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Climate and weather disasters are more frequent and more costly. What can be done to keep insurers viable and property owners protected?
Many positions on ballots across the nation for the 2023 General Election had one or fewer candidates. Of the nearly 28,000 unique positions up for election last year, over 17,000 were uncontested.
Local government finance officers can employ revenue, procurement and other tactics that disrupt the status quo to finance important initiatives.
“Staying small is important to me,” says one of the microschool’s founders. “I value the small classes and the strong sense of community here. Everybody knows each other.”
About 150,000 people work in U.S. dairies. But as of May 22, just 40 people connected to dairy farms had been tested for the bird flu, a virus that has been spreading among cows.
A pilot program will develop generative artificial intelligence tools to investigate near misses of injuries and deaths on California roads to locate hazardous areas and reduce traffic.
Doug Heller, director of insurance with the Consumer Federation of America, a research and advocacy nonprofit. He was referring to the decisions by insurance companies to pull out of some states due to increased risk from natural disasters, pointing to increased risks due to climate change. (Stateline — June 5, 2024)
Most government employees at the state and local level have returned to their respective offices at least part time, but some legislators and other officials want to make in-person work mandatory.
Federal mandates that steer contracts to unionized companies exacerbate the construction industry’s skilled labor shortage. Taxpayers lose when responsible contractors that do a quality job at the best price are frozen out.
Attorneys general from Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., are challenging a 2022 Ohio voting law, alleging it creates unnecessary obstacles to casting a ballot.
California schools are using more chatbots, and teachers are using them to grade papers and give students feedback. Educators are split on the technology’s efficacy.
Following the deaths of state Sen. Dick Sears and former Sen. Dick Mazza, as well as the retirements of four other senators, the chamber will look decidedly different in January.
Dean Phillips, a member of Congress from Minnesota, referring to the conviction of former President Donald Trump. Phillips is a Democrat, but he has joined a number of Republicans who are calling for New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to pardon Trump. (The Center Square — June 3, 2024)
A new order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission seeks to prod longer-term planning to address growing power demands and the transition to renewables.
With most public retirement systems seeing improved actuarial funding levels, there’s an opportunity to offer options that could make government compensation more competitive. But any impetus for change should come from pragmatic public employers, not partisans or lobbyists.
Enterprisewide systems enable efficiency and community engagement. With its application of GIS, the city-county government is showing the value of that approach.
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to have the Port of Baltimore’s main channel fully open by June 10. To meet the deadline, large pieces of the Key Bridge’s steel truss must be removed from the waterway to ensure boat safety.
Auditors warn of financial consequences ahead of the June 4 primary election if Gregory, Haakon and Tripp counties ban the use of tabulator machines in future elections.
Mayor Quinton Lucas alleges that Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft moved a ballot measure to force Kansas City to pay more for its police to a different date than the top state court ordered.
Last year, the state House fell a few votes short of advancing a constitutional amendment to allow the construction of eight destination resort casinos. It is unlikely that the state Senate will have enough votes to pass the measure next session.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, in her announcement that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment. The 74-year-old Texas Democrat first took office in 1995 and is seeking her 16th term. (Associated Press — June 3, 2024)
Some conservatives want Washington to stay out of disaster zones, leaving the job to states and localities, along with private insurance. This won't fly politically or practically.
The two are intertwined, yet too often they aren’t viewed that way. Aligning them is a strategy for creating strong rural and Native communities.
Future in Context
Eric Goldman, associate dean of research at Santa Clara University School of Law, assesses concerns around the impending TikTok ban or buyout. It faces significant First Amendment challenges, he said.
The passage of the federal DATA Act 10 years ago and its implementation provide a road map for bipartisan reform at every level of government.
California has long relied on its prison population to battle wildfires. But a steady decline in the state’s incarcerated population and a $45 billion budget shortfall has left the state with gaps when it comes to wildfire response.
On May 31, 2019, a city engineer shot and killed 12 people and injured five others before being fatally shot by the police. Five years later, the community is still healing and implementing new systems to prevent violence.
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