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As with society as a whole, the homeless population is naturally aging. But now more people are falling into homelessness for the first time in their later years due to high housing costs.
Future in Context
A 50-state investigation in data journalism suggests the answer is, not yet. The AI agent was insightful on a number of fronts; but, while not descending into hallucinations, its mind strayed from instructions as the experiment went on.
Medical debt is growing and hitting middle-class Americans hardest. States have started acting to relieve the burden, but more can be done.
Supporters say a constitutional amendment would provide flexibility for lawmakers, but critics worry it would lead to year-round sessions.
By 2030, an estimated 12 percent of people ages 75 and older will be working, more than doubling from 2000, due to longer lifespans and rising costs of living. In Florida, soaring insurance rates add to financial pressures.
Milwaukee Common Councilmember Michael Murphy. Murphy opted to not seek re-election this year. He was first elected in 1989 and leaves office as the third-longest-serving Common councilmember in history. (Urban Milwaukee — April 9, 2024)
A visit to your doctor won’t cover everything that could lead to chronic disease. Vermont’s primary-care system helps fill the void.
Proposals to eliminate them usually ignore the basic facts of life in state and local revenue management. Successful changes will be focused and surgical, and there is an intriguing opportunity to apply AI to local tax relief.
The era of "10x government" may be at hand, meaning a dramatic multiplication in service delivery, operational efficiency and mission attainment, thanks to AI and other technologies.
Legislation that would have legalized and regulated autonomous vehicles in Kentucky was vetoed on Friday, April 5, by the governor who claimed the bill was moving too quickly and the state needed a testing period first.
The state’s Department of Labor and Industries has failed to collect millions of dollars from employers that the agency says it owed to more than 1,800 workers across the state.
City officials are optimistic that the pilot program will help connect homeless people with needed services and shelter or housing, as well as identify trash, graffiti, potholes and parking violations.
Brigitte Combs, a resident of Richmond, Va., regarding how, decades ago in Texas, she had been married at 15 years old to a 37-year-old man. Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation that would raise the state’s minimum age for marriage to 18; it’s pending action by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. If signed by the governor, Virginia would become just the 12th state to prohibit minors from getting married. (NPR — April 4, 2024)
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced her retirement last month, leaving the role to Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. Housing has become yet another partisan issue, limiting hopes for ambitious policies.
They’re showing growing signs of involvement with a variety of political and social concerns. Public leaders need to encourage them.
A former federal judge explains why courts aren’t the fastest or clearest way to solve election disputes.
The state launched an investigation into the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department three years ago after a string of controversial shootings and costly lawsuits. Now the case is expected to settle.
Thirty-two lawsuits now target fossil fuel companies over climate damage.
The state’s gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida is expected to bring in $750 million annually, totaling $6 billion through 2030. Currently, 96 percent of the funds are committed to water-quality projects.
Bill Jones, head of enforcement for the California Department of Cannabis Control. Despite voter approval of legalized recreational marijuana back in 2016, sales still occur mostly through the black market. Only about 40 percent of local jurisdictions in the state permit cannabis stores. State officials are trying to crack down on the growing illegal industry, but the penalty for getting caught selling unlicensed marijuana is relatively light, usually a $500 fine, which results in officers having to raid the same storefronts multiple times. (NPR — April 5, 2024)
After shedding nearly 1 million jobs, staffing levels are now higher than at the start of 2020. But severe shortages remain in several fields such as nursing, public safety and education.
Future in Context
Cities and states are working on novel solutions to old, intractable problems. Governing magazine’s return to print showcases stories of the people who are making them work across the country.
Researchers predict there will be 11 hurricanes, five of which will reach major hurricane strength, and 23 named storms due to a historically warm Atlantic Ocean and probable La Niña conditions.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and GOP legislators have agreed to reduce the state’s top income tax bracket, starting at $30,000, from 5.7 percent to 5.5 percent. The proposal would cost $1.4 billion over the next three years.
Emergency management officials in Ohio have been prepping for the event for months, anticipating large crowds and slow traffic. Aside from inconvenience, stalled traffic threatens response times to everyday emergencies.
A complaint from six inmates in the Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Woodbourne, N.Y., after the state corrections department decided to lock down prisons during the total solar eclipse on April 8. The inmates filed a lawsuit in federal court, saying the lockdown violates inmates’ constitutional rights to practice their faiths by preventing them from taking part in a religiously significant event. The celestial event won’t be seen in the U.S. again until 2044. The total eclipse will occur in upstate New York around 3:15 p.m. and last just a few minutes. (NPR — April 2, 2024)
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