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Four in 10 school buses in New Jersey failed initial inspections, according to an analysis of 22 months of New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission records. Nearly 6,000 inspections led to buses being taken off the road.
McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger, responding to viral tweets and media reports that have, according to Erlinger, exaggerated the fast food chain’s price increases. Erlinger acknowledged that he and many franchises were frustrated by a post on X last summer about a Big Mac meal in Connecticut that cost $18. The average price for a Big Mac in the U.S. is $5.29, or $9.29 for the meal, a 20.5 percent increase compared to 2019. (Associated Press — May 29, 2024)
Her prosecution of Trump has drawn controversy and legal challenges, but it hasn't hurt her at home. The speaker of the Texas House, however, faces serious challenges to his leadership.
A new report tracked pedestrian fatality rates in the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. Almost all of them are becoming more dangerous.
They’re resolved through bizarre, often comical procedures, involving everything from coin tosses to cowboy hats to ping-pong balls. But nothing is as bewildering as the way a tied presidential election is decided — an exercise in nonsense.
There are powerful arguments against cities spending lots of money on professional sports. On the other hand, the prestige of having home teams carries some tangible benefits.
Over the last five years, half the nation’s jobs were created in Texas and Florida. California and New York fell to the bottom of the heap, according to a Stateline analysis.
The city’s Education Department has directed districts to increase their share of classes in compliance with a reduced size plan by 3 percent. Superintendents can require schools to meet individual targets.
Members of Congress have faced an elevated threat landscape in recent years, but their staff at congressional district offices across the country often bear the brunt of these attacks.
A resident of Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, writing to a city councilmember. Seattle officials have received hundreds of complaints about the noise raised at night by the driver of a modified Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, which is disturbingly loud even by urban standards. The driver has told police officers that he can’t slow down as he derives benefit from thousands of Instagram followers who applaud his posted videos of racing 100 mph through the city streets. (New York Times — May 29, 2024)
Unions have recently enjoyed some success in both recruitment and labor actions. They now face resistance from lawmakers in red states, particularly in the South.
The movement to build tiny houses has gotten a lot of attention, but it hasn’t gained much traction in the market. Still, there may be some applications for homes of just a few hundred square feet.
Future in Context
The assessment and educational tool offers insights and solutions for improving government web performance. Based on its criteria, many state and federal agencies have updated their sites.
A massive storm pummeled the state with strong winds and heavy rain, causing widespread destruction, impassable roads and the deaths of four residents. The state, 14 counties and five cities declared a state of emergency.
Proposed legislation would allow homeless people displaying mental health issues to be taken to a behavioral center against their will for assessment.
The new state department will be housed at Florida Atlantic University. It seeks to harness public and private research, education, technology and business applications involving fresh and salt water.
Nashville Council Member Delishia Porterfield, regarding the 30-3 council vote against the proposed sign for country singer Morgan Wallen’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen. The singer caused controversy in 2021 for his use of a racial slur and recently faced criminal charges after he was accused of throwing a chair off a rooftop near two police officers. The sign would hang over a public sidewalk, similar to those at many neighboring bars, and requires local government approval. (Associated Press — May 22, 2024)
Election skeptics haven’t taken their eyes off Georgia since the last presidential election. Officials there are working to make sure 2024 outcomes are as bulletproof as its 2020 results have proved to be.
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation awarded Safe Streets for All grants to 99 communities this month. The grants help fund planning and demonstration projects to reduce dangerous conflicts between road users.
Tuberculosis has reclaimed from COVID-19 the title of the world’s deadliest infectious disease. We have no excuse not to succeed in ending it.
The electricity company National Grid will invest billions over the next five years in an effort to achieve the state’s climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.
The council passed a $12.8 billion budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, which is approximately 2 percent less than the current fiscal year’s budget. The city will eliminate 1,700 vacant jobs next fiscal year.
The 3,150 square-foot home recently hit the market in Burton, Texas, for $760,000. The printing company, Hive3D, is working on other 3D-printed housing options, including short-term rental “casitas” in Round Top.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, on new Census Bureau data estimating that the city added more than 1,800 residents between 2022 and 2023, the first such increase since 1957. Duggan’s administration has publicly fought the Census Bureau’s count of city residents and sued the agency multiple times, seeking what local officials consider accurate figures, and Duggan has described the agency as a “national clown show” for previously reporting a decrease in the city’s population estimates. (Detroit Free Press — May 20, 2024)
Florida has a reputation as a low-tax state, thanks to its lack of a personal income tax, but top earners get bigger breaks than low-income individuals.
Most U.S. states offer Medicare Advantage plans to their state retirees, while 12 states offer Medicare Advantage exclusively.
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