Route Fifty
Concerned Roadside Memorials Are Distracting, a State Offers to Install Them
The Nebraska Department of Transportation will offer official memorial signs for victims of fatal car crashes as a way to replace homemade memorials they say can pose safety hazards to drivers.
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Hunt Begins for New 18F Director
The current executive director will be leaving by February.
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White House Updates National Strategic Computing Initiative
The document refocuses objectives from the country’s 2016 computing plan.
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Lawmakers Propose Bill Limiting Government's Use of Facial Recognition
The legislation would require law enforcement agencies to obtain a warrant before conducting facial recognition surveillance.
Route Fifty
Kansas Faces Charges Foster Care System is Broken
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Kentucky governor concedes … Lawsuit could purge Wisconsin voters … Baltimore hits 300 homicides for fifth consecutive year.
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Amazon Cites ‘Political Influence’ in Coming JEDI Protest
Amazon will fight over the $10 billion cloud contract that the Pentagon awarded to Microsoft in October.
Route Fifty
A Proposal to Treat Icy Winter Roads with Beet Juice
Lawmakers in Michigan want the Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of adding beet juice to road salt to treat icy roads in the winter.
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Officials: Shared Services Implementation Begins But Journey Will Be Long
Three of the four initial focus areas are ready to move beyond the standards-setting phase to implementation, with GSA’s payroll program leading the way.
Route Fifty
For a City That Didn’t Burn, Challenges Continue a Year After California’s Most Destructive Wildfire
Officials say the city of Chico is strained by the influx of newcomers displaced by last year’s Camp Fire—but as a place untouched by wildfires, they aren't eligible for emergency funds to help with the sudden population growth.
Route Fifty
After Virginia Beach Mass Shooting, Report Calls for Improved Security and Other Changes
The independent report made 58 recommendations, ranging from significant changes to the city’s management of human resources to increased workplace violence prevention training.
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How Chilean Protesters Took Down a Drone With Standard Laser Pointers
The low-powered presentation tool/dangerous children’s toy is becoming a weapon of choice for protesters around the world trying to take down or disable surveillance tech.
Route Fifty
Truckers Challenge ‘Gig Worker’ Law With Lawsuit
They’re arguing that the landmark California legislation, meant to strengthen protections for workers, is preempted by federal law and shouldn’t apply to the trucking industry.
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CISA Wants Feedback on Its Vulnerability Assessments
The agency is looking to improve a program that lets critical infrastructure operators measure their digital security and see how they stack up against their counterparts.
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NOAA to Solicit Public Insight on Four Draft Science and Technology Strategies
Focus areas include artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, ‘omics, and the cloud.
Route Fifty
Using Social Media to Monitor Endangered Species Uncovers Surprising Information
Federal researchers used Instagram to collect information on human interactions with endangered monk seals and found that the posts contained data that was missing from traditional reports.
Route Fifty
Conflict Between Lawmakers Isn’t Always a Bad Thing
New research focused on local government shows that elected officials who engage in arguments over policy are more effective at governing than those who agree on everything, or those who get in petty fights.
Route Fifty
Boomer and Millennial Public Workers Agree Pensions are a Plus
No matter their age, most state and local government employees in a recent survey said retirement benefits are a big factor in why they stay at their jobs.
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Users Had to Wait a Little Longer for GSA’s FedBizOpps Replacement
FedBizOpps migrated to SAM.gov Contract Opportunities over the weekend but a slow site and data migration issues made for some disgruntled users.
Route Fifty
Senator Urges Cybersecurity Review of Mobile Voting App
West Virginia and local governments in Colorado, Utah and Oregon have all piloted mobile voting applications developed by Voatz.
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