Nextgov
Auditor Thrashes 18F for IT Security Vulnerabilities, 18F Staffers Shoot Back
18F staffers say the report confuses security with checking boxes.
Route Fifty
Okla. Senate OKs Bill to Strip Local Non-Discrimination Ordinances
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Proposal to block new wind development in N.D.; N.C. governor’s plan to raise teacher salaries; and a Mich. freeway’s bumpy deterioration.
Route Fifty
A Telecommunications Fable: Struggles for Service in Rural Maine
Our editor-at-large documents how some small coastal communities are fighting for better telephone and internet services, but are advancing at a crawl.
Route Fifty
Boston Studying Massive Seawall; Tucson’s Mayor Carjacked at Home
Also in our State and Local Weekend Digest: Broadband-digging fines in Charlotte; Rhode Island’s governor defends free-tuition plan; and Newark’s mayor has a message about being “the next Brooklyn.”
Route Fifty
The State With the Most Structurally-Deficient Bridges Retains Its Title
More than 20 percent of its 24,184-bridge inventory is compromised.
Nextgov
New York DA to Trump: Have Our Backs Against Cop-proof Encryption
New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance advocated a congressional ban on cop-proof encryption, but legislation never got off the ground.
Route Fifty
Trump Intergovernmental Affairs Official: ‘We Have an Open Door Policy’
The deputy director of the White House’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs encouraged state and local officials to reach out: “Come in, meet with us, let us know what’s going on.”
Route Fifty
Alaska Declares ‘Public Health Disaster’ for Opioids; Palm Springs Ex-Mayor Facing 21 Counts
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Phoenix City Council rejects “sanctuary city” request; San Francisco may toll famous street; and Maine governor’s low salary.
Route Fifty
ACA Repeal Could Mean Return to ‘High-Risk Pools’
Are “high-risk pools” a smart insurance solution or a recipe for high premiums, limited coverage and long waiting lists?
Nextgov
What Former NSA Chief Keith Alexander Thinks of Trump's Cyber Stance
The former NSA director hopes Trump will allow government to more actively defend industry from cyberattacks.
Route Fifty
Route Fifty Special Report: The Health Data Equation
We’re featuring three stories of state and local governments using data to deliver critical health services, make better decisions and improve their communities in the process.
News
Some Surprising Facts on the 'Swamp' and the Hiring Freeze
Brookings scholar’s numbers show a federal workforce smaller than rhetoric suggests.
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Cuomo Blocks N.Y.C.’s 5-Cent Plastic Bag Fee; Outdoor Retailers Put Utah on Notice
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Pension refinancing in West Virginia; Denver’s homicides hit 10-year high; and a simple idea to reduce absenteeism in Philadelphia.
Nextgov
Congress Requests Review of EPA’s Use of Encrypted Communications
The use of encrypted communications applications across government is on the upswing, though such communications are still privy to sunshine laws.
Route Fifty
Fire Chiefs Want Exclusion Under Trump Order Blocking Grants to ‘Sanctuary Cities’
During subcommittee testimony, a GOP congressman told the president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs the group should warn local governments about the risks of not cooperating.
Route Fifty
Police Officers in Iowa Decry GOP Plan; Austin Mayor’s Open Letter on ICE’s ‘Secretive Raids’
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Florida’s Everglades are at an environmental “tipping point”; snowplow driver shortage in Maine; and Oklahoma governor’s sales tax expansion.
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Half of the Children in California Have an Immigrant Parent
In this time of heightened tension surrounding immigration policy, the Golden State faces a disproportionate challenge.
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Iowa Gov. Supports State Preemption on Minimum Wage; Can Syracuse Block City-County Merger Plan?
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Winning and losing municipalities in Conn.; Pa. State Capitol vandalized; and Wash. state assesses data-sharing vulnerabilities.
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Northern California Dam Emergency Prompts Widespread Downriver Evacuations
Authorities ordered more than 160,000 residents in three counties to flee on Sunday amid fears of a major disaster; a state agency successfully saves millions of endangered fish.
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