News
Kansas state Rep. Mark Samsel, regarding his arrest on charges of misdemeanor battery after a physical altercation with a student while substitute teaching in Wellsville. Samsel was caught on students’ videos discussing topics of suicide, sex, masturbation, God and the Bible and having physical interactions with the students. Samsel was later released on $1,000 bond. The superintendent has said Samsel will no longer be allowed to work for the district. (The Kansas City Star — April 30, 2021)
The number of passengers that went through TSA screening at airports across the nation on Sunday, May 2, the highest number since March 2020, despite it still being about 35 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Republican resistance isn’t just about taxes. It’s rooted in the party’s hostility toward urban initiatives that has played out on a broad range of issues.
The nation is debating Section 230 reform, but fighting social media disinformation may be less about what users can say than about how platforms can amplify and recommend it, said MIT panelists.
The goal is to add 4 million acres of farmland to the Conservation Reserve Program, which takes land out of production to blunt agriculture’s environmental impact.
So, is it election year again in California? Will voters be asked to toss a governor just a year shy of the end of his term? It’s now all but certain, because recall supporters have submitted the signatures necessary to get it on the ballot.
The president is famous for his love of riding trains. He's ready to put serious money into the Amtrak system, proposing billions more than have been spent throughout its entire 50-year history.
The Legislature has approved bills to regulate utilities and set clean energy guidelines at the state level. Local governments, along with environmental groups, are strongly opposed.
As their economies reopen, neither state has plans to implement a statewide vaccine passport system. But there could still be some instances where private companies require vaccination records.
Rev. Dr. Lee E. Cooper Jr., as several Oklahoma lawmakers left the Senate floor in the middle of Cooper’s sermon, which criticized a senator’s misogynistic comments about Vice President Harris. (Oklahoma’s News 4 — April 29, 2021)
The amount that California Democrats have proposed to help combat drought, bolstering programs and projects the state is already working on.
Smart policies can ensure that low- and moderate-income households can find suitable housing in good neighborhoods where transportation costs are low. The research is clear: upzoning works.
The Constitution is silent on the number of justices on the Supreme Court. The independence of the judiciary is put in jeopardy when partisans settle political scores by rebalancing the courts.
Six counties around the California capital are developing plans for a regional trail system that would provide safe spaces for walking and biking, especially for under-resourced and low-income neighborhoods.
The White House and California are proposing regulations that would force companies to become more climate transparent by revealing supply chain emissions, product pollution and daily carbon footprint reports.
The amount that Amtrak has requested from Congress over a five-year timeline to overhaul some of the railway’s busiest corridors in the country. The first installment would be $5.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year beginning on Oct. 1. The rail company wants to add as many as 39 new corridor routes and include 166 cities, increasing its service to 20 million people annually, by 2035.
Attorney Bakari Sellers, regarding the North Carolina law that gives local courts the authority to decide whether police body camera videos should be released. The law has come under scrutiny lately after a state judge refused to release the footage of police deputies shooting and killing Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man who was killed in Elizabeth City last week. (Associated Press — April 29, 2021)
Some workers who are sick or have to care for family members will have protection against financial losses, thanks to provisions in the American Rescue Plan.
The American Recovery Plan differs from past stimulus efforts with more targeted funding for women and minority-owned businesses. Whatever the outcome, small employers are likely to be more dependent on technology.
States and local governments should ensure that the new federal funds are invested in lasting economic development. There are lessons to draw upon from around the world.
Twenty years ago, hundreds of Black neighborhoods in major cities were in good shape financially. Even before the pandemic, however, a majority had slipped into poverty.
President calls on Congress to support his plans for economic equity, gun safety, policing, education, energy, rural broadband, biotech, clean energy, immigration, and paid leave - all of which come with local impacts.
The state approved $7.7 billion for the 2022 fiscal year, $452 million more than last year’s allocation. Teachers and education employees in public schools and community colleges will also receive a 2 percent raise.
More than a year into the pandemic-induced recession, many unemployed Oregonians are still struggling to secure their benefit payments. The state is still well below the national average for timely benefits payments.
President Biden wants to spend at least $15 billion to significantly increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations to 500,000 by 2030. Currently, there are just 42,000 stations nationwide.
The updated deadline for Real ID. The Department of Homeland Security postponed the original Oct. 1, 2021, deadline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Gary Peters, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee’s subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports, regarding the need to further advance legislation on autonomous vehicles to decrease traffic fatalities and increase mobility. (The Hill — April 27, 2021)
Tens of thousands of people die on our streets and highways every year. There are proven evidence-based strategies that could make our roads safe for everyone.
The newly released numbers from the 2020 U.S. Census count showed the state will lose one of its seats in the House of Representatives in 2022. The seat was lost by a count of just 89 people.
A new state law requires publicly traded companies to diversify their leadership boards but Latinos are being left out, occupying only 2.3 percent of boardroom seats despite being 40 percent of the state’s population.
