Judge Temporarily Blocks Publication of Plans for 3D-Printed Guns
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, center. Elaine Thompson / AP Photo
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | “Little Alan’s Law” takes effect in Minn. … reverting to typewriters in Alaska … and accelerating planning for a future Los Angeles transit line.
Good morning, it’s Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. Leading Route Fifty’s roundup of state and local government news is the latest legal flashpoint between state attorneys general and the Trump administration. Scroll down for that and more from places like Kansas City, Missouri; Windsor Locks, Connecticut; and West Hollywood, California.
PUBLIC SAFETY | A U.S. District Court judge in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order on Tuesday that blocks the federal government from allowing a website to publish plans to build a gun using a 3D printer. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who led a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration in the matter, said in a statement on Tuesday following Judge Robert Lasnick’s ruling: “I am thankful and relieved Judge Lasnik put a nationwide stop to the Trump Administration’s dangerous decision to allow downloadable, 3D-printed ghost guns to be distributed online. These ghost guns are untraceable, virtually undetectable and, without today’s victory, available to any felon, domestic abuser or terrorist. I hope the President does the right thing and directs his administration to change course.” [Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson]
- Duluth, Minnesota: “Little Alan’s Law,” named for an 8-year-old boy killed by a man on a snowmobile who had been previously convicted of multiple driving while intoxicated offenses, goes into effect on Wednesday and closes a loophole in Minnesota driving law, requiring “that people convicted of a drunken driving offense in any vehicle be banned from operating all motor vehicles in the state—cars, trucks, ATVs, snowmobiles and boats.” [Duluth News Tribune]
- Houston, Texas: The city’s firefighters union has sued Mayor Sylvester Turner and City Councilmember Dave Martin for violating Texas election code. [Houston Public Media
- Glendale, California: “A California arson investigator was regarded as a sage. But it was him all along.” [California Sun]
TECH & DATA | After big ambitions in long- and short-haul freight, Uber has decided to stop developing self-driving trucks to concentrate on its autonomous car program. [Reuters via CNBC]
- Kansas City, Missouri: Six local startups have joined the Innovation Partnership Program where they’ll work with city departments to “test innovative solutions to urban problems.” [Smart Cities Dive
- Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska: A ransomware attack forced the local government to revert to using typewriters and “rebuild email from scratch.” [StateScoop]
- Forest Park, Illinois: Municipalities in Illinois are hustling to catch up with the state’s Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act. [Forest Park Review]
INFRASTRUCTURE | Transit advocates in Los Angeles and officials in West Hollywood want to accelerate the planning and construction of a new north-south light-rail extension that would connect L.A. Metro’s forthcoming Crenshaw-LAX rail line with the Red Line subway in Hollywood. The current timetable to build and open such a transit link isn’t until the 2040s, but boosters of the rail project—touting high-ridership projections and the regional benefits of connecting multiple transit lines without having to transfer in Downtown Los Angeles—want the light-rail line to open before the 2028 Olympic Summer Games. Planners and local officials are studying multiple options for routing a future West Hollywood rail extension, which could include subway, street-running and elevated options for alignments. West Hollywood officials are looking at local financing options that could push the project ahead on L.A. Metro’s to-do list. [Los Angeles Times; KPCC]
- Little Rock, Arkansas: The Arkansas Department of Transportation is moving forward with its submission to get federal approval to rebuild and expand a 6.7 mile-long section of Interstate 30 through Little Rock. [KUAR]
- Windsor Locks, Connecticut: Bradley International Airport has secured $13.2 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants to upgrade two taxiways. [Hartford Courant]
- St. Louis, Missouri: Local officials touted the opening of MetroLink’s new Cortex light rail station, where the city has been concentrating tech development. [St. Louis Post Dispatch]
- Jackson, Mississippi: The Mississippi Department of Transportation has lifted its suspension on the city of Jackson now that city’s auditor has completed a report on Jackson’s finances. [Clarion Ledger]
ELSEWHERE | Protesters march on New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell over planned water shutoffs of delinquent customers [WGNO] … Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has vetoed an ordinance meant to curb spray-can vandalism [KJRH] … Tennessee pre-kindergarden and kindergarten teaches aren’t happy about a new evaluation system. [Tennessean] ... Mudslinging from Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, who calls California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom a “dirt bag.” [NBC News] … Sioux Falls, South Dakota Mayor Paul TenHaken unveiled the “most ambitious budget” in city history … Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney takes a photo with Jay-Z before a concert [WPVI] …
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Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive's Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
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