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The AI revolution presents great opportunities for cities with the right combination of strengths. Pittsburgh is showing what’s possible.
There have been 46 lawsuits filed by the Justice Department, Maryland, Baltimore, the families of the workers and businesses affected against the two companies that own and manage the container ship that was involved in the crash.
The unanimous vote supports the removal of a rule that allows renters to be evicted when landlords remodel their buildings.
Roofers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and laborers are organizing to demand better job conditions, including more contractor oversight, living wages, safety training, heat protections and hiring local to the neighborhoods.
Allison Santorelli, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, regarding the lack of precipitation this month. More than 100 different long-term weather stations in 26 states, including Alaska, are having their driest October on record. In June, less than 12 percent of the country was experiencing drought, but now it’s almost 50 percent, and growing. (Associated Press — Oct. 29, 2024)
Democrats look likely to hold the three open governor seats they currently control. There's not a lot of fertile ground for making inroads elsewhere.
They should be encouraged to exercise their rights as citizens. It’s good for building the local-government workforce, and it enriches the community and the professional environment.
Five states and Washington, D.C., recently enacted bills dealing with fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. About half of states already have statutes in place for when self-driving cars are actually on the road.
Schools across the nation are encouraging students to use artificial intelligence. In San Diego, Calif., teachers help students learn the benefits and consequences of AI use in daily life.
“Valet trash,” boiler management, pest control and service fees are some of the many “junk fees” that landlords are adding to rents in Denver, which can significantly inflate costs. Rental advocates want more transparency.
On Jan. 7, 2021, allies of former President Trump walked into Coffee County’s election office and allegedly copied confidential software and files that could be used to undermine an election. Now the investigation has been paused.
Krista Gulbransen, of the Berkeley, Calif., Property Owners Association, regarding a proposed rent control measure in California that will appear on the statewide ballot next week. The measure, Proposition 33, would repeal a state housing law that limits cities from enacting rent control measures. More than 30 California cities already have some rent increase limitations, with caps ranging from 3 to 10 percent annually for covered units. (Associated Press — Oct. 29, 2024)
Republicans are defending eight of the 11 governor's offices up this year, but Democrats still have little chance for pickups.
Texas challenged federal supremacy by creating a state crime for illegal entry into the U.S. The courts will decide whether it's constitutional — and whether other states can follow Texas’ lead.
The November election could boost Native representation in the state’s legislature.
The Hawthorne Fire on Lamentation Mountain continues to spread. 127,000 gallons of water from next-door Silver Lake has been dumped on the fire so far.
Insurance companies are increasingly using aerial images instead of human inspectors to analyze properties. But residents are frustrated by the practice as images get misinterpreted or capture the wrong home.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in their “PFAS Do Not Eat Advisory” that was issued last week. The department has detected high levels of “forever chemicals” in some deer and wild turkey that were harvested in portions of Albion, Fairfield, Freedom, Skowhegan, Unity and Unity Township, and has therefore advised residents to avoid consuming wildlife from those areas. (Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife — Oct. 24, 2024)
Like his father, the city’s longest-serving mayor combined preternatural instincts with sheer audacity. Sometimes Richard M. Daley overreached, but he left his city better than he found it.
Future in Context
Drawing from his experience in San Jose, Seattle Chief Technology Officer Rob Lloyd seeks to address pressing issues like homelessness and public safety in a post-pandemic landscape in the Emerald City.
Oakland and Alameda County, Calif., are holding unusual overlapping recall elections, with two top officials both facing complaints that they have been too soft on crime.
A new task force made up of several county law enforcement agencies is tasked with keeping voters safe.
Recent food recalls have raised concerns about safety and regulation within the industry, but experts say that increased regulation, better technology and more public awareness make the issue more complicated than it may seem.
39 South Carolina counties will choose a coroner this election.
John Suthers, a former U.S. attorney and Colorado attorney general who is now representing the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Boulder, Colo. Suthers responded to the NonHuman Rights Project’s (NhRP) claim that five elephants in the zoo should be able to dispute their detention. The NhRP unsuccessfully tried to have an elephant at the Bronx Zoo named Happy legally considered a person with the ability to pursue a petition seeking release. The New York ruling said giving such rights to an elephant “would have an enormous destabilizing impact on modern society.” Now, the NhRP is again arguing that the five elephants, Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou and Jambo, are such intelligent and social creatures that they are, essentially, being held prisoner in the zoo. The Colorado court will issue a ruling in the coming weeks or months. (Associated Press — Oct. 24, 2024)
Fear and confusion in the aftermath of disasters create fertile ground for misinformation. Social media and AI can amplify it, but there are ways to weather the storm.
