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Broadband authority OKs $20M for laptops
(The Center Square) — The Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority voted Thursday to spend $20 million on more than 14,000 laptops to grow internet access in the commonwealth. The unanimous vote allows the Authority to award between 20 and 200 laptops to libraries, schools, municipalities and other groups. So far, 130 groups have applied to the program and applications are open through August 19, said Julia Brinjac, digital equity program manager...
Illinois quick hits: Congress members file MINES Act; conservation police applications sought
Congressmembers file MINES Act A bipartisan proposal has been brought forth by some Illinois members of Congress to unveil the federal government’s efforts toward preventing coal mine collapses. The Monitoring, Investigating, Navigating and Explaining Subsidence Act was brought forth by U.S. Reps. Nikki Budzinski, D-Springfield, and Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro. It would require the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement to provide a report to...
'Statesman' praised for his leadership as president
(The Center Square) – “Leadership” by a “statesman,” Democratic North Carolina political leaders say, was evident when President Joe Biden gave an Oval Office address. Seventy-eight hours of silence to the nation he leads since Sunday’s awkward exit for reelection ended Wednesday night with President Joe Biden speaking to Americans. The state's Democrats heaped praise on his presidency; Republicans since Sunday have offered prayer for his health, criticism for his administration, and one after the address called his words hypocritical. ...
Sen. Grassley: Bodycam footage of Trump shooting shows delayed responses
(The Center Square) – Police body cam footage taken after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump shows local police discussing a possible remote-controlled device and questioning if it was a detonation device. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley released the footage from Beaver County, Pa. Emergency Services Unit on Thursday. The 28-minute video raises questions about a seemingly delayed response and a delay in communication between the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement officials, Grassley said. ...
King County Council to decide fate of youth detention center
(The Center Square) – Members of the King County Council are attempting to counter County Executive Dow Constantine’s plan to close the Judge Patricia J. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. Councilmember Reagan Dunn proposed Motion 2024-0104, opposing the closure of King County's youth detention center, and the council's Law and Justice Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to send the measure to the full council. Constantine has worked to transform the...
Trump, Harris nearly tied nationally in new poll
(The Center Square) – Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris is nearly tied with former President Donald Trump in national polling, according to the latest survey results. A New York Times/Sienna poll released Thursday shows a near tie between Trump and Harris. The poll was conducted July 22-24, after President Joe Biden left the race, and reports Trump leads Harris 48% to 47% in the poll of likely voters and 48% to 46% among registered voters. ...
Feds disrupt jet ski powered human smuggling network
(The Center Square) – Federal authorities busted a human smuggling operation powered by jet skis along the California coast. Nineteen alleged members of a human smuggling organization were charged for coordinating the smuggling of dozens of unauthorized migrants into the United States from Mexico, mostly aboard personal watercraft on the Pacific Ocean. Nine of the 19 are in custody. A grand jury returned an indictment against 14 members and a...
California Governor Gavin Newsom issues order to clear out homeless encampments
(The Center Square) - California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order to remove homeless encampments from state property, citing new legal authority under a recent United States Supreme Court ruling. Critics on the left wondered where the removed homeless would go and questioned the effectiveness of periodic “sweeps” that could soon see encampments return to the same location. California Republicans, who had proposed similar policies before, questioned why Newsom didn't act earlier. “Agencies and departments subject to my authority shall adopt policies, generally consistent...
Press secretary defends Biden dropping out of the presidential race
(The Center Square) – White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended President Joe Biden’s decision to step out of the 2024 presidential race and emphasized that Biden wants to "unite the country" during a press briefing Thursday. The briefing was held following Biden's address to the nation Wednesday night discussing his decision to not run for reelection. Biden said he plans to finish out his current term as president during...
Chicago officials brief security plan for DNC delegates, protestors, non-citizens
(The Center Square) – The goal of officials for next month’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago is safety for residents and visitors alike. Security is being coordinated between the U.S. Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigations, agencies with the state of Illinois, Cook County and Chicago officials from police and fire departments and the Office of Emergency Management. The overall taxpayer cost for the DNC next month and last week’s Republican National Convention is $150 million, or $75 million for each convention. ...
