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The lower number in completed applications for aid has education advocates worried about a smaller fall enrollment this year. An overhaul of the form has caused delays and setbacks across the country.
Carol Topinka, a retired St. Francis, Wis., superintendent, regarding a job listing for the Cedar Grove-Belgium School District in Sheboygan County, Wis. It listed “Christian values” and “conservative politics” as desired characteristics for a new superintendent at a public school. The qualification has since been removed. It was “a comment made during the focus groups,” according to the law firm aiding the school district with the job search. (WPR — April 11, 2024)
In the 30 years since Kirk Watson's previous stint as mayor, Austin has gained 400,000 more residents. Watson's changed, too.
More of today's public officials and candidates should remember the principles that Martin Luther King Jr. and his colleagues and supporters put their lives on the line for.
In 1999, the natural cause mortality rate for people ages 25 to 54 in rural areas was only 6 percent higher than for city residents of the same age. By 2019, the gap had widened to 43 percent.
State Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley won’t run for re-election in 2025, giving conservatives a better shot at regaining their majority. Bradley was first elected to the court in 1995.
On Thursday Gov. Tate Reeves announced federal approval for the second part of his 2023 proposal for increased reimbursements to state hospitals from Medicaid.
When Raúl Ureña was first elected in 2020, she earned 70 percent of the vote. Now the mayor of the California border town of Calexico faces a recall over homelessness and economic development – but also gender identity.
The City Council unanimously approved a three-year, $815,000 contract with RollKall Technologies. The move comes in direct response to a 2018 audit that criticized the agency’s lack of oversight.
Matt Juanes, a salmon fisherman in California, regarding the state’s decision to close the commercial salmon season after not enough fish were able to swim upriver to spawn. This is the second year in a row that the Pacific Fishery Management Council has voted to close the season, harming hundreds of commercial fishers and tribal members who rely on the season for their livelihoods and food supplies. This year’s scarcity of Chinook salmon is tied to California’s last drought, as the fish have a three-year life cycle. (KQED — April 10, 2024)
Street safety is increasingly a source of conflict between state and local governments. Houston’s new mayor has paused a series of redesigns.
Many school districts still have a lot of money that could be spent on effective long-term interventions. States should help them build federal dollars into their budgets for years to come.
There’s a movement toward cracking down again on minor offenses. It raises larger questions about what transgressions we should be punishing — and why we should.
The Maryland Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade Act went into effect immediately after Gov. Wes Moore signed it. The program will assist workers and businesses affected by the Key Bridge collapse.
The state auditor’s office found that a council created to oversee the implementation of homelessness programs has not consistently tracked spending or outcomes.
The federal Affordable Connectivity Program has helped 23 million low-income households afford Internet connections to schedule or attend health-care appointments. But the program will soon run out of funds.
Charlie Kirk, of the Nebraska Republican Party, regarding the state’s current election system of splitting electoral votes by congressional district. There is a growing movement to implement a “winner take all” system for the state’s presidential vote. (Associated Press — April 10, 2024)
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.
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