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In 2023 the state created the Texas Energy Fund to finance about 10 gigawatts of electric generation capacity in hopes of reducing strain on the ERCOT power grid. Regulators approved 17 companies to receive loans if their projects are viable.
The city’s Solid Waste Management estimates that it receives thousands of complaints about missed trash pickups. But officials have a $6 million plan that could fix the problem.
As many as 450,000 barred owls could be killed across three Pacific Northwest states over the next 30 years to prevent the extinction of another type of owl. The program aims to kill less than 1 percent of the current barred owl population.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, admitting to incorrectly stating on a 2006 White House fellowship application that he received the prestigious Bronze Star. Moore served in the Army Reserve from 1996 to 2014 and deployed to Afghanistan from August 2005 to March 2006. (The Hill — Aug. 30, 2024)
2020 made police reform “sexy” on a policy level, leading to a significant increase in civilian oversight boards around the country. However, in the years following, many of these boards are still trying to find their footing.
Despite the forces working against fair elections, coalitions and grassroots organizations in several states have achieved a lot for democracy.
On Aug. 18 a slow-moving storm system brought remnants of Hurricane Ernesto to Connecticut and New York. Within 12 hours, the region saw two 1,000-year rainfalls just 35 miles apart. Experts say this will likely become more common.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has warned of “sacrifices that will be made” to account for the multimillion-dollar spending gap. City officials have cited declining state revenues and rising pension and personnel costs as the cause.
Five families are in a legal battle with the EPA and the fertilizer manufacturer Synagro Technologies for allegedly contaminating their cattle and land. Synagro fertilizer is banned from some states for containing forever chemicals.
The state Department of Health Care Policy and Financing underestimated how sick its members would be. Medicaid covers about 1.26 million people in Colorado.
Lyrics from a Jimmy Buffett song. Aug. 30, 2024 is officially recognized as "Jimmy Buffett Day" in Florida to celebrate the life and music of the singer, “whose free-spirited life and significant contributions to national and state culture are commended and celebrated.” (Florida Senate — Aug. 28, 2024)
Insurers have wide latitude on when and how they can deny mental health care. An analysis of all 50 states shows that some are charting new paths to secure mental health care access.
California is notorious for its lack of affordable housing. Still, it's seen a dramatic expansion of one type of housing over the past five years, known as ADUs, offering lessons for other states.
Courts have upheld some bans but struck down others. Some cities and at least one state have considered restricting panhandling in traffic medians due to safety reasons.
Presidents who used to run states sometimes stiff them when it comes to making policy.
After months of searching for a policy, the Durango, Colo., Fire Department was able to find a company that would write an affordable policy to cover the construction of its new firehouse.
The last time the federal minimum wage was increased, to its current rate of $7.25 an hour, was 2007. Since then, cumulative inflation has increased 46.6 percent. Nevada’s state minimum wage reached $12 hourly on July 1.
Since the state has adopted its ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery stores, grocery stores just adopted thicker, multi-use plastic bags and the waste worsened. Now, lawmakers are proposing to block large grocery stores from offering plastic bags at all.
Ryan Craddock, the father of a 13-year-old football player in West Virginia who died over the weekend after receiving a head injury at practice. Craddock says he plans to work toward getting other players soft-shelled helmet covers known as Guardian Caps to prevent future injuries and deaths. (Associated Press — Aug. 27, 2024)
A bipartisan group of more than 350 mayors has committed to ambitious targets for fleet electrification and charging infrastructure.
The U.S. is currently building dense housing at the highest rate since the mid-1980s. Former President Barack Obama noted in his convention speech that “we need to build more units and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations.”
As officers’ salaries increased, so did police killings of Black Americans. Job protections from collective bargaining can make some officers less worried about consequences. We need to rethink union contracts.
The new policy says universities should remain neutral on “issues of the day” while allowing students, faculty and staff to express their ideas.
The city’s pilot program gives unhoused meth users packs that consist of four doses of the antipsychotic medication Olanzapine. A 2021 study found the drug helped to reduce the frequency and severity of meth-induced psychosis.
The city of Kalamazoo, Mich., on X, regarding how some residents have been opening fire hydrants across the city in hopes of gaining some relief from the second day of a heatwave that is scorching the Midwest. Temperatures were expected to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit in the state’s southwestern city. (Associated Press — Aug. 27, 2024)
A boost in federal highway money has helped states break ground on new projects, some of which have languished due to a shortage of funding.
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