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Disinformation endangered lives as it disrupted emergency response during the Oregon wildfires last fall. To adequately prevent further floods of disinformation, it may take a “whole of government” approach.
To avoid rebuilding billions of dollars worth of rail infrastructure, transit officials are looking to replace diesel locomotives with battery-powered ones. NJ Transit and LIRR are both testing electric alternatives.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week that the state will double its pandemic rent relief budget to $5.2 billion, using part of the unexpected $38 billion surplus. Details of who will be eligible have not yet been released.
The legislation would raise $3.8 billion over the next 10 years through increased fees on gas and online delivery purchases, but some are concerned that not enough would be invested in climate change proposals.
The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice’s Ivette Torres, regarding the increased number of retailer warehouses that are being built closer to residential areas that have experienced increased levels of pollution that can cause asthma, heart attacks and Parkinson’s disease due to delivery trucks’ diesel fuel. Amazon, one of the nation’s most prominent retailers, plans to expand its American warehouse square footage by 50 percent this year. (Ars Technica — May 11, 2021)
The proportion of LGBTQ social media users who have experienced harassment and hate speech, according to a new report by GLAAD. Of those who experienced harassment, 75 percent encountered the problem on Facebook, while Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok had much smaller shares.
Digital marriage licenses. Zoom ceremonies. Everyday citizens becoming wedding officiants. Utah County, Utah's online marriage license system became a big hit after COVID-19 shut down most offices that issue marriage licenses.
High-rise buildings made out of timber have long been judged flimsy and fire-prone. That isn’t true anymore. But their construction depends on how amenable government regulators are to wooden towers.
While Washington politicians argue over the latest White House proposals, governors and local leaders should promote achievable federal plans that would reduce their costs of funding health care.
Colonial Pipeline has taken some of its technology systems down after they were compromised in a security breach. If the pipeline remains shut down for several days, gas prices could increase.
California could have as much as $16.7 billion more in revenue than what was predicted in January. Some of the surplus may be sent back to taxpayers in refunds, helping the governor’s chances in the recall election.
Officials are worried the city could lose 24 percent of its current workforce by mid-2022. Competition from the private sector has hurt recruitment, especially for specialized fields, such as engineering.
The number of racial lynching victims that Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan posthumously pardoned last Saturday, a first-of-its-kind pardon by a governor.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, commenting on the large amounts of federal funds that states are receiving under President Biden’s pandemic relief law. Guidance on how the funds can be used hasn’t yet been released but many governors and lawmakers are already developing plans on how they will invest the money. (Associated Press — May 10, 2021)
It leaves families living in squalid conditions, trapped in segregated neighborhoods. Rather than spending billions on socialized shelter, we need to put money in their pockets to give them choices.
With Americans increasingly unhealthy because of the highly processed foods they eat, there’s more talk about the need for quality over quantity of food.
As the definition of literacy evolves to include digital and technological literacy, libraries are also evolving to include new technologies in their offerings to meet a wide range of community needs.
With Democratic voters already packed into a small number of districts, reducing voter turnout won't really lower the chances of Democrats winning – or help Republicans win.
Ridership dropped by 50 percent last year as stay-at-home orders and COVID-19 concerns kept many people off public transit. Even as the economy begins to reopen, ridership remains still down 45.5 percent.
The bill blocks certain topics in government diversity and inclusion training. Some worry it will discourage discussions on institutional racism and implicit bias.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s new Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program will provide $1 billion to improve Internet access for tribal governments, colleges and organizations.
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles has limited the languages available for written driver’s license tests to seven options, removing some of the state’s most-widely spoken languages.
Former Alabama state Rep. Patricia Todd, commenting on passage of medical marijuana legislation. Todd had proposed a similar medical marijuana bill in 2013, which was not only rejected but received an award for “deadest“ bill of that year. (Associated Press — May 7, 2021)
The proportion of people who moved during the pandemic to be closer to family — an increase of approximately five percentage points from pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic sped up an existing trend of people migrating out of metropolitan areas into smaller cities. Still, some researchers were surprised to find that more people were moving for reasons other than coronavirus case rates or jobs.
Billions of dollars will be flowing to states and localities from opioid lawsuit settlements and court rulings. They need to set up a framework for dedicating the money to programs that save lives.
Arguments among themselves about concepts like “wokeness” and “cancel culture” are divisive and demonstrate racial insensitivity. A new generation of leaders should be allowed to define and use its own terms.
The U.S. Department of Transportation isn’t considered one of the federal government’s stronger agencies. But change and innovation has happened in recent years and could accelerate under new leadership and with more money.
Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a law that will put limitations on ballot dropoffs, establish ID requirements and restrict the number of absentee ballot drop boxes. Critics argue the law is just another voter suppression tactic.
House Democrats introduced legislation that would establish nationwide EV infrastructure within five years to allow a smoother transition away from gas vehicles, but Republicans argue it’s too much too fast.
The New Jersey Labor Department said the transition to the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program would be seamless for unemployment claimants, but many are still without pay after weeks.
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