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Billions of federal dollars for broadband came with the stipulation that they benefit underserved populations. New projects that link last-mile access with affordability are paving the way for universal Internet service.
Racial impact statements can provide state legislators with a way to evaluate the impact of proposed legislation on sentencing and incarceration. Nine states have adopted them, and more should follow.
The state’s largest electric utility, Ameren Corp.’s Sioux Energy Center, is mining bitcoin to avoid wasting energy and stressing its power plants. Ameren believes it is the first or one of the first utilities in the nation to do so.
A bill has been filed in the state’s General Assembly that would allow agencies and businesses to require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it would bar the employers from requiring proof of vaccination.
The city’s Finance Committee has rebuffed three budget amendments that would have redirected $750,000 of the police department’s budget to fund a newly established team of mental health first responders.
Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, commenting on the nationwide school enrollment decrease of nearly 3 million students last year, dropping to the lowest share in more than two decades. Just 40 percent of 3- and 4-year olds were enrolled in school in 2020 and college enrollment numbers dropped to their lowest since 2007. (The Hill — October 22, 2021)
The proportion of Americans who want Congress to pass a bill ensuring more of the nation’s electricity will come from clean energy and less from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, which damage the climate. In a related survey question, 59 percent of Americans feel the Earth’s warming was a very or extremely important issue to them.
Dense, often dilapidated neighborhoods were routes to prosperity for an earlier generation of low-income urbanites. Their destruction has hurt us all.
If passed, the proposed legislation would prevent Internet providers from blocking, throttling or engaging in the paid prioritization of providing Internet service to Massachusetts residents.
Offshore wind has many advantages over land-based turbines. Developers have to consider a variety of factors, including speed and consistency of the wind, as well as possible conflicts with fishing and shipping.
Pending municipal finance provisions in the big spending bills before Congress could benefit issuers, investors and taxpayers. To get the best deal, state and local leaders must press their case immediately.
The state’s drop in birth rate has been happening faster than the national average, despite high rates of immigration. Soon, Texas will need to bring in workers from other states to meet labor demands.
Gov. Newsom required state workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing, but many state agencies continue to have low vaccination rates and are not administering weekly testing.
The state’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs has connected few people with treatment options. But officials urge patience for results as COVID-19 may have impacted participation so far.
Ted Thomas, chairman of the Arkansas Public Service Commission, commenting on how states have rejected plans to incorporate storm-proofing measures, such as burying electrical lines, as weather becomes more volatile with climate change, citing pressure to keep rates low. Of $15.7 billion in grid improvements under consideration last year, regulators approved only $3.4 billion, according to a national survey by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center — about one-fifth. (Washington Post – October 25, 2021)
The inches of rain that Sacramento, Calif., accumulated on Sunday, Oct. 24, amounting to 81.9 percent of the total rainfall that the city got during the 2020-2021 water year. The rainfall also broke the city’s previous record for the most rain on a single day, which had stood since April 20, 1880.
It’s gospel among economists that regulating rents is a bad idea. But there’s evidence that the burdens it imposes might be an acceptable price for society to pay.
Small cities can offer equal or better qualities of life than large cities for many people and the pandemic only further reinforced that trend. A report evaluates 1,322 of America’s small cities to determine which ones are best.
The former heavyweight boxing champion and philanthropist floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee, danced at the edge of death and spoke truth to power. A new Ken and Sarah Burns documentary compels us to take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror of the "great one."
“We need to protect the people who live here before we let more people come in.”
Technology leaders from Connecticut, Minnesota and Vermont shared their approaches to digital service delivery and developing those services “in a way that brings people in.”
California school districts have two choices: Bite the bullet and make budget cuts now, or delay them and face even more painful decisions.
The cybersecurity professor who confirmed the vulnerability in the state’s computer system that left thousands of social security numbers at risk is requesting that the governor apologize to those who found the flaw.
The sanctioned tent encampment for roughly 60 homeless seniors will have bathrooms, showers, security, food, water and potentially dental services. The goal is to find permanent housing for the residents before 90 days.
Workers across the state quit their job nearly 120,000 times in August, up 30,000 from the same time last year. Nationally, American workers have quit 20 million jobs between April and August.
While some funding will go to update Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport’s existing infrastructure, the majority of financial investments will build new office and research spaces. Construction will begin in July 2022.
Sen. Rob Portman, regarding a bipartisan bill that aims to secure data collected by artificial intelligence. The GOOD AI Act, sponsored by Portman and Sen. Gary Peters, would establish an AI working group to ensure that all federal contractors are securely obtaining data through AI without compromising privacy. (The Hill — October 21, 2021)
The increase in electricity generation from coal this year as compared to last year, partially due to coal’s stable prices and a high natural gas cost. The increase comes after the industry hit a 50-year low in 2020 that idled or closed 151 coal mines across the nation.
Improving public transit, whether it’s for subways, buses, light rail or trolleys, is very tricky. But some enhancements turn out to be surprisingly simple. Here’s what we can learn from one of the best transit systems.
The billions in recovery funds flowing from Washington should be used to build local economies from the bottom up with a focus on justice and equity, rather than counting on trickle-down strategies that have failed.
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