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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.
The printing press and social media democratized communication in their respective times. They both turned the order of things on its head — for good, for ill, and forever.
The route to trust in our institutions is through candor, competence and a clear sense of mission. Two examples, from Indiana and West Virginia, show how trust can be rebuilt one careful step at a time.
Slab City, a do-it-yourself, free-wheeling community, has been functioning to some degree for decades. Without any infrastructure or civic institutions, such as police or fire services, it exists by defying normalcy.
Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson, writing in a Facebook post regarding legislation that will impose a tax on digital ad revenues. The state’s Senate voted to overrule Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto on the bill. (The Hill — Feb. 13, 2021)
The estimated number of N95 masks that will be used for medical use in 2021. Before the pandemic, there was a national demand for 1.7 billion N95 masks each year and only 20 percent of that demand was for medical use.
Congressional Democrats are pushing the $1.9 trillion package, including stimulus checks, extended unemployment benefits and monthly payments to parents, ahead before pandemic protections expire. Republicans say it’s too expensive.
Just 18.5 percent of Iowans have access to affordable Internet and the average download speed is the second worst in the nation. But Gov. Reynolds hopes to get Iowans connected over the next three years.
Washington state’s vaccine plan failed to include basic logistics that would enable quick distribution to vulnerable communities. Now, the state must rebuild trust in the system that left many out.
Two state lawmakers proposed a bill that would require all public meetings to have Internet participation options even after in-person meetings return. The bill also suggests requiring translators to increase access.
When far-right and far-left politicians get most of the media attention, it hurts democracy.
Every neighborhood should be free of litter, debris and property- and housing-code violations. There's plenty that government can do, including helping residents understand their own role.
It's an important tool for evidence-based decision-making and program management. Asking agency leaders one simple question can start the process of building it.
Darrell West, of the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, regarding the failure of several social media companies to block Robert F. Kennedy’s accounts even after Kennedy continues to spread misinformation about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines. Instagram has removed Kennedy’s account, but Kennedy still remains active on Facebook and Twitter. (The Hill — Feb. 12, 2021)
The number of namesakes that George Washington has in counties, cities, towns and minor civil divisions across the country, the most of any president. Second place is held by Abraham Lincoln, with 72 places with his presidential moniker.
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