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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.
Far too often, family courts award shared custody to fathers accused of domestic violence. Hundreds of children have been murdered. There’s much that policymakers could do to prevent some of these tragic outcomes.
The total damage in Western North Carolina is estimated at $53 billion; Gov. Roy Cooper has proposed a small fraction from state funds for costs that won’t be covered by the federal government or private insurance.
At least 11 states have enacted laws to restrict the use of PFAs in apparel, cleaning products, cookware, cosmetics and menstrual products. Since 2007, 30 states have approved 155 PFA policies.
The Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a $3.3 billion list of projects to achieve ahead of the 2028 Games that is only 5.2 percent funded so far.
South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Cox, regarding the state’s installation of its first individual statue for an African American on its Statehouse lawn. The statue will honor Robert Smalls, a congressman and ship pilot who helped to rewrite South Carolina’s Constitution to grant civil rights to Black men after the Civil War. (Associated Press — Oct. 22, 2024)
The number of towns in Maine, about one-third of the state’s voting jurisdictions, that still...
Cherelle Parker is the 100th mayor of Philadelphia and the first woman to hold the job. She has forged ahead on her first-year agenda, but some constituencies feel left out.
Child care involves a mix of public, private and nonprofit providers. Mayors are trying to make systems easier for parents to navigate and afford.
Millions are falling behind on their retirement goals. There are proven policy solutions at the state level, and federal policymakers could build on those to help all workers save what they will need and reduce the burden on taxpayers.
A study has found that Black drivers in Chicago receive approximately 54 percent of automated camera citations, but they make up 70 percent of police stops.
State Sen. Rob Sampson’s concerns about the state’s election security have risen again after a noncitizen was allowed to register to vote in Bridgeport. But election officials across the state assure election integrity.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, responding to tech billionaire Elon Musk, who published false claims about the state’s voter registration on social platform X. (The Hill — Oct. 21, 2024)
Few homeowners are protected against flood damage. What can be done to reduce the burden of recovery on them and their communities?
Democrats receive increasing levels of support from college-educated Americans, but this has triggered a populist backlash and sharpened polarization.
It’s an emerging form of grassroots activism that could have a big impact, from educating voters to calling out political shenanigans.
Michigan voters are in the crosshairs of hundreds of millions of dollars in political advertising ahead of the November election. But deciphering what claims are true isn’t always easy.
The proposed plan would lower the top individual and corporate tax rates to establish a flat tax rate, raise the standard dedication for individuals and eliminate the corporate franchise tax.
Republican Stephen Richer, top official for voting by mail in Maricopa County, Ariz. The state has become an epicenter for threats against election officials leading up to this November's election. The county's election headquarters has become a fortress, adding metal detectors and armed guards. On Election Day, as workers tabulate ballots behind new fencing and concrete barriers, drones will patrol the skies overhead, police snipers will perch on rooftops and mounted patrols will stand ready. Across the state, election workers have gone through active-shooter drills and learned to barricade themselves or wield fire hoses to repel armed mobs. (The Wall Street Journal — Oct. 19, 2024)
Nearly 6,000 legislative seats are up but real competition is only taking place in a handful of states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
A ballot measure would replace an existing tax with a larger one, raising more than $1 billion annually to fund a wider variety of services. It faces an uncertain future at the ballot box.
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