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A source within the Arizona Department of Corrections, speaking of the state prison’s management system that has had 14,000 bugs since the program’s implementation in 2019. One of the software’s errors has resulted in hundreds of incarcerated people who should be eligible for early release still being held in prison. Other program errors have put members of conflicting gangs into the same cell, lost track of inmate medication and erroneously added disciplinary action to an inmate’s record. (KJZZ — Feb. 22, 2021)
The amount per kilowatt-hour that some Texans were charged as their variable-rate plans spiked to reflect the lack of supply across the state. The usual average price per kilowatt-hour for electricity in Texas in the winter is about 12 cents.
QR code use is growing as a convenient input mechanism to make mobile transactions more efficient. But Qshing, or QR code abuse, is also becoming a cyberthreat.
New Jersey officials are urging claimants to visit a tip sheet to better understand the federally mandated questions before filing for unemployment, otherwise they may wait for weeks for their eligibility to be cleared.
California awarded the contract for a 65-mile segment of the bullet train route to a company that promised $300M in savings. Now, the cost-saving designs have been changed and the project will run $800M over budget.
Tennessee has only tested 0.02 percent of the state’s positive COVID tests to see if they’re the variant strains. But to increase the testing, assistance from community partners and more funding is needed.
A new state transportation proposal would fund road improvements and offset revenue losses caused by the pandemic, but it would require increased fees on gas, bikes, public transit, ferries and ride-hailing trips.
This session, Republican lawmakers have introduced five election-related bills regarding citizenship, recount requests and repealing automatic mail ballots. Democrats say the proposals are voter suppression tactics.
With an offshore wind turbine complex under construction, the state has set up a unique training school for future technicians, who are learning their trade in an old mill town in need of revitalization.
The president's plan would send tens of billions in unrestricted aid to states, including those holding up well. Aid from Washington should target preserving basic services and fighting the pandemic.
A few of them have worked out well. Most of them have been failures. But the idea of building new ones has never died, and there are signs of still another incarnation.
U.S. Capitol police department spokesperson John Stolnis, speaking of an investigation into the actions of 35 police officers during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. So far, six officers have been suspended without pay. Two officers have committed suicide since Jan. 6. (Reuters — Feb. 19, 2021)
The number of state houses across the U.S. that allow guns in some form. Eight states allow only concealed carry while two states allow only open carry firearms.
An urban air mobility company, Blade, has plans to establish an air taxi service between downtown Chicago and O’Hare Airport. The service would use an electric-powered helicopter and would take only 5 minutes.
Though COVID-19 has led to record unemployment numbers across the nation, a study found the cause was more dependent on the number of COVID-related deaths than it was the restrictions imposed on businesses.
The Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology voted to advance a bill that would require law enforcement to release criminal investigation files in an effort to improve police transparency.
The Cuomo administration is being investigated for mandating that nursing homes accept residents released from the hospital even if they tested positive for COVID-19.
Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger, of the SolarWinds cyberattack that impacted several U.S. agencies that was revealed late last year. (Associated Press — Feb. 17, 2021)
The average number of years for U.S. life expectancy as of 2020, a one-year drop from 2019. The change in life expectancy varied by race and gender with Black and Hispanic males experiencing the largest drops of 3 and 2.4 years, respectively. White females saw the least amount of change, with an expectancy drop of only 0.7 years.
In nine states, some jurisdictions have allowed voting via computer or app.
Maryland made history last week, becoming the first state in the country to codify a tax on digital ads. The move would have a significant financial impact on big tech, but the bill will probably face multiple legal challenges.
Licensing requirements preventing physicians from practicing across state borders have been relaxed during the pandemic. Utah's approach points the way to a more sensible permanent licensing regime.
Maybe we need to redo the whole Labor Department organization and remove it from under the governor.
Kansas’ Senate Commerce Committee Chair Rob Olson, commenting on one of the committee’s ideas on how to take more control over upgrading the state’s unemployment benefits system. The Committee has also proposed creating a council that would monitor the Department’s technological upgrades. (Associated Press — Feb. 17, 2021)
The amount that New Jersey will spend on reducing carbon emissions through the implementation of electric city buses, school buses, garbage and delivery trucks. Gov. Murphy has pledged the state will use 100 percent clean energy by 2050.
San Fernando, Calif., will establish 14 superchargers in a city-owned parking structure near the downtown area to hopefully encourage visitors to stop into the small, largely Latino town and revitalize the area.
An October cyberattack on Chatham County’s computer network tried to extort $2.4 million, but the North Carolina county refused to pay. An investigation found the hackers posted personal data for sale on the “dark Web.”
The widely praised law mandated that a 22-member committee meet by Monday, Feb. 15 to discuss law enforcement use of facial recognition technology. As of Tuesday, the committee had yet to be established.
The City Council has authorized $977,000 to help local organizations combat the financial damages of the pandemic. Since April, the city has already approved $3.25 million for COVID response.
Millions of Texans are without power as temperatures dropped into the single digits across much of the country. To prevent future outages, states may need to speed their shift toward renewable energy sources.
Cities have always gotten less than their share from states. As they've become wealthier and more Democratic, they've come increasingly under attack.
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