Year: 2025

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #176

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    Welcome to Hall Pass, a newsletter written to keep you plugged into the conversations driving  school board governance, the politics surrounding it, and education policy.  In today’s edition, you’ll find: Reply to this email to share reactions or story ideas! On the issues: The debate over Illinois’ universal mental health screening requirement in schools In…

  • California identifies more than 4,000 companies subject to emissions reporting

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    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: Around the world ESG funds drive defense sector boom in Europe What’s the story? European defense and aerospace stocks have risen about 300% since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the Financial Times. ESG investment funds—once reluctant to include weapons makers—are now a major factor in…

  • Missouri veto referendum campaign seeks to place new congressional map on 2026 ballot

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    In Missouri, signatures are being gathered for a veto referendum to place the newly redrawn congressional district map on the 2026 ballot. A veto referendum is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that asks voters whether to uphold or repeal an enacted law. Placing the map on the ballot would mean it would not go into effect…

  • On this date in 1889, Washington voters decided which city should be the state capital

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    Washington state residents voted on Oct. 1, 1889, to determine the location of the state capital. No one city achieved a majority, leading to an election between the top three in 1890. The City of Olympia had acted as the capital for the Territory of Washington since 1853. With the people’s approval of the Washington…

  • California Proposition 50 becomes the 10th most expensive ballot measure in the state's history

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, Oct. 1, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: California Proposition 50 becomes the 10th most expensive ballot measure in the state's history With five weeks until the election, Proposition 50 is the 10th most expensive ballot measure on record in California. As…

  • Two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are up for the first time since 2022

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    Welcome to the Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Two seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are up for the first time since 2022 Two of five seats on the Georgia Public Service Commission are up for election on Nov. 4.…

  • California Proposition 50 becomes the 10th most expensive ballot measure in state's history, with five weeks to go

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    Proposition 50 became the 10th most expensive ballot measure on record in California on Sept. 26, 2025, with five weeks until the election. As of Sept. 26, campaigns for and against the ballot measure had raised a combined $122.3 million. Supporters of Proposition 50 reported $84.9 million in contributions, while opponents reported $37.5 million. This…

  • School board incumbents won by larger margins in 2024 than in their previous races

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    Welcome to the Monday, Sept. 29, Brew. By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: School board incumbents won by larger margins in 2024 than in their previous races Tens of thousands of school board elections take place each year, and in many of those races, incumbents are running…

  • Estimates show one-third of U.S. House districts were majority-minority districts in 2024

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    Using data provided in the United States Census Bureau's 2024 American Community Survey estimates published in September 2025, and based on districts enacted after the 2020 census, there were 148 U.S. House majority-minority districts. This represented approximately 34% of the nation's 435 U.S. House districts. A majority-minority district is a district in which a racial…

  • Seven candidates are running in the general election for Albuquerque mayor

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    Seven candidates are running in the general election for mayor of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on November 4, 2025. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff on December 9, 2025. The mayor serves a four-year term, and there are no term limits. Incumbent Tim Keller and challengers Mayling…