New York City, NY

Columbus, OH

Blanco, TX

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Brigid Pfeifer

There were a number of celebrities who passed away within the past week, including two notable actresses: Shelley Duvall and Shannen Doherty. Shelley Duvall passed away on Thursday July 11th at her home in Blanco, Texas. The cause of death was complications from diabetes and news of her death was confirmed by her partner Dan Gilroy.

Two Beloved Hollywood Actresses Have Passed Away This Week

Maryland State

Route Fifty

You're reading Route Fifty's Public Finance Update. This article was originally published by The Pew Charitable Trusts. To get the latest on state and local budgets, taxes and other financial matters, you can subscribe here to get this update in your inbox twice each month. You can find a full archive of these newsletters here.

Is it time to dig into rainy day funds?

Coral Gables, FL

Writers represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. Writers are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

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Edmond Thorne

Tragic End for South Florida Hispanic Building Tycoon Sergio Pino. Fort Lauderdale, FL - In a shocking turn of events, prominent South Florida homebuilder Sergio Pino was found dead in his Coral Gables home on Tuesday morning. The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Pino died from an apparent suicide.

South Florida Tycoon Dead After FBI Raids on Homes and Office

This story is republished from Maryland Matters original article. Maryland is set to be one of two test-subject states for a new federal program that officials hope will improve patient outcomes and bridge inequities while constraining hospital and medical costs. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced...

The road AHEAD: Maryland to be a test-subject state in new federal hospital model

Los Angeles, CA

Local and state governments are grappling with a severe shortage of skilled IT workers, particularly in critical areas such as cybersecurity, data analysis, and artificial intelligence. With their higher salaries and more attractive work environments, the private sector and the federal government are poaching talent from local and state governments.

Stackable certificates could be a lifeline for governments facing an IT talent crisis

Oregon State

Washington State

This article first appeared on The Daily Yonder and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. A newly updated wildfire risk map could help level the playing field for rural communities who don’t have the resources to conduct their own wildfire risk assessments, according to the independent research group Headwaters Economics.

What is your home’s wildfire risk?

The conservative majority of the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a broad coalition of states and cities Friday, as it overturned a rule in the Western U.S. that prohibited them from banning homeless people from camping on public lands. The six-judge majority, in a decision written by Justice Neil Gorsuch,...

It’s OK to ban homeless people from camping in public, high court rules

Orange County, CA

Laguna Beach, CA

This story is republished from Reasons to be Cheerful. On the Fourth of July, 300 drones will take to the skies above Laguna Beach in Orange County, California. To celebrate Independence Day, they will paint the stars and stripes and giant letters U-S-A in red, white and blue into the sky above the Laguna shores, creating a spectacular light show in patriotic colors. But this year, one thing will be notably different: For the first time, the coastal city will use drones instead of pyrotechnics, and except for the aahs and oohs of the viewers, the night will be fantastically quiet.

Is it time to break up with fireworks?

Philadelphia, TN

A key nonprofit that works closely with governments to connect people with essential benefits like food assistance and health care is abruptly shuttering, and the impact could be far reaching. The Philadelphia-based Benefits Data Trust, or BDT, which advocates for streamlined access to government assistance, said last month in a...

A nonprofit’s abrupt closure puts access to public benefits at risk

This story is republished from ProPublica original article, which was co-published with Oregon Public Broadcasting. The Biden administration released a report last week acknowledging “the historic, ongoing, and cumulative damage and injustices” that Columbia River dam construction caused Northwest tribal nations starting in the 20th century, including decimation of the salmon runs that Indigenous people were entitled to by government treaty.

The federal government just acknowledged the harm its dams have caused tribes. Here’s what it left out.

California State

California has already seen more than 3,500 wildfires so far this year, in what state officials earlier this week called a “significantly more active [season] than the last five years.”. With an estimated 207,415 acres of land burned—or roughly the length of 150,000 football fields—and 10 wildfires still burning,...

Mapping clean air centers to protect residents against wildfire risks

Wyoming State

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WyoFile

Caitlin Tan wanted to breed her childhood horse, JP, because she’s been “amazing” — the type of animal any equestrian would be lucky to have once in a lifetime. Having access to coveted bloodlines increased the allure. Via the Miller Ranch, she could pair her 18-year-old mare with a stud descendent of Playboy’s Buck Fever.

Cream of the crop: a cremello foal is born in Wyoming

Chicago, IL

Foodie in Chicago

Shortly before 3 AM, people in the Chicago area may have felt their houses shake as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake occurred about 60 miles west of the city. (CHICAGO) The United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported a 3.4-magnitude earthquake around Somonauk, IL. Somonauk is in DeKalb and LaSalle Counties, 64 miles west of Chicago.

Did You Feel the Earthquake?

Two years ago the country’s national suicide lifeline downsized from 10 digits to three, with federal policymakers touting the revamped 988 number as easier to remember for individuals in crisis. Since its launch in 2022, more than 10 million Americans have utilized the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline via...

At two-year mark, federal funding for 988 is running dry. Enter phone fees.

Colorado State

This story is republished from Stateline original article. For decades, states have relied on gas taxes to provide much of the money to maintain roads and bridges. But as cars become more fuel efficient, and some Americans switch to electric vehicles, state leaders say the gas tax won’t pay the bills for much longer.

Gas taxes can’t pay for roads much longer, but Amazon deliveries might

States routinely give up tax revenue, whether to help build new football stadiums, attract jobs at electric vehicle factories or to help low-income parents make ends meet. But too often, officials don’t keep track of whether those incentives are having the effect they were intended to. The level of...

$1 trillion a year in tax breaks goes out the door. Are states keeping track?

Albuquerque, NM

This story is republished from Grist original article. Mark Garcia can see that there’s no shortage of water in the Rio Grande this year. The river flows past his farm in central New Mexico, about 50 miles south of Albuquerque. The rush of springtime water is a welcome change after years of drought, but he knows the good times won’t last.

This city in the West made itself drought-proof. Then its dam started leaking.

Washington, DC

You're reading Route Fifty's State and Local Roundup. To get the week’s news to use from around the country, you can subscribe here to get this update in your inbox every Saturday. In the meantime, be sure to read to the end as we've rounded up headlines from the week.

States, cities consider ‘mansion taxes’ to fund affordable housing

For many Americans, prescription drugs are too costly. Last year, 28% of U.S. adults struggled to afford their prescription medications. And from 2017 to 2022, state Medicaid spending on prescriptions saw a 47% increase. The rapid rise of drug prices has been the impetus behind growing state efforts to develop...

How states are cracking down on rising prescription drug costs

Brooklyn, NY

Jersey City, NJ

Hoboken, NJ

NewsBreak

Post-pandemic, downtown recoveries continue to be uneven

You're reading Route Fifty's State and Local Roundup. To get the week’s news to use from around the country, you can subscribe here to get this...

Post-pandemic, downtown recoveries continue to be uneven

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