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A new book chronicles the stories of sometimes broken, often desperate men who ventured to the northern plains in service of an industry that exemplifies late-stage capitalism.
Moses Doe, a freshman at Downtown Burlington High School, commenting on attending a school that is housed in a former Macy’s department store, which underwent a $3.5 million retrofitting to ensure the building would be able to hold classes. The former school building was closed due to the presence of toxic chemicals. (Associated Press — March 31, 2021)
The amount that President Biden’s infrastructure plan would allocate toward boosting the electric vehicle and renewable power markets. The $2 trillion infrastructure plan also promises to spend $165 billion on public transit, Amtrak and other rail programs.
Congress has filed a bill that would provide $205 billion for high-speed rail projects across the nation. But skeptics don’t think a bullet train will ever come to Texas after a decade of empty promises.
To achieve the 2040 goal of powering all electricity from zero-carbon sources, the state will need to more than double their 2030 goals. Currently, about 65 percent of Connecticut’s electricity comes from zero-emission sources.
The CDC recently warned of an impending fourth wave of coronavirus cases; the next day California announced further reopenings. Some are worried that the state will slide backward while others are cautiously optimistic.
A decade ago, Williston, N.D., became a magnet for desperate men, thanks to oil in the Bakken Formation. In an interview, author Michael Smith talks about life in an oil patch and the human cost of fueling the nation.
These powerful tools of artificial intelligence can reflect a history of systemic bias. But they could be used to promote equity and help close the nation's yawning racial wealth gap.
Chad Marlow, the ACLU’s senior policy counsel on privacy, surveillance and technology, regarding a Virginia bill that bans facial recognition purchases and usage from all local law enforcement agencies and campus police departments unless individually approved by the state Legislature. (Associated Press — March 29, 2021)
The consumer confidence index in March, an increase of 19.3 points, which is the highest increase since April 2003. The index is at its highest level since the pandemic began a year ago; however, consumer confidence is still down nearly 23 points from pre-pandemic levels.
The Boston transit authority will give free passes to 1,000 city workers in five neighborhoods in a pilot program that aims to boost economic recovery through reliable transportation.
The Spokane County Commission approved the purchase and has proposed a cost-sharing deal with Spokane Valley, a city that contracts with the county for its law enforcement, to equip 242 officers.
With adaptive design, infrastructure is ready to be expanded in the future. It’s working for the Dutch.
A new report analyzes the states’ tax burdens as officials begin post-pandemic planning. While Democratic states typically tax their residents at greater rates, there are exceptions to the trend.
The stimulus increases the federal matching rate and offers other incentives to encourage holdout states to expand Medicaid. Most of the holdouts will still take a pass.
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The solutions will be a permanent part of government even after the pandemic is over.
The American Rescue Plan will bring more than $130 billion to K-12 schools to help them reopen safely, make up for lost learning and address inequities made worse by the pandemic.
Shamus Roller, executive director for the National Housing Law Project, commenting on the CDC’s extension of the eviction moratorium through June without addressing the loopholes that landlords and lawyers have found to evict people despite the moratorium. (NPR — March 19, 2021)
The year when Massachusetts will have net-zero carbon emissions, according to a new climate law that Gov. Charlie Baker signed into law last week. Experts believe the state will achieve the net-zero goal by adopting new building codes, establishing new targets for electric vehicles, charging stations and energy storage, as well as planting trees and other forms of direct air capture of carbon dioxide.
For many, the Minneapolis trial is about more than just the death of George Floyd. It’s a reckoning on the nation’s racial justice, racial equity and police reform. The trial’s outcome will have massive impacts.
The state has some of the worst power outages in the nation, both for frequency of occurrence and for duration. Officials are working to ensure that residents have more reliable electricity and Internet.
Out of the 55 attempts, there has only been one successful recall in the state’s history. While it seems there could be a recall election before the end of the year, many details are still unclear.
2020 marked a "record-breaking" year for cyber attacks against schools, according to a recent report. Now, education policy organizations are asking policymakers to step up to help mitigate security threats.
It's been a decade since earmarks in congressional appropriations were mostly ended. A little pork-barrel spending could get Congress' wheels turning again.
The federal government will soon provide $15 billion in aid to arts organizations. Few economic sectors have been hit as hard, but the money is contributing to a renewed sense of optimism.
Isabel Longoria, the elections administrator for Harris County, Texas, regarding drive-thru voting, just one of the inventive methods she developed to allow residents to safely vote during a pandemic. Texas already has the most restrictive voting processes and Republican lawmakers are looking to make them even more tight, by eliminating voting access alternatives like those Longoria developed. (NPR — March 26, 2021)
The number of low-wage workers in America, with an average annual salary of $17,950. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that if the federal minimum wage was raised to $15 an hour by 2025, 1.4 million jobs would get cut but 17 million workers would receive a pay raise.
The university was just one of many institutions and businesses hit by a ransomware attack that compromised personal information of medical patients. But officials won’t provide details.
Many believe that the coronavirus pandemic has set a new standard for workplace expectations. While companies may soon be reopening offices, remote work policies, worker flexibility and virtual training won’t go away.
A new report says the Department of Health’s contact tracing lacked sufficient data to be useful to municipal leaders and was hindered by outdated technology. The report also critiqued the department’s lack of transparency.
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