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☆ New data centers require billions of dollars in utility system upgrades. You may end up paying for it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Daniel Geiger | Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

A record surge of data center construction is underway to provide the computing and storage that underpins society's fast-expanding digital footprint and powers artificial intelligence. In areas of the country where data centers have clustered, utilities have unveiled plans to spend billions of dollars to keep up. asked David Springe, the executive director of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. "Then you have the data centers that are having exponential load growth," Nelson said. Data centers also don't deliver the number of long term jobs – a key yardstick for public benefits – that other industries do.

Persons: Mike DeWine, David Springe, they're, Ryan Augsburger, Augsburger, Ron Nelson, Strategen, ratepayers, Nelson, Steve Helber, That's, PJM, David Lapp, Lapp, Jeffrey Shields, Shields, Kantele Franko, Shelby Moore, Meta, behemoth Blackstone, QTS, John Gavan, Daniel Tait, Tait Organizations: Amazon, Ohioans, Business, Wall, Boston Consulting Group, National Association of State, Consumer, Ohio Manufacturers ' Association, Web Services, Energy, Dominion Energy, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Tech, Wall Street titans, American Electric Power, Buckeye Power, AEP, Buckeye, AEP Ohio, Staff, Intel, Policy Institute Locations: Ohio, ratepayers, Chester , Va, Virginia, PJM, Chicago, New Jersey, New York City, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Columbus , Ohio, Denver, New Albany , Ohio, Minnesota, Columbus, Mississippi

Six years ago, Illinois farmer John Ackerman didn't hire any contract workers at all. He enjoys mentoring young people, but says it's felt harder lately to justify hiring inexperienced workers when contract workers do the same hard, physical jobs faster and better. Climate change affects all farm workers, but advocates and researchers say this is a reason to focus particularly on these workers. The USDA data showed an uptick in the number of farms using migrant labor, both within farms that already hired contract workers and overall. He’s tried reaching out H-2A workers on nearby farms, but says their supervisors won’t let them talk to him.

Persons: John Ackerman didn't, Ackerman, it's, Alexis Guild, Rebecca Young, ”, Jennifer Vanos, Abigail Kerfoot, Luis Jimenez, farmworkers, Jimenez, He’s, won’t, “, Jed Clark, he's, Stephanie McBath, ” McBath, “ it’s, ” Bruce Cline, Scott Kuegel, ” Jimenez, Dorany Pineda, Joshua A, Bickel, Melina Walling Organizations: U.S . Department of Agriculture, Farmworker, Arizona State University, Centro de, Alianza Agrícola, “, National Association of State, of Agriculture, Associated Press Locations: Illinois, U.S, New York, North Carolina, Kentucky, Crofton , Kentucky, Owensboro, AP.org

The problem underscores a widely held consensus that Virginia’s mental health care system is in urgent need of reform, due to what Gov. Improving mental health care became a priority in the U.S. like never before as the pandemic brought new levels of isolation, fear and grief, in addition to pre-existing crises such as rising drug overdose deaths and the struggles burdening teen girls. Survey data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that in 2022, about half of adults with any mental illness did not receive treatment. Elsewhere in the U.S., states' policy concerns and approaches to improving mental health care have varied. Mental health was listed as a budget priority in most states in an analysis by the National Association of State Budget Officers.

Persons: — John Clair, Clair, ”, Glenn Youngkin’s, Virginia’s, we’ve, Brian Hepburn, —, John Littel, ” Littel, Youngkin, they're, it’s, Katherine McGuire, candor, he's, “, ____ Geoff Mulvihill Organizations: Clair's, Marion Police Department crisscross, Marion, Army, Gov, Republican, Mental Health Services Administration, National Association of State Mental Health, National Association of State, American Psychological Association, “, Assembly Locations: RICHMOND, Va, Virginia, U.S, Cherry Hill , New Jersey

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s cybersecurity agency has launched a program aimed at boosting election security in the states, shoring up support for local offices and hoping to provide reassurance to voters that this year's presidential elections will be safe and accurate. Officials with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency planned to introduce its new election security adviser program Thursday to the National Association of State Election Directors and on Friday to the National Association of Secretaries of State. For state and local election officials, the list of security challenges keeps growing. The CISA program includes 10 new hires, all of whom join the federal agency with extensive election experience. CISA Director Jen Easterly announced plans for the program at a July meeting of the state election directors in South Carolina.

