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Lawmakers heard hours of testimony regarding a proposal to create a consumer-owned utility out of the state’s two major electric companies. Many residents support the idea, but some critique the plan as a “government takeover.”
Gov. John Bel Edwards isn’t ready to end additional federal payments before studying its impact. The state is heavily dependent upon tourism jobs, which have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The City Council has approved Mayor Eric Garcetti’s funding plan, which includes a 3 percent increase in spending for the LAPD. The city will also increase funds for homelessness initiatives, child care and business support.
Isi Baehr-Breen, the deputy communications director for Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, regarding a Facebook ad Omar’s office says badly misstates a tweet she sent. Facebook has not yet removed the ad but told Omar’s office that it would be eligible for a fact check. (The Hill — May 20, 2021)
The proportion of federal correctional officer jobs that are vacant, which means other prison workers, like teachers, cooks and nurses, have to guard inmates.
America doesn’t hear about ‘shovel-ready’ or ‘New Deal’ work projects anymore because the Biden administration knows infrastructure spending doesn’t generate jobs in the short term. But it does create long-term economic development.
The pandemic and all the frustrations it's brought to parents have increased support for charter schools and vouchers. States that had resisted such ideas have ambitious new programs.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority will have a budget deficit of $1.5 billion by 2024 if ridership does not return to pre-pandemic levels. But many regular users have said they won’t be riding the subway post-pandemic.
State lawmakers are considering reforms to a power sharing program that would reduce bill credits for residents in the program and add net energy metering. Industry leaders are deeply divided on the package.
Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a law that will create the Ohio Residential Broadband Expansion Grant Program in hopes of improving Internet access for residents and decreasing the digital divide.
Health officials are warning of the significant, negative impacts that online life has had on youth mental health, but AI-based trainings and online therapy could ensure that health services are reachable wherever the child is.
Kristin White, a workplace safety attorney in Cleveland, Ohio, regarding the fact that businesses can legally request their workers to show proof of vaccination but many don’t because they don’t realize they’re allowed to do so. As mask mandates have begun to lift across the nation, some workers are worried about the risks that a trust-based system could bring. (Associated Press — May 20, 2021)
The number of House Republicans who voted to approve an independent investigation of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, going against party leaders’ attempts to block it.
The pandemic has significantly increased the number of students who don’t attend class. Solutions aren’t easy, but school districts can recover the chronically absent by digging deeper into data.
In 1972, the city and King County were determined to build a giant multipurpose, domed stadium in Seattle’s International District. Just as determined to stop it were the Asian Americans who lived there.
A new state board in New Hampshire offers a speedy, non-judicial way to challenge onerous local land-use decisions. It’s a way to prevent a hot housing market from overheating.
A recent survey found that two out of three state residents agree businesses should be able to check for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test before allowing customers to enter. About half of state residents are vaccinated.
Butte-Silver Bow officials are considering construction of a five-acre utility-scale battery energy storage facility on an open 200-acre plot of land which could help to fill energy gaps. But many residents are opposed.
An Antrim County judge rejected a lawsuit that claimed the vote tabulators used in the 2020 election were faulty and would switch votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. An audit already determined the counts were fair.
Legislators want more resiliency since the state has only one natural gas pipeline. About half of all gas stations in North Carolina still don’t have fuel following the Colonial Pipeline shutdown last week.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, regarding the state’s decision to remove the mask mandate for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (NPR — May 19, 2021)
The estimated population of the Navajo Nation, which just recently surpassed the Cherokee Nation’s population, making the Navajo the largest Native American tribe in the nation.
Social sentiment analysis is helping local officials understand the views and concerns of their residents about COVID-19 vaccinations, giving them information they need to shape effective messaging strategies.
The pandemic has broken commuter rail’s business model, which relies on boutique services for white collar workers. Fixing it means more trains, better platforms, high-tech fare systems and fewer workers. Can it be done?
The state announced it would shut down a prison in Susanville that could result in a loss of a quarter of the city’s workforce. Gov. Newsom has pledged to close two of the state’s 34 correctional facilities.
The Massachusetts city will shift some response protocols away from the police to a clinically trained civilian response team that will not carry firearms. The city will spend more than $400,000 on the new department.
The man who used the identities of more than 100 Washington residents to collect fraudulent unemployment benefit payments is helping officials get a better understanding as to how the widespread fraud occurred.
Legislators have drafted 18 bills that all work towards the legalization of mobile sports betting across the state, but none of them currently include language relating to user data privacy.
Maricopa County, Ariz., Recorder Stephen Richer tweeted responding to the Republican audit of the county’s 2020 election results and the continued lies about how the elections were run. (Associated Press — May 15, 2021)
The number of COVID-19 vaccines that were administered to children between the ages of 12 and 15 last week after the CDC’s approval. Overall, more than 4 million people under the age of 17 have received the vaccine.
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