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A study of 3,000 companies found a correlation between local ‘social capital’ – which measures such variables as voter turnout and census response rates – and more women on corporate boards.
To qualify, seniors must apply to their town annually to prove they have incomes low enough to qualify – a maximum salary of $37,400. But, for many, the requirements and processes are convoluted and difficult to meet.
As of mid-February, none of the state’s $2.5 million allotted for detection and mitigation in prisons, jails and other confinement facilities has yet been spent. More than 1,000 inmates across seven state facilities have gotten COVID-19.
Two proposed bills would open the process for local governments to tax residents in ways that aren’t currently allowed. For now, Kentucky’s cities and counties can only impose property taxes, occupational taxes and fees.
Randy Watson, Kansas’ former education commissioner, in an extended metaphor comparing the coronavirus pandemic response to dealing with both a tornado and a hurricane. Watson made the offensive remark in a two-day virtual education conference last week and resigned on Feb. 25, after several state officials called for his resignation. (Associated Press — Feb. 25, 2022)
The estimated amount of federal rental assistance funds that have been given to low-income tenants, the Treasury Department reported. The largest percentage of recipients were Black followed by female-led households.
A surge in property title fraud has led several counties and cities to fund programs that notify residents if imposter paperwork gets filed against their deed. The increase in digitized records has contributed to the rise in fraud.
Construction and other industries supported by the new federal infrastructure law face labor shortages. Workforce development systems can help narrow that gap by supporting efforts to bring in women and workers of color.
In 1917 the Supreme Court knocked down a discriminatory land use practice in Louisville, Ky. While the case made overt zoning segregation illegal, state and local government continued to find alternative ways to divide communities along racial lines.
A recent survey found that many people who had recently arrived in Tampa Bay had moved for the sunny weather or a job change, while many were leaving because of politics or to find better schools or cheaper services.
The state’s electricity generators released 85.3 million tons of carbon dioxide last year, the highest levels since 2016. While the nation saw an increase in power sector carbon emissions, Pennsylvania was worse than average.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, regarding the Department of Interior’s declaration that the word “squaw” is derogatory and is moving forward with plans to remove the word from the names of more than 660 geographic features. (NPR — Feb. 23, 2022)
The proportion of Americans who say that it’s not important to them personally that a Black woman becomes a Supreme Court Justice; 63 percent of Black Americans say it’s very or extremely important to them personally, compared to just 21 percent of white Americans and 33 percent of Hispanics.
Highway construction receives bipartisan support, but Republican voters in Sun Belt cities have gained the most from the country’s car-centric transportation system, while transit is almost entirely backed by Democrats.
We give subsidies to people who don’t need them, and order the poor to find money they don’t have when they get in trouble with the law.
Professional teams that discriminate against coaches, players and others shouldn’t be getting taxpayer money that would be better spent on the real problems that need more public funding.
The Voting Systems Commission will recommend how the state should conduct future elections. Many conservatives want to reinstate hand-marked ballots, but critics highlight the inaccessibility to some disabled voters.
After the 2021 Childcare Census Survey found that 58 percent of respondents were not able to access center-based, family-based or school-based child-care programs. The mayor’s new office will be a one-stop shop for child-care services.
U.S. House candidate Abby Broyles, regarding her intoxication at a Valentine’s Day weekend sleepover for middle school-aged girls. Broyles claims she had an adverse reaction after drinking wine and taking sleep medication. At least one of the parents of the girls at the sleepover reported that Broyles used profanity and berated several of the girls at the party, commenting on one’s acne and another’s Hispanic ethnicity. Broyles was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Oklahoma in 2020. (Associated Press — Feb. 22, 2022)
The number of maternal deaths per 100,000 births among Black people in 2020, almost triple the rate for whites. Black and Hispanic people saw increases in pregnancy-related deaths, the white death rate remained essentially unchanged.
The president's party almost always loses seats in midterms. Here's why.
It’s too easy for a debate to degenerate to binary choices. In dealing with public safety issues, Dallas’ mayor embraced a range of solutions rather than simply picking a side.
A deep partisan divide exists over the bill that would limit discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in state schools, with 63 percent of Democrats against the measure while 54 percent of Republicans approve.
A recent report estimated that the state used an average of 70 days to process typical Medicaid applications, 25 days longer than allowed by federal law. An expansion in the state’s Medicaid took effect in summer 2021.
The emergency response agency argues that the city improperly rolled back public health orders while the city thinks that the shelters it built for homeless populations should be covered by federal disaster aid.
Alexis Knox-Miller, the Colorado Springs, Colo., school district’s equity director, regarding the recent disbandment of an equity leadership team after conservative school board members voiced doubts about the team’s work. In school districts across the nation, issues of diversity, equity and inclusion are being challenged by residents who believe that schools are manipulating curriculums to shame white children. (Associated Press — Feb. 20, 2022)
The median rent increase across the 50 largest U.S. metro areas from December 2020 to December 2021 for properties with two or fewer bedrooms. But some areas experienced much larger increases, such as the Miami metro area where rent increased 49.8 percent.
Scores of bills have been introduced to limit or forbid classroom discussion of topics at the heart of modern civic life, including race and gender. Even if most won’t become law, they’re putting educators on edge.
Multifactor authentication is a key part of zero-trust security, and a method promoted by the likes of CISA. It aims to block out hackers who — in this age of data breaches — manage to steal users’ passwords.
People with criminal records just want to work, and they can be good employees. There’s a lot that governments could do to enable this untapped workforce.
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