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After increasing in the past two midterm elections, last year’s Latino voter turnout decreased and just 36 percent of Latinos registered to vote and only 25 percent of those cast a ballot.
While the pandemic continues to impact people’s health, economic security and ability to work, a study found fewer Hawaii residents are willing to take precautions and more people now perceive COVID-19 as an inconvenience.
Connecticut House Speaker Matt Ritter, regarding the death of state Rep. Quentin Williams, who died in a car crash that happened just hours after Williams was sworn in for his third term. Gov. Ned Lamont directed flags to be lowered to half-staff. (Associated Press — Jan. 5, 2023)
People love to be close to a lake, a river or an ocean, and waterfronts can be a major urban achievement. Why have so many cities done a poor job of cultivating this amenity?
Houston-area workplaces saw occupancy rates increase to nearly 60 percent in December 2022, up 25 percent from the beginning of the pandemic. The area’s return-to-office rate is outpacing several other major metro areas.
Cassandra Albaugh was elected to a seat on the Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified School District Board of Trustees in Sonoma County, Calif., after running unopposed. Albaugh will serve a four-year term.
Nabeela Syed and Brad Fritts will be sworn in as state representatives this month and both will be just 23 years old, marking the advent of Gen Z into the Legislature. Syed is a Democrat and Fritts is a Republican.
Some believe that companies fail to recognize a person’s commitment and desire to work that could make them a good candidate for an offered position, despite lacking credentials. But when do falsehoods become too much?
South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Kaye Hearn, in the 3-2 opinion that ruled that a state law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional because it violates a right to privacy. (Reuters — Jan. 5, 2023)
Research from the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission found that rezoning transit corridors in and around Cleveland would encourage dense, walkable development, which could add population and rebuild the tax base.
The town will not add the surveillance tech into its street security cameras installed this year after concerns about the technology’s reliability and privacy. Many say the software is discriminatory against people of color.
The state’s minimum wage increased by 80 cents to $10.10 an hour for non-tipped workers, the largest increase in more than a decade and a half. The state’s minimum wage increased about four times between 1969 and 2006.
City Council leaders announced they will study Mayor Adams’ push to make a Medicare plan the only cost-free health insurance option for retired city workers. But thousands of retirees are against the mayor’s proposal.
Lynda Gledhill, executive officer of the California Victims’ Compensation Board, regarding the state’s program to provide reparations to people who were sterilized by the state government either against their will or without their knowledge. Those eligible will receive payments of at least $15,000, but finding the people who qualify for the money has proven difficult. The state has approved just 51 people for payments out of 310 applications; about 600 people are estimated to be eligible. (Associated Press — Jan. 4, 2023)
From public health to climate change to immigration, there will be plenty of challenges for our federal system to contend with. But the tensions will be more about social policies and regulation than about money.
Illinois is the latest state where voters have supported employees’ efforts to organize and bargain collectively. Across the country, unions enjoy record high approval, and research shows they’re good for economic growth.
Sports betting in the state became legal on Jan. 1 and many hope that the industry will bring in millions in tax revenue for Ohio schools and increased revenue for other businesses. But some are worried about addiction.
The state’s one Democratic and seven Republican members are also focused on local issues, such as a new Veterans Administration facility in Baton Rouge, reallocating infrastructure funds to traffic reduction projects.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill, which guarantees the right to repair, protecting consumers from anticompetitive efforts to limit electronic device repair options. The law is the first of its kind.
Miami Beach, Fla., City Commissioner Alex Fernandez, regarding the city’s decision to implement a smoking ban at all municipal parks and public beaches. A person can be fined $100 and spend up to 60 days in jail for a first-time violation under the new measure. (Associated Press — Dec. 30, 2022)
The nation's longest-serving attorney general was denied an 11th term. In an exit interview, he reflects on how he and other state AGs changed the way tobacco, tech, drug and finance companies operate.
Last month, the former representative was found guilty of 12 felony charges for lying on federal COVID aid applications while he served in the Kansas House. Capps defrauded banks and government agencies out of $355,550.
The Employer Coalition of Louisiana, composed of Laitram, Edison Chouest Offshore, Excel Group, Grand Isle Shipyard and more, will work to help its customers pay less for the same quality of health-care coverage.
Disinflation and economic deceleration will dominate state and local budgets and investments. Cash is king, at least for a while. Payroll costs will outrace revenues. It’s going to be a year for muddling through.
More than 300,000 people moved out of California in 2022, resulting in an overall population decline for the third year in a row. A survey found that 64 percent of adult residents said housing affordability was “a big problem.”
The western region of New York is faced with an aging, shrinking and undiverse local workforce, and significant structural issues that make attracting and maintaining new workers a challenge. Revitalizing the workforce will be a large undertaking.
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