Day: October 16, 2020

  • Documenting America's Path to Recovery: October 16, 2020

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    Welcome to Documenting America’s Path to Recovery, where we track the status of reopening in all 50 states. Today we look at new restrictions in Nebraska and New Mexico, the extension of the state of emergency in Vermont, travel restrictions, and more. Want to know what happened yesterday? Click here. The next 72 hours What…

  • Ohio state government employee asks SCOTUS to consider class-action lawsuit over refunds for previously paid union fees

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    Ohio state government employee asks SCOTUS to consider class-action lawsuit over refunds for previously paid union fees            On Oct. 8, attorneys for an Ohio state employee petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up his class-action lawsuit, in which he is seeking refunds for the dues he and other non-member employees were required to…

  • Three individuals linked to Biden campaign travel test positive for COVID-19

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    October 16, 2020: Three individuals linked to Biden campaign travel tested positive for COVID-19. Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee, and joint fundraising committees raised $248 million in September. Notable Quote of the Day “Wisconsin is proof that politicos have short memories. In 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry carried Wisconsin by just 0.4 percentage points…

  • Nine presidential candidates are each on more than 10 state ballots

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    Thirty-six presidential candidates are appearing on at least one ballot across the 50 states and Washington, D.C., on November 3, 2020. This is more than the 31 presidential candidates who also appeared on at least one ballot in 2016. Three candidates are appearing on the ballot in all 51 jurisdictions: • Former Vice President Joe…

  • Ballotpedia study finds that 36 state APAs limit ex parte communications between hearing officers and the parties involved in agency adjudication

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    A Ballotpedia survey of all 50 state constitutions and administrative procedure acts (APAs) revealed that 36 state APAs limit ex parte communications between hearing officers and the parties involved in adjudication, as of October 2020. No state constitutions restrict contact between agency hearing officials and parties in a case. Ex parte communications are any form…

  • Two Wisconsin school board members named in recall petition after voting to continue virtual learning

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    An effort to recall Robert Hesselbein and Minza Karim from their positions on the Middleton-Cross Plains School District Board of Education in Wisconsin began in October 2020. The effort started after the board voted 5-4 on September 28, 2020, to keep students in virtual learning for the rest of the first semester of the 2020-2021…

  • Oregon, Washington, D.C. to vote on ballot measures that address psilocybin, also known as magic mushrooms

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    In November, Oregon could be the first state to approve a ballot initiative, Measure 109, that legalizes psilocybin. Washington, D.C., is also voting on a measure related to psilocybin and other entheogenic plants and fungi. Currently, psilocybin, which is derived from certain species of fungi, is listed as a Schedule I controlled substance under the…

  • How much debt does your state’s government have per person?

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    The average per capita debt across all 50 states in 2018 was $3,600. Nineteen states were above this per-capita average, with 31 states below. In 2000, average state debt per capita was $1,942. In 2018, the states with the least debt per capita were:  Tennessee ($929 per capita) Nebraska ($1,068) Nevada ($1,135) Georgia ($1,266) Florida…