News
Federal pandemic aid that supported thousands of child-care providers will end soon, leading to downsizings and closures. There are innovative ways for states, local governments and businesses to mitigate the blow to working families and employers.
The study scored Indiana’s voter removal practices at 76 percent, but the state’s safeguards at just 20 percent, along with five others, for not allowing same-day voter registration. The study has received pushback from state and local officials.
The advocacy group for press freedom has called for a “thorough investigation” into the Marion, Kan., Police Department after its raid at a local newspaper, which many claim was a violation of state and federal laws.
Chief U.S. District Judge William P. Johnson ruled that the state’s limits on how much political parties can contribute to political candidates and local political parties was unconstitutional but upheld other state campaign finance limits.
The Cobb County, Ga., School District, in a press release after the county’s school board voted to fire Katie Rinderle, an elementary school teacher of 10 years, for reading the picture book My Shadow Is Purple by Scott Stuart, after a parent complained about the book’s content about gender fluidity. Rinderle is believed to be the first public school teacher fired in Georgia because of the state’s new law that bars the teaching of “divisive concepts” and created a parents’ bill of rights. (Associated Press — Aug. 17, 2023)
If you live in rural America, your Internet access can still be hard to come by. States can change the situation.
The island’s Emergency Management Agency reported that the sirens are for tsunamis and are not a part of the agency’s standard wildfire response protocol. Instead, a variety of emergency notifications were used to alert residents of the danger.
Spalding County’s election board voted last month to require a manual tally before results are certified, but experts are concerned about the accuracy and efficiency of a hand count.
Some professors have decided to ban the use of generative artificial intelligence technology programs while others have worked to incorporate it into their curriculum. Now colleges are working to establish clear policies for the tech.
For many workers, the e-commerce giant’s explanation that “serendipitous things can happen” while working in an office is not enough to justify an in-person return. But three months after the mandate, enforcement is unclear.
New York Police Department Chief of Transit Michael Kemper, regarding the social media trend of people climbing aboard the roof of moving subway cars. Four teens have died in the first six months of 2023, and two were seriously injured, as a result of the trend, compared to just five suspected subway surfing fatalities between 2018 and 2022. Officials have asked social media companies to remove videos of the stunts to discourage future incidents. (NPR — Aug. 17, 2023)
The amount that Uber, Lyft and other rideshare company drivers would receive...
This week in state and local politics: San Francisco Mayor London Breed is in real trouble while there's handwringing over hand-counting ballots.
Local governments are considering rent control initiatives to protect struggling tenants, but some analysts say restrictions only exacerbate the housing crunch and others have questioned if the true beneficiaries are actually low-income renters.
The city’s Revenue Stabilization Workgroup was tasked with crafting progressive taxes. Here’s what they came up with.
Many sites tied to the national mental health crisis hotline transmitted information on visitors through the Meta Pixel analytics tool despite promises of anonymity to their users.
California is one of the few states that requires farmworkers working in the heat to have shade, water and rest, but those rules are often not followed. Additionally, 39 percent of workers reported having problems keeping their own homes cool.
Charter, the parent company of the area’s cable and broadband provider Spectrum, will cover 100 percent of tuition costs for workers pursuing a high school diploma, undergraduate or associate degree and some certificate programs.
The state has the nation’s highest rate of gun violence per capita. Residents experience more gun violence than even those living in California, and a survey found that more than half of residents have experienced physical violence.
Goodhue, Minn., Mayor Ellen Anderson Buck, regarding a mass resignation of the police department. Police Chief Josh Smith, another full-time officer and five part-time employees have resigned; Smith, who led the resignations, said the city wasn’t offering enough money to retain officers. The mayor said that the resignations were surprising because the City Council gave officers a 5 percent increase and Smith a $13,000 raise earlier this year. (Associated Press — Aug. 16, 2023)
Data from cities, counties and states reveals the roles they have the toughest time filling (and they’re not just in cybersecurity). Here are some of their innovative approaches to navigating these workforce shortages.
Some states have taken steps to shield their election workers from intimidation and harm, but there’s a lack of urgency at the federal level. A nationwide threat requires a nationwide response.
A state judge delivered a huge win to young climate plaintiffs. Montana is one of just three states that have the affirmative right to a healthful environment. Montana’s attorney general called the ruling absurd and said the state would appeal the decision.
New York state’s Office of Information Technology Services issued a report last week, following a state law that banned biometric identifying technology in schools. A decision about the tech will be made in the coming weeks.
The city’s homicide rate was up 80 percent, car break-ins were up nearly 90 percent, vehicle thefts have doubled and reported assaults increased 40 percent as compared to pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.
An independent consultant reported that the problematic rollout of the new payroll software system could be tied to a lack of IT involvement, communication and planning from the county’s own staff.
Kim Mitchell, senior water policy adviser at Western Resource Advocates, a Phoenix-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting water and land in the West, regarding the brief relief that this past winter’s precipitation brought to Lake Powell and Lake Mead of the Colorado River, which are still only at about 39 and 33 percents full, respectively. Federal officials are expected to ease water cuts for 2024 due to the slight improvement of the river’s health, but experts are still concerned about the impacts of a drying future. (Associated Press — Aug. 14, 2023)
Most Read
