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¿Cómo Se Dice? California loops In AI to translate health care information
This story was first posted to KFF Health News. Read the original here. Tener gripe, tener gripa, engriparse, agriparse, estar agripado, estar griposo, agarrar la gripe, coger la influenza. In Spanish, there are at least a dozen ways to say someone has the flu — depending on the country.
An overlooked tool for chipping away at the opioid crisis
Tackling a challenge as large and amorphous as opioid abuse requires reliable, standardized data. Beyond basic measures for tracking opioid use disorders like the number of individuals already diagnosed with an OUD, states may be overlooking other baseline metrics such as the number of available providers and treatment programs or the percentage of patients who initiate treatment, one expert says.
The great Salt Lake City tax tradeoff
On June 11, the Salt Lake City Council held the latest in a series of public hearings about a proposed 0.5% sales tax increase within the boundaries of the city. The proceeds are intended to raise about $54 million a year to subsidize the financing of a major reconfiguring of the Delta Center. Currently home to the NBA’s Utah Jazz, the center needs substantive updates to accommodate a new hockey team next year. The NHL approved the sale of the Arizona Coyotes to the owner of the Jazz and tech billionaire Ryan Smith in early April. The money will also be used to help build housing, restaurants and other amenities in the area. A final vote will take place this summer.
Communities step up their resilience and climate planning
Even before the start of what is expected to be a busier than normal Atlantic hurricane season, widespread rain and flooding have already begun to soak the South, putting millions at risk for flood damage and power outages among other threats. In fact, in the first five months of 2024, the U.S. has already been hit by disasters costing $7 billion, including storms, heavy snow and hotter than average temperatures.
Why the fight over abortion pills isn’t over yet
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.
Burnout among government workers is decreasing but still high, according to new pulse survey data
Burnout among government employees has continued to steadily decline, according to new survey data, but researchers say it’s still at a concerning level. “I think that when government workers, in particular, are burnt out, they're less productive, less engaged and less innovative, and they're also more likely to leave their jobs, especially given that the opportunities in the private sector typically offer more pay,” said Melissa Jezior, the CEO of Arlington-based firm Eagle Hill Consulting, which sponsors the twice annual pulse survey. “So I think it's important to survey these people to help the government mitigate the risk of those things happening.”
No shortcuts: Only well-managed AI will deliver on its promise
From the White House to city hall, federal, state, local and nonprofit leaders see many exciting opportunities ahead for artificial intelligence-enhanced policymaking and service delivery. Experts believe AI may soon become like GPS: a technology so integrated into daily life that we won’t remember how we navigated without it.
How local government fraud has—and hasn’t—changed since the pandemic
This story is republished from Propublica original article. When the COVID-19 pandemic upended the workplace, jobs went remote, offices had to adopt new technologies and longtime employees suddenly departed. Federal stimulus dollars flooded into state and local government accounts, and fraudsters had a heyday. The pandemic was only one of...
Bills restricting social media advance amid continued legal battles
As legal action rumbles on against one state’s law to regulate young people’s use of social media, another state is advancing its own law to curb the platforms’ habit-forming practices. The New York legislature last week voted to approve the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation for Kids Act,...
Big districts like Philadelphia ‘gamble’ on higher spending as enrollment falls, study finds
This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Read the original here. The Philadelphia school district is 18,000 students smaller than it was a decade ago, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at its $4.5 billion budget for next school year. Officials are...
These wrongly arrested black men say a California bill would let police misuse face recognition
This story was originally published on The Markup. Read the original here, or lea esta historia en Español. This article is co-published with CalMatters, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics. In 2019 and 2020, three Black men were accused of, and jailed for, crimes they...
For equal access, consider both physical and digital accessibility
Imagine how individuals with visual impairments experience government services. A visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles to secure a state-issued ID card might include using a cane to tap and identify tactile markers warning of hazards outside the facility, reading braille signs that provide information about the office and listening for directional cues for when to approach the counter for assistance. As challenging as that sounds, what must it be like to navigate the process online?
Mayoral candidate pledges ‘digital by default’ city services
Typically, mayors campaign on issues like public safety, education, downtown revitalization, traffic congestion, housing, homelessness and other daily concerns of residents and businesses. That’s certainly the case in San Francisco, where incumbent Mayor London Breed is running for a second full term in office, having served in the permanent role...
MBTA is ‘barely treading water'
This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. The board of directors of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA, has signed off on a $3 billion budget, as well as a capital investment plan, keeping the public transit agency’s flickering lights on in the coming fiscal year starting July 1. The fiscal 2025 budget, which is 11 percent higher than the previous fiscal year, was infused with spending from reserves to close a funding gap and help pay for a hiring spree.
Midwest states launch new rail service, 12 years in the making
On a Tuesday in late May, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Amtrak President Stephen Gardner and hundreds of passengers climbed aboard a passenger train traveling between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Chicago to celebrate the launch of Amtrak’s new Borealis service between the Midwestern cities. It was a celebration 12 years in the making.
Work permits: A readily-implemented lever for reducing illegal child labor
As summer approaches, plenty of teenagers nationwide are gearing up for their first jobs. This should be a positive experience, as they gain skills, earn money and develop a solid work ethic that will serve them for the future. But in recent years, the U.S. has seen a harrowing rise in child labor violations; many teenagers work excessively long hours, risking their physical health and (during the school year) their education. In some extreme cases, minors have worked in meatpacking plants, construction sites and auto manufacturers.
AI in law enforcement is risky, but holds promise
For some, the use of artificial intelligence in law enforcement might conjure images of the movie “Minority Report,” where the Precrime Division arrests suspects before they can commit any actual crimes. Others may envision a dystopian surveillance state where residents can be identified by facial recognition technology and...
Nursing homes are left in the dark as more utilities cut power to prevent wildfires
This story was first published by KFF Health News. Read the original here. When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado, the state’s largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses — including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility. It...
Congestion pricing: If it can’t make it in New York, can it make it anywhere?
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.
Utah Gov. Cox to homeless providers: Produce results, or you could lose funding
This story was first published to the Utah News Dispatch. Read the original here. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox did not pull punches on Thursday when he gave a keynote speech to a room full of homelessness advocates, providers and policymakers. His message: Utah’s homeless system is in for some changes...
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