Can your mobile phone get a virus? Yes – and you’ll have to look carefully to see the signs
Mobile devices are vulnerable to malware arriving via text and email, and one cybersecurity company estimating nearly 3.5 million malicious attacks on phone users last year alone.
States and Cities are Moving to Make Virtual Hearings Permanent
In the nation's statehouses and city halls, officials want remote meetings to outlast the Covid-19 crisis. Disability advocates are among those who support the idea. Others worry about the loss of in-person interactions and diminished oversight.
States Offer Supplemental Wages to Retain Child Care Workers
COMMENTARY | Ensuring eligible employees enroll to receive the pay benefit can be a challenge. New research offers three strategies that can help.
The States Where Motorists Pay the Most for Auto Insurance
A new report also looks at the places where rates are the highest compared to income.
Distrust Keeps Families on SNAP From Buying Groceries Online
COMMENTARY | When buying groceries online, families eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits are less likely to purchase both healthy foods, like fruits and vegetables, and sweets, a new study shows.
A City Turns to an Algorithm to Prioritize Streetlight Repairs
Rather than repairing thousands of streetlights in the order outages are reported, San Diego weighs data on residential density, the presence of schools or parks, traffic collisions and other factors in deciding which ones to fix first.
How Data-driven Policies Can Help States and Localities
Officials say that following the numbers and looking at evidence has proven useful in tackling a range of equity issues and with steering clear of partisan fights.
A Three-Phase Strategy to Reduce Homelessness
COMMENTARY | As cities grapple with rising homelessness, states struggle to distribute relief money. But change is within our grasp.
The data states need to improve digital equity
A new playbook can help states improve the collection, analysis and presentation of digital literacy and skills data as they prepare to apply for digital equity grants.
6 Million in California Faced With Sharp Restrictions on Water Use
Drought is draining reservoirs, again. “This is a crisis” said one official, adding: “We cannot afford green lawns.”
Data-driven approach boosts efficiency of streetlight repairs
Rather than repairing streetlights in the order outages are reported, San Diego weighs data on location, residential density, the presence of schools or parks and traffic collision information to prioritize repairs and increase efficiency.
Covid Woes Prompt More States to Require Financial Literacy Classes
The pandemic has underscored how few Americans are prepared for financial emergencies.
Agriculture Department Offers Grants To Improve SNAP
The USDA says that the grants fall in line with administration priorities around equity and inclusion, as well as improving the customer experience of Americans interacting with government programs.
Practice Makes Perfect When It Comes To Recovering From a Cyberattack
And it’s not if an agency gets attacked, it’s when, according to one state official.
AWS launches digital twin service
The IoT TwinMaker service integrates data from multiple sources and creates a knowledge graph that connects data sources to virtual replicas of physical systems to accurately model real-world environments.
How Cities are Trying to Combat the Nation's Deadliest Weather Risk
Heat doesn’t get the same attention as hurricanes or wildfires, but city officials are paying more attention to it as hot temperatures become more common.
Practice makes perfect when it comes to recovering from a cyberattack
And it’s not if an agency gets attacked, it’s when, according to one state official.
Private Lands Are the Next Battleground in State Conservation Policy
Conserving 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 depends on private landowners.
Federal Covid Aid is Funding a Pickleball Court Construction Boom
Pickleball is the nation's fastest growing sport and cities and towns are using money from the American Rescue Plan to build facilities for the legions of new players.
Labor Dept. Pilot Taps State Data for a New Look at Who is Getting Unemployment Benefits
Data on access to unemployment insurance broken down by demographics can help program administrators make sure that they help everyone entitled to the benefit access it, the Labor Department says.
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