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More than 20,000 custodians statewide could receive a minimum wage increase, employer contribution to union pension plans and bereavement leave, which would generate thousands of dollars in additional wages and benefits.
Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, the head of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission, regarding the installment of The Emancipation and Freedom Monument after the past year with COVID-19, the murder of George Floyd and the racial reckoning. The monument, which replaced the statue of Robert E. Lee that was removed from Richmond, Va., earlier this month, makes its debut after several of the largest Confederate statues have been removed. (NPR — September 22, 2021)
The number of years that former Fall River, Ma., Mayor Jasiel Correia will have to serve in prison on extortion charges. Correia, now 29, was elected when he was just 23 years old.
John Lipscomb is a fierce environmental advocate for one of America’s historic rivers. He and his dog Batu continuously patrol the Hudson and its tributaries, supporting scientific studies in their 36-foot wooden boat.
The Biden administration’s mandate will require state workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. Some may decide to leave their job and state to avoid the vaccine.
Despite the hundreds of attempts to break up the state since its founding, none have been successful. The best attempt gained real traction before it got obscured by the Civil War; the most recent was over three years ago.
Mayor Libby Schaaf promised to house 1,500 homeless residents and build permanent affordable housing as well. The city will receive $11.3 million in federal funds for the development.
A new report found four tolling sites had problems correctly counting vehicle axles, billing customers twice and overbilling others with commuter payment plans. The problems could be larger than MDTA wants to admit.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, regarding the department’s sanctions against virtual currency exchange in hopes to crack down on ransomware attack payments. (The Hill — September 21, 2021)
The number of Indigenous people, mostly girls, who have gone missing in Wyoming from 2011 to 2020. A recent report found 21 percent of Indigenous people are missing for 30 days or longer whereas only 11 percent of white people remain missing for that same duration. Additionally, only 30 percent of Indigenous homicide victims are covered by the media, while 51 percent of white victims receive coverage.
Demand for homeless services is increasing. Scores of communities are finding that when providers work in teams and use better data and systems, they can solve the problem person by person.
Scholars have always placed two New Deal era federal agencies at the center of the racist policy that steered private mortgage lenders away from Black neighborhoods. However, new research paints a different picture.
In 2020, 86 percent of the nation’s police departments reported staffing shortages, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. But the lack of officers isn’t due to the pandemic; numbers have been down since 2013.
For many parishes in the Acadiana region, getting adequate Internet speeds is a challenge that has impacted business and residential growth. In some parishes, 1 in 3 homes do not have any broadband access.
The Ohio transit authority, known as RTA, has had to temporarily eliminate some service due to a bus driver shortage. But many of the routes being cut are essential for seniors and riders with disabilities.
One proposal suggests installing a high-voltage AC transmission lines facility near the Bronx Terminal Market, but studies suggest these high-voltage currents could cause greater incidences of childhood leukemia.
White House Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, regarding the danger that extreme heat can pose, especially to the poor, elderly and minority groups. Twelve of the 28 Hurricane Ida-related deaths in Louisiana were caused by heat as the hurricane wiped out power for more than a million people, including the entire city of New Orleans. (Associated Press — September 20, 2021)
The amount of money allocated within the infrastructure bill for cleanup of defunct coal mines over the next 15 years. Some of these abandoned mines have been polluting rivers and streams for decades, causing harm to local ecosystems and contaminating drinking water.
A century-old system of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels in the Catskills provides clean water to millions in New York City, some say at the expense of local communities.
The Green Mountain State, with its natural beauty, small towns and traditional lifestyle, sometimes seems too good to be true. In some ways, it is.
In the 1930s, the U.S. became adept at building world-leading infrastructure to support its growing competitive economy and social aspirations. Today, the advantage has slipped in favor of China and other players.
Farms across the Midwest are struggling to hire domestic employees. In Illinois, the number of foreign agricultural workers has increased more than 250 percent in the past five years.
An industrial facility in Iceland will join a growing number of projects to remove CO2 from the air and put it underground. But major hurdles, including high costs, remain before this technology can be widely deployed and play a key role in tackling climate change.
With a strong victory in California’s recall, a new poll found 52 percent of registered voters said they would support Gov. Newsom in an election against Larry Elder, while just 30 percent said they’d support Elder.
The attack against the Department of Health and Social Services could have released personal and health information to the hackers. The state will spend $215,000 for free credit monitoring for those who want it.
The four firms that are competing to earn a multimillion-dollar contract to modernize the state’s unemployment system have each experienced problems while working on other states’ unemployment or IT projects.
The law will outlaw coal- and gas-fired electricity by 2045, but it doesn’t address the coal-mining industry. In 2020 alone, coal burning released more than 57 million tons of carbon emissions.
Illinois Valley Soil and Water Conservation District Community Organizer Christopher Hall, regarding illegal cannabis farms that are stealing natural water resources and causing severe shortages across Oregon. (Associated Press — September 17, 2021)
The proportion of Americans who do believe that their social media activity is not very or not at all secure, according to a recent survey. Fifty-six percent of respondents had more faith in the private sector than the federal government when it came to handling security and privacy improvements.
The battles over masks and vaccine mandates threaten the idea, going back to the founders, that surrendering a bit of personal freedom is necessary to secure everyone’s welfare.
