Public Safety

Police Could Have Used New York’s Red Flag Law to Stop the Buffalo Shooting Suspect

State police said they did not file for a protection order under the law after they were called to the accused shooter’s school, where they reportedly investigated a “murder-suicide” threat he made.

  • By Sara Dorn

Pushback on Louisiana’s Scuttled Abortion Bill Reveals a Limit on How Far Anti-abortion Groups Are Willing To Go

The law would have classified abortion as a homicide, which was a 'bridge too far' for Louisiana lawmakers, said one expert.

  • By Jessica Kutz  , The 19th

Survey: 93% of Americans Fear Cyberwarfare Against US

A consumer survey suggests citizens are taking some steps to prepare for possible cyberattacks.

  • By Frank Konkel

Florida Republicans' Row With Disney Highlights Widening Gap Between GOP and Corporate America

COMMENTARY | It's only the latest example of the GOP being at odds with a company that has historically backed the party.

  • By M. K. Chin , The Conversation

Walgreens to Pay $683M in Florida Opioids Lawsuit

The settlement between the pharmacy chain and the state came as a jury trial in the case was underway.

  • By Dara Kam, New Service Florida
Sponsor Content

New Tools Help State and Local Governments Battle Ransomware, Other Big Disasters

When governments find themselves being ransomed, their choices are typically to pay, which will undercut their ability to deliver key services to their communities due to budget restrictions, or not pay, resulting in the immediate inability to serve their communities and the loss of key data that will inevitably plague them for years afterwards.

  • Presented by Veeam

The Southwest Is on Fire and Iconic Deserts and Towns Are at Risk

COMMENTARY | Fire season is getting longer, and the result is transforming desert ecosystems. The start to 2022 has been so dire that President Biden has issued a disaster declaration for one state.

  • By Molly Hunter , The Conversation

More States Shield Against Rogue Abortion Prosecutions

Experts predict more prosecutions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade as expected.

  • By Christine Vestal, Stateline

The US Cities With the Largest Park Systems

Washington, D.C. held the No. 1 spot on the ParkScore index for the second consecutive year. Other top cities are spread across the country.

  • By Andre Claudio

5 Ways to Reduce Gun Violence

COMMENTARY | Evidence shows that investing in community interventions, not more “tough on crime” law enforcement approaches, is key to effective and sustainable anti-violence work.

  • By Jesse Jannetta , Vaughn Crandall and Shani Buggs

Private Lands Are the Next Battleground in State Conservation Policy

Conserving 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030 depends on private landowners.

  • By Alex Brown, Stateline

Policing-for-Profit Undermines Public Safety. This Town Shows A Better Way

COMMENTARY | Relying on tickets to fund basic government services is a high-pain, low-gain proposition that does little for public safety.

  • By Joanna Weiss and James Small

Guns Are Now the No. 1 Cause of Death for Kids and Teens

COMMENTARY | Firearms have surpassed motor vehicles as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, according to a new analysis of federal data.

  • By University of Michigan, Futurity
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Conditions at Mississippi’s Most Notorious Prison Violate the Constitution, DOJ Says

“The problems at Parchman are severe, systemic, and exacerbated by serious deficiencies in staffing and supervision,” the report said.

  • By Jerry Mitchell, ProPublica

How Do You Plant More Trees in New York City? Give Them Away

In one Brooklyn neighborhood, saplings were available for residents to grab and plant in their own yards ahead of Earth Day.

  • By Candace Pedraza

Best and Worst States for Women

A recent analysis looked at gender pay gaps, paid family leave, child care costs and domestic violence rates among other things.

  • By Andre Claudio

An Invasive 'Jumping' Worm Spreads in the US, Threatening Forests

The worm is now showing up in multiple states. Its voracious eating habits could harm native wildlife and plants. Scientists say there isn't a way to combat the pest on a widespread scale.

  • By Andre Claudio

City Turns to Traffic Safety Technology to Curb Pedestrian Accidents

Officials say two new tools will make the streets of Bellevue, Washington, safer by increasing the time pedestrians have at crosswalks and better identifying multimodal traffic at intersections.

  • By Shourjya Mookerjee

Residents Left Behind as Pandemic Hurts Bus Companies

Publicly funded bus services in rural communities fared better, but “in a lot of major urban areas, commuters aren’t coming back.”

  • By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

Rationing Housing by Scoring Homeless People’s Trauma

A process called coordinated entry, used by cities across the country, is meant to match homeless people with housing. In San Francisco’s version, the system could be making it harder for some populations to get indoors.

  • By Nuala Bishari , ProPublica

States Expand Efforts to Squash Spread of Dangerous Insect

The invasive spotted lanternfly kills many crops and trees and can cause a state hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Several states are sounding the alarm and quarantining more counties.

  • By Andre Claudio

‘There’s a Large Amount of Fraud Out There,’ Says Special IG for Pandemic Recovery

The role is “not a political job in any way, shape or form” and “if we go out of business, then I think you're missing a key element of … oversight,” Brian Miller says.

  • By Courtney Bublé