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The U.S. could have done much better in battling COVID-19, preventing hundreds of thousands of deaths. But its decentralized system of governance failed to rise to the challenge.
Its growth will provide more and more high-demand, high-wage jobs. Our education system is key to training that workforce of the future, with a particular focus on marginalized communities.
The pandemic caused Orange County, Calif., to move its public town halls online to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. Even as those restrictions begin to lift, it’s unlikely that the online town halls will stop.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that makes it illegal for large tech companies to remove political candidates from their platforms in the run-up of an election, and it makes it easier for the state and residents to sue “Big Tech.”
An investigation into the company’s Pierce County warehouse revealed that Amazon is violating state workplace safety laws by requiring employees to work at speeds that exacerbate injuries and lack proper recovery time.
Glenn Sheriff, a professor at Arizona State University, regarding a study about heat islands in cities and surrounding areas and how people of color are almost always exposed to more extreme urban heat than white people. The disparity was seen in 169 of the country’s 175 largest urban areas. (Associated Press — May 25, 2021)
The number of states in which more than half of adults are fully vaccinated; D.C. is also of those with more than half of its residents fully vaccinated. Maine, Connecticut and Vermont lead the states with vaccination rates among adults at more than 62 percent.
Half the states have passed legislation to address policing, sometimes in ambitious fashion. But rising crime and discomfort with a racial reckoning have slowed momentum in many places.
The battle over Route 17, a rural highway in upstate New York and a popular route to the Catskills, is a microcosm of national divisions and choices in transportation policy.
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Much depends on their tax structures, particularly if Prop. 13-style tax caps are in place. But inflation-driven pressure for wage increases could squeeze budgets and crush pension funds.
The new law requires law enforcement agencies to submit an annual drone usage report and requires drone policies to be published on their respective websites.
The county hopes to convert into a “hydrogen hub” that will supply clean energy to different industries. The first hydrogen fuel station is expected to be active by 2024, faster than any other current commercial project of its kind in the nation.
The state’s gas tax will increase again on July 1 to bring even greater revenue for road and highway maintenance projects. But the repairs have been slow, often lagging behind other states.
President Biden claims that rail travel is “environmentally, a lifesaver” and has proposed giving Amtrak $80 billion over eight years to support it as a green travel option. But is it really green if trains still run on diesel?
Wisconsin state Sen. Andrew Jacque, regarding Gov. Tony Evers’ decision to veto a bill that would have allowed paddlewheel devices in raffles. It is Evers’ second veto of such a bill, which he deems unconstitutional because of the devices’ similarities to roulette, which is banned in the state because of the threat it poses to gambling rights given to the state’s Native American tribes. (Associated Press — May 21, 2021)
The amount that former hotelier and political appointee Gordon Sondland is suing former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for in an attempt to cover the costs of his legal fees for the 2019 impeachment proceedings, for which he was a key witness.
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They need to leverage public spending and build partnerships to create and nurture sustainable-wage employment and training for local residents, particularly those from underserved communities.
As the economy reopens, there’s increased demand for Uber and Lyft, which are still short on riders. That may push some riders back to transit, but systems are still well under capacity.
A new book the author calls “an owner’s manual for American citizens” recovers a lost language that Americans need to talk with each other about things that matter.
Digital equity advocates, state broadband offices and local government staffers are encouraged by the president’s emphasis on their work, but what do they need at the federal level to fully solve this challenge?
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An online lending platform called Kabbage sent 378 pandemic loans worth $7 million to fake companies (mostly farms) with names like “Deely Nuts” and “Beefy King.”
A new Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report argues that any U.S. infrastructure plan should bank on digital infrastructure because it offers the greatest long-term social and economic gains.
With most of the state gripped by extreme dryness, some conditions are better, some worse, than the last record-breaking drought. Over-pumping of wells hasn’t stopped. But urban residents haven’t lapsed back into water-wasting lifestyles.
The state lost millions of dollars to fraud last year, as criminals took advantage of the sharp increase in pandemic-related unemployment. Now, officials are seeing another spike in fraudulent claims, but this time they’re better prepared.
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.
