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States have been twice as likely to block paid sick leave mandates at the local level as they've been to impose such requirements themselves. That may change.
The OTA served Congress well until it was defunded. Now there are calls for a fresh start to create a lean, dynamic agency aimed at making sense of the shock of the new tech today.
King County, Wash., resident Douglas Bright said of the new mobile voting system that allowed him to cast a ballot independently despite his blindness. It seems the electronic mobile voting system was a success as voter participation nearly doubled in comparison to last year. (The Hill — March 5, 2020)
The estimated number of selfies taken on the campaign trail by Elizabeth Warren before she suspended her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Amazon’s Ring works with over 950 police departments nationwide and has great stores of recordings. Many are concerned about how Ring controls what police can say about the tech and about neighbor privacy and safety.
While the Pennsylvania city says it has not yet established a facial recognition (FR) policy, the city police have been working with Clearview AI, a FR company that is controversial for its photo mining practices.
A study revealed that the Midwest’s electricity grid will require major upgrades to power lines and power reliability as power shifts towards solar and wind energy. But the study didn’t say how much it would all cost.
Los Angeles County, Calif., experienced a chaotic Super Tuesday that left voters disheartened and discouraged. To ensure November’s vote goes more smoothly, change must happen. “Clearly, voters deserve better.”
Despite some no-shows at the RSA conference, the event showcased important information on cybersecurity. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles County, a $280 million voting system ran into technical issues during its debut.
Our current system fails to prepare too many students for the competencies that are needed in today's and tomorrow's workplace. We need to rethink our approach to funding, curricula and governance.
Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, commenting on the rising number of parents who are opposed to mandatory vaccinations of children. (Governing — March 4, 2020)
The amount of time that “fleets,” or fleeting tweets, will last on Twitter. The social media company introduced these ephemeral tweets as a way to appeal to users who are leery of the public and permanence of normal tweets. The “fleets” will parallel Instagram and Facebook “stories” which only last for a 24-hour period. Twitter will test this model, beginning in Brazil.
A survey found that most Americans worry about safety, legality and hacking when it comes to self-driving cars. But 72 percent said they would feel safer if they could take control of the car in case of an emergency.
Sacred Wind Communications has partnered with the Navajo Housing Authority in New Mexico to establish high-speed Internet for a Navajo community. Many are eager for the opportunities that Internet access opens.
Many companies and schools are encouraging their staff and students to stay at home to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. But for those that don’t, precautions and preventive measures have increased.
Louisiana has suffered an unfortunate string of cyberattacks in the past year and responding to those attacks has been costly. The state spent $1.7 million responding to a single ransomware attack against its Office of Motor Vehicles in November.
Researchers at Augusta University in Georgia are working on an app that will help people better understand if they’re at risk for the virus, identify hot spots of infection and, possibly, predict future outbreaks.
A multi-partner water recycling project is helping Monterey, Calif., stabilize and replenish its dwindling groundwater supply. The project could serve as a model for shrinking aquifers in other regions of the country.
Brian Roberts, Lyft’s finance chief, on why the ride-hailing service just recorded its “single biggest week in our history” as COVID-19 prompts people to opt for more private forms of transportation to avoid large crowds of people and germs. (Business Insider — March 4, 2020)
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The number of Amazon employees among its 55,000 Seattle headquarters staff who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread in the U.S.
Delivery companies are overwhelmed as people fearful of virus risk aren’t leaving the house and are, instead, turning to delivery services. But delivery drivers are at risk and have to take extra precautions.
California is the true hub of electric vehicles (EV) but Southern California wants its credit. Electric buses, vehicle batteries and EV work are all coming out of southern counties, and the industry continues to grow.
Refusing to pay in a ransomware cyberattack can end up costing millions of dollars and weeks of backed-up work. Some governments pay ransom and have insurance cover the bulk of it, others refuse the extortion.
Hours-long lines and confusion plagued Los Angeles County voting centers, and many people placed blame on the new voting machines. “If the idea is to make this simpler, it’s gotten much worse.”
New research from Pew Charitable Trusts points to the need for involvement from all levels of government to help close a digital divide that has left 21 million Americans without broadband access.
President Trump wants federal architecture to return to its classical past. Meanwhile, many local governments have been going in the opposite direction, providing a public forum for new, modern building designs.
Joanne Wright, a Republican House candidate from California, tweeted along with several other coronavirus conspiracy theories over the weekend. While Twitter does not explicitly ban coronavirus conspiracy content, when searching for “Joanne Wright coronavirus,” the social media site provides a warning that reminds users to “Know your facts.” (The Hill — March 2, 2020)
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The number of additional Chicago police officers that will be deployed in trains and on platforms in hopes of combatting a recent crime spike on the city’s rail system. With the added officers, there will be a total of 250 police officers assigned to the Mass Transit Unit as well as 32,000 cameras installed on trains, buses, rail stations and other parts of Chicago Transit Authority’s property.
As robots become more prevalent, state lawmakers hope to regulate the technology to give companies clear guidelines and keep the streets safe. “We just want to make sure our policies are up to date.”
The pilot shuttle will drive a 1.5 mile route in downtown Rochester, Minn., operating daily from 9 am until 3 pm. Officials are trying to ensure the shuttle is as safe as possible for its passengers and other vehicles.