report from the state’s Oversight Committee has recommended that Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office conduct an investigation of individuals who pushed claims of fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
The city has administered at least 188 engineering permits for equipping utility poles with 5G cell arrays. Officials hope that the 5G network will provide a fast and safe connection for residents.
The new open data portal will be accessible to the public, to increase transparency as the department continues to work towards police reform. Officials hope to develop a long-term public safety plan with the community.
Some New York legislators have proposed using federal infrastructure funds to revive the city’s streetcars, providing a nostalgic alternative to the bus. But transit advocates think the money should be used elsewhere.
The state will soon have a new electric vehicle manufacturing plant, which Commerce Director Brent Kisling hopes will better position the state to compete for $15 billion in future EV investments.
The bill would make funding changes to the Hawaii Tourism Authority and would eliminate the hotel tax distribution from individual counties. Gov. Ige is concerned the bill would detract from the state’s tourism and community focus.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot pledged police reform while campaigning for mayor, but two years later and the Chicago Police Department looks much as it did before she took office. Many are upset with the lack of change.
As the country still struggles with a mass worker shortage, some Ohio companies are trying to encourage workers to apply for positions with incentives that include pay increases, signing bonuses and flexible schedules.
The state upgraded its antiquated human resources management software, and when the project failed, Maine blamed the contracted company. But an investigation reveals the state is also at fault.
Many parts of the country still do not have access to high-speed Internet, despite requirements that forced schools and workplaces to operate remotely during the pandemic. Lawmakers are trying to fix that by getting homes connected.
The replacement of the Baltimore and Potomac Tunnel will eliminate a massive bottleneck and save Amtrak and MARC trains an average of 7 hours every weekday. The project will cost $4 billion and will be named after the Maryland abolitionist.
Officials across the state voiced concerns about proposed legislation that would hold the gubernatorial recall election as early as Aug. 24 and would push costs beyond the projected $215 million price tag.
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India Walton, a progressive mayoral candidate in Buffalo, N.Y., who was endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America. Walton took the lead over incumbent Mayor Byron Brown in Tuesday’s primary election and the Associated Press has called the race for Walton. Walton would be the first female mayor of Buffalo if she wins the general election in November. (NPR — June 23, 2021)
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North America’s largest subway system is run by a board that’s disproportionately controlled by state government. A city-run system has merits, but so far only one mayoral candidate is interested in changing the status quo.
With one of the region’s largest cryptocurrency mining facilities, a Bitcoin ATM operator and a bill that would allow special trusts to hold digital assets, the state could be a center of the growing fintech industry.
After a year of system glitches and jobless claim fraud, the state claims it has improved its system and is ready to verify eligibility again. So far, ESD has sent verification notices to approximately 105,000 claimants.
The primary to succeed Bill de Blasio will be held on Tuesday. No one from the huge field has emerged as a clear favorite, with Andrew Yang fading fast.
Dissatisfied voters targeted election administrators in 2020. Accustomed to working behind the scenes, many were cast as villains and now fear for their personal and professional safety.
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News in Numbers
The number of workers at Houston Methodist hospital system who have quit or been fired from their job after they refused to meet the hospital’s vaccination mandate. Approximately 97 percent of the hospital system’s nearly 26,000 employees are fully vaccinated, with 2.4 percent having valid exemption or being granted a deferral.
The estimated number of U.S. gun sales that were prevented by the background check system last year, an all-time high and nearly twice as many as the year prior. Approximately 42 percent of the denials were due to a felony conviction on the buyers’ felony record.
The amount that 100 Ulster County, N.Y., residents are receiving each month for a year as a part of an experimental universal basic income program.
The proportion of Americans who are “highly concerned” that ending COVID-19 restrictions will result in an increase in virus infections in their community; 34 percent think that the restrictions were lifted too quickly.
The number of municipal broadband providers in Ohio that would be prohibited from providing service as long as there was a private-sector company operating in the area under a proposed amendment to a budget bill. The legislation would allow municipalities to provide broadband to only unserved areas, those without access to download speeds of at least 10 mbps, which classifies over 98 percent of the state ineligible. Cleveland has said they would challenge the legislation if enacted.
The proportion of election officials across the nation who feel unsafe on the job, while one in six election workers reported being threatened because of their work.
The estimated cost of the 2020 Census, which is far below the previously estimated $15.6 billion price tag, partly due to technology upgrades which allowed many households to respond to the Census online.
The amount that NJ Transit paid to four injured people and the family of a woman who was killed by a train that crashed through a barrier in Hoboken Terminal in 2016.
The amount that California will restore to its bullet train project. The Trump administration revoked the funds in 2019. The high-speed rail was originally supposed to be completed and running by 2020 when residents approved the project in 2008.
The surface elevation of Lake Mead along the Nevada-Arizona border, a record low. The last time this level was hit was in July 2016 and it’s the lowest the reservoir has been since the lake was filled in the 1930s. Officials expect the water level to continue to decrease until November.
The proportion of Americans who support same-sex marriage, an all-time high for the nation since 1996 and a 10 percent increase since 2015 after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages. While Democrats have consistently been supportive, 55 percent of Republicans now approve as well.
The proportion of Americans who support Facebook’s decision to extend the platform’s suspension of former President Trump for another two years. Only 15 percent of Republicans were in support of the suspension.
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.
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.
Updated medical and recreational-purpose marijuana laws by state
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