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Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas’s former top health officer, regarding the criticism and pushback from the governor and state Legislature. Norman led Kansas through the coronavirus pandemic until he abruptly resigned last month after he was asked to step down. (Associated Press — December 2, 2021)
The number of U.S.-based employer layoffs that occurred in November, a decrease of 34.8 percent, the fewest since May 1993.
Against all odds, election officials delivered a safe and secure election during a public health crisis. But a year later, they are looking for innovative ways to restore public trust in their work.
When cities reject new projects because they don’t fit an ideal notion of “affordability,” they further worsen the housing shortage.
St. Louis County’s proposed 2022 budget is $43 million larger than this year’s, amounting to $463 million. The increase is projected to cause a 1.9 percent bump in property taxes.
Pembroke Park is determined to separate from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office even though the department building project is stalled and costs have increased. Now the town may not have its own force until 2023.
The state’s transportation section is not on track to meet its aggressive climate goals of reducing emissions by 45 percent below 1990 levels by 2035. By the end of 2020, the state had just 32,000 registered zero-emission vehicles.
The state’s 2007 repeal of the requirement to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun is connected to an increase in the number of stolen firearms, firearm deaths and further gun deregulation.
Former California Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, regarding the legal challenges to the state’s law that requires women on boards of publicly traded companies. When it was enacted, California’s law was the first of its kind in the nation and, since then, several other states have made similar laws of their own. Jackson authored the legislation. (Associated Press — December 1, 2021)
The amount in pounds of plastic that is produced by the U.S. each year and ends up in the world’s oceans. In total, the U.S. produces more than 46 million tons of plastic annually, making it the world’s top plastic waste producer.
Smart cities’ focus on technology has made the digital divide worse, not better. The new infrastructure law could change that.
For rural communities like St. Helena, the billions the state will receive from the infrastructure bill for Internet and road repairs could have a massive impact. The community sits about 34 percent below the national income average.
Prior to COVID, San Antonio had allowed as many as 16,000 scooters to operate on city streets but now the allowance has dropped to just 2,000. The scooter industry may be here to stay, but not without change.
Last spring, a majority of lawmakers approved removing some supplies from the list of banned drug equipment but it wasn’t a large enough margin to overturn the veto from Gov. Hogan. Efforts to overturn the veto continue.
To deal with a multimillion-dollar deficit, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department cut $99.9 million in overtime. But as crime and homicides increase across the county, officials say that’s not feasible this year.
Oakland, Calif., Mayor Libby Schaaf, regarding her plans to reverse budget cuts to the city’s police department. She wants to hire more officers as violence and homicides have increased. There have been 127 homicides so far this year. (Associated Press — November 29, 2021)
The number of years by which California’s Sierra Nevada mountains could experience a snowless future, according to a new study from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
The over-65 population is growing faster than the generations who will take their place. Demographer James Johnson Jr. discusses the opportunities for growth given current demographic trends.
COVID-19 has helped to highlight the racial disparities in health-care services that stem from implicit bias from doctors and medical algorithms. But for many Black patients, the discrimination goes beyond negative attitudes.
Tennessee is projected to collect $655.2 million in the 2022 fiscal year through its gas and diesel taxes. As gas-powered vehicles give way to EVs, the state will need to make up the lost fuel-tax revenue.
The transit agency normally employs about 2,300, but is currently down about 150 workers, forcing it to trim services for dozens of bus routes. It is offering $2,000 hiring bonuses and may consider rehiring retired operators.
The drones will be developed to transport heavy loads, like firefighting supplies, industrial packages and even human transplant organs, and will be able to fly continuously for up to seven hours.
Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, regarding the state’s new congressional map that creates 15 new districts in the state, 12 of which are either heavily in favor or lean in favor of Republicans. Anti-gerrymandering advocates claim the map was designed to keep a Republican stronghold in the state. (NPR — November 24, 2021)
The number of states in which the Biden administration’s worker vaccine mandate has been blocked by a federal judge.
Before the pandemic, Marin County had the lowest vaccination rates in California. Now, more than 90 percent of its adults are protected against COVID-19.
For decades, toxic runoff from abandoned coal mines has left streams and rivers lifeless in the Mountain State. Then two men decided to reverse the damage taking place in their own backyards.
Too many lives that could be turned around are being wasted. We should be reforming and rehabilitating the people we lock away, giving them the opportunity to become productive citizens.
Despite having won several judicial and local elections, GOP members in at least one county continue to demand an audit of the 2020 presidential election, causing confusion and uncertainty about future elections.
CalEnviroScreen maps “disadvantaged communities” by Census tract to determine which communities will receive billions in public and private funding. But the mapping is imperfect, making many communities miss out on funding.
The project will extend the Q line 1.6 miles from its current northern terminus, costing a rate of $3.9 billion per mile. Gov. Hochul has said the money would soon come from Biden’s infrastructure bill.
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