News
Transportation and housing advocates are becoming fed up with the review process, which can easily delay or kill a project. They say it puts too much power in the hands of a few privileged citizens.
The infrastructure bill being debated in Congress looks like a small but genuine down payment on a more climate-friendly transportation sector and electric power grid. What comes next is crucial.
Federal pandemic relief funds offer state and local governments the chance to invest in public health programming and infrastructure to make communities safer, particularly those that have been the most harmed.
The state’s Health Department has changed the way it reports COVID-related death data to the CDC which gives an appearance of a pandemic in decline, despite the continued spread of the delta variant.
A patchwork system of vaccination records has left many hospitals in the area without accurate information. Despite it not impacting a person’s treatment, it could deter efforts to encourage unvaccinated patients to get the shot.
A “light density” proposal that would loosen zoning laws to allow duplexes and lot splitting in residential neighborhoods across the state is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Many suburban homeowner groups oppose the bill.
Kentucky Senate President Pro Tem David Givens, a Republican from Greensburg, regarding the state’s response to COVID-19, particularly the surge caused by the delta variant. (KET — August 30, 2021)
The increase in accidental gunshot deaths by children handling a gun since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to a year prior. There have been at least 259 unintentional shootings by children since the beginning of this year which have resulted in 104 deaths, placing the nation on a trajectory to surpass the record set in 2017 of 383 accidental shootings by minors which caused at least 156 deaths.
Selma was a crucible of the civil rights movement. That brings visitors, but residents and businesses have fled the Alabama town.
Local governments lack the tax base for meaningful income redistribution programs, and they risk losing residents to lower-tax jurisdictions. The economics suggest that it’s a job for higher levels of government.
Counties range in size from thousands of residents to millions, with varied levels of responsibility and efficiency. Some advocate shrinking the number of them, but that raises questions both practical and sentimental.
Some states have stopped or decreased their updating of public reporting on the latest COVID-19 information despite the fact that the delta variant is causing an extreme spike in hospitalizations and deaths.
Georgia’s capital city continues to be deeply divided when it comes to policing: some want to defund the department, while others want more officers. But police culture reform without defunding might be the best solution.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has reopened conversations about the state’s marijuana cultivation, distribution and sales program that was created in March, saying that regulating and starting the program will be a priority.
Several state lawmakers have voiced their support for the voting rights bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last week. But the bill must still pass the Senate and remains highly partisan.
The number of homes and businesses that were without power in Louisiana on Monday morning, mostly caused by Hurricane Ida.
Sandy Gillis, executive director of the Hilton Head Deep Well Project, regarding the bureaucratic hurdles that have impeded the ability of many states to distribute federal rental relief funds. The project has stopped referring tenants to the program and has instead started paying overdue rent bills through its own private funding. South Carolina had distributed only 6 percent of its funds as of Aug. 20. (Associated Press — August 29, 2021)
We’re used to blaming the Army Corps of Engineers for monolithic, expensive reclamation projects that go bad. Here’s something they did right, and at a very low cost.
The world changed on Aug. 6. The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, triggering a hasty withdrawal and changing the world’s perception of the U.S. while causing Americans to question the state of the national soul.
States are launching cyber navigator programs to help election officials protect their systems from cyber threats, by helping break down the highly technical skills of cybersecurity into practical next steps.
The White House, tech firms, insurers and educational organizations announced near-future steps to improve national cybersecurity, including new NIST guidelines and tech support for governments looking to upgrade defenses.
Even accounting for factors lenders said would explain disparities, people of color are denied mortgages at significantly higher rates than white people.
Federally-assisted unemployment benefits, an extra $300 a week, are set to expire on Sept. 6 and many experts aren’t sure that the end in boosted pay will get people back to work.
The Illinois county’s auditor’s office was phished into wiring $115,000 to a fraudulent bank account. Board members want those involved to resign, but no staffing changes have been made yet.
As a part of reshaping the duties of the police department, city and Capital Metro officials are considering a new police force entirely devoted to regional public transit. Many details of the proposed security team are still undecided.
Somerton, Ariz., City Manager Jerry Cabrera, commenting on the Census Bureau’s population numbers that place the city’s total much lower than expected. But Somerton isn’t the only area in which officials believe certain populations, like Latino, Black, Asian and other minority communities, were undercounted; many believe the undercounts in the 2020 Census were worse than previous decades. (Associated Press — August 27, 2021)
The estimated proportion of native Hawaiians who are vaccinated, about 20 percent lower than the rest of the state. Many Native Hawaiians have a deep-rooted mistrust in the government that dates back to the U.S.-supported overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy in 1893.
A new report finds that the wear and tear on our highway system has greater costs than were previously understood, implying a need for more transportation infrastructure investment, especially for road maintenance.
China’s decision to end imports of recyclable materials created huge challenges and forced a hard look at recycling in the U.S. New legislation aims to increase private-sector responsibility for waste reduction and recovery.
They anchored their communities, and Black teachers taught their students that everyone could learn and succeed. We should keep these strengths in mind as we try to re-integrate public schools today.
