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Only 92 percent of U.S. adolescents are vaccinated against measles and a 95 percent vaccination rate is needed to create herd immunity. So far in 2024, the CDC has reported 35 cases in 15 jurisdictions.
Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against Fisco, Denison and Castleberry school districts, alleging that they violated election law when officials suggested voting for candidates who oppose school vouchers.
A group backing a potential ballot question that would classify app-based drivers as independent contractors rather than employees has raised more than $6.8 million last year exclusively from non-resident companies.
Oregon state Rep. Ed Diehl, regarding a bill that would recriminalize the possession of small amounts of drugs in the state. (OPB — Feb. 29, 2024)
A number of red states are moving to weaken child labor laws. Sponsors say they just want kids to be able to work, but critics complain companies are already exploiting vulnerable populations.
Laws in Texas and Florida that prohibit the platforms from removing content run afoul of the First Amendment and will make things worse. The Supreme Court should strike them down.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued warning letters to 32 states and two territories that were behind on processing resident applications for SNAP benefits. The backlog of applications leave many residents without food access.
Estimates increased $1.3 billion from projections released in December. The state also has about $2.9 billion in its rainy-day fund. However, officials warn of a potential $1.5 billion shortfall in the coming years.
The City Council abandoned an ordinance that allows the demolition of homes smaller than 3,000 square feet within a Landmark District to “address substandard structures.” The rule disproportionately impacted Black, brown and low-income neighborhoods.
Florida health officials began warning homeowners near the Florida State Fire College that well water may be contaminated and a potential health hazard. But inmates at a nearby women’s prison say they weren’t informed.
Caitlyn Peca, a rookie police officer in Fowlerville, Mich., allegedly said to a colleague over the radio, according to a case summary. Peca misread a 0.02 breath test of a man from Japan as 0.22, which would be nearly three times the state’s blood-alcohol limit for driving. Fowlerville has agreed to pay the man $320,000 to settle the case. (Associated Press — Feb. 29, 2024)
Revenues are coming in slower, creating some shortfalls. Following recent boom times, even a bit of belt-tightening is going to come as a shock.
All along the Eastern Seaboard, concerns about industrial wind turbines continue to grow. There are better ways to generate clean, reliable, less costly power.
Gov. Greg Abbott declared an emergency declaration on Tuesday for 60 counties as the Smokehouse Creek Fire continued to spread. As of 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the fire had burned 850,000 acres and was just 3 percent contained.
The state Employment Department’s new computer system, Frances Online, will replace the one that had been in place since the 1990s. But old technology is not the only thing the department needs to fix.
Legislators continue to stall on proposed and already-enacted laws that aim to promote small-business development in minority and low-income communities. At the end of last year, the state’s Black unemployment rate was nearly 3 percent higher than the overall average.
Robert P. Jones, president of the Public Religion Research Institute, regarding a growing movement of Christian nationalism across the country. (NPR — Feb. 28, 2024)
It's been seven years since the New Jersey city has seen a traffic fatality, with injuries down significantly as well. Many of its improvements could be replicated elsewhere.
As recent ousters illustrate, patriarchy's a particular issue for Black women in top administrative positions at colleges and universities. Education leaders and public officials need to take it seriously.
The pandemic has made the shortage worse for both permanent residents and the workforce. Some towns are beginning to find solutions.
If a probable case is confirmed, the total number of infections would be nine in Florida.
Experts say that most crime data is too unreliable to pinpoint specific policies as the primary drivers of crime rates. Yet politicians often draw a straight line between bail laws and crime rates, potentially misleading voters.
A new public health campaign aims to train about one-third of the county’s population in how to do the procedure. In 2021, only 8 percent of those who suffered cardiac arrest in the county, outside of a hospital, survived.
Washington state Sen. Phil Fortunato on withdrawing an amendment which would have created ID cards for those in state custody or care. Under his proposal, those getting cards would have to pick up the cost, rather than the state paying for them. Without missing a beat, Sen. Marko Liias asked, “Can we call her about other amendments?” (KNWN Newsradio — Feb. 24, 2024)
Major tech firms have signed an accord to fight the deceptive use of AI in 2024 elections. It’s a welcome signal, if not a promise to solve the problem.
A bill would require each county to offer a treatment option as an alternative to the traditional court process for veterans and active military members. About 8 percent of the state’s corrections system population served in the military.
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