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Across the nation, state transportation agencies are warning that public safety is at risk if lawmakers don’t overhaul how road maintenance gets funded. Some states are proposing new taxes and fees.
Many jurisdictions have shifted toward supporting the rights of local residents and businesses that must contend with encampments and other problems, rather than the rights of homeless people.
Alcohol killed 1,547 residents last year, not much fewer than the 1,799 who died from drug overdoses. While the state increased penalties for fentanyl possessions, voters expanded access to alcohol in grocery stores.
Peter McClelland, owner of White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures near Ely, Minn. The area is often buried in 100 inches or more of snow each winter, but not this year. December was the state's warmest and wettest on record, dating back to 1895, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above average. (MPR News — Jan. 2, 2024)
Freddie O’Connell, the new mayor, is a longtime transit advocate and civic leader. Nashville voters have rejected transit referendums in the past, but he's convinced the city needs to try again
Future in Context
New and growing GovTech100 companies are likely to have an outsized role in making government better. Many now come with deep pockets thanks to investments from private equity.
Kshama Sawant, who just left office, became famous nationally for her fights for workers' rights. But her party had no one to replace her and the council became more conservative in last year's elections.
The complaints accused judges of showing bias, disregarding civil rights and engaging in personal misconduct. Yet state officials sided with the judges 98.5 percent of the time, dismissing the complaints.
While home insurance rates and utility prices have increased across the country, Texas has been hit especially hard since its historical winter storm three years ago. Experts expect increases to continue.
State Rep. Dan Frankel has proposed a measure that would revoke the concealed carry permits of anyone who is caught with a firearm at a TSA checkpoint. State TSA agents seized 44 guns this year, nine more than the previous record year.
South Carolina state Sen. Mia McLeod, regarding the election of longtime former Columbia City Council member Tameika Isaac Devine to the state Senate after a special election on Jan. 2. Isaac Devine will become just the sixth woman in the 46-member chamber. (Associated Press — Jan. 3, 2024)
Spencer Cox knows people are going to disagree politically, but calls on Americans to find ways to express their differences without resorting to hatred or violence.
AI can generate vast numbers of public comments masquerading as citizen input. Other methods of public consultation can improve confidence in government.
More than $5.8 billion of the $7.8 billion in federal funds awarded to Illinois schools since March 2020 has been spent. In Chicago, the school system faces a $391 million shortfall for the 2024-25 school year.
Silicon Valley ended 2023 with more than one-fourth of the region’s office spaces empty, a record high. San Francisco ended the year with its own all-time record: 36.7 percent vacant.
Since LoDoMus Prime and Dave, two autonomous robots, have been deployed in two of Denver’s downtown parking garages, car thefts and vandalism have decreased by more than 70 percent.
During the trial period, which began in August 2021 and ran for 18 months, city residents have taken 1.45 million scooter rides over 2 million miles. The program will undergo a few changes to appease some concerns.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, when asked if he would support state-imposed restrictions on children’s social media use. Polis is the father of two children. (The Hill — Dec. 31, 2023)
Dozens of cities are running pilot programs to show that direct cash assistance is an effective way to address poverty. Critics warn that offering money without work requirements or any strings attached will backfire.
James Brainard has stepped down after seven terms leading Carmel. The Indianapolis suburb has become a widely cited model for urban design.
The state has not yet signed up for a federal program that would help feed 2 million children who receive free or reduced-cost school lunches over the summer. State officials expect their own funds to be sufficient.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, regarding his decision to leave his chickens at the Governor’s Mansion at the end of his term next month. He had intended to take the chickens home with him to Amite when he left office, but after Gov.-elect Jeff Landry asked to keep the chickens during a tour of the Mansion grounds, Edwards agreed to leave them. The chickens and their coop were added to the Mansion’s grounds in 2016 shortly after Edwards took office. Edwards paid for the coop and the hens out of his own pocket. (Louisiana Illuminator — Dec. 18, 2023)
As inflation and interest rates ease, 2024 will be a perfect time for overdue multiyear strategic planning and keeping up with breakthrough information technologies.
The new rules will require employers to develop plans for medical attention and take action at certain levels of air quality. The change comes after two years of temporary protections.
Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina added almost 1.2 million people between them this year. The South was the only region to draw net new residents from other states.
One-third of the state’s legislators have collectively reported at least $14 million worth of investments. But analysis has found that their stocks don’t always align with their political stances.
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