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Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director of Kansas Interfaith Action, a climate issue lobby group, regarding Kansas state Sen. Mike Thompson’s pushback against renewable energy in his role as chair of the Utilities Committee. Not only has Thompson’s resistance to green energy put him at odds with environmentalists, but his views also pit him against big utilities and GOP colleagues, who believe his restrictions on wind turbines and solar farms go too far. (Associated Press — March 17, 2022)
The approximate number of historically Black colleges and universities across the country that have been the target of bomb threats in the past three months.
Public engagement can have downsides. Neighborhood participation in the housing permitting process makes existing political inequalities worse, limits housing supply and contributes to the affordability crisis.
Housing costs were rising faster than income before historic inflation made things worse. The CEO of Habitat for Humanity blueprints what local governments can do to ease the current crisis.
The city’s controversial anti-crime unit will return to Staten Island’s North Shore with a new name, new uniforms complete with body cameras, and new tech that uses facial recognition technology. But some still worry about the unit’s impacts.
After receiving complaints about the quality of care provided, city officials delayed a decision on whether to replace Wellpath LLC with LSU Health New Orleans. The contract could amount to as much as $93 million.
Data collected from companies with 100 or more employees revealed that only 36 percent of the top earners were women and Hispanic and Latino people and Black people were overly represented at the lowest pay levels.
As interest in cryptocurrency mining continues to grow, Texas power utilities are left to figure out how to manage the surge in electricity demand largely on their own, making many things, like monthly costs, uncertain.
University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program Director John Fleck, regarding Lake Powell’s drop below 3,525 feet, putting it at the lowest levels since the federal government dammed the Colorado River at Glen Canyon more than 50 years ago. While officials are confident water levels will rise again as snow melts in the Rockies, many see that as only a temporary fix that will allow the Glen Canyon Dam to continue producing hydropower for approximately 5 million customers across seven states. (Associated Press — March 16, 2022)
The amount that Amazon will be awarding in loans for affordable housing construction near two D.C. metro stops. The funds will go to two developers, Urban Atlantic and Gilbane Development Company, to create 742 new apartments near the New Carrollton and College Park Metro stations.
New econometric analysis brings statistics to bear in support of common-sense conclusions that people can’t stay in neighborhoods if they don’t have homes.
It’s not a household name, but it’s a place with a distinct culture and a raft of economic opportunities.
The state currently allows county and statewide elections that end in a tie vote to be decided using random choice, instead of by special election or second runoff. A proposed law would apply the same rule to municipal elections.
Another $85 million will be allocated toward building a new federal courthouse, replacing the current one that was built in 1933 and no longer meets safety, prisoner security or accessibility requirements.
As medicine quickly adapted to ensure that millions of Americans could still receive care during the coronavirus pandemic, some of the innovations made health-care accessibility more difficult for those with disabilities.
The Department of Veterans Affairs aims to get at least 1,500 homeless veterans in Los Angeles into permanent housing, and 38,000 nationally, by the end of the year, which would be 10 percent more veterans than in 2021.
Arizona state Sen. Sonny Borrelli, regarding a bill that would have allowed the use of deadly force to stop someone from damaging property. Critics say the legislation, which was rejected on Monday, was vague and could have allowed someone to shoot and kill another person for simply graffitiing a wall while having something that might be deemed a weapon. Had the bill passed, Arizona would have joined only Texas in allowing the use of deadly force to protect property. (Associated Press — March 15, 2022)
The annual amount paid by agents of the Russian government to air the pro-Putin programming of Radio Sputnik on two small American-owned stations, one in the Washington, D.C., area (WZHF) and the other in the Kansas City area (KCXL). The amount works out to be 154.1 billion Russian rubles at their current hyper-deflated exchange rate. The National Association of Broadcasters has called on both stations to stop airing the Russian-backed propaganda immediately.
Elected office should be more than a steppingstone to higher office or wealth accumulation. Among other things, elected officials should respect their constituents and side with the underserved whose voices are rarely heard.
Houston, Texas, has started deploying digital kiosks throughout the city. In addition to offering wayfinding services and municipal resources to residents and visitors, they also serve as Internet connectivity hubs.
Many want to sanction Putin and Co. at every turn, but it’s a mistake to move too quickly. Pension funds actually don’t hold that much in Russian assets, and they're sitting ducks for crafty, amoral traders.
The state has updated a law that will likely add more decentralized autonomous organizations to the state, which officials hope will further Wyoming’s status as a national trendsetter for virtual currency.
The state’s oil producers claim that an increase in oil drilling could help stop runaway gas prices, but, since the price of oil is set by global market forces, it’s unlikely that $5.72 per gallon statewide price would drop.
Climate change is causing once-predictable winter weather patterns to now become uncertain, which could lead to greater water pollution and deterioration of road infrastructure across the state.
The prison that was previously privately run will return to local government control in April and Warden Laura Williams’ background in behavioral health could help to bring a much-needed culture change.
Katie Wright, Daunte Wright’s mother, regarding the memorial for her son at a suburban Minneapolis intersection. City officials plan to remove the memorial. Daunte Wright was killed by Brooklyn Center police officer Kim Potter, after Potter claimed she mistakenly pulled her handgun instead of her Taser. (Associated Press — March 14, 2022)
The increase in Black-owned businesses as compared to pre-pandemic levels, growth that is primarily driven by Black women.
No Democratic governor has been defeated since 2014. Look for that to change in November.
The systems shouldn’t be diluted in the name of “reform.” Licensing benefits women and minorities, brings higher wages and protects the public.
The radicalization of a congressional clerk in the 1800s and the introduction of the telegraph set a young country on a new trajectory.
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