Persons: Jen, Cait Conley, ” Conley, Keith Ingram, Spencer Wood, David Stafford, “, ”, Lori Augino, CISA, Al Schmidt, Karen Brinson Bell, Brinson Bell Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Security Agency, National Association of State, National Association of, State, Ohio, State’s, North Carolina State Board Locations: New Hampshire, Fulton County , Georgia, Russia, South Carolina, Texas, Escambia County , Florida, Washington, ”, “

The two organizations have worked together on other issues, including several conferences on U.S. elections, but the principles released Tuesday are their first to examine the nation’s election system and policies. Carroll said challenging election results and the integrity of the voting process is a relatively new development. ”Extreme polarization really has led, I think, to more questioning of election processes that, ironically, have only improved significantly over the last 25 years," he said. Amy Cohen, executive director of the National Association of State Election Directors, said she had not seen the recommendations but said election officials are constantly trying to improve. “We need to normalize the fact that it just takes longer to tabulate election results accurately,” she said.

Persons: gamesmanship, ”, Jimmy Carter, State James A, Baker III, David Carroll, Carter, Carroll, ” Mark Jones, Baker, Jones, Amy Cohen Organizations: WASHINGTON, The Carter Center, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Democrat, Republican, State, Reform, Democracy, U.S, Rice University, National Association of State Locations: U.S

☆ Unclaimed property day: More than 30 million people have unclaimed money or assets. Are you one of them?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Over 30 million people in the United States have unclaimed property that they have either forgotten about or never knew was theirs, according to the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, which is a part of the National Association of State Treasurers. To get a complete picture of whether you have unclaimed money or assets, first check the unclaimed property sites of all the states where you have lived in your life (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico). Each state has its own laws and practices governing unclaimed or abandoned property, which you can find out about by visiting their unclaimed property sites that NAUPA links to here. Consider: More than $4 billion worth of unclaimed property was returned to people in fiscal year 2022, NAUPA said. Each state decides whether to reveal how much your unclaimed property is worth when you do your initial search.

Persons: ”, Michael W, you’ve, haven’t, it’s, Frerichs, state’s, NAUPA Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Association, National Association of State, Illinois, District of Columbia Locations: New York, United States, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Alabama

A Pennsylvania law that makes it a crime to release information about teacher disciplinary complaints is an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment, a federal judge has ruled. The law's confidentiality provision makes it a misdemeanor to disclose the existence of a state complaint or any information about it unless and until discipline is imposed. U.S. District Judge Karen S. Marston did not strike down the law itself in her Jan. 10 ruling. “The confidentiality provision exists to protect the reputation, privacy, and due process rights of educators” who are accused, and ultimately cleared, of wrongdoing, said Chris Lilienthal, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Pepper's misconduct complaint centers on a January 2023 email that school psychologist Julia Szarko sent to his school district account.

Persons: —, Jimmy Adams, he’s, Karen S, Marston, James Pepper, Pepper, “ weaponizing ”, Aaron Martin, Martin, ”, Chris Lilienthal, Jennifer Schorn, Julia Szarko, Szarko, Szarko —, Pepper's, she's, “ Dr, ” Pepper, “ Organizations: Pennsylvania Department of Education, National Association of State, Education, U.S, District, Central Bucks School District, Central Bucks, Department of, Pennsylvania State Education Association, Republican, of Education Locations: Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s

Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesUnder so-called linked-deposit programs, states deposit money in banks at below-market interest rates. Banks then leverage those funds to provide short-term, low-interest loans to particular borrowers, often in agriculture or small business. The programs can save thousands of dollars for borrowers by reducing their interest rates by an average 2-3 percentage points. Illinois has nearly $950 million of deposits linked to low-interest loans for farmers, businesses and individuals. In 2015, Frerichs said, the state's agricultural investment program had just two low-interest loans.

Persons: Vivek Malek, Malek, ” Malek, Banks, Michael Frerichs, Frerichs, Rafael Salaberrios, ” Salaberrios, Brian Zimmerschied, Doug Fish, Jason Bernard, ” Bernard, Mike Hopkins, “, Hopkins, Jordan Harvey, Sid Miller, hadn't, Miller, ” Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, Federal Reserve, National Association of State, State Development, “, OakStar Bank, FCS, FCS Financial, BTC Bank, Montana Board of Investments, Republican, AP Locations: Mo, Missouri, New York, Illinois, Montana, “, National Association of State Treasurers . Illinois, Bethany , Missouri, Bethany, Iowa , Kansas, Ohio, Kansas, In Ohio, Texas

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate was set to vote Thursday on firing the battleground state's top elections official — a move that was denounced by Democrats as illegitimate and is expected to draw a legal battle. Nonpartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe has been the subject of conspiracy theories and threats from election skeptics who falsely claim she was part of a plan to rig the 2020 vote in Wisconsin. The bipartisan elections commission deadlocked in June on a vote to nominate Wolfe for a second four-year term. In addition to carrying out the decisions of the elections commission, Wolfe helps guide Wisconsin’s more than 1,800 local clerks who actually run elections. Since the 2020 election, some Republicans have floated the idea of abolishing or overhauling the elections commission.

