News
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, indirectly calling for an investigation into the leak of the draft U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade abortion protections. (Reuters — May 3, 2022)
The number of states that have no minimum age for prosecuting children. Florida has the lowest established minimum age for juvenile prosecution at 7 years old; the age was raised a year after a 6-year-old was arrested at her school for kicking and punching staff members while throwing a tantrum in 2019. New Hampshire has the oldest minimum age set at 13 years old.
Only 17 percent of state supreme court justices are people of color.
Cities are looking to ensure privacy is considered when weighing surveillance technology procurements and data handling procedures. Oakland, Calif., introduced a privacy advisory commission, but it’s not the only model at play.
A statewide ballot measure, headed by a startup investor and former Google executive, would tax California’s richest residents to pay for public health initiatives to prevent future pandemics.
Grundy Center has one of the first large-scale cryptocurrency mining sites in Iowa and uses more electricity than all the residential customers combined. State officials say the high-energy demand should be a red flag.
The state has poured $500 million into expanding Internet connectivity in rural areas but many residents are still experiencing extremely slow speeds, impacting their ability to do their jobs.
Critics claim that wind and solar are unreliable sources of renewable energy, but state officials seem uninterested in pursuing nuclear power, unlike other states and the Biden administration.
To combat the continuing labor shortage, many companies are reconsidering hiring requirements and are “downcredentialing” their job openings. Many expect this reclassification to continue beyond the pandemic.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, commenting on the upcoming primary elections in which several Trump-backed candidates are running for office. Hogan, a Trump critic, has defended incumbent GOP governors in Georgia, Ohio and Idaho. Thirteen states have primaries in May. (Associated Press — May 2, 2022)
The amount that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has spent on his first television ad for his re-election campaign.
A new study finds that many transit boardmembers are not representative of their constituents who ride bus, subway or rail. Too often members are old, white and male and don’t use transit much or at all.
Conserving 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 depends on private landowners.
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Elon Musk’s $44 billion deal to buy Twitter roiled the Internet despite his claims to be acting in the interests of free speech and transparency. An author argues that crowd-sourcing wisdom is a poor substitute for old-school expertise in the search for truth.
The largest category of power plants applying to connect to the U.S. grid are now solar, and over a third of those are hybrids that include battery storage.
Following an announcement from Twitter that the long awaited “edit” feature is currently in the testing process, and news about Elon Musk taking on ownership, what do government social media managers need to know?
Three Wall Street firms will commit $3 million each for the next 10 years for the “Investing in Black Futures” initiative, which will recruit, train and mentor students from four historically Black colleges and universities for finance careers.
Gov. Phil Murphy announced that Danish company Ørsted will lease the Lower Alloways Creek Township port for two years beginning in 2024 to build wind farm parts, which will create at least 200 jobs for the region.
The House approved a bill that will speed up juvenile arraignments, extend hold times for youths and allow GPS monitoring for repeat offenders. But some worry the tough-on-crime approach is ineffective.
The two Texas cities will vote on abolishing low-level marijuana charges in elections this spring and fall. Sixty percent of state residents believe marijauna possession should be legal, at least for low amounts.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, said in a hearing on Thursday, April 28, regarding his opposition to federal tax credits for electric vehicles. This is not the first time Manchin has expressed his opposition to EV policies; in November 2021 he called the incentives “wrong” and “not American” and in March 2022 he said he was “very reluctant to go down the path of electric vehicles.” Manchin makes millions of dollars annually from the coal industry. (Ars Technica — April 29, 2022)
The number of states that are suing the U.S. Postal Service to stop the purchase of thousands of gas-powered vehicles in an attempt to have the Service electrify its mail delivery fleet; 14 of the states have Democratic governors. Two more separate, but similar, lawsuits were filed, one by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice, CleanAirNow KC and Sierra Club and the other by the Natural Resources Defense Council and United Auto Workers in New York. The Postal Service plans to purchase up to 165,000 delivery vehicles over the next decade.
Plus a look at missed opportunities for Democrats; a redistricting roundup; and, courage under pressure.
Too often they suffer for disclosing uncomfortable truths. Steps could be taken to make what they do more effective, including strengthening state laws purporting to protect them.
Some lawmakers believe that the Colorado Open Records Act has failed due to high fees and outdated technology. Although a fresh reform bill failed to pass into law, lawmakers hope they’ve laid a foundation for the next session.
Hearings regarding allegations of bid rigging and a formal City Council investigation into the city’s “smart city” program began on Wednesday. The initiative would have installed “city-directed” broadband and infrastructure.
Landlords filed 771 eviction cases in Denver County in March, the largest single-month total since the pandemic began. City officials report allotting a bit more than $49 million for emergency rental assistance.
The Minnesota city has received more than $1 million from the state to help prepare individuals for new careers, particularly in the health care, construction, IT and manufacturing fields.
Tennessee state Rep. Jerry Sexton, regarding what he would do with books that are removed from school libraries. The comment came amid a contentious debate about a House bill that would require public school librarians to submit lists of books for state approval. The House passed the bill on Wednesday. (Washington Post — April 27, 2022)
