News
School districts across the state are struggling to fill teaching staff vacancies, so much that many will violate a new state law requiring public school districts offer free pre-kindergarten education.
The Legislature killed a school funding bill after it was tied to a contentious school voucher plan that would use public funds for private schools, forcing districts to lay off staff and new buses to afford teacher raises.
Heat indexes in Orlando have surpassed 100 degrees 32 times so far this year, making this year especially dangerous for unhoused residents. There has been a 75 percent increase in unsheltered people in Central Florida since 2019.
Angel Perez, president of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, commenting on the concern that school counselors, teachers and admission officers have about the impact that the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against affirmative action could have on students of color. Many counselors feel uncertain how to advise students about their application process or whether or not they should mention race in a student recommendation. (Reuters — Aug. 1, 2023)
Across the country, turnover and vacancies are high. Counties are raising salaries but still can't compete with the private sector.
It's the world’s most popular music genre, and some of its stars are making big investments in their communities. People who work on building local economies should pay attention and nurture this opportunity.
It is irresponsible and dangerous for politicians to dictate which investments public asset managers must favor. States, municipalities and public pensions are paying higher interest rates on bonds and getting poorer returns on investments.
To avoid putting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, some companies are using pipelines to inject the gas underground. But environmentalists and landowners are concerned about gaps in health and safety regulations.
A survey of 112 of the state’s agencies found that more than half allow the vast majority of their employees to work remotely and 49 departments gave telework eligibility to 100 percent of their employees in May.
AM radio stations provide a free-to-listen voice for underrepresented communities and act as a reliable source of public safety information during emergencies. Proposed legislation would require car manufacturers to keep the AM dial on EV dashboards.
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger, regarding the state’s budget deal that they claim is close to an agreement and hope to have a mid-August vote on the biennial budget that was supposed to start July 1. (Associated Press — July 31, 2023)
Shifting demographics and changing migration patterns have impacted the city, moving it toward the future with programs that reflect the country’s history of blending cultures.
We don’t bulldoze poor neighborhoods the way we used to. But African countries are heavily into it.
As a way to better allocate resources to the drought-ridden area, cities across Arizona are collaborating on water treatment plants and sharing data, knowing that there is not one single solution to assure water security for the region.
The California city became one of the first to implement a strict set of guidelines for use of the artificial intelligence tool and clarified that ChatGPT is subject to the state’s Public Records Act.
A report found that, measured against 11 metrics, the Brownsville-Harlingen, McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Corpus Christi metro areas were four of the least educated regions in the nation.
The state ranks 46th in the nation when it comes to Internet access and 7 in 10 residents do not have access to affordable connectivity, which is defined as below $60 per month.
Ernie Baggett, the former emergency management chief for Autauga County, Ala., regarding the disproportionate rate at which people in mobile or manufactured homes are killed by tornadoes in the U.S., especially in the South. Since 1996 tornadoes have killed 815 people in mobile or manufactured homes, more than half of all the people killed at home during a tornado, despite manufactured homes accounting for less than 6 percent of America’s housing units. So far this year, at least 45 of the 74 people who have been killed by tornadoes across the nation were in some form of manufactured housing. (Associated Press — July 28, 2023)
They can help clear the air over UFO sightings by letting residents know if they live near military operations airspace, says a new RAND report. Public help is most needed to spot and report human misbehavior.
Too many neighborhoods are not designed for today’s record-setting heat. There is a solution: “Smart surfaces” can make cities cooler and less vulnerable to flooding.
Many landlords see federal housing vouchers as a red flag about the renters’ income, and while 17 states and D.C. have laws that protect against housing assistance program discrimination, enforcing them is still a challenge.
The Massachusetts governor signed an executive order to create a chief information technology accessibility officer to expand equity on the state’s websites and digital tools.
The city’s Board of Education unanimously approved a $1 million contract to purchase X-ray machines that will replace approximately 70 existing machines in 108 elementary and high schools.
A buoy in Manatee Bay recorded water temperatures of 101.6 degrees on Monday, possibly the hottest sea surface temperature ever recorded, prompting scientists to transplant coral to temperature-controlled tanks.
U.S. Senator Cory Booker, regarding his proposed legislation that would ban most corporations, pension funds and investment funds from buying or leasing farmland. Institutional investors own $15.9 billion of farmland in the U.S. (Reuters — July 27, 2023)
Since the earliest days of the Internet, much of the world’s data flows through Northern Virginia. But power limitations and environmental concerns could slow down the region's relentless pace of data center activity.
Most Read
