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Mississippi state Sen. Barbara Blackmon, who is Black, regarding a Republican-sponsored bill that would ban schools from teaching critical race theory. Republicans argue the theory teaches “victimhood” while Democrats argue that the ban could quieten discussion of Mississippi’s racist past. Black senators walked out of the state Senate chamber before the bill’s vote on Friday, Jan. 21; it passed the Senate 32-2 and will move to the House. (NPR — Jan. 22, 2022)
The number of people who died in avalanches across the nation last year, the most in at least 70 years, with 12 of those deaths occurring in Colorado, the most the state has seen since the 1915-1916 season.
Nashville is growing remarkably fast — and encountering serious growing pains. The next steps the city takes could mean the difference between transformation or having the infrastructure of an overgrown small town.
The tragedies in Philadelphia and the Bronx have put a spotlight back on the country’s deplorable housing market for the poorest families. Proposals to fix and fund the problem are on the table.
All city technology agencies will now operate under the Office of Technology and Innovation, overseen by Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. Fraser took over the CTO position earlier this month.
Often audacious, these bundled bills attempt to get a lot done in a hurry, loosening scrutiny on the public purse in the meantime.
Irrigation organizations play a crucial behind-the-scenes role in delivering water to farmers. But only one out of every five has an official strategy for responding to drought.
States and localities have been slow to spend federal emergency money.
A team of researchers found 35,000 pairs of existing reservoirs, lakes and old mines in the US that could be turned into long-term energy storage – and they don’t need dams on rivers.
Blue Cross Blue Shield terminated 250 employees earlier this month for not complying with the company’s vaccination deadline. But some employees felt they were wrongfully fired after being denied a religious exemption.
Omicron has hit MARTA, the region’s transit system, hard as drivers get sick or have to quarantine, which can sometimes cause last-minute trip cancellations. Passengers are suffering from the reduced service.
The California governor last year poured $12 billion into homeless housing and services and wants to invest another $1.5 billion next year. But advocates want long-term investments instead of one-time grants.
Cynthia Chavez Lamar, in a statement announcing her appointment as the director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. She will be the first Native woman to lead a Smithsonian museum. (Smithsonian — Jan. 19, 2022)
The national median sale price for an existing home in 2021, a 17 percent increase from the year prior. The typical American home gained $50,200 in value last year.
The practice has become a focus of housing reform but eliminating it might not make much difference if other regulations aren’t considered.
A report from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection found that 27,886 miles of streams were impaired in one or more ways, a 9 percent increase from 2020. Philadelphia’s water is among the state’s worst.
Prior to the pandemic, the state had more people working from home and better Internet access than average, but as remote work becomes increasingly permanent, workers continue to migrate and impact local communities.
Deputies from the Alabama county’s sheriff’s office often fasten monitors on about 25 people weekly and many of those haven’t been convicted of anything. Some say the monitors are financially and emotionally burdensome.
James Slattery, senior staff attorney with the Texas Civil Rights Project, regarding the new ID requirements for vote-by-mail ballot applications in Texas that went into effect last month which have caused about 50 percent of those applications to be rejected in several counties. Senate Bill 1 requires that voters must now include either a partial Social Security number or a driver’s license number on their application for mail-in ballots and the number must match their voter registration. But many people don’t remember what form of ID is tied to their voter registration. (NPR — Jan. 20, 2022)
President Joe Biden’s approval rating after one year in office. Only 28 percent of Americans, just 48 percent of Democrats, want Biden to run for re-election in 2024.
Thousands of teachers are staying home for a week or more at a time. Desperate states are raising pay, changing certification standards and even sending in the National Guard.
Citizen volunteers rescue a stormwater project gone awry in the historic town of Frederick.
As billions for infrastructure flow from Washington, moving away from dependence on the automobile will require new cooperation between federal grantmakers and state and local recipients. Are carless cities in our future?
The bill would require private companies to allow medical, religious and “natural immunity” exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine and it would allow unvaccinated employees to instead get weekly testing.
Public health, social work and public works employees under SEIU Local 521 will walk off the job on Jan. 25 in response to poor-faith bargaining. Council officials expect the strike to delay or entirely shut down some departmental operations.
Experts worry that social media apps that have positioned themselves as right-winged alternatives, like Parler and Gab, may promote disinformation about the upcoming midterm elections, which could incite violence.
Mayor London Breed’s two-part proposed ballot measure would ask residents to vote on broadened police access to live feeds and allowing police camera access in “public safety crisis areas,” which would include privately owned cameras.
Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, regarding Mayor Eric Garcetti’s nomination of Deputy Chief Kristin Crowley to lead the city’s fire department, which would make Crowley L.A.’s first female fire chief. Crowley’s nomination must be confirmed by the City Council. (Associated Press — Jan. 19, 2022)
The amount that the Biden administration will use to improve the country’s ports and waterways to increase climate resilience, improve drinking water and bolster the nation’s supply chain. The funds will assist more than 500 projects.
Governments are desperate to recoup lost revenue as people cut the cable cord.
