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Local leaders are pushing back against California’s new housing laws and a newly announced housing strike force. Some worry about the loss of single-family communities, while others want more housing for low-income and homeless populations.
Ambie Bell, a candidate for Benton Harbor, Mich., city commissioner, responding to the city’s ongoing water crisis. For three years, the tap water in Benton Harbor has tested high for levels of lead, leaving residents to rely on bottled water for cooking and drinking. Almost half of the majority-Black city’s residents live below the poverty line. (Associated Press — November 4, 2021)
The number of attorneys general who have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for workers at companies with at least 100 employees. All of the attorneys general are Republican.
Collinwood is a microcosm of Cleveland’s majority Black neighborhoods, where years of racism, predatory lending, gun violence and falling property values have left few options for stability and growth.
The multibillion-dollar plan would scale back the version previously proposed by disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, reducing the size and density of surrounding development. The updated station would also receive a new name.
The city purchased two Tesla vehicles for a pilot program of electrifying the police department’s fleet. Preliminary reviews gave the Teslas low marks but the scope of the survey was very narrow.
The Purple Line, formerly the Rush Line, would run from St. Paul to White Bear Lake, and would service 21 local stations. Despite growing opposition to the $475 million project, it’s unclear if it will be enough to stop the development.
Sally Curtin, a statistician at the CDC, regarding a new report that found, overall, a 3 percent decrease in suicides in 2020, a decrease of approximately 1,600 people. April had the starkest decrease, 14 percent fewer people died by suicide than in April 2019. However not every racial group saw the same decrease; Black people between the ages of 15 and 24 and Hispanic people between the ages of 25 and 34 both saw double digit increases in suicide rate in 2020. (NPR — November 3, 2021)
The amount that Edward Durr spent on his election campaign to oust New Jersey’s Senate president Steve Sweeney, who has held that position since 2010. Durr, a furniture company truck driver, defeated Sweeney in Tuesday’s elections.
Republicans and Democrats weren’t the only ones on the ballot this Tuesday. Issues of policing, housing and clean energy were put before voters too.
A robust, nature-rich and welcoming public realm of parks, streetscapes and civic facilities has an array of social benefits for disadvantaged communities.
Colorado is now one of eight states that allow local governments to pass gun ordinances that are tighter than state restrictions. Lawmakers in other states are looking to follow Colorado and repeal their own preemption laws.
While experts assure inflation levels are not yet deemed hyperinflation, Florida businesses of all kinds are still feeling the impacts of a 5.4 percent increase in prices from last year. But relief could come by mid-2022.
Only 53 percent of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s 16,070 employees have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 74 percent of LAPD employees.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, commenting during his declared re-election victory over democratic socialist India Walton through a write-in campaign. Local media reported that Walton had earned 41 percent of the vote while 59 percent were for “write-in.” Walton had won the June primary over Brown, but Brown urged voters to write his name on their ballot as there was no Republican candidate. (Reuters — November 2, 2021)
The estimated number of Jews in the U.S. that have been the subject of antisemitism over the past year, according to a new report by the American Jewish Committee. Thirty-nine percent of American Jews have changed their behavior in the past year for fear of antisemitic acts.
In an early vote of no-confidence in the Biden presidency, Republicans made inroads among suburban and Hispanic voters, while expanding their already long reach into rural precincts.
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How expanded financial assistance, a streamlined application process and creative legislation can help Black and brown-owned businesses revive communities hit hardest by the pandemic.
The cities of Boston, Cincinnati and Cleveland all elected new mayors of color who are still in their 30s. Progressives didn’t win everywhere, however, with more moderate Black Democrats prevailing in Buffalo and New York City.
Businessman Glenn Youngkin is the first Republican elected governor of Virginia in a dozen years. In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy appears to be barely holding on.
Though many businesses continue to allow remote work options, a number of companies have recently established headquarters in the state. Many expect the hybrid work week will give employees the best of both worlds.
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced an executive order that will expand the existing free transportation program for public school students and calls for incentives for electric vehicles and pedestrian travel.
The state’s low-cost energy is a great draw for those looking to expand the cryptocurrency industry. But mining the digital currencies consumes a lot of power and some experts aren’t certain that the state’s power grid can withstand the stress.
California state Sen. Ben Allen, regarding the environmental problems that seawalls can cause on nearby, unprotected shorelines. (Stateline — October 28, 2021)
The number of people who died on U.S. roads during the first half of 2021, an 18.4 percent increase compared to the same six months of 2020.
The state’s largest city has seen its unhoused population surge since the start of the pandemic. Voters can choose from three options to fix the problem by either building one large shelter or a series of smaller ones.
Government organizations need a road map that sets the stage for the future, accounts for leadership changes, includes input from all players and gets a regular review and refresh.
The state’s gubernatorial race is a toss-up, with McAuliffe and Youngkin each representing a different set of political anxieties. The outcome of Tuesday’s vote could foreshadow future elections.
The city spent hundreds of hours and $130,000 on contracting services with FLO Analytics before eventually abandoning it for a free, easy-to-use app to draft the redistricting maps. Many of the committee members are unhappy with the wasted time and money.
The county’s Regional Decarbonization Framework report not only outlines the county’s goals of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2035 but also puts local governments as the driving force behind climate response.
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