Elections
Covering topics such as governors, legislatures, local government, redistricting and voting.
The payoff from effective personnel policies is a heightened sense of residents’ confidence in government and quality of life.
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.
Less than 60 percent of the state’s 1,781 townships have requested their share of the American Rescue Plan Act funds. Treasury Department officials are urging local governments to apply for funds before the Oct. 4 deadline.
A new law allows single-family homes to be transformed into a property with up to four homes, which could result in much denser neighborhoods. Many San Diego residents worry this will drastically change suburbs.
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.
The increase is the first in a series that will eventually raise the state’s wage to $15 an hour. The wage raise is the first in the country to be approved by ballot measure, which was passed by 61 percent of voters.
As state and local debt continues to rise, governments may be forced to raise taxes or cut spending to control their budgets. New York has the most per capita government debt, largely due to school district debts.
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.
Connecticut’s Southeast Area Transit District bus drivers are calling for improved workplace safety protections amid a rise in assaults against bus operators during the coronavirus pandemic.
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.
NJ Transit and state and local officials unveiled an experimental bus stop in Cherry Hill that has high-intensity LED lighting and a two-port USB charging outlet that is solar-powered. The station cost $11,900.
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.
Democrats say the Transportation and Climate Initiative, a regional cap and trade plan to reduce vehicle emissions, will help fight climate change. But Republicans are calling the plan just another gas tax.
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.
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