The Ferguson Group Blog

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! 

Another Presidential Turkey Pardoning, another ‘The Hunger Games’

On Thursday, President Obama will participate in the long-standing tradition of pardoning a lucky turkey, who will bypass the Thanksgiving table and spend his or her days living a life of luxury on a Virginia farm.  In what the President jokes as “quite literally, The Hunger Games,” Twitter users choose which of two birds should be pardoned this year. Will it be Mac, or will it be Cheese? Read more…

‘The Most Expensive Regulation Ever;’ Obama Rolls Out a Major EPA Rule

The Obama Administration proposed a draft air pollution rule on Wednesday that business groups charge would be the costliest regulation ever. The rule would lower the amount of ground-level ozone pollution that is considered healthy to breathe, which in turn could lead to costly new requirements for air pollution permits in much of the country. Read more…

A Two-Generation Approach to Poverty

A new report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation suggests that poverty programs need to address the needs of both parents and children simultaneously to maximize effectiveness.  Some states are already in the early stages of retooling antipoverty programs with the “two-generation” approach in mind. Read more…

IDEA Lab Injects Entrepreneurial Tactics into Federal Health Services

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created a new lab to test startup techniques with federal health and safety services. The IDEA Lab, which stands for Innovation, Design, Entrepreneurship and Action, is hoped to systematize innovative thinking inside HHS for the future. Read more…

Police Turning to Cutting-Edge Fingerprint Technology

For the past four years, the Stockton, CA Police Department has been quietly testing state-of-the-art equipment that could change the way law enforcement agencies across the country process fingerprints and identify suspects.  The Mobile Biometric Device is a handheld gadget that can scan fingerprints, irises, and other biological information in the field and communicate with remote databases to help investigators more quickly identify suspects and other subjects. Read more…

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup!  - See more at: http://thefergusongroup.typepad.com/grants/#sthash.A0Au6ZrS.dpuf

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! 

Use Social Media to Promote National Adoption Day

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) is using social media to promote National Adoption Day on November 22^nd. CCAI, an organization that works with Congress and local governments as a resource on adoption and foster care issues, is looking for help raising awareness about adoption on Saturday. Use #NatAdoptionDay and show your support for the 100,000 plus kids in need of safe, loving homes. Learn more...

Beyond Senate Defeat, Ill Omens for Keystone

Even though the Senate already rejected the bills authorizing the Keystone CL oil pipeline, it is rumored that President Obama has hardened his stance against the $8 billion project, making prospects likely that he would have vetoed the bill. Republicans made clear Tuesday that they’ll try again when they take over the Senate in January, with a pro-Keystone majority large enough to overcome any filibuster. Read more...

Obama to Unveil Immigration Plan on Thursday

President Obama says he will announce the executive actions he's taking to "start fixing our broken immigration system" during a speech to the nation at 8 p.m. ET Thursday. "What I'm going to be laying out is the things I can do with my lawful authority as president to make the system work better even as I continue to work with Congress and encourage them to get a bipartisan, comprehensive bill that can solve the entire problem," Obama said. Read more...

Broadband Expands to Rural America, But How Many Will Adopt?

Even as broadband infrastructure has spread across much of rural America in the past few years, often funded by the federal stimulus program of 2009, potential customers have been slow to adopt the technology. There are those who have learned to live without the Internet, those who don’t have a computer, those that lack digital literacy, and for many, the service is just too expensive. Read more...

Internet of Things Helps Buffalo, Other Cities with Snow Removal

Boston, Minneapolis and Buffalo are some of the municipalities harnessing the power of GPS sensors and machine-to-machine communication to modernize snow removal practices. From sensors attached to snow plows and interactive mapping technology, residents remain more informed on travel conditions, while public works departments are seeing an increase in efficiency. Read more...

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! 

Standards to Compare Cities

What makes a city great? Finances? Public safety? Amenities? Often, comparing cities has been an “apples and oranges” exercise. Until now.
The Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization, or ISO, a globally recognized authority in standards for every industry and area, has codified a clear set of indicators by which cities can be gauged. Read more...

Senate Democrats Consider Keystone Vote to Help Mary Landrieu

Senate Democrats are looking at taking a vote in the lame-duck session to push approval of the TransCanada Corporation Keystone XL pipeline in an effort to bolster Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu’s re-election chances in her December runoff. Even if Landrieu is re-elected, she will lose her position as chairwoman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee when Republicans take control of the Senate in January. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) have said Keystone approval will be a top legislative priority in 2015. Read more...

Supreme Court Case Seeks Source of Alabama Gerrymandering

When Alabama Republicans moved thousands of black voters into new legislative districts, did they do so because of the way blacks vote or because of their race itself? That's the question the U.S. Supreme Court will have to decide. The Court on Wednesday will hear oral arguments in cases brought by Democrats and black legislators challenging districts drawn by Republicans after they took control of the legislature in the 2010 elections. Their ruling could have an impact on congressional and legislative maps across the country. Read more...

What Midterm Election Results Mean for Transportation

Changes in state and federal leadership, along with voter-approved ballot measures, in Tuesday’s elections are almost certain to affect highway funding and transit service all around the country. Several victorious governors promised to find more money for transportation, while the Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate may slow progress on a federal surface transportation bill. Read more...

The Coming Climate Onslaught

The Obama administration is set to roll out a series of climate and pollution measures that rivals any president’s environmental actions of the past quarter-century — a reality check for Republicans who think last week’s election gave them a mandate to end what they call the White House’s “War on Coal.” Tied to court-ordered deadlines, legal mandates and international climate talks, the efforts scheduled for the next two months show that President Barack Obama is prepared to spend the remainder of his term clearing sweeping executive actions to combat global warming. Read more...

Wednesday News Roundup

Every Wednesday, the TFG Blog posts a series of articles published over the previous week that discusses topics of interest to local governments. Learn about emerging trends and keep up on key policy issues by browsing the TFG Wednesday News Roundup! 

Taxes, Stopgap Spending Confront Congress in Lame-Duck Session

When lawmakers return to Washington next week, expired tax breaks and a stopgap spending bill will be first on the docket for consideration. Congress must pass a continuing resolution by December 11 to avoid a federal government shutdown. Read more...

Smart Cities: Understanding the Untapped Value of Sensor Data

This fall, Chicago will install a network of 40 sensors to discover how new data sets can inform decisions that make the city a better place to live. The Array of Things initiative will begin with devices being installed on light poles that cover the city’s central business district. Every 15 seconds, the sensors will collect and report data on temperature, humidity, carbon monoxide, vibration, light and sound.  Read more...

Grey Water Systems Becoming More Popular Due to Drought

Grey water systems that take spent water from showers, bathroom faucets and washers and use it to quench the landscape are seen by some as the next step in sustainability. Southern California is Exhibit A for grey water use. Read more...

How GIS Can Aid in Emergency Management

Susan Cutter, a geography professor at the University of South Carolina, discusses the use of GIS in emergency management and the ‘why of the where’ when working with maps. Read more...

Combating Blight with Carless Development

A hamlet in Long Island is being transformed into a thriving urban center amid suburban settings. The downtown development features amenities seen in dense cityscapes, aiming to pull the neighborhood out of blight and into prosperity with economic development. Developers have acknowledged the projects design is based on the growing trend of carless neighborhoods, which are centered around major transit points for trains and buses. Read more...