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Despite the former president’s claims, data shows violent crime is down more than 20 percent across the city and for the first time in four years homicides were down amid efforts to curb deadly violence.
Erik Olson, a health and food expert at the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council, regarding some states’ refusal of federal funds to remove lead pipes that can contaminate drinking water and damage brain development in children. Washington, Oregon, Maine and Alaska have all declined most or all of their funds in the first of five years that the federal grants and loans are available; some states are hesitant to pay for lead removal projects because they are uncertain if they want to take out loans to search for lead pipes. (Associated Press — Aug. 22, 2023)
New research describes transportation engineers as part of the public health workforce, and argues they should emphasize strategies that reduce risk for greater proportions of the population.
A patchwork of confusing and sometimes contradictory policies, involving all levels of government as well as health care providers, resulted in a chaotic response. We need to figure out how to upgrade the system for future health emergencies.
An online resource now being built out has the potential to become an important intellectual hub for public-sector investment practitioners. They need to articulate what they most want to find there.
The Coachella Valley faced a particularly dire threat of flooding as it acts as a drainage basin for two 10,000-foot-plus mountain ranges and low-income farming communities, like Mecca and Thermal, sit at the valley’s low center.
A report by Morgan State University found that the law enforcement agency does not support employees to speak out against the culture or problematic events and troopers of color have said they were subjected to micro- and macroagressions.
At least 14 school resource officers will be at campuses across the city, one of the most significant changes since the shooting at East High School five months ago, overturning a three-year-old policy which had previously removed the officers.
The city’s air quality index hovered between 170 and 190 on Sunday evening and was ranked the worst in the world as smoke from ongoing wildfires in British Columbia, Eastern Washington and the Cascades enveloped the city.
Barry County, Mich., chief law enforcement officer Dar Leaf, regarding what he believes is the sacred mission of America’s sheriffs. Leaf is on the advisory board of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which was founded in 2011 and teaches that elected sheriffs must protect their citizens from the overreach of an out-of-control federal government by refusing to enforce any law they deem unconstitutional or unjust. (Associated Press —Aug. 21, 2023)
Municipal strikes have been rare for decades, but union activity in California suggest they might be making a comeback. Blame it on inflation and staff shortages.
An advocacy group for nude recreation has been a presence at the annual meeting of state legislators for decades — not to advertise, but to prevent inadvertent disruption of a way of life and a multibillion-dollar industry.
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.
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