The Pew Charitable Trusts
07/26/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 07/26/2021 10:27
What We're Reading: Top State Stories 7/26
Several states scaled back their reporting of COVID-19 statistics this month just as cases across the country started to skyrocket, depriving the public of real-time information on outbreaks, cases, hospitalizations and deaths in their communities.
About a sixth of the criminal cases that went before a judge in New York in 2020 led to the person being rearrested before the case concluded, according to new data from the state's court system.
The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to open a civil rights investigation into nursing homes in New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania regarding their COVID-19 response, dealing a blow to several Republican lawmakers who had demanded a probe. One underlying issue is whether the three states with Democratic governors inadvertently added to the death toll by allowing nursing homes to take in residents who had been hospitalized for COVID-19.
Hackers targeting Florida's unemployment website potentially stole the personal data, including Social Security numbers, of nearly 58,000 people between April 27 and July 16 of this year, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.
An unprecedented number of Minnesota school board members are resigning early after an unrelenting year of community angst over school closures and mask debates, budget cuts, reckonings over social justice and curriculum battles.
U.S. high school seniors completed fewer federal financial aid applications for college this year, as compared with last year, which saw an even steeper drop. The decline signals that the number of low-income students attending college is falling again.
After operating on a self-imposed 'debt diet,' Connecticut Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and the State Bond Commission are opening up the spigot and planning to release more than $1 billion for a wide variety of construction projects. The largest amounts are for transportation infrastructure, including highway and bridge repairs.
More than 200,000 people are receiving food stamps in Hawaii, a historic high, and the program has grown steadily each month this year despite a recent decline in the unemployment rate. It's a reflection of how food insecurity continues to be a problem in Hawaii as the pandemic drags on, advocates say.
The fifth wave of the coronavirus pandemic is here, Washington's acting state health officer said. The increase in cases seen in metro areas around the state, from Seattle to the Tri-Cities and Yakima, is concerning to health officials, particularly in those counties with lower vaccination rates.
Maine residents soon will be able to register to vote via a secure online portal. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has signed a proposal passed by the legislature that proponents said will expand voting access.
The 3,000 students on the residential campuses of the Vermont State Colleges will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for the fall semester.
Following the passage of landmark cannabis laws, New Jersey has begun clearing the records of hundreds of thousands of people charged or convicted of marijuana possession. But some who participated in programs that diverted them from prison time upon getting charged years ago are now falling through a crack in the law, defense attorneys say.
Vaccinated students at all University of Wisconsin campuses except UW-Madison will be entered into a lottery for one of 70 one-time, $7,000 scholarships. The catch is that in order to be eligible, a student's campus has to hit a 70% vaccination rate by Oct. 15.
Farmworkers and their advocates say Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires commitment from workers who come forward but is ill-equipped to provide the justice they seek.
Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson outlined his vision for overhauling the state's expanded Medicaid program. Unlike the state's previous proposal, the Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me program does not condition coverage for some recipients on work, job training or volunteer service.
The Alabama Department of Public Health announced a TikTok competition to encourage youth between the ages of 13 to 19 to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Four winners will receive a $250 Visa gift card.
Entrapment claims, allegations that the media tainted the possibility of a fair trial and the arrest of a lead FBI agent who's now accused of brutally beating his wife following a swingers' sex party are among the latest developments in the prosecution of 14 men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
The global slowdown in auto manufacturing has left many showroom floors and car lots in Alaska nearly empty, and auto dealers say the situation has boosted demand for used cars and trucks, causing prices of those vehicles to skyrocket. New car prices rose about 5% over the past 12 months, while used car prices in Alaska jumped an astounding 47%.
Earlier this month, the New Hampshire Supreme Court struck down a law that would have required proof of residency for voters. Plaintiffs in the case included college students who feared a residency requirement would have barred them from voting in the state, centering the conversation around New Hampshire's college population. But this requirement would have affected the ability of people experiencing homelessness to vote as well.