Politics, Policy & PowerAugust 15, 2023
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A View From the Ground
News and insights about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from the URL Media network.
A probation officer helps a new arrival at Camp Kenyon Scudder fill out paperwork after arriving to serve her time at the girls detention center. Credit: Bethany Mollenkof/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
⚖️ Youth jails in Calif. shut their doors. What's next?: As California closes its state-run youth prisons, advocates raise concerns about the glaring lack of effective community alternatives for incarcerated youth. Jahzara Halliday, who once navigated the system and is now an organizer, highlights misused funds and the pressing need for better support structures. Read more from Prism.
Alaska Army National Guard Spc. Jakobe Horne assists local residents with damaged property as part of Operation Merbok Response in Toksook Bay, Alaska, Sept. 24, 2022. Credit: 1st Lt. Balinda O'Neal/Alaska National Guard🌩️ As natural disasters increase, legal aid becomes a lifeline: Costly natural disasters have become more frequent, and individuals and communities are facing daunting stakes and choices as they figure out how to rebuild. In the ten years from 1980 to 1989, there were an average of three billion-dollar natural disasters in the U.S. each year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). From 2017 - 2022, that number sextupled to nearly 18 per year. One of those costly disasters was Typhoon Merbok, which struck Alaska's west coast in September 2022. The Alaska Legal Services Corporation's recent $4.7 million grant for those affected is a lifeline, focusing on legal support for survivors—particularly in Alaska Native and American Indian communities—as they navigate FEMA applications, housing disputes, and insurance claims. Read the story at Native News Online.
+ 🌺 Last week's devastating wildfire on Maui has taken 99 lives to date, with hundreds more people still unaccounted for. Organizations taking donations to help the island's residents include the American Red Cross, the Maui Food Bank, Maui Mutual Aid, and Aloha United Way. GoFundMe has also launched a page of verified fundraisers where people can donate directly to Maui-based families and individuals.
Mayor Eric Adams laid out updated figures related to the asylum seeker crisis at City Hall on Wednesday, Aug. 9. Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office🗽 NYC mayor: Migrant surge to cost NYC a staggering $12B: NYC Mayor Eric Adams says the city's Office of Management and Budget projects that the city could face up to $12 billion in migrant-related costs over the next three years. Amid factors like the compounding climate emergency and political unrest globally, New York City finds itself confronting the dual challenge of a mounting financial burden and addressing the needs of those seeking asylum. Epicenter NYC has the details.
Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle offering rides for UBER and LYFT. Credit: Sundry Photography/iStock🚗 Rideshare showdown in Minneapolis: Uber and Lyft could cease operations in Minneapolis if a newly proposed ordinance guaranteeing rideshare drivers better compensation and more rights is approved. With the city council's vote looming, Sahan Journal reports, the ridesharing giants assert that the changes might significantly impact rider fares and reduce ride volumes. Read the full story.
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