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Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said of technology companies’ roles in the coronavirus response. (Business Insider — April 16, 2020)
The estimated number of unemployment claims that have been filed in the past month. Some economists predict the unemployment rate could rise to 20 percent by the end of the month.
California had planned to spend $187 million on ensuring an accurate Census count. However, much of that money was going to be spent on face-to-face outreach. Now the state must rely on online outreach until things reopen.
Alaska’s plan for increasing broadband has ended after its partnering satellite broadband company filed for bankruptcy due to the coronavirus. “Rural Alaska is really hurting for additional capacity.”
Though the economy restart may be a month or more away, Connecticut’s governor has started discussion on what that could look like. Many are concerned that it requires too much public surveillance.
COVID-19 is hitting African Americans the hardest. Public officials could do far more about the social determinants of health that underlie the coronavirus's disparate impact.
The need to protect public health in the remaining primary elections, and uncertainty about the state of the coronavirus pandemic in November, are forcing legislators to consider changes to voting guidelines.
As governors take leading positions on how to manage the pandemic, the nearly forgotten cornerstone of the Constitution is relevant again. It’s a reminder of how federalism and our form of government works.
Pulitzer-prize winning Historian David Kennedy commenting on the size of the federal government today compared to its limited resources at the start of the Great Depression. (Governing — April 13, 2020)
The amount that Illinois has paid in the past month for medicine and personal protective equipment to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Three California cities have explored locating chargers for electric vehicles in the public right of way. The changes promise to help normalize zero-emissions vehicles across the state.
Schenectady, N.Y., is several millions short of completing its Smart City work that was planned for this year. Officials are hesitant to move forward with the plans in the midst of the coronavirus’ financial crisis.
Maine barely began reporting last week its numbers of hospitalized COVID-19 patients and still doesn’t provide information on non-resident cases despite having the highest proportion of vacation homes in the country.
Approximately 710,000 Ohio households don’t have any Internet service at home, leaving them unable to connect to work, school, health care or shopping during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Walz said the state would restart its economy once it was testing 5,000 people for coronavirus each day. Since the beginning of the virus, the state has tested fewer than 38,000 people in total.
Los Angeles County is bracing for sales tax revenue losses of 50 to 75 percent, while other counties are furloughing workers and planning to cut back on vital public services. Reserves might cushion the blow.
The pandemic has raised concerns about keeping this year’s voting process healthy and safe. Allowing voters to send in their ballots by mail could be the answer, but it will be costly and some worry about potential fraud.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, said of the United States’ lack of critical testing and tracing systems that would be needed to reopen the nation's economy in a safe and healthy manner. (AP News — April 14, 2020)
The proportional drop in driving direction requests from California's Bay Area in the two months ending April 12 based on data from Apple Maps to better understand the effectiveness of stay-at-home and social distancing orders across the world. Apple will report data from 63 countries and regions.
Daytona Beach, Fla., police are using drones with speaker equipment to remind residents that public gatherings are prohibited during social distancing. Some Mass. police are impressed and may adopt similar methods.
Scammers prey on consumers in a time when many people are desperately seeking health and fiscal assistance. The Federal Trade Commission has received nearly 17,000 coronavirus-related fraud complaints so far.
Pennsylvania will join five other states in coordinating plans to reopen their economies after the coronavirus outbreak has subdued. The aligned efforts are aimed at preventing neighboring states from enacting policies that conflict.
Clay Jenkinson, Governing’s editor-at-large and humanities scholar on Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt, tells us how literature and history can help inform leaders in this time of global national crisis.
David Rocah, senior staff attorney of the Maryland ACLU, said of Baltimore's approval of a pilot aerial surveillance program run by the city police department. (The Hill — April 9, 2020)
The record highest combined age of the two major-party presidential candidates. The 2020 number breaks the previous record set in 2016.
Thousands of Floridians are desperately waiting for their unemployment benefits as the state’s system falls further behind. The state hopes to process 80,000 claims this week, though the backlog is more than 560,000.
While overall sales are down, grocery sales might have increased, which would be good for the city’s revenue. While officials expect some declines, overall they are optimistic about the strength of the financial reserves.
Many state, local governments must adjust their budgets as the coronavirus pandemic has choked off much of their revenue streams. Budgets in larger communities will likely rebound faster, but smaller ones will feel the impact for months to come.
Social distancing has inspired people to turn to social media for support and connection, especially when it comes to health updates. But this also allows researchers to track the spread and predict hospitalizations.
Gov. Whitmer has defended her “stay home” order by saying it prioritizes Michigan’s “health and safety.” Others claim that it’s devastating the state’s economy beyond repair, thereby “ruining our livelihoods.”
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