Persons: Meagan Wolfe, Wolfe, Devin LeMahieu, Josh Kaul, Kaul, Michael Haas, Scott Walker's, ERIC Organizations: Republican, Wisconsin Senate, GOP, Democratic, Biden, Trump, Republicans, Government, Board, Republican Gov, National Association of State, Registration, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin

☆ America's largest office tenant is embracing remote work, creating more pain for a market already in distress
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Daniel Geiger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The federal government is embracing remote work and cutting back its office footprint nationally. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump might not appear to agree on much, but when it comes to cutting back on office space, they're aligned. Now federal tenants are in for a new phase of belt-tightening as more accept remote and hybrid work, real estate experts say. "The majority of federal offices are still largely vacant on most days," said Darian LeBlanc, the director of government services at Cushman & Wakefield. So far, only the Department of Veterans Affairs has publicly said how it plans to use remote and hybrid work.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Biden —, Darian LeBlanc, LeBlanc, Rachel Davis, Davis, — Davis, Bob Hunt, Martin Selig, Jesse Lawder, Selig, Shalanda Young, Denis McDonough, Cushman, JBG Smith, Christi, who's Organizations: —, Trump, Cushman &, Washington DC, General Services Administration, Department of Labor, Management, FBI, Securities and Exchange Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Management Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, National Transportation Safety, L'Enfant Plaza, state's Department of General Services, National Association of State Locations: Cushman & Wakefield, United States, JLL, Seattle, Washington, L'Enfant, . Tennessee, Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga, Branscom, California , Illinois, North Carolina, Florida

☆ $70 billion in unclaimed property held by states belongs to 33 million Americans. Here's how to see if you're one of them
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An estimated $70 billion in unclaimed property is being held by states, and belongs to about 33 million Americans. Americans are encouraged to search for property that may belong to them in any state where they've lived. According to the site, which is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators, the average claim is just over $2,000, but they range from pennies to thousands, and there is an estimated $70 billion in unclaimed property on the website, according to CNBC. "States are required to return unclaimed property to its owner no matter how long it takes," Nebraska's treasurer and NAUPA President John Murante said. —National Association of State Treasurers (@StateTreasurers) January 30, 2023

☆ Hiking has become a nationwide New Year's Day tradition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Just 380 people participated in the initial First Day Hike in 1992 at the nearly 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation just south of Boston. On Sunday, tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in First Day Hikes at hundreds of parks in all 50 states. The late Patrick Flynn, the former supervisor at Blue Hills, came up with the original plan. In 2012, First Day Hikes went nationwide when the National Association of State Park Directors endorsed the idea. Elijah Bristow State Park near Eugene is even offering a first day horseback ride.

At an election office in Flagstaff, Arizona, voters will encounter bulletproof glass and need to press a buzzer to enter. Election officials around the country said they were coordinating more closely with local law enforcement to respond quickly to disturbances. The Justice Department says it has investigated more than 1,000 messages to election workers since the 2020 election, including more than 100 that could warrant prosecution. PROTECTIVE MEASURESMany election officials blame disinformation, such as Trump's baseless claims about election fraud in the 2020 election, for the surge in threats. In Michigan, Republican candidates for governor, attorney general and other positions have questioned the outcome of the 2020 election.

A high-stakes debt ceiling standoff in Washington could have spillover effects on state spending plans that rely heavily on federal aid to fund a variety of social programs and transportation projects. Policy experts say failing to suspend or raise the debt limit could disrupt spending at the state level, particularly with regard to the recently enacted $1.2 trillion infrastructure law. “We don't have experience of a federal default,” said Jared Walczak, vice president of state projects at the Tax Foundation. "Federal default has never happened and everyone hopes and expects that it won't happen now," Walczak said. It is the National Association of State Budget Officers, not the National Association of State Budget Officials.

In that environment, crooks were easily able to impersonate jobless Americans using stolen identity information for sale in bulk in the dark corners of the internet. When Yvonne Matlock lost her job last year and applied for unemployment benefits online, she was told she was already getting relief money. Through a public records request, NBC News obtained data from the Labor Department, which funds Covid relief unemployment benefits programs, that are riddled with blank values and underestimates. ID.meMore than two-thirds of states, 34, reported no cases of identity theft overpayments in the most vulnerable unemployment benefits program. Cash App, which describes itself as "the easiest way to send money, spend money, save money, and buy cryptocurrency," has been frequently used by fraudsters to move money, law enforcement officials and private consultants said.

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