Infrastructure
Passenger rail keeps chugging forward during Infrastructure Week
Efforts to expand rail have reached significant milestones in recent weeks, from construction on the Northeast Corridor to new funding on Colorado’s Front Range.
Management
Clean needles save lives. In some states, they might not be legal.
In Pennsylvania, where 5,158 people died from a drug overdose in 2022, the state’s drug paraphernalia law stands in the way of harm reduction programs that distribute sterile syringes.
Management
To help address teens’ mental health needs, state to launch Youth Mental Health Corps
Colorado's program will train young adults ages 18 to 24 to connect middle and high school students to needed mental health supports and resources.
Sponsor Content
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Infrastructure
These federal grants can help ease multiplying election threats
Cyber and physical threats are some of the biggest issues local election officials face ahead of the November presidential contest. Researchers said while there is a finite amount of funding, federal grants can help ease the pressure.
Infrastructure
Why Washington Metro’s leader is ‘bullish’ on post-pandemic transit
Faced with a drop in riders and major budget shortfalls, Randy Clarke doubled down on providing more service to D.C.-area riders. It seems to be working.
Finance
How ‘kitty cats’ are wrecking the home insurance industry
Supercharged thunderstorms and tornadoes are ravaging the Midwest, driving insurance costs to record highs.
Infrastructure
Housing boom in most of the US could ease shortage, but cost is still a problem
There are 5 million new housing units since 2020, mostly in the South and West, but supply has still not caught up with demand.
Workforce
With the rise of AI, workforce planning is critical. But many governments don’t do it.
That’s a problem when state and local government officials are seeing daily evidence that the nature of their workforce is quickly changing.
Management
From foster care to secure housing: How vouchers help young adults build self-sufficiency
While some first-time renters rush to thrift stores to find eclectic pieces to decorate their new apartments, for adolescents leaving the foster system, the experience of moving out is often much bleaker.
Finance
State Medicaid costs poised to surge from pandemic lows
State costs rose by 13% in fiscal 2023 and are expected to increase by an additional 17.2% in fiscal 2024 thanks to the phaseout of enhanced federal aid, provider rate increases and slowing but still elevated enrollment levels.
Digital Government
To meet class size mandate, officials look to virtual learning
To meet a new state mandate capping K-12 class sizes, New York City is considering offering remote instruction, a practice that could free up building space and allow students to take electives and AP classes from teachers on other campuses.
Sponsor Content
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Workforce
Microchip companies need federal grant money. They’re rolling out child care to get it.
To draw women into the semiconductor and construction industries, the CHIPS Act requires companies to provide child care. But will it boost the supply of care, or exacerbate an existing crisis?
Infrastructure
Feds open the door to $2B in Northeast Corridor rail improvements
The grant applications come as President Joe Biden, a longtime railroad fan, wraps up his first term and Amtrak ridership rapidly rebounds from pandemic-era lows.
Finance
Why income discrimination laws hurt poor renters
COMMENTARY| Laws that ban discrimination against voucher holders can push smaller landlords out of the low-income housing market, decreasing the amount of affordable housing.
Digital Government
‘Mission Impossible’ masks, bad data and immature tech dog age verification for social media
Another state signed a law restricting minors’ use of the platforms. But the continued growth in technology as well as “low-tech fraud” could make enforcement more difficult.
Infrastructure
New federal rule will overhaul transmission planning as electric grid strains
The sprawling rule requires transmission operators to plan along a 20-year horizon and work with states to develop data-driven projections of needs.
Management
This Utah county will buy your lawn to save water
Would you ditch your grass for less-thirsty plants? In a place where every drop of water counts, a little cash compels residents to say yes.
Infrastructure
Efforts to reform federal broadband subsidy gain traction
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed support for tweaks to the Affordable Connectivity Program’s rules in a bid to keep it from sunsetting this month.
Cybersecurity