Year: 2025

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #182

    Posted on

    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 religious charter schools In this section, we curate reporting,…

  • Trump weighs executive order to limit proxy advisors

    Posted on

    In this week’s edition of Economy and Society: In Washington, D.C., and around the world Trump weighs executive order to limit proxy advisors What’s the story? The Trump administration is considering an executive order that would reduce the influence of Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the two largest proxy advisory firms in the…

  • Incumbent Daniel Crenshaw (R), Steve Toth (R), and four others are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 2nd Congressional District on March 3, 2026

    Posted on

    Incumbent Daniel Crenshaw (R), Steve Toth (R), and four others are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 2nd Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline is December 8, 2025. As of November 2025, Crenshaw and Toth led in fundraising and local media attention. The Texas Tribune's Gabby Birenbaum described Toth as "aligned…

  • Progressives maintain majority on Minneapolis City Council, lose veto override power

    Posted on

    Photo of the city of Minneapolis' skyline.

    All 13 seats on the Minneapolis City Council were up for election on November 4, 2025. While the Minneapolis municipal elections are officially nonpartisan, media outlets reported the council's progressive bloc maintained a seven-member majority but lost the ability to override Mayor Jacob Frey's vetoes. Nine votes are required to override a mayoral veto in…

  • Only nine state supreme court justices have lost retention elections since 1990

    Posted on

    Welcome to the Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025, Brew.  By: Lara Bonatesta Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Only nine state supreme court justices have lost retention elections since 1990 Thirty-eight states require supreme court justices to run for re-election, including 20 that use retention elections. Retention elections are elections where…

  • OIRA issues new memo on deregulation

    Posted on

    Highlights from this edition of Checks and Balances include a new Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) memo that expedites agency deregulation, and an Ohio Supreme Court ruling against courts’ deference to Industrial Commission interpretation of safety requirements. In Washington OIRA issues new memo on deregulation On Oct. 21, the White House Office of…

  • Where could abortion be on the ballot in 2026? Ballot measures qualified in Missouri and Nevada, proposed in five other states

    Posted on

    In 2026, voters in seven states may decide abortion-related ballot measures. Two measures—one in Missouri, and one in Nevada—are certified to appear on the ballot next November. There are five other potential measures in Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, and Virginia. In Missouri, voters will be deciding on Amendment 3, which would overturn an amendment voters…

  • Utah becomes the sixth state with a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections

    Posted on

    Welcome to the Tuesday, Nov. 18, Brew.  By: Briana Ryan Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Utah becomes the sixth state with a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections Utah became the sixth state to adopt a new congressional map ahead of the 2026 midterms. On Nov. 10,…

  • Bexar County, Texas, voters approve two ballot measures to increase tax revenue for stadiums

    Posted on

    Voters in Bexar County, Texas, approved two ballot measures on Nov. 4 — Proposition A and Proposition B — related to raising certain taxes and allocating revenue from the taxes towards the development of local arenas. Both measures increased the county's hotel occupancy tax rate from 1.75% to 2% and established that revenue from both…

  • Wisconsin becomes the 21st state to adopt a K-12 cellphone ban in 2025

    Posted on

    On Oct. 31, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed Assembly Bill 2 requiring school boards to adopt policies to prohibit cellphone use during instructional time.  The Wisconsin Assembly passed the bill 53-45 on Feb. 19 with mostly Republican support. Fifty-three Republicans voted in favor. One Republican and 44 Democrats voted against it. On Oct. 14,…