State and Local Politics and Policy
It’s especially hard to get low-income Americans living in multifamily buildings across the digital divide. But states and nonprofits are finding ways to do it.
Too many lives that could be turned around are being wasted. We should be reforming and rehabilitating the people we lock away, giving them the opportunity to become productive citizens.
Despite having won several judicial and local elections, GOP members in at least one county continue to demand an audit of the 2020 presidential election, causing confusion and uncertainty about future elections.
The project will extend the Q line 1.6 miles from its current northern terminus, costing a rate of $3.9 billion per mile. Gov. Hochul has said the money would soon come from Biden’s infrastructure bill.
In 1918, with the Spanish flu raging, workers had little choice but to continue riding the trams and trains. Today, at least in America, they can work from home or ride alone in their car.
Hint: It’s not politics or failed strategy. But we have a 23-state region spanning the Great Plains, Midwest and Northeast, as well as some border states, that have consistently trailed the rest of the country.
Five innovative policymakers were recently honored for their proposals that would best improve Americans’ economic well-being and overall quality of life, and make government work more effectively to meet communities’ needs.
From sports teams to high schools, we’re in turmoil about what we consider a deserving name. But we shouldn’t rewrite history as a byproduct of ignorance.
The new infrastructure bill will give billions to Ohio for highways, bridges, electric vehicle chargers, public transportation and more. Unlike many other Republicans, Portman argues that this bill could help curb inflation.
The Division of Occupational Safety and Health board will not enact its own worker vaccine mandate while the federal mandate is under legal review. The state’s emergency COVID workplace rules remain in effect.
The best and worst state highway systems have common traits that have little to do with miles of roadway.
Everyone agrees Bryan Hughes is amiable and polite. He's also emerged as one of the most-effective conservative legislators in the country.
Aftab Pureval is an ethnic trailblazer in a deeply segregated city. He comes into office with a long list of policy goals — many of which will not be easy to implement.
Some of the changes have made it easier to participate in courtroom processes, like online jury selection and trials. But not everything translates easily online, and not everyone has Internet access.
State lawmakers nationwide say they’ll be able to invest in longtime priorities next session, thanks to booming tax revenues and federal aid. But Democrats and Republicans are expected to clash over how to spend the money.
The state is slated to receive $3 billion for road and bridge upgrades from the new infrastructure law, with more than $500 million set aside for bridge replacement and repairs.
It’s shaped politics, government and culture throughout our history. Schools may not be teaching critical race theory as such, but today’s students — tomorrow’s leaders — need to explore why these disparities continue to exist.
Florida state legislators have been caught between Gov. Ron DeSantis’ efforts to ban COVID-19 vaccine mandates across the state and businesses that want to require them. A special session hopes to resolve the issue.
Transportation experts say that much of the funds in Biden’s big bill just go towards highways and a carbon-intensive status quo.
Taking public meetings online was supposed to broaden civic engagement, but little has changed: The same vocal residents, interest groups and activists still dominate them. We need to find better ways.
The state had a fairly good digital response to the pandemic, given the low technology and training capacity that public health departments had prior. But the response wasn't perfect, especially for those with limited English or Internet access.
A study found that, between 2017 and 2019, 52 percent of the city’s police use-of-force cases were against Black residents who comprise less than 30 percent of the city’s population.
Ethics rules require judges to recuse themselves from cases involving relatives or their own partisan or political interests. But it doesn't always work out that way.
The state originally said it would end mask mandates when it got to a 70 percent vaccination rate, but as cases continued to spike the end never came. Three experts explain how that might damage the public’s trust.
19 countries’ leaders at the global climate summit have pledged to create zero-emission shipping routes to reduce industry pollution while 103 cargo ships continue to idle, awaiting their turn to dock at the Port of L.A.
Moderate and centrist Democrats who triumphed in the recent mayoral elections have been too quick to adopt Republican attack points, particularly when it comes to calls for reforming policing.
A week after New Jersey’s gubernatorial election, Democrats in the state are maneuvering to shape the ideological tenor of Phil Murphy’s next administration by debating what the relatively close race means.
Phone calls in the New Orleans jail cost 21 cents per minute. Sheriff Gusman says the calls are a much-needed revenue source but opponents argue the price can be a burden on low-income families.
In Missouri, determining whether service providers are vaccinated against COVID is not easy due to privacy rules and politics. For at-risk customers, this could put them in danger of contracting the virus.
As the nation continues to emerge from the worst effects of the pandemic, leaders in suburban school districts are using a range of strategies to restore and strengthen connections with students and communities.
Local leaders are pushing back against California’s new housing laws and a newly announced housing strike force. Some worry about the loss of single-family communities, while others want more housing for low-income and homeless populations.
