News
Petrochemical plants are investing millions into tech upgrades for training, security, and inspections as the Louisiana Legislature is trying to react to an industry that is developing faster than they can make laws.
A federal appeals court said California and other states couldn’t sue the Trump administration for proposing to lower vehicle emission standards yet. The states must wait for a “final decision on easing emissions requirements for 2022-25.”
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission set new rules about excess-energy payments. But the point isn’t profit: “The point is to make it more possible for people to have a choice” about their energy.
As government agencies and nonprofit groups help prepare communities for the nation’s first high-tech Census, digital inclusion advocates see a chance to bridge digital divides that span well past next year’s count.
After several helicopter crashes, New York officials have drafted legislation to ban all commercial helicopter traffic over the city in safety and noise-reduction efforts.
The anticipated production rate at Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory, a key component in the electric car maker's return to profitability.
The Goodwill Digital Career Accelerator, a $10M grant from Google, wants to help job seekers increase their digital skills and awareness. “Simply put, this equates opportunity.”
The California city released a data report that shows a 50 percent decline in scooter ridership since July. The city seems unbothered by scooter companies’ complaints, considers new rules to implement.
The $5.3 million federal grants will combine with $10 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to help the state clear the backlog of rape kits by 2021. Washington hopes to bring justice to the 8,000 untested cases.
An algorithm set up to analyze health-care needs in patients “was incorrectly steering some black patients away.” The error was rooted in faulty assumptions that black and white patients are treated equally.
The congestion pricing program, set to roll out in 2021, is expected to reduce congestion on busy Manhattan streets while generating billions in revenue to dedicate toward mass transit improvements throughout the city.
The state is boosting pay for about 147,000 of its 235,000 employees through contracts, giving raises of about 3 percent per year to most while increasing salaries for some hard-to-fill jobs by as much as 25 percent.
Facing an $838 million budget hole, Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants the state to come through with a graduated real estate transfer tax for sales of high-end residential and commercial properties.
The police department of Huntington Park, Calif., began patrolling a city part with a camera-laden droid dubbed Robocop in June. The Huntington Park PD says it could help lower crime rates while greeting passers-by with short phrases like, "Good day to you." It even has its own Twitter page — @HPRoboCop. The Jetsons-styled egg-shaped robot drew a decidedly dystopian reaction from Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who compared it on Twitter to another tech-heavy cop movie — Terminator.
Amid announcing that Uber is laying off 400 workers, the ride-hailing company is also applying for hundreds of H-1B visas. Some believe it may be a way to hire cheaper foreign workers “to please Wall Street.”
As parts are imported, car assembly simplified and plug-in vehicles on the rise, United Automobile Workers are worried that the tech-turning industry will phase out the need for union employees.
With access to so much personal information, officials are beginning to question whether Facebook’s cryptocurrency is a good idea. “There is a growing concern about the role technology plays in our lives.”
District Attorney Jeri Yenne called Bonnen's behavior "offensive, lacking in integrity" and "demeaning to other human beings."
With society rapidly digitizing and high-speed Internet access fast becoming a vital utility, government must work to balance the needs of underserved populations with financial realities.
Comparing the time it took to achieve a breakthrough in quantum computing to the length of the inaugural Wright Brothers flight, Google, in the scientific journal Nature, claims its experimental quantum processor has completed a calculation in just a few minutes that would take a traditional supercomputer 10,000 years. IBM researchers quibbled with Google’s claim, however, saying that Google underestimated IBM’s supercomputer and said it could actually do the calculation in 2.5 days.
Massachusetts’ ACLU tested the accuracy of Amazon’s facial recognition technology called “Rekognition.” Out of 188 New England pro athletes, the software misidentified 28, growing concerns over its efficacy and ethics.
With 3.4% and 6.3% spikes in pedestrian and cyclist deaths, respectively, transportation experts are seeking any solution: “A combination of engineering, enforcement and educational approaches are needed.”
Tech companies are growing their involvement in health fields, but Google’s hiring of Dr. Karen DeSalvo as the first chief health officer emboldens the company’s top-tier footing in the health industry.
New Mexico lost $780 million in the last census due to nonrespondents. The state wants to get a complete count in 2020, but that requires maneuvering “hard-to-count” areas that may not have Internet or telephone access.
The California utility company warns that more outages may occur in response to red flag warnings that began Wednesday night while Gov. Gavin Newsom warns “of decades of PG&E prioritizing profit over public safety.”
Described by CIO Nelson Moe as “groundbreaking” in 2005, the commonwealth has severed its relationship with its former mega-contractor that limited Virginia’s agility in meeting today’s IT needs.
