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Demand for nonprofit services is on the rise, and legislators are paying more attention to ways they can support the sector.
Many Americans are at risk of outliving their retirement savings. State pension plans could have a new role: selling longevity insurance. It could even save states money in the long run.
Governments need to balance expected returns on their invested cash with the costs of their bonds and other obligations. Shifting a portion of their long-term debt from fixed to floating rate is a way to hedge interest rate risk.
There’s no reason to think the consequences of dumping water contaminated by a nuclear accident into the ocean would be only local or only short-term. No one's drinking that ocean water, but the sea does feed billions of people.
The account run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency covering emergency aid for disasters is projected to have a $4.8 billion shortfall by the end of the month. But replenishing the fund is proving to be politically challenging.
In 2021, roughly half of all Latino, Black and Native American workers earned $10,000 or more below the state’s median per capita income, and 54 percent of workers in the state earning $32,239 or less were female.
The Livingston Parish School Board has filed a lawsuit against TikTok and Instagram, claiming the platforms are so addictive they have created a mental health crisis among the district’s students.
The state’s Division of Motor Vehicles will now take online payments of cryptocurrency through PayPal for drivers’ licenses, identification cards, vehicle registrations or other online services.
Daniel Schwarz, a privacy and technology strategist at the New York Civil Liberties Union, regarding the New York City Police Department’s plans to use drones to monitor private parties in response to complaints over the Labor Day weekend. (Associated Press — Aug. 31, 2023)
All 22,000 city workers in Philadelphia are now eligible for a free transit pass under SEPTA’s Key Advantage program. More than 10,000 have already signed up.
Gov. Mike DeWine announced the formation of a safety task force that will be charged with finding ways to improve safety on school buses, including possibly requiring seat belts. Last week an Ohio school bus crashed, killing one student and injuring 23.
The tree canopy coverage in the Florida city is at its lowest in 26 years, which, when coupled with increasingly warm summers, can make for deadly heat conditions, especially in lower-income neighborhoods.
Though not retroactive, the rebates of $2,000 to $4,000 will be allotted for individual households and multifamily buildings with energy efficient retrofits and will be available regardless of income.
Six people died on Feb. 11, 2021, in one of the most destructive crashes in state history when a winter storm caused cars to skid along a two-lane tollway. On Sept. 1, two bills that aim to prevent similar crashes in the future will go into effect.
Lawyer Collyn Peddie, regarding the “nebulous” Texas law that would have limited cities’ abilities to write laws that don’t conform with state laws that regulate a variety of areas including transportation, agriculture, labor and property codes. The law, known as the “Death Star” bill, was ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County state judge on Wednesday, Aug. 30, just days ahead of Sept. 1, when it was scheduled to take effect. (KUT — Aug. 30, 2023)
Why has the state's Republican Legislature descended into chaos and hostility? Plus, it's probably too late to beat Trump and Richard Russo and the humor of mergers.
Keeping election workers and voters safe in a politically charged environment is an expensive challenge. Federal resources are available, and local election officials should take advantage of them now to get ready for 2024.
How regulations are created, updated and challenged can make it easier — or harder — for citizens and businesses to weigh in on the rules that impact them. New research shows what states can do to improve their processes.
An ultra-white coating can reflect just over 98 percent of sunlight, compared to commercial white pants that reflect just 80 to 90 percent of sunlight. The new paint kept outdoor surfaces 8 degrees cooler than surrounding temps.
A report found that if Black people in the state had the mortality rates that white people do, 14,000 fewer Black residents would have died between 2017 to 2022 from heart disease, chronic kidney disease and COVID-19.
Proposed legislation would give Atlanta Public Schools ownership of a 1.5-acre building parcel in exchange for a two-acre vacant property so that the city can develop housing and services for homeless residents.
State legislators have passed more than 700 new laws and a variety of notable or controversial laws will take effect this week, including policies surrounding transgender athletes, chaplains in schools and a tampon tax.
Forest, a Maui disc jockey for Mana’o Radio in Wailuku, regarding the island’s economic reliance on tourism and how the recent Lahaina wildfires have discouraged many tourists from visiting the other 75 percent of the island that was left unscathed. Last year tourists spent $5.5 billion on Maui, and the island typically receives upward of 3 million visitors a year. (NPR — Aug. 30, 2023)
Houston has created a real system to address homelessness, aligning city, county and nonprofit efforts. That innovative program is now under threat, due to changes in leadership and funding.
A federal judge who experienced the unthinkable is advocating for laws that restrict access to personal information about state and local judges.
The tracts have had 20 percent or more of their population living in poverty at various intervals over the past 30 years. Just over 4 percent of the state’s population qualifies for the designation.
The Florida county’s State Attorney’s office declined to formally investigate former Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie and two other former administrators for attempting to hide a massive March 2021 ransomware attack from the public.
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