'I Need to Find Water, and I Need to Find it Now': A Local Official Takes Disaster Relief Into Her Own Hands
Paige Ellis, a city council member in Austin, Texas tracked down 10 pallets of bottled water and distributed it across her district after winter storms left thousands in the state without power or water.
Health & Human Services
Five Pandemic Mistakes We Keep Repeating
COMMENTARY | We can learn from our failures.
Management
Lawsuit Reveals New Allegations Against PG&E Contractor Accused of Fraud
Former PG&E employees are accused of taking bribes to funnel business to a waste-hauling company.
Health & Human Services
Air Pollution Puts Kids at Higher Risk of Disease in Adulthood
Even brief exposures to air pollution can cause future problems for kids, according to new research.
Sponsor Content
How Clear Purpose and Vision Drive Agency Transformation
To achieve their goals, agencies must unite purpose and vision around a transformation program that aligns with the needs of the state and local government residents that they serve.
Finance
House Passes $1.9 Trillion Covid Response Bill
The legislation includes $350 billion in direct aid for state, local, and tribal and territorial governments.
Health & Human Services
Family Caregivers are the Health Care Workers that Vaccination Plans Overlook
COMMENTARY | Millions of family members provide medical care for loved ones with disabling conditions. Excluding them from vaccination plans is symptomatic of a failure to formally integrate and recognize them as part of the health care system.
Tech & Data
Four Causes of 'Zoom Fatigue' and What You Can Do About It
Videoconferencing platforms like Zoom can really lead to real fatigue, researchers warn.
Management
Part South By Southwest, Part Burning Man—But for Local Leaders. Introducing: Govapalooza
COMMENTARY | Organizers of the five-day virtual festival want local governments to rally around the concept of “anti-fragility” and embrace big, bold changes.
Tech & Data
Feds Up Share of FEMA Grants That Must Be Spent on Cybersecurity
The Department of Homeland Security is also evaluating the possibility of a new grant program to help states and localities fund cybersecurity upgrades.
Health & Human Services
Covid Vaccine Websites Violate Disability Laws, Create Inequity for the Blind
An investigation finds that covid vaccine registration and information websites at the federal, state and local levels are flouting disability rights laws and limiting the ability of people who are blind or visually impaired to sign up for shots.
Tech & Data
Hackers Seized on the Pandemic. Some States Are Fighting Back.
“We don’t want cyber 9/11.”
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Management
Illinois Becomes First State to Abolish Cash Bail
Judges will instead use a risk assessment tool to determine a defendant's fitness for release. The change is part of a broader criminal justice reform bill Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed this week.
Sponsor Content
Showcasing Government Innovators in the Modern Age
It’s a good time to be an innovator. The pace of change in government is accelerating as cloud and other emerging technologies facilitate digital transformation.
Tech & Data
Public Employees’ Use of Personal Phones, Tablets Puts Local Governments at Risk
A cybersecurity report found that 25% of state and local government employees use personal digital devices to telework while only 9% of federal employees do so.
Health & Human Services
New Index Ranks State Efforts to Alleviate Youth Homelessness
The research findings suggest it’s an area where many states have room for improvement.
Public Safety
This New Advancement in Interpreting DNA Evidence Could be a Game Changer
COMMENTARY | Probabilistic genotyping software has helped forensic labs close more cases and exonerate individuals wrongly accused of a crime.
Public Safety
Lawyers Who Were Ineligible to Handle Serious Criminal Charges Were Given Thousands of These Cases Anyway
In the only state with no public defenders, people charged with murder and other serious crimes can get assigned attorneys who are legally ineligible to take on their cases. The state claims it was unaware.
Health & Human Services
Study: Vaccinating Teachers Could Help Get Kids Back in Classrooms
Federal researchers examined coronavirus cases in a Georgia school district and their findings suggest that educators had a central role in transmitting the virus in schools.
Public Safety
Texas Plants Released Nearly as Much Pollution During Winter Storm as During Hurricane Laura
Oil refineries, chemical plants and other industrial operators emitted 3.5 million pounds of excess pollution during the winter storm and power crisis in Texas, according to an analysis of company notices provided to state regulators.
Public Safety
‘It Doesn’t Feel Worth It’: Covid Is Pushing New York’s EMTs to the Brink
Emergency medical services work has long been grueling and poorly paid. Covid-19 has added stress and new risks for workers in the profession.
Health & Human Services