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Jay Ashcroft was elected secretary of state in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He has assured the state’s elections are safe and secure while also uplifting and supporting conspiracy theories about voter fraud.
The L.A. school district implemented four “acceleration days” for their students that aimed to fill the gaps in student learning, exacerbated by the pandemic. But less than 8 percent attended and the overall cost of these sessions remains unclear.
The category 5 storm was the costliest hurricane in Florida history, causing $112.9 billion in damage and 66 direct deaths. Many residents cut their losses and left, but for those who remain, recovery is slow and ongoing.
More than $1.73 billion will go to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions nationwide, with three in San Diego County receiving funds. Much of the money will go to small-business lending in low-income regions.
The Arizona House Ethics Committee, in a resolution that calls for the expulsion of Liz Harris, a freshman lawmaker from Chandler, for inviting a witness to present false charges about lawmakers and other state officials and then, allegedly, lying about her involvement. A two-thirds majority of the state House voted on Wednesday, April 12, to kick out Harris. (NPR — April 12, 2023)
Pandemic expansion of Medicaid benefits ended on March 31. A former Medicaid deputy director offers thoughts on what lies ahead.
Some conservatives want to rein in journalists’ protections established long ago by the Supreme Court. That would be a blow to the news coverage that aims to keep state and local governments accountable.
Only a few states require judges to sit out cases involving their campaign contributors. The Wisconsin Supreme Court's new liberal majority has expressed support for strengthening recusal rules. Will other states follow its lead?
For many years, Latinas in the U.S. have voted at higher rates than men. But in 2020, more than 2.7 million eligible Latina citizens were not registered. Poder Latinx hopes to bolster Latina power and women’s political presence.
Texas has seen more anti-LGBTQ+ protests than any other state besides California and accounts for about 12 percent of all protests nationwide. But many business owners aren’t going to let protesters stop them from hosting drag events.
The city’s Board of Ethics alleges that mayoral candidate Jeff Brown illegally coordinated donation solicitations. But about half of the cash behind Brown’s campaign comes from a political action committee whose backers are undisclosed.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, regarding red flag laws that do not have a mental health treatment tied to them. Gov. Bill Lee has called upon the Legislature to pass a law that would restrict people who pose a threat to themselves or others from having access to guns in the wake of the Nashville shooting last month. (WPLN — April 11, 2023)
Agencies are spending new money — lots of it, in some cases — to crack down on fare evasion, with new fare gates, updated collection systems and beefed-up policing. But some experts question the cost.
COVID is far from the only explanation for the United States’ dismal trend line. Other diseases, along with drug overdoses, were also contributors, along with politics, policies and inequality.
In 2021, the share of manufacturing employees across the state who were younger than 45 years old was at its highest level in at least a decade, at more than 52 percent. Some hope the negative stereotypes about the industry are changing.
With more than 80 nonwhite members, this year’s General Assembly is the state’s most diverse ever. The Legislature is beginning to reflect the state’s population, which narrowly remained majority white in 2020.
Fifteen states have considered adding measures to their constitutions to preserve the fundamental right to clean air, water, soil and other environmental priorities. Montana, Pennsylvania and New York already have established green amendments.
Shiva Rajbhandari, an 18-year-old senior at Boise High School and first-year Boise School District Trustee, in part of a tweet from his personal account, critiquing Gov. Brad Little for signing a law that bans gender-affirming care for Idaho youths who identify as transgender and nonbinary. Rajbhandari agreed to step down from the governance committee, and has since deleted the profane tweet and released a formal apology. (Idaho Statesman – April 10, 2023)
The sheriff’s office in Washington County is tackling concerns about equity in policing by partnering with an advisory committee of Latino community members.
Culture wars over environmental, social and governance factors used by pension fiduciaries are in the spotlight, but it’s the municipal bond arena where long-term analysis must trump short-term symbolic politics. Sustainability actually matters to investors.
As the work-from-home revolution shows signs of creating a “two-tiered system” of public employment, government employees who can’t do their jobs remotely are going to expect to be paid a premium.
Laws that were enacted to provide community-based alternatives to the state’s youth prisons may actually be fostering a new “shadow” juvenile system in which officials are circumventing transparency laws behind closed doors.
Sixteen cities are meeting to exchange ideas and plan urban forests to provide shade, absorb stormwater runoff and filter air pollution. Urban forestry can mitigate the health risks of a warming climate.
Gov. Jay Inslee proposed a plan to “transform the state’s mental health system” by 2023, but the state has failed to meet its deadline and the repercussions are frustrating families, advocates and law enforcement.
New Mexico and Minnesota are the two most recent states to allow people previously convicted of felonies to vote upon leaving prison, following 21 other states. Ten more states are considering similar legislation.
Nashville City Council Member Bob Mendes, regarding his pledge to reappoint state Rep. Justin Jones after he and Rep. Justin Pearson were expelled by Republican state legislators for staging a protest on the House floor that called for gun law reform. A third lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson, also led the protest, but she survived expulsion by one vote; Johnson is white whereas Jones and Pearson are Black. The majority of Nashville’s 40-member council have vowed to reappoint Jones. (NPR — April 10, 2023)
