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States Crack Down on Large Gatherings as Covid-19 Continues to Spread
Minnesota officials are seeking damages from a ranch owner who held a three-day rodeo in defiance of state regulations on large gatherings. They say at least one attendee tested positive for Covid-19 days after the event.
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Virus’ Hit to Sales Tax Revenues is Coming Into Focus and It’s Not Good
New data shows a 10%, or $42 billion, drop in state and local sales tax receipts in the second quarter. Factors like whether groceries are taxed appear to be affecting collections in some states.
Nextgov
CISA Releases Final TIC 3 Guidance
The agency plans to finalize the first two use cases for the Trusted Internet Connection program later this summer.
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GSA Launches IT Acquisition Training Portal For Procurement Officers and Program Managers
The on-demand video courses offer continuous learning points, and many are open to the public.
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The States With the Worst Public Sector Job Losses During the Coronavirus Crisis
Forty-nine states have had declines in state and local government employment since February. Some have fared worse than others.
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Cities Turn to the Sewers to Track the Prevalence of Covid
Testing wastewater samples can give public health officials a heads up that an outbreak is looming, as people infected with SARS-Cov-2 shed the virus in their feces weeks before they begin showing symptoms.
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Figuring Out School Bus Routes Is More Complicated Than Ever. Districts Are Turning to Technology for Help.
In places where kids go to in-person school, buses will look different this year as systems deal with the challenges of transporting kids during a pandemic.
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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown Says Many Federal Officers Will Leave Portland
STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | A couple states report surprisingly good tax receipts in July … Tennessee governor OKs resumption of high school football … Florida marks 5,000 Burmese pythons removed from Everglades.
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States Warn Residents About Unsolicited Seed Packages Sent From China
People have received the mysterious shipments in at least 22 states. The seeds could pose threats to the environment and agriculture. Federal authorities are investigating.
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GAO: More Than Half of COVID-19 Government Contracts Not Competitively Awarded
While some of that spending went through existing IDIQs, some $7.7 billion in new contracts were awarded “using the unusual and compelling urgency exception.”
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Facial Recognition Algorithms Struggle to Detect Faces Under Masks, NIST Study Finds
A new study from the National Institute of Standards and Technology found facial recognition algorithms developed pre-pandemic struggle to identify masked faces.
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How the Energy Department Is Powering NASA’s Soon-to-Launch Mars Rover
Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar offered a glimpse into the agency’s efforts beyond Earth.
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In California, State Lawmakers Propose $100 Billion Stimulus Plan
The proposal calls for offsetting reduced federal unemployment benefits and a program to incentivize early tax payments.
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Food Stamp Use Could Skyrocket With Loss of Enhanced Unemployment Benefits
Even with the expanded benefits for out-of-work people, millions of families had to sign up for food stamps during the early months of the pandemic. Now even more people are expected to need the assistance.
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A Government-University Partnership to Train Students as Contact Tracers
Students at Dominican University in San Rafael, California, can learn to be contact tracers and get on-the-job training in pandemic response with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services.
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4 Million Americans Waited Over an Hour in Line at Social Security Field Offices in 2019
Two separate Social Security Administration inspector general audits provide a detailed picture of customer experience over the past decade at the agency.
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Critical Update: Reinventing the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
Technology is important but keeping and developing talent will be crucial, NGA Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp says.
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Senate Republicans’ Relief Bill Scales Back Enhanced Unemployment Benefits
The proposal also does not include funding for state and local governments, but would allow them to use previous funding to offset falling revenues.
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Bill Calls for National Database to Track Evictions
The Housing and Urban Development Department would be required to set up and secure a new, central resource.
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