Author: Samuel Wonacott

  • COVID-19 emergency orders still active in 25 states

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    At the start of the pandemic, governors and state agencies in all 50 states declared active emergencies related to the COVID-19 virus. These orders allowed officials to access resources unavailable to them during non-emergencies, like stockpiles of medical goods and equipment, and temporarily waive or suspend certain rules and regulations. Half of all states remained…

  • An update on US Senate retirements

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    Welcome to the Monday, February 28, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Inhofe announces retirement from U.S. Senate Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court  West Virginia U.S House delegation shrinking from three to two sets up primary between two representatives Inhofe…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #3

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    On the issues In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. The debate over partisan and nonpartisan school board elections Below, Aaron Churchill, a research director for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, writes that…

  • Redistricting updates from North Carolina and Rhode Island

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, February 23, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Redistricting roundup—North Carolina and Rhode