Florida's back-to-school sales tax holiday will start on July 29
(The Center Square) — Florida families will be able to take advantage of an upcoming sales tax holiday as they prepare their children for the new school year. Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Thursday to highlight the Back-To-School sales tax holiday, which will last two weeks beginning on July 29. "This is an opportunity to save real money…it will allow you to save money on the most important...
Avian flu infections lead Colorado to mandate weekly testing of dairy operations
(The Center Square) – All herds of commercial dairy cows will be required to submit weekly samples from tanks to test for avian flu, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. The state confirmed 47 dairy herds with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the most in the country and the only state with more than five cases. The state reported 23 livestock herds were quarantined in early July. The state’s dairy industry accounted for approximately $1.3 billion in 2022 revenue. ...
Beshear embraces attack dog role as he remains a VP candidate
(The Center Square) – It remains to be seen whether Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will become the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential candidate. Nonetheless, the two-term elected leader and one of the more popular governors in the country has already embraced becoming a surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. The latest proof came Thursday afternoon during his regular weekly press briefing. The conference featured a larger-than-normal contingent of reporters, and before taking questions, Beshear told them his only comment about the vice-presidential selection process was...
Poll: Trump leading Harris 44%-42% in Pennsylvania
(The Center Square) – A recent survey of 600 likely voters shows former President Donald Trump holds a 2-point lead over Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania. The results, from North Star Polling Research, come amid swirling rumors that Gov. Josh Shapiro may join Harris on the ticket as her running mate – a choice that could boost her popularity in the commonwealth but cost her in Michigan and Wisconsin. ...
Commercials coming to make case for Wisconsin August amendments
(The Center Square) – Voters in Wisconsin are going to hear a lot more about the coming vote on a pair of constitutional amendments. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, along with the Institute for Reforming Government, on Thursday announced an ad campaign aimed at making sure voters know what they’ll be seeing on their Aug. 13 ballot. “Going to be engaging in an educational program to inform the...
Minnesota's Walz being considered for VP pick
(The Center Square) – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is currently being vetted by Kamala Harris’s campaign as a potential vice president nominee pick. Walz would serve as a progressive foil to Trump’s fellow midwesterner pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Multiple sources suggest Walz was asked to submit vetting materials alongside Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. ...
Innovative fish passage meant to revive Yakima River Basin salmon opens in Cle Elum
(The Center Square) – U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland was in Cle Elum, Wash., Wednesday to highlight federally funded salmon restoration projects. Secretary Haaland joined Gov. Jay Inslee and state, local and Native American tribal leaders to celebrate the opening of almost 30 miles of critical habitat for salmon and steelhead populations above Cle Elum Dam via the completion of the juvenile fish passage facility. The goal...
Democrats more flush in six Council of State races
(The Center Square) – With 103 days to Nov. 5, Democrats are out-fundraising Republicans in the top state-wide elections across North Carolina. These races, often called the Council of State election races, include the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, commissioners of agriculture, insurance, and labor, the secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction. Of those 10 elections, Democrats ended the second fundraising quarter of the year with...
Election observers: Kari Lake primary victory would play into Democrats' hands
(The Center Square) – Arizonans will select nominees to replace outgoing U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema in Tuesday's primary elections. Democrats have rallied behind Ruben Gallego, the U.S. representative of Arizona’s third congressional district. The Republican Senate primary will come down to Kari Lake and Mark Lamb. When she lost her race for governor in 2022,...
Washington state agency defends giving AGO investigation of tort claim against it
(The Center Square) – The Washington state agency tasked with overseeing tort claim investigations and determining whether individuals should be compensated as a result is defending its decision to assign an investigation to the state Attorney General’s Office in which the AGO and its client, Washington State University, are named defendants. Earlier this month, Police Strategies President Bob Scales filed a tort claim with the Department of Enterprise Services Office of Risk Management against the AGO and WSU, accusing them of a variety of illegal...
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