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Gov. Kathy Hochul’s affordable housing plan would give the state power to bypass local zoning laws, but local officials want to maintain control of what is built in their communities. The state is in historic need of more housing.
Private companies and corporations can much more easily ban workers from using TikTok on work-issued devices than government agencies. But it’s unlikely an employer could ban an employee from using the platform entirely.
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, regarding a bill that would direct the Federal Trade Commission to create rules that ban the marketing of firearms to children. The gun manufacturer Wee 1 Tactical has said that its JR-15 was designed to allow adults to safely introduce shooting and hunting sports to the next generation. (Reuters — Feb. 2, 2023)
Online chatter and ongoing harassment suggest that security concerns will persist, if not increase, ahead of the next election cycle. Resources are being offered to help election officials cope with this new reality.
The upcoming spring primaries will be a competition between longtime Democratic figures with deep government experience and a new wave of political priorities for Allegheny County executive, County Council and district attorney.
Voters in Black and Latino communities face longer lines at polling places, limited access to mail-in balloting and poor communication of redistricting changes. Spanish speakers make up about 12 percent of the state’s population.
A group of bipartisan state legislators have announced support for 13 bills that would ease permitting, zoning or other regulations to increase housing availability. Some estimate Washington currently needs 150,000 new housing units.
The Wildfire Emergency Act would accelerate forest restoration projects, create a program to maintain critical facilities’ power during disruptions, help low-income households fireproof their homes and establish a fire-training center.
Mississippi state Rep. Alyce Clarke, regarding her decision to not seek re-election that will end her time as legislator 38 years after she first took office. Clarke was the first Black woman elected to the state’s Legislature in a 1985 special election. (Associated Press — Feb. 1, 2023)
State surpluses are up. So too are appetites for more spending and tax cuts. But inflation has reared its ugly head and the possibility of a recession is very real. Governing sorts out this year's financial picture.
There’s a botany boom going on in Latin America’s most exclusive neighborhoods. It should be happening in parts of the U.S., but a difference in civic and governing culture has stymied its growth.
The video of the beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers has, once again, sparked calls for Congress to address law enforcement violence, but the Republican majority has not yet shown signs of prioritizing a policing overhaul this session.
The state implemented its confidential hotline in hopes to combat misinformation and confusion about abortion bans and restrictions. More than 150 lawyers will provide free legal advice.
The state’s $35 million initiative, Good Jobs Hawai’i, hopes to support 3,000 state residents with their career advancement in health care, technology, clean energy, skilled trades and creative industries.
Joel Reynolds, western director and senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, regarding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) veto of a proposed copper and gold mine in a remote region in southwest Alaska that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. This is only the 14th time in the roughly 50-year history of the federal Clean Water Act that the EPA has flexed its power to block or restrict activities over impacts to waters, including fisheries. (Associated Press — Jan. 31, 2023)
The office recession is real, with downtowns in major cities still missing a majority of their pre-pandemic workforce. San Francisco offers a case study in terms of the consequences.
If a congressional debt ceiling deadlock persists and capital markets seize up, states and localities will still have to pay their bills. Public financiers need to be ready to adjust their portfolios to establish a liquid cash buffer.
Tyre Nichols was killed by Memphis police officers who were members of the now-disbanded anti-gun unit. New York City Mayor Eric Adams condemned the beating but defended own anti-gun unit.
Three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, those in the Cleveland area are still uncertain about where employers will require their workers to be: in office, at home or a hybrid of the two.
The Alaska governor introduced two bills that would create a regulatory framework for geologic storage of carbon dioxide and for selling carbon offset credits, and could earn billions for the state. Many details are still unclear.
A new poll found that voter confidence across the state has increased and about 73 percent of registered voters said they were very or somewhat confident that November’s general election was fair and accurate.
Last year, the state’s top 200 political donors shelled out nearly $16 million to statewide and legislative races while the 206,000 people who spent $250 or less gave a collective $13.5 million in donations.
Stephen Murray, an overdose survivor and former paramedic who now researches overdoses at Boston Medical Center, regarding his belief that naloxone, commonly known by its brand name Narcan, should be more widely available to help prevent overdose deaths. The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found in 2021 that 40 percent of overdose deaths happen when someone else is present and possibly able to administer the life-saving drug. (Associated Press — Jan. 29)
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is backing a return of rent control, decades after it was banned in a state referendum. But disappointment among tenant activists raises questions about what rent control is supposed to achieve.
Restrictive codes can severely limit housing development, but a new survey of mayors finds that few take them into account in their plans to address homelessness.
What do you do when you feel trapped by family lineage? Prince Harry of Britain chose a scorched earth approach. A century ago, a sharp-tongued daughter of American royalty known as Princess Alice blazed a different path.
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