Hawaii State

Columbus, OH

Newark, NJ

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Morristown Minute

NEWARK, N.J. – Eight individuals associated with the "793 Bloods" street gang, a subset of the national Bloods gang, have been charged for their roles in a Newark-based drug trafficking organization, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Eight '793 Bloods' Gang Members Charged in Newark Drug Network

Illinois State

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Chicago, IL

Chicago Happenings

Every year, new laws that were passed the prior year go into effect on July 1. In 2024, a number of new laws will begin this Monday. Among them include higher wages for tipped employees, a gas tax increase, and driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants.

New Laws July 1: Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Migrants, Raises for Tipped Workers, and More

Cleveland, OH

The Forward

The city of Cleveland spent Christmas Eve afternoon in 2019 trying to shut down Denison Avenue United Church of Christ because it had been operating as a homeless shelter.  The local congregation had opened its doors as an ad hoc shelter to make up for the shortage of beds in a city where several unhoused...

The Supreme Court’s homelessness decision will decimate the faith-based nonprofit sector

Detroit, MI

DETROIT — The federal government is laying the groundwork for a potentially major change to the nation’s largest rental assistance program, aiming to test an idea that would allow low-income tenants to pay rent directly with cash, rather than use traditional housing vouchers. On Wednesday afternoon in Detroit,...

The federal government’s new plan to (maybe) give renters straight cash

Minnesota State

Minneapolis, MN

WashingtonExaminer

After a seven-week trial, a jury found five defendants guilty for their part in exploiting government funding for a program created to feed low-income children after school and during the summer. The defendants received more than $40 million from the Department of Agriculture for 18 million meals at 50 food sites across Minnesota, which was overseen […]

Five found guilty in $40 million scheme to steal from federal food aid program

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Southside Matt

As stated by The Zebra in their History of U.S. Homeownership: how housing has changed since 1960, “The United States is in the midst of a housing crisis.” They report that 40 million renters are currently at risk of eviction. That equates to almost half of the renters in the U.S. in serious danger of losing their homes. While minority residents, primarily Black and LatinX, are disproportionately affected by this, the current economic situation has caused this to hit all races.

Homelessness being outlawed

UPI News

Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that more than $600 million in infrastructure funding is being made available to communities around the country.

Communities to get $600 million from DOT from Biden infrastructure law

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $1.8 billion in funding for projects that address the country’s aging infrastructure. The money comes from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant program, which benefits projects related to transportation and the supply chain. The funds were given to projects of local and regional importance.

DOT awards $1.8B for freight projects, other transportation work

San Francisco, CA

Parked on four streets between the eastern shore of Lake Merced and Stonestown Galleria about 120 vehicles—mostly RVs and trailers—are home to nearly 200 adults and children. Some have been there for months, others for years. Within this population, the community in about 50 vehicles on Winston Drive...

Homeless RV dwellers face looming expulsion—and no plan for what comes after

California State

Josue Torres

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a collaborative effort with the state legislature to restrict students’ use of smartphones during school hours. This initiative follows a warning issued on Monday from Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy about the detrimental effects of social media on children’s mental health.

California governor moves to ban smartphone use in schools

Gov. Josh Green signed into law 12 bills on Wednesday, aimed at fortifying Hawaiʻi’s agricultural resilience, enhancing biosecurity measures, and promoting responsible land management practices. “These bills represent a huge step in the safeguarding of Hawaiʻi’s agricultural interests, in protecting consumer rights, and in ensuring biosecurity,” said Green....

Gov. Green signs 12 bills to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s agriculture, biosecurity, and responsible land management

New Jersey State

Clifton, NJ

Newark, NJ – Evangelos Megariotis, a 72-year-old orthopedic surgeon from Clifton, admitted to multiple counts of unlawfully prescribing pain medications to his patients. U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced the guilty plea today.

Surgeon Guilty of Illegal Narcotic Prescriptions, Faces 20 Years

Franklinton, LA

The Town of Franklinton, Louisiana, located about 70 miles north of New Orleans, not far from the Mississippi border, came under fire from the Justice Department for allegedly violating the Fair Housing Act by blocking a proposed affordable housing development within the town. The Justice Dept. contends that the town discriminated based on race and color of potential residents when it blocked zoning for a housing development that would have been financed under tax incentives to subsidize construction of housing for low-income tenants. It’s an interesting case of alleged housing discrimination that should put other communities on notice when approving (or not) new housing.

Town blocks affordable housing – Justice Department calls it discrimination

TheConversationCanada

Community engagement became a formal requirement of planning in Canada via the neighbourhood improvement program of the 1970s. 

That program required local governments to work together with residents to rehabilitate neighbourhoods in order to access federal funding. It was created in response to the phenomenon of residents protesting freeways and other unwanted neighbourhood changes. Ensuring neighbourhood input on the provision of services, infrastructure and amenities — schools, street-calming measures, bus stops, parks, shops and meeting places, for example — became core to urban planning.

Fast forward 50 years and federal, provincial and local governments in Canada have flipped the script on...

Have-not neighbourhoods hurt by about-face on engaging with the community in urban planning

The Guardian

Officials say the number of people living outside has slightly decreased for the first time in years

More than 75,000 people unhoused in Los Angeles county, but officials see progress

Wyoming State

WyoFile

A special legislative session is once again on the lips of Wyoming lawmakers. Less than three months after the Legislature voted against a special session to override gubernatorial vetoes, Rep. Mark Jennings (R-Sheridan) is circulating a letter amongst lawmakers that calls for a special session for a different reason.

Lawmaker calls for special session to ‘fight Biden’s war on Wyoming’

Delaware State

Housing has exploded in Delaware in recent years, but affordable housing has been slow to grow, forcing legislators to enact some measures this year. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS. As the legislation wrapped for the year, multiple bills related to Delaware housing passed on the chamber floor during...

Affordable housing bill slate largely passes legislature

Denver, CO

David Heitz

The mother of a Denver homeless man told the City Council Monday that city-sponsored services have failed her son. Barbara Hallick Yeomans made her remarks during public comment period of the City Council meeting. She said her son grapples with substance abuse and mental illness and repeatedly has been harassed by police. She said her son also suffered verbal abuse by a guard in the Denver County Jail. Yeomans said she heard the guard harassing her son over the phone.

Mother says Denver homeless services have failed her son

Pennsylvania State

As states scramble to find reliable sources of electric power amid ever-growing demand for energy, Gov. Wes Moore and three fellow Democratic governors are seeking more say in the regional electric grid operator’s future planning. Moore, along with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Illinois...

Several states seek more say over grid planning process

Maine State

Idaho State

Shop with Me Mama

Why Idaho Ranks in the Top 10 States Americans Are Flocking To in 2024. A lot of Idahoans are saying 'Idaho is FULL! Go find somewhere else to live!'. With that said, MANY people and their families are flocking to this state and calling it home.

Why Is Everyone Relocating To Idaho?

NewsBreak

$6.6M in new federal grant program heading to Hawaiʻi to build more housing

Gov. Josh Green alongside US Sen. Brian Schatz and HUD Regional Administrator Jason Pu, on Wednesday announced that Hawai‘i has been awarded more than $6.6 million...

$6.6M in new federal grant program heading to Hawaiʻi to build more housing

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