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In the last 15 years, scientific studies have overturned common knowledge about the behavior and consequences of wildfires. A leading researcher discusses how it can help guide future efforts to protect both people and forests.
Lots of people no longer feel at home with either the Democratic or Republican parties. They usually hate one of the major parties too much, however, to chance their vote on a third party.
It can maintain distinctive urban character, but excessive mandates also can impede the dynamic evolution that cities need. There are market-driven policy reforms to reduce its negative impacts.
They employ millions of people and buy trillions of dollars in goods and services from the private sector. Congress and the White House should keep these numbers in mind as they debate pandemic aid.
Raising the cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes while putting a lid on another tax break would benefit more taxpayers and the governments closer to them.
Nick Custodio, deputy city commissioner in Philadelphia, speaking about voters requesting absentee ballots to ensure they can be delivered on time. On-time delivery in Philadelphia has dipped to 79 percent, a 5.5 percent decline, since the U.S. Postal Service’s recent changes. (AP News — September 24, 2020)
The year by which all new passenger cars and trucks sold within California must be zero-emission vehicles, a first in the nation for this kind of legislation. The executive order signed by Gov. Newsom this week gave extra time to heavy-duty vehicles: they must switch away from internal combustion engines by 2045.
Legislation has been proposed that would implement nearly a dozen changes to state laws regarding protests, including charging protesters with a third degree felony if they obstruct traffic during an unpermitted protest.
Gov. McMaster approved purchasing electronic poll books after South Carolina officials spent days looking for alternative ways to streamline voter check-in. Now, election clerks can begin distribution and training for November.
Due to federal funding, the state avoided the severe budget cuts that many feared at the height of the pandemic several months ago. The budget allocates nearly $18 billion for education and awaits Gov. Whitmer’s signature.
New investigative tools may help average law enforcement agencies more effectively track criminal activity made profitable through cryptocurrency. This includes ransomware schemes and other popular hacks.
Remote learning and reduced, or no, in-person instruction can keep working parents off the job. A number of recent bills attempt to fill the child-care gap.
The FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in a joint statement regarding the risk of disinformation immediately following Election Day that will try to spread doubt about the legitimacy of the election. (c|net — September 23, 2020)
The approximate number of times that the Los Angeles Police Department has used facial recognition technology since 2009, even as the department claims to not use the technology at all.
As absentee ballot numbers increase and laws prohibit the early opening and processing of mail-in ballots, election officials are suggesting it could take up to a week after Election Day to reveal the winners.
A recent poll showed that only 39 percent of likely voters would approve California’s Proposition 22, which aims to keep gig workers as independent contractors instead of full-time employees.
During a recent National Telecommunications and Information Administration webinar, experts dissected the economic potential of and roadblocks to precision agriculture technology in rural America.
Gov. Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Levine announced the launch of the contact tracing app COVID Alert PA earlier this week and hope residents will work towards a common good of stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Legislators are talking with researchers in policing policy to develop new ideas, but finding answers on what to do is difficult because there is little data available. One initiative, decertification, is quite rare.
For decades, cities relied on performing arts groups to help drive revitalization. Now nearly every company in the country has been shuttered for months, acting as a drag on local business.
A spokesperson for Michael Bloomberg, commenting on the billionaire’s fundraising that has helped to pay off monetary obligations for 32,000 formerly incarcerated people in Florida to ensure that they have the ability to vote in the upcoming election. (The Hill — September 22, 2020)
The proportion of global coronavirus deaths that have occurred within the United States, which contains less than 5 percent of the world’s population. There have been more than 200,000 deaths in the U.S. due to the coronavirus, which amounts to six out of every 10,000 Americans.
Federal officials have given approval for Texas Central Railroad’s planned high-speed rail line that will run from Houston to Dallas. But many are opposed to the bullet train as analysis predicts that it could displace 235 homes.
The Detroit Board of Police Commissioners has passed a motion that aims to increase oversight of the department’s involvement in the 1033 Program. The goal: set boundaries because residents’ lives are at stake.
The Federal Communications Commission is ready to auction $20 billion for rural broadband development starting in October, but many lawmakers are nervous that they don’t have accurate enough data to do it correctly.
It’s the biggest city in South Dakota and when COVID-19 hit a local meat packing plant, Jill Franken had her hands full with a major public health crisis and the stress that goes with it.
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Government legal professionals in U.S. states, cities and counties are facing economic and political challenges like never before as they strive to protect consumers’ rights, safeguard public resources, and mitigate crime.
Our democratic experiment in self-governing is on trial. In government at all levels, we need to get back to the place envisioned by our Constitution's fathers, however flawed they might have been.
Judy Robinson, the 2020 Census manager for Sacramento County, Calif., commenting on the states’ financial dependence on residents’ participation in the 2020 Census to secure appropriate funding for the next 10 years. While the county has already surpassed its 2010 participation rate, it is now seeking an 80 percent response rate. (The Sacramento Bee - September 21, 2020)
The proportion of fraudulent unemployment benefits claims that could have been stopped by Washington state’s Employment Security Department fraud detection software. However, the software had a flaw that caused it to scan for fraud after the claims had already been processed and paid, resulting in the state’s loss of $576 million in fraudulent unemployment claims. The state has recovered $346 million of the loss.
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