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New report: School cops double student arrest rates and race, gender key factors
This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. Arrests were two times greater in schools with a regular police presence than at similar campuses without one and race, gender and disability were huge factors in which students were detained, according to a new government watchdog report.
Rough ride? Data bikes chart the condition of bike paths in more cities
How bumpy is your ride home? If you’re driving a car, your local transportation department could easily find out with devices that attach to trucks to measure the smoothness of pavement along a route. In most places, though, transportation planners have far less information about the pavement along bike...
Stackable certificates could be a lifeline for governments facing an IT talent crisis
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.
A nonprofit’s abrupt closure puts access to public benefits at risk
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...
New data tool looks to cure medical debt woes
Last month, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a proposed rule that would prohibit medical bills from being included on Americans’ credit reports as lawmakers across the country grow increasingly concerned about skyrocketing health care costs. An unpaid medical bill can stymie an individuals’ economic mobility, and the expense often falls on state and local governments to cover it using taxpayer dollars.
States take a more measured approach to ESG mandates
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.
Was Los Angeles schools’ $6 million AI venture a disaster waiting to happen?
This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. When news broke last month that Ed, the Los Angeles school district’s new, $6 million artificial intelligence chatbot, was in jeopardy—the startup that created it on the verge of collapse—many insiders in the ed tech world wondered the same thing: What took so long?
Zoning reform made way for an explosion of smaller homes in California. Will it work elsewhere?
Whatever name they go by—granny flats, in-law suites, backyard bungalows, casitas—accessory dwelling units in California have exploded over the last several years. The number of these small homes permitted each year increased by more than 15,000% between 2016 and 2022. Last year, 1 in 5 of all new homes in the Golden State were ADUs.
Gas taxes can’t pay for roads much longer, but Amazon deliveries might
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.
A GUIDE to caring for older adults with dementia
Dementia affects 1 in 9 Americans age 65 and older—an estimated 6.7 million people. Unfortunately, that number is expected to explode. By 2060, experts project 14 million Americans will be living with the syndrome. The costs of caring for those with dementia are similarly expected to escalate. Millions of...
The sweeping impact of the Supreme Court’s Chevron reversal
This article first appeared on High Country News. On Friday, June 28, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority struck down the Chevron doctrine, a 40-year-old pillar of administrative law. The decision is likely to initiate an era of uncertainty for federal regulation. Chevron gave federal agencies room to interpret ambiguous or unclear laws and instructed the courts to defer to these interpretations as long as they were reasonable understandings of the law.
This city in the West made itself drought-proof. Then its dam started leaking.
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.
How the pandemic led to innovation in one state’s public health response
The Biden administration’s plan in early January 2022 to send 500 million at-home COVID-19 tests to Americans free through the U.S. Postal Service was a historic undertaking that, perhaps unsurprisingly, hit a few snags. Logistical obstacles kept tests out of many people’s hands at the peak of the omicron...
This housing fix could help build more homes. But firefighters are sounding the alarm.
The U.S. needs an additional 4.3 million apartment units in the next decade to match the growing demand for affordable housing, experts project. But housing development is often stymied by bureaucratic processes and regulations, like stringent land use restrictions and permitting requirements. “There are all these different rules that [governments]...
The secret to decarbonizing buildings might be right beneath your feet
This article originally appeared in Grist. You can read the original article here. Along with earthworms, rocks, and the occasional skeleton, there’s a massive battery right under your feet. Unlike a flammable lithium ion battery, though, this one is perfectly stable, free to use, and ripe for sustainable exploitation: the Earth itself.
More states consider voter ID laws amid conflicting research on their impact
This story is republished from Stateline original article. Nevada voters may decide in November whether they should join three dozen other states in requiring voters to present valid identification before casting a ballot. And Maine may not be far behind, as the push for voter ID requirements grows nationwide despite conflicting studies over their effects.
Fireworks sales have fallen back to Earth after years of explosive growth. Here’s why.
This article is republished from The Conversation original article. It’s almost the Fourth of July – a day of parades, barbecue and, of course, fireworks. But while parades and barbecues are still very popular, shockingly, this year fireworks are less so. Imports of fireworks reached a peak in...
A $15M grant program looks to improve maternal mental, behavioral health
The U.S. has faced a worsening mental health crisis in recent years, and policymakers at every level of government are particularly concerned about its impact on pregnant people and new parents. In fact, research shows pregnant women reported a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders compared with the general population during...
Pedestrian deaths finally dipped in 2023
The number of U.S. pedestrians killed in traffic crashes declined for the first time since the start of the pandemic in 2023, according to a new report. Still, fatalities remain far above pre-pandemic levels. The Governors Highway Safety Association estimated that 7,318 pedestrians died in vehicle crashes last year, a...
America’s biggest education experiment is happening in Houston. Could it change U.S. schools?
This story is republished from Houston Landing original article. Todo cambió. Everything changed. That’s how Arturo Monsiváis described life this year for his fifth-grade son, who attends Houston ISD’s Raul Martinez Elementary School. Teachers raced through rapid-fire lessons. Students plugged away at daily quizzes. Administrators banned children from chatting in the hallways.
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