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.
The problem is not just with access to broadband, but also reliability. Still, the city has been making progress, cutting the number of Detroiters without access from nearly 40 percent in 2016 to 25 percent today.
Methane emissions have an outsized impact on global warming. A public-private partnership uses data from flyovers and satellites to identify where the greenhouse gas can be found, including government landfills.
The multibillion-dollar proposal would represent a “once in a generation” investment in broadband networks. Here’s what it would do, and what it leaves out.
Issues at every level of the supply chain—from a dearth of truck drivers and warehouse workers to droughts and heat waves—as well as staff shortages in the school lunch workforce have schools asking: How do we feed our kids?
Approximately 37 percent of state residents live in a region that has a shortage of mental health providers; only 12 percent live in an area where they could expect their mental health needs to be met.
The proposal could draw up to 200 high-wage remote workers to the area over the next two years by offering $10,000 in moving allowances. The program is based on one that Tusla and other cities have enacted.
Republican attorneys general have already filed more than a dozen joint lawsuits against the Biden administration. All presidents should expect to be challenged by AGs from the other party.
Its ridership is twice the size of Amtrak, yet there is little in the way of public support to help bus travel get through COVID. As the once popular mode of transit continues to decline, some states are taking notice.
Election officials are stretched thin as the state prepares to implement early in-person voting with new voting technology while also experiencing a widespread election worker shortage.
The plan would train officers how to use less violent tactics when responding to mass protests and implement a new team that would monitor social media. But the community-created plan doesn’t please everyone.
Gov. David Ige cautioned that a new round of restrictions could be more severe if the number of coronavirus cases surges again. The state has a vaccinated rate of 67.7 percent, but the delta variant has increased risk.
Law enforcement agencies in Skagit County, Wash., are purchasing and installing body cameras on their officers to adhere to a law that goes into effect in the new year. Many see the tech as beneficial, despite the costs.
Months of bipartisan talks in Congress aimed at reaching consensus over policing reforms have ended with no agreement. Two policing scholars argue that federal efforts are better placed focusing on supporting local measures.
The Ellsworth Correctional Facility will begin a pilot program that will photocopy incoming mail, aimed at cutting off the transport of synthetic drugs soaked in sheets of paper. But critics say the move is dehumanizing.
Many contests this year feature old-guard politicians opposing younger progressives. The debates turn on public safety and how to best build post-pandemic economies.
Mandating vaccines for children attending California public schools is not new but COVID-19 puts state health officials in a uniquely challenging situation that could require them to override more than 100 years of history.
The statewide power outages last February were caused by a lack of weatherization of electrical equipment and issues with natural gas supplies at power plants, according to a new report.
Medi-Cal covers more than one-third of the state’s population, but many say it has failed to hold managed care plans accountable. The state now hopes to provide better health care thanks to updated and better-enforced contracts.
Insults, rejections and other lived experiences can fuel a desire for social change. So can meeting and befriending committed individuals.
The City Council has passed a law that requires a 300-foot buffer around private residences during protests and bans mace, knives and similar items from city facilities. But some worry the new law is overreaching.
John Lipscomb is a fierce environmental advocate for one of America’s historic rivers. He and his dog Batu continuously patrol the Hudson and its tributaries, supporting scientific studies in their 36-foot wooden boat.
Despite the hundreds of attempts to break up the state since its founding, none have been successful. The best attempt gained real traction before it got obscured by the Civil War; the most recent was over three years ago.
A new report found four tolling sites had problems correctly counting vehicle axles, billing customers twice and overbilling others with commuter payment plans. The problems could be larger than MDTA wants to admit.
In 2020, 86 percent of the nation’s police departments reported staffing shortages, including the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. But the lack of officers isn’t due to the pandemic; numbers have been down since 2013.
A century-old system of reservoirs, aqueducts and tunnels in the Catskills provides clean water to millions in New York City, some say at the expense of local communities.
With a strong victory in California’s recall, a new poll found 52 percent of registered voters said they would support Gov. Newsom in an election against Larry Elder, while just 30 percent said they’d support Elder.
The battles over masks and vaccine mandates threaten the idea, going back to the founders, that surrendering a bit of personal freedom is necessary to secure everyone’s welfare.
Mathematicians, social scientists, lawyers and programmers have led the development of a new generation of free tools to make and evaluate redistricting maps. Can they make the process more transparent?
Gov. Ned Lamont and the state legislative leaders must decide whether to extend the emergency powers related to the coronavirus pandemic that are set to expire at the end of this month.
California's Democratic governor survived a GOP challenge. That doesn't mean recalls are going away. Technology has made it easier to motivate voters and raise funds nationally.
