News
The electric fire truck drew a lot of attention in Santa Cruz, Calif., this week, but officials lament its cost. Officials want to decrease their engine’s carbon footprint, but “not at that cost.”
Gas stations don’t have to install chip-card readers until fall 2020, putting customers at risk. But gas stations, not credit card companies, will be responsible if fraudulent charges are made at a station without a chip-reader.
The high-speed transit company is moving forward, planning routes, but the U.S. Senate has yet to approve the $5 million for safety and environmental standards. Cities hope it gets approved so they can push onward.
Montgomery County, Md., hopes to implement a new technology that would use artificial intelligence to recognize drivers using handheld devices. It has great potential, but what happens if the cameras don’t work?
Electric vehicle batteries requires up to 20 pounds of cobalt. In 2014, some 40,000 children were working in cobalt mines. “Automakers need to work hard with the supply chain to ensure that” it’s free of child labor.
Election officials nationwide came together under the hashtag #TrustedInfo2020 on Thursday to help ensure voters have access to accurate election info, hoping to prevent foreign influence on the democratic process.
Felix Rohatyn, a pioneering Wall Street financier, was a natural choice when New York’s elected officials sought a way out of the fiscal crisis in the mid-1970s. "I get called when something is broken,” he once said.
The state’s Department of Revenue does not have a policy in place detailing how it will respond to security incidents. It has not assessed risks related to the third-party vendors that have access to revenue data.
The state is in the midst of a controversial, years-long overhaul of the school funding formula to reduce state aid to those considered overfunded and to send more money to those considered underfunded.
Amy Keating, chief legal officer at Mozilla, said in a statement in response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) repeal of Obama-era net neutrality rulings. The ruling previously classified Internet service providers “as common carriers, similar to telecommunications providers, who are not allowed to discriminate against traffic,” but the FCC repealed that classification and decided that states may not make their own net neutrality laws. (The Hill — December 13, 2019)
The new number for the suicide prevention hotline to increase access and reduce stigma around mental health. The previous number (800-273-TALK) is being shortened to parallel the other two help numbers, 911 for emergencies and 311 for city services. Last year the 163 suicide prevention hotline call centers received 2.2 million calls. “No one is embarrassed to call 911 for a fire or an emergency. No one should be embarrassed to call 988 for a mental health emergency.”
Several law enforcement agencies in the Panama City, Fla., region are implementing drones to assist with law enforcement. From active shooters to missing people, “We are going to use them to save lives.”
An internal whistleblower at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota said the company is not adequately cyberprepared. Now the state’s largest health insurance provider is working to diminish some 200,000 vulnerabilities it has identified.
The state is undecided about where it will get its renewable energy: Some want solar panels atop homes and businesses, others want large solar plants away from residents, everyone is concerned about increasing costs.
The algorithm examines facial expressions, word choice and tone to establish “willingness to learn” and “personal stability.” But AI researchers say “regulators should ban the use of affect recognition” due to potential discrimination.
Randomized evaluations support evidence-based government by rigorously measuring what works and what doesn't.
Los Angeles’ mayor was raised with the understanding that public service is listening. So now he listens to his community and wants to make Los Angeles a place of opportunity for the California Dream.
As New York’s third-largest city finds its industrial giants continuing to downsize, a unique, no-interest loan program based on crowdfunding is stimulating a business revival at the grass-roots level.
George Laurer, IBM engineer, said about how he defied his manager’s instructions to make the universal barcode nearly 40 years ago. Laurer didn’t expect his 12-digit, 30 black bars barcode design to have the longevity it did, still being used today about 6 billion times per day. George Laurer passed away on Dec. 5, at the age of 94. (NPR — December 12, 2019)
The cost of a Lyft rental as a part of its new rental program, a deviation from their traditional ride-hailing. The rental program debuted last spring to San Francisco and Los Angeles riders and announced on Thursday that it would expand its eligible pool of users, hoping to reach all L.A. and SF users in coming months. The program allows rental for up to two weeks without a mileage restriction.
Lawyers claim that the app, TIKD, that allows consumers to pay for traffic citations is “unlicensed practice of law,” but the TIKD company defends that it “is not, and has never claimed to be, an attorney.”
The Kansas city is the first to implement full-sized, zero-emission electric buses into its fleet. Riders are surprised by their silence, and the mayor is pleased that they’re “kind to our budget and also kind to our planet.”
Ohio hopes to stay ahead of the changing workforce by implementing The Choose Ohio First scholarship that will support 1,400 students on their path towards becoming computer science graduates. “We certainly need them.”
Irvine City Council progressed the government-owned utility program, hopefully allowing cleaner energy and more “local control and accountability” for their electricity. This would be a first for the county.
Harrisburg, Pa., region ranked fifth most prone to small business cyberattacks and officials are hoping that this encourages proactive cybersecurity, asking “What am I doing to protect my business?”
Cuyahoga County Budget Director Maggie Keenan said after the administration decided to “go in a different direction” on Wednesday. Keenan was fired one day after county officials approved County Executive Armond Budish’s budget for 2020 and 2021. Keenan claims “They shouldn’t have fired the one who knows where all of the bodies are buried.” (cleveland.com — December 11, 2019)
The amount of money for which Scott Breza is suing Tesla after his 2017 Model X 75D allegedly swerved off the road to avoid objects that were not really there while in autopilot. Breza is claiming the car is defective and that Tesla hadn’t corrected the errors after several requests by Breza. Tesla will no longer be taking orders for the 75D version of the Model X vehicle, but when asked if they would discontinue the entire Model X line, CEO Elon Musk responded very simply via Twitter: “Def not.”
San Francisco’s Spin will be the first scooter company in the nation to have its workers join a local union. The scooter company has been mostly gig based, but Spin is excited to “set a precedent in the industry.”
Sacramento and Yolo County officials approved all-electric buses to help reduce traffic congestion. Riders are upset because the buses don’t have seat belts or much bicycle carrying capacity.
Six local governments will limit the use of natural gas in buildings and encourage the use of electric appliances, in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But many are concerned that it will just increase costs.
Most Read
