News
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)
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)
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.
The Maine public safety commissioner recently acknowledged that the state police use facial recognition and other surveillance technologies as part of their investigations. Lawmakers are concerned about citizen privacy.
UC Berkeley found that 89 percent of California voters are okay with the three-day law for counting ballots, which allows more time and ways to vote. It “reaffirms what we’ve believed for a long time.”
Millennials now outnumber baby boomers in the public-sector workforce. Retention and recruitment can be tough across the board but perhaps nowhere more challenging than in IT. Leaders must work with HR and create incentives and pathways to keep the next generation engaged and on board.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked that lawmakers allow $20 million from the state’s disaster and emergency funds to be used to bolster the efforts against the coronavirus.
Plus, more tax software woes, fintech financial raises for building projects soften for 2020, Texas school district loses millions in phishing scam, and Americans would sell their privacy out for cheap on Facebook.
Jeffrey Duchin, the top public health officer for Seattle and King County, Wash., commenting on challenges faced by public health agencies as they prepare for the expected outbreak of the coronavirus in the U.S. (Governing — March 2, 2020)
The proportion of Americans who do not want Internet companies to share user information with political campaigns to target digital ads to certain voters, a Gallup poll discovered. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed also said that websites should show political ads as long as who paid for the ad, how much the ad cost and who the ad is targeting are disclosed.
San Jose is one of the main tech hubs in California’s Silicon Valley and yet almost 10 percent of its residents live without Internet in their homes. But a grant program hopes to close that gap.
The Georgia county only has half of its new garbage trucks on the road due to lack of drivers so officials try raising wages to attract workers.
Maryland lawmakers have proposed considerable changes to the state’s sales tax to hopefully assist schools. It would include a lower sales tax but an expansion into professional services.
State officials are ramping up their efforts to get Mississipians to participate in the Census. For each resident that isn’t counted, the state could lose $5,000 annually. “There has never been a more bipartisan issue.”
New Mexico’s electric grid needs an update and House Bill 233 would provide tools and plans to assist in that modernization. The bill was approved by the Legislature and just needs a signature from the governor.
Several New Hampshire cities are considering the implementation of body cameras to increase police transparency. But the tech is expensive, costing about half a million dollars to lease for five years.
San Diego has over 3,000 smart streetlights that collect city data. While distribution of the tech is fairly even, police access streetlight data more frequently when it’s from neighborhoods of color, which raises concerns.
An effort to overturn a law requiring vaccines in Maine went down to resounding defeat on Tuesday. That doesn't mean the fight is over in other states.
Carl Schramm, a retiree in Alaska who is working as a census canvasser, where the work is inconsistent, the communication is poor and the conditions are tough, especially in rural Alaska. (AP News — February 28, 2020)
The amount that the Federal Communications Commission is fining telecom companies, like T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon, finding that they broke federal law by sharing customer geolocation data without the necessary consent. Critics contend the sanctions are just “a set of comically inadequate fines that won’t stop phone companies from abusing Americans’ privacy the next time they can make a quick buck.”
Most Read
