Politics and Elections
Covering topics such as governors, legislatures, local government, redistricting and voting.
Some are advocating bringing it back. But it doesn’t get many guns off the streets, it exacts a heavy toll on those who are stopped, and it corrodes trust in police.
Nearly one-third of state senators sponsored legislation earlier this year to phase out state income tax over the next 10 years, though the bill is unlikely to pass. The state received $10.8 billion from income taxes last year.
Black Atlantans continue to be left out of the city’s economic success of the past several years, with inequities only exacerbated by inflation. Atlanta has led the nation’s inequality for at least a decade.
Many new governors and re-elected incumbents will now consider appointments to lead information technology departments. But an expert cautions IT leadership to resist the temptation to play politics as states’ power balance shifts.
The city’s overall turnout dropped the most of any county in the state, the third consecutive election with voter decline. If the city’s turnout drop had matched the state’s, 84,000 more voters would have cast ballots.
The states want to continue the defense of Title 42 policy, which allows border agents to rapidly “expel” migrants who cross the border without considering their asylum claims, beyond its Dec. 21 end date.
It’s an updated version of the one that will be used to allocate billions in federal funds. Local governments have less than two months to ask for corrections that could affect their portion of the money to improve Internet coverage.
Lots of governors have their eyes on the Oval Office. Most of the action will be among Republicans who will be zeroing in on Democratically controlled cities to score points on issues ranging from immigration to crime to spending.
Petitioners claimed that the board and County Election Bureau breached their duties by mailing official ballots to unverified voters, deleting records, by allowing a third party to control and tabulate mail-in ballots and more.
The 77 Committee is allowed to accept unlimited funds because it is not bound by the same city ethics rules that the Chicago mayor must abide by. The committee cannot coordinate with Lightfoot or political campaigns.
Research shows that mass violence leads to higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide among young people and an overall decline in a community’s sense of well-being. “People really grossly underestimate the social cost of gun violence.”
Next year’s election will give Republicans an opportunity to take control of the state Legislature away from the Democrats. But many believe that to succeed, they have to distance themselves from the ex-president.
Ned Lamont and Bob Stefanowski spent more than $30 million, a record-breaking amount. But the high expenditure may trigger a review of the state’s election spending limits.
The “performance credit mechanism” would offer power producers financial rewards to have their plants available at times of highest demand and would take four years to implement. Lawmakers and energy experts are skeptical.
Maine’s largest city has proposed funding for affordable housing, employee retention bonuses, an addiction medicine program, health care for the homeless and more.
More than two dozen state lawmakers retired or ran for a higher office, creating lots of turnover in the Legislature. While the partisan divide didn’t change much, the election expanded LGBTQ and Muslim representation.
