News
Election officials are working to ease public confusion about changes in the voting process, and to counter campaigns undermining trust. High- and low-tech strategies are helping to reduce worries.
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge tweeted last week following the first Trump-Biden debate. Ridge is one of eight Republican former governors who have endorsed Joe Biden for president. (Governing — October 8, 2020)
The size of possible budget cuts under consideration by Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot to help fill an estimated $1.2 billion budget deficit for 2021.
California has banned the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035 and automakers retort with concern about the state’s electric grid and consumer preference for gas vehicles. This back and forth is decades long.
These false websites have been prevalent since 2016 but an investigation found that the number of these fakes has tripled in 2020. And local news is a perfect place for disinformation due to greater levels of trust.
The coronavirus pandemic encouraged Americans to begin relying more on fintech for things like check deposits and money transfers. As the change becomes permanent, some financial firms are having to catch up to the tech.
The FBI has arrested at least six men for their plans to overthrow the state government and kidnap political leaders. The group considered several ways of achieving its goals, including peaceful and violent options.
A first round of eviction protections is winding down, and tenants and landlords alike are at significant financial risk. Numerous state legislatures are chipping away at this dangerous instability.
Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, commenting on a server configuration that crashed the state’s voter registration system for several hours on the final day of registration. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed an additional 7 hours of registration to make-up for the crash. (AP News — October 7, 2020)
The amount that Georgia will lose due to an accounting software error that wasn’t sending the correct amount of sales taxes to local governments. The one-time back-payment in September reduced state revenue by 3.6 percent compared to a year ago, dropping it into the red.
The City Council approved a decision to redirect some 911 calls away from the police and to mental health clinicians or crisis teams. They will also utilize trained civilians for low-priority calls.
To offset the COVID-induced deficit California enacted furloughs for state agencies, including the Employment Development Department. If workers hadn’t had to take time off, 62,000 more claims could have been processed.
The state’s Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Whitmer’s COVID executive orders were unconstitutional but Michigan’s workplace safety administration says the workplace safety violations for COVID shouldn’t be invalidated.
Fear of contagion en route is keeping travelers on the ground, crushing local businesses and regional economies. Airport authorities should band together to establish on-site rapid testing.
A new report from Forrester finds governments lack an employee experience that fosters a productive and resilient workforce. How the public sector responds during COVID could change the worker dynamic, however.
Eight former GOP governors are supporting the Democrat for president. They may not change many minds but could provide cover to wavering Republican voters who don't want to re-elect Trump.
Esther Choo, a physician and professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, tweeted regarding the president’s discharge from Walter Reed Medical Center after spending just a few days recovering after his COVID-19 test results came back positive and he showed symptoms of the disease. (Ars Technica — October 5, 2020)
The number of Americans who have already voted early for the 2020 general election, approximately 50 times the amount that voted early by this time in 2016. The early surge suggests that as many as 150 million Americans could vote in this year’s election, the highest voter turnout since 1908.
The short answer is yes. But long term, the electric grid will need to be reinforced to support the growing demands of an all-electric California.
Colorado is just one of many states that have had an immense number of unemployment claims to process due to COVID-19. However, the increased amount of fraud reveals that there are holes in identity security.
A Multnomah County study found that publicly funded broadband is too expensive to be feasible. Now the county must seek out cheaper, maybe less effective, options to ensure that every household has access to the Internet.
Although they reported more debt, financial concern and greater perceived health risks, Black American state and local government employees were overall more positive about their work during COVID-19, according to a report.
This year’s election will require more than 1 million workers to assist voters. The pandemic was expected to suppress the number of volunteers, but innovative and creative recruiting drives have boosted the supply.
As newsrooms shut down across the country, good governance takes a hit and partisanship worsens. It's more important than ever to find ways to preserve local journalism.
Keith Bebonis, commenting on the Chicago Police Department’s use of typewriters. Bebonis has a contract with the police department to repair 40 to 50 typewriters a year. Bebonis and his father used to make repairs for other city agencies, though now only the police department maintains a contract. (AP News — October 3, 2020)
The number of U.S. states that have reported an increase in COVID-19 cases in the last week. On Saturday alone there were 49,000 new infections across four states, the highest number for a Saturday in seven weeks.
Many residents of underserved neighborhoods don’t believe their participation in the 2020 Census will bring the government to put money back into their community. Lack of trust is a major problem.
Experts predict that over the next two years the state will see a population loss of 19,000 as residents emigrate to find better economic opportunity. COVID continues to exacerbate the issue.
More than half of voters felt that it would be unlikely that the upcoming November election will be fair and open, according to a recent poll. It also found that 4 in 10 Californians don’t trust the Postal Service to deliver ballots on time.
Farmers are taking their own lives in greater numbers as they cope with falling commodity prices, bad weather and isolation. To help, a small, dedicated group of health-care workers dole out hope and support.
