Columbus, OH

North Carolina State

Route Fifty

Mark Robinson is hoping that former president Donald Trump can do what few Republican presidential candidates have done recently: Lift the GOP candidate for North Carolina governor to victory. Robinson, North Carolina’s first Black lieutenant governor and now the Republican candidate for governor, not only has Trump’s explicit endorsement—the former...

Can a candidate with ties to Trump break Democrats’ hold on N.C. governorship?

Jacksonville, FL

Contributors represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program and self-verified their accounts. They have also demonstrated their experience writing hard news for other outlets. Contributors are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

contributor

Jacksonville Today

A Black woman may be leading the presidential ticket of a major political party for the first time, but for Jacksonville’s Black conservatives, political values trump a candidate’s personal identity.

Republicans look to shore up support among Black conservatives in Jacksonville

Minnesota State

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.

Nearly half of all lieutenant governors are women. Could the future of the governor's office be female?

Georgia State

Savannah, GA

The Current GA

What will it take for Georgia to vote for another Democratic presidential candidate?. That was the burning question Monday after the weekend during which President Joe Biden decided to not run for re-election and instead support Vice President Kamala Harris. Given that Georgia’s junior senator and Savannah’s hometown political hero Rev. Raphael Warnock was in town, he was the oracle to whom The Current addressed that question.

Warnock on Kamala Harris candidacy: ‘My bet is on the prosecutor’

Northern Kentucky Tribune

Rep. Andy Barr, promoting himself these days as a Christian David Ben-Gurion, has wasted little time playing the antisemite card against the presidential campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, proclaiming that her selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate proves she is caving to the “pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party.”

Opinion – Bill Straub: Barr ready to release vitriolic smears to serve his political ambitions

Community Voices represent independent, third-party users who have joined our contributor program but not yet verified their accounts. Community Voices are expected, like all users, to adhere to our Community Standards.

community_voice

Herbie J Pilato

Actor Buddy Ebsen, who died at age 95 in 2003, found fame by starring in two of the most popular classic television shows in history: The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS, 1962 to 1971) and Barnaby Jones (CBS, 1973 to 1980). On the Hillbillies, he played former Tennessee country mountain-folk-turned-wealthy Beverly Hills resident Jed Clampett. On Barnaby Jones, he was one of TV's most senior, slyest, health-conscious detectives. Ebsen, however, almost became even more famous for a certain big-screen classic film in which he ultimately did not appear.

'Beverly Hillbillies" Actor Buddy Ebsen Was "Bitter" about not playing the Tin Man in 'Wizard of Oz'

Utah State

Virginia State

For the last two years, state lawmakers have worked to curb the worst of social media’s addictive qualities in a bid to ease the ongoing youth mental health crisis. Now, elected officials are looking to take that fight a step further by banning cellphones in public schools. Virginia became...

States are enacting school cellphone bans. Here’s what that looks like.

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

Florida State

Uncovering Florida

With hurricane season posing a consistent threat six months out of the year, who would not like a little help getting their home ready for the harsh weather to come? Senate Bill 7028: My Safe Florida Home Program, approved by Governor DeSantis on April 24, 2024, and effective as of July 1, appropriates a one-time total of $200 million from 2024 to 2025 for the purpose of funding hurricane mitigation grants and inspections, as well as outreach and administration costs, to support homeowners in Florida.

DeSantis Signs New Bill Giving $200 Million To Homeowners

Lubbock, TX

LUBBOCK — With the bright sun shining down over them, kids and teenagers in Mae Simmons Park cooled off Monday, zig-zagging through sprinklers at one of the city’s new splash pads. The relief couldn’t come soon enough. Like the rest of Texas, it’s been a hot summer in...

Splash pads make waves across communities, replacing public pools

Adam Rich was born on October 12, 1968, lived a troubled life, and died on January 7, 2023, at only 54 years old. This is his story. He lived in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles with his parents and younger brother. The Rich family resided for a time in Florida where Adam studied acting at the local gym.

A Look Back at the Tragic Life and Death of Former Child Star Adam Rich (TV's 'Eight is Enough')

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

Washington, DC

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

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.

After several years of rapid growth, state budgets are downsizing

Roxboro, NC

Town Talks

According to Travel alot, Roxboro, North Carolina, holds the unfortunate title of the most miserable city in the state. Several factors contribute to this designation, including high poverty rates, low median household income, and high crime rates.

North Carolina City Named The 'Most Miserable' In The State

Arizona State

Phoenix, AZ

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here. PHOENIX—In the middle of summer in the nation’s hottest city, water experts from local governments, tribal nations, universities and...

White House looks to safeguard groundwater supplies as aquifers decline nationwide

Coping with future public health threats means more state and local agencies—many of which rely on aging infrastructure and still collect data by faxes and manual entry—must modernize their data systems, experts say. To do that, a new $255 million federal program will support state, local and tribal...

New $255M federal grant will help state, local public health agencies modernize data systems

Bucks County Beacon

As chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, Senator Bernie Sanders released a June report entitled “ By the Wealthy, for the Wealthy: The Coordinated Attacks on Public Education in the United States .” The report is a brief but thorough (16 pages of text, 4 pages of footnotes) takedown of the current wave of attempts to end public education as we know it.

Senator Bernie Sanders Warns in New Report of Right-Wing Billionaire Plot to Sabotage Public Education in Order to Privatize It

New York City, NY

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Norfolk Southern railroad this week for causing frequent delays of Amtrak trains, in the latest example of the Biden administration pressing freight carriers to better accommodate passenger service. The lawsuit is the first time since 1979 that the U.S. government has taken a freight...

Justice Department sues freight railroad to improve Amtrak service

Most people are guilty of doing it at least once in their lives, many people do it by accident, some do it because they find it fun, and others do it for reasons like honoring loved ones. Regardless of the situation, just about everyone has released a balloon. The difference is that intentionally releasing balloons is now illegal by House Bill 321’s standards.

Law Signed By DeSantis Makes It Illegal To Release Balloons In Florida

NewsBreak

Rules for out-of-town governors could cause headaches for potential VP pick

A relic of horse-and-buggy days in state constitutions is still causing havoc, hampering disaster relief efforts, inviting political chicanery and possibly even affecting Vice President Kamala...

Rules for out-of-town governors could cause headaches for potential VP pick

Comments / 0