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Election observers would receive city-provided training and a tour of the election center. Mayor Dave Bronson has criticized the proposals, claiming it would reduce election transparency.
Council member Edward Pollard said road construction that emphasizes cyclists can be detrimental to those driving vehicles. This week Pollard walked back his earlier statement, but only slightly.
Kristie Wilder, a Census Bureau demographer, regarding the dip in U.S. population growth in the last year, the slowest growth rate since 1937. (Associated Press — Dec. 21, 2021)
The amount that the Department of Health and Human Services will dedicate to transitioning the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to the three-digit phone number 988 in July 2022.
With their economies built on mineral extraction, the sister cities envision a future together without coal. A partnership to share resources is underway, but a merger is off the table, at least for now.
Newly released research points to the need to both electrify the transportation sector and make cities less car dependent if there’s any hope of curtailing the worst effects of climate change.
This year taught us to humbly expect the unexpected, from hundreds of billions in federal “helicopter money” to $35,000 bonuses to lure back retired transit workers. And how is your public pension fund doing on something called ESG?
After the murder of George Floyd last May, Democrats across the state called for immediate police reform. Now as crime rates increase, many of those same lawmakers are calling for more officers. Can the state have both?
A report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the city had 28 issues, including insufficient oversight, conflicts of interest and inaccurate documentation, in its administration of federal grants.
Millions in Washington state still do not have reliable access to high-speed Internet, making online life nearly inaccessible. Local and tribal governments will soon be able to apply for federal grants to expand broadband services.
The state’s Corrections Department says it has stopped placing women in solitary confinement and now caps all stays at a maximum of 30 days. Advocates are excited by the news, but uncertain if the policy is true.
Leading California cannabis companies, in a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, announcing that the state’s legal industry is on the verge of collapse. A spokesperson for the governor has said that Newsom is open to working with the state Legislature to create reform. (Associated Press — Dec. 17. 2021)
The number of charges – five felony and three misdemeanor – against Oklahoma House Speaker Pro Tempore Terry O’Donnell for allegedly misusing his power to change state law to allow his wife to become a tag agent. O’Donnell and his wife, Teresa, who also faces three felony and one misdemeanor charges, were indicted by a grand jury last week. The most severe offense against the couple is conspiracy against the state.
The job of a legislator is for most a time-consuming one with little chance to shape policy, and the pay isn't great. So why do so many of them run for re-election over and over?
Once numbering over 2 million in the U.S., an estimated 100,000 remain. But they are getting hard to find. Especially ones that work.
Historian H. W. Brands’ new book draws out the complexities of the country’s original great struggle and what it can tell us about where we are today.
Armed with three years of grocery shopping data, researchers found that total sugar sales are down by almost 20 percent, driven largely by falling soda purchases.
The Valencia lab, a public-private venture between the state and PerkinElmer, processed only 1 to 8 percent of all Californians’ COVID tests in the first 10 months of the contract. And the lab was riddled with dozens of problems, according to an inspection report.
The city’s Department of Public Health will use more than $1 million to develop its own sequencing lab to more quickly determine the infecting variant of COVID, but it won’t open until June.
The Transportation Commission hopes the new rules will encourage the state to not only get more EVs on the roads but also to improve other transportation options. The plan goes into effect on Feb. 14.
The state’s jail population increased 60 percent from 2000 to 2019, more than five times the state’s overall population growth, resulting in overcrowding and understaffing. The fallout can be deadly.
The plan would utilize the city’s waterways to help reduce truck traffic and pollution caused by idling vehicles. The DOT estimated that between January 2020 and September 2021 truck traffic across the East River increased by 50 percent.
Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett, regarding the removal of debris after dozens of tornadoes tore across the South and Midwest. Some estimate that debris removal could take years in some parts that were especially damaged, such as Mayfield, Ky. (Associated Press — Dec. 17, 2021)
The amount that Cary, N.C., paid to purchase and equip two Tesla Model Ys as police patrol vehicles as well as a charging station for the cars. The town paid about $10,000 more per vehicle than the Ford Explorers in the department’s current fleet, but officials are hopeful that the investment will end up saving them approximately $4,000 per vehicle by the end of their expected life span of five years.
Bureaucratic, compliance-driven contracting systems do little to create sustainable and equitable communities. Done better, procurement could be a creative tool for problem-solving.
The Michigan Civil Rights Department has argued that the redistricting commissions’ proposed congressional maps eliminate majority-minority districts, but not all experts agree with the analysis.
The increase in the Texas metroplex is more than double the average rise for U.S. cities. At 15.3 cents per kilowatt hour, it’s the highest average since the Great Recession. Experts predict prices will continue to increase.
In 2019, 12 percent fewer Black residents owned homes than white residents and the average Black household income was $30,000 less than for white households. The city’s racial gap has worsened over the last 30 years.
San Francisco, Calif., Supervisor Myrna Melgar, regarding the city’s new legislation that requires domestic workers to be given paid sick leave, the first measure of its kind nationwide. (Associated Press — Dec. 15, 2021)
The number of executions that were carried out by states and the federal government this year, the fewest since 1988.
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