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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.
Partisan rancor has seeped into the once quiet, technical field of transportation policy. Conservatives increasingly oppose policies that support transit, while liberals push back against highway construction.
When it comes to major life events, agency boundaries never line up with the challenges people face. There’s a federal push to get at the problem, and state and local governments should be part of the solution.
Some of their concerns, such as housing costs and homelessness, track with those of their constituents. But elected leaders should pay more attention to crime, inflation and other issues increasingly on the minds of residents.
Illinois and seven other states want the federal government to reinstate a pause on interest rates for loans used to pay unemployment benefits in the beginning of the pandemic. If left unpaid for a year, Illinois could owe $100 million in interest.
Greenland will determine whether to ban the use of vote counting machines in future elections to restore “integrity,” despite no evidence of fraud. Other towns in N.H., also are interested in getting rid of the machines.
Regulators are exploring what kinds of regulations are needed for electric vehicle charging stations ahead of the nationwide expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure. Currently, only California has charging station standards.
A new study found that population loss due to domestic migration out of California has more than doubled since the beginning of COVID-19. Entrances to the state have dropped 38 percent since March 2020.
New York City Mayor-Elect Eric Adams in naming Keechant Sewell as the city’s next police commissioner. Sewell will be the first woman to lead the police force and the third Black person to serve as NYPD commissioner. (Associated Press — December 15, 2021)
The proportion of children who were underinsured in 2019, meaning they had health insurance but it was too expensive to use, an increase of 4 percent from 2016. The proportion of underinsured Pennsylvania children increased by 8 percent to 31 percent in 2019.
The 2021 Clean Energy Scorecard from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks progress in 100 major U.S. cities, and the findings show there’s plenty of room for improvement.
The rules for spending federal COVID-19 relief funds include a disinvitation to invention. State, local and tribal governments need to be able to try new things — and then stop some of them.
If the current reduction rate continues, the state will achieve its 2030 goal in 2063. The state will need to more than double its yearly cuts in emissions to meet the original target.
The average speed on I-95 at Route 4 in Fort Lee is 30 to 39 mph, making it the worst truck traffic bottleneck in America. These traffic choke points can impact the delivery of goods, especially when supply chains are already backlogged.
An increase in theft has spurred the City Council to propose increasing the areas in which electric fences would be allowed, including the downtown, commercial and mixed-use districts. They would still be prohibited in residential zones.
Rasheed Malik, director of early childhood policy for the Center for American Progress, regarding the potential impact that free preschool could have on women returning to the workforce. (Reuters — December 14, 2021)
The new spending limit that the U.S. Senate has proposed for a vote, an increase in the nation’s debt limit by $2.5 trillion.
As the giving holidays remind us, too many Americans must work for paltry wages and face high costs of housing or homelessness. Elected officials need to pay attention to the real needs of the people who can’t shower them with campaign contributions.
Governments will be in healthier posture in December 2022 if they seriously address the cybersecurity staffing gap, keep an eye on their security supply chains and begin moving to a zero-trust framework.
Employees reported evidence of cheating and widespread use of counterfeit ID documents with the online testing system, but the DMV platform was restarted in February, months before security issues were fixed.
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