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Florida state Rep. Sam Garrison, regarding a new law that bans homeless people from sleeping in public spaces. There were an estimated 30,700 homeless people in Florida last year. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill on Wednesday. (Associated Press — March 20, 2024)
States have devoted billions of dollars to replenishing their unemployment trust funds, but many are still short. Fewer states are now prepared for a recession than before the pandemic.
It’s not only because of increasingly common and costly natural disasters. Can other states learn from Florida’s experiences and its lawmakers’ efforts to cope with the problem?
Nonprofit groups have helped preserve access to abortion even in states where the procedure's been banned.
As other states ramp up their own development incentives, Texas is experiencing more competition for opportunity zone projects. Of 94 economic incentives projects across the nation this year, just two were in Texas.
A real estate consultant estimated that San Diego could go from 2,780 downtown employees using 819,000 square feet of space to 3,060 employees in just 580,000 square feet with small adjustments.
The $7.5 million electric crane will help the city forgo around 350,000 gallons of diesel fuel in its lifespan. The machine is the largest of its kind to run entirely on electric power.
Bruce Cline, a grain and tobacco farmer in Crofton, Ky., regarding industries’ growing dependence on seasonal workers under the H-2A visa program. A higher proportion of U.S. farms are now relying on contract workers who face demanding jobs and conditions. There have been steps at the federal level to protect migrant workers under the H-2A visa system, but those regulations have strong opponents and there remain no federal rules about heat exposure. (Associated Press — March 19, 2024)
New research finds that Native Americans are more exposed to flood risk than other groups, but Black and Asian communities are less exposed than predominantly white ones. Overall, the risk to property is much greater than depicted in official FEMA maps.
Their inventor wanted them to be centers of social life. They never really achieved that goal, but the ones that remain are more than just places to spend money.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire began on Feb. 26 and grew to become the largest wildfire in state history. The wildfire burned across several counties in the Texas Panhandle, killed at least two people and destroyed hundreds of homes.
The state has begun scanning 2 million pages. It’s part of a $60 million project to build a database integrating a century of water rights records, geospatial mapping and up-to-date water diversion data.
The state will launch an alternative system where drivers are charged for each mile they drive. That might replace the gas tax, which hasn’t been updated since 2003. As of 2022, just 0.13 percent of the state’s vehicles were hybrid or electric.
Portland Public Schools will no longer send students with disabilities to schools outside of their neighborhoods, except those with the most profound needs, in an attempt to transform special education and embrace diversity.
Bill Callahan, Ocean Casino’s general manager, regarding the eroding beaches of Atlantic City, N.J., after weeks of winter storms. Three of the city’s northernmost casinos, Ocean Casino Resort, Resorts and Hard Rock, are urging federal and state governments to expedite a beach replenishment program that was supposed to have been completed last year. Last summer, Ocean Casino spent $600,000 to truck in and dump sand on its beach. (Associated Press — March 18, 2024)
Milwaukee County has one of the nation’s highest death rates from synthetic opioids. It’s deploying millions of opioid settlement dollars to fund programs across a variety of agencies.
It’s hard to see recent moves by Georgia’s lieutenant governor as anything more than a Republican strategy to win some elections. But there’s an argument for embracing whatever bipartisanship is offered.
Only 116 of the nation’s nearly 7,400 state lawmakers qualify as “working class,” according to a new survey.
Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods unaware whether the air they breathe is safe.
Two political leaders are backing a congressional bill that would lower the cost of homeowner property insurance by about a quarter. In 2023, Florida homes cost three times the national average to insure.
An audit by a federal watchdog found several instances of poor planning, misallocation of funds and a lack of workers which undercut millions of dollars of federal aid meant to keep stormwater at bay.
Book critic Ron Charles, after testing ChatGPT’s knowledge of classic literature. (Washington Post – March 15, 2024)
The fight over the procedure will come to a head in the November election. A proposed ballot initiative would add abortion protections to the state constitution, while two open state Supreme Court seats are up.
Pay and benefits are important, but a better-trained, more professional workforce is crucial as well. State child-care administrators and agencies are key to making it happen.
Although population losses have slowed in most major cities, they haven't stopped. New York has lost nearly a half-million people since the start of the pandemic.
Future in Context
Faced with increasing traffic and declining gas tax revenue, policymakers and city planners are taking another look at dynamic pricing. If you love buying airline and concert tickets, they have got a deal for you.
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