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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.
Deaths for the first six months of the year are about 7.7 percent higher than they were for the same period in 2019, about a percentage higher than anticipated. The count in six states was at least 15 percent higher than pre-pandemic.
Proterra Inc. was expected to provide the city with 20 electric buses by 2026, but the manufacturing company announced its bankruptcy earlier this month. Payment for the vehicles has not yet been submitted to the company.
Dylan Pyles, co-founder of Kansas City-based group Liberation Lit, regarding Missouri’s new rule that will prohibit people incarcerated in state prisons from receiving books and other publications from friends and family starting Sept. 25 in an attempt to reduce the influx of drugs and other contraband into the facilities. Incarcerated people will now be required to buy their own books, magazines, newspapers and correspondence courses. The base salary for incarcerated people working in a prison is $7.50 or $8.30 per month, but could be as high as $80 per month; people in work release programs outside of prison make closer to minimum wage and those in Missouri Vocational Enterprises job training programs make 81 cents per hour. (KCUR — Aug. 29, 2023)
With little in local tax revenue to help pay staff, rural Texas sheriffs are often forced to do more with less. Lawmakers hope a new grant program will help rebuild the ranks of rural law enforcement.
Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.
Two years ago, state officials directed a total of $3.87B to close the digital divide and expand Internet access. But since then, the plans have been significantly reduced and lower-income neighborhoods have been left out.
Baltimore County assigned 133 students to its Virtual Learning Program as a means of punishment, which experts say is opposite of what students facing discipline need to keep them engaged and enrolled.
Though officials have pushed job training and career readiness programs, the lack of child care, affordable housing or mental health services prevents people from joining the workforce.
As Chicago residents have spent the last few months hounded by wildfire smoke, experts have a variety of recommendations on how to avoid the bad air quality, including recirculating indoor air, using HEPA filters and creating a clean room.
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