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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.
Outsourcing government IT services to a number of smaller companies, rather than the monolithic contracts of the past, has become common practice, but ensuring all those contractors are secure is an ongoing challenge.
It’s a tragedy for tenants when they can’t pay the rent. It can also be a disaster for small landlords who need that rent money to live on, not to mention local governments that depend on property tax revenue.
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg commenting on the sixth annual Women In The Workplace report that found that 25 percent of women are considering cutting back or leaving their jobs entirely, as the coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately impacting working women. (NPR — October 1, 2020)
The number of Amazon employees who have tested positive for COVID-19. The company did not release the number of COVID-related deaths among its employees.
Some data says that 98 percent of Seattle’s students have reliable access to online learning, while other data says only 84 percent have access. Spotty data makes it difficult for education officials to bridge the gaps.
The state has been making steps towards combating climate change in hopes to quell the cyclical devastation of wildfires, but to continue progress California is going to need statewide, bipartisan support.
Trump's coronavirus diagnosis has triggered an outpouring of glee and animosity from many Democrats. Biden and other politicians have wished the president well, but social media shows no sympathy.
President Trump’s illness from the coronavirus has become immediate news, with the entire country pondering what might happen. But previous presidents who became ill were able to keep their health problems under wraps.
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, tweeting in response to a blog post written by Brian Armstrong, CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, that states that Coinbase would no longer allow employees to have conversations about political topics while at work. (The Hill — October 1, 2020)
The amount of Seattle’s minimum wage for ride-share drivers that will take effect starting in January.
The Los Angeles School District’s superintendent has a deal with a former business partner’s startup to provide the nation’s second-largest school system with next-day results for as many as 40,000 tests a day.
The City Council approved a nearly $200,000 facial recognition contract that will run through September 2022 but many see the tech as racist, discriminating for the sake of efficiency and they question its accuracy.
The National Guard is ready to help states on Election Day by sorting ballots, directing traffic or bolstering cybersecurity, but only Kentucky and Washington have asked for support so far.
Efforts to merge municipalities make a lot of sense, particularly in this virus-plagued, cash-poor moment. But they usually don't succeed. Three struggling Illinois towns are about to try it anyway.
With concerns growing that this year’s election may end up in the hands of the Supreme Court or the House of Representatives, history shows this happened once before in the "dangerous election" of 1800.
Too many Americans are losing health insurance coverage and gaining debt as a consequence. State legislators have put forward a variety of proposals to help citizens stay covered during a health emergency.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert took office during the depths of the Great Recession and is leaving while a pandemic is raging. For all that, he remains optimistic about his growing state.
Richard Davis, chair of the United Utah Party, commenting on why his party is seeking to provide an alternative for state voters to the Republican and Democrat choices in this year’s election. (Governing — September 29, 2020)
The increase in jobs on private company payrolls in September, a nearly 270,000 increase from the month prior.
With a month still to go before the absentee ballot request deadline, there have already been 1.2 million absentee ballot requests across the state. There were only 495,520 ballot requests for the entirety of 2016.
The state’s current jobless claims technology uses 60-year-old computing language and cannot manage taking in new claims and processing payments simultaneously. Lawmakers hope to update the system with next year’s funds.
While some parts of the state’s economy have bounced back, economists have predicted that California’s unemployment rate will not return to it’s pre-COVID rate until late 2024.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will resume its pre-COVID apprehension and detention practices. The agency is confident that its officers can properly and safely carry out operations.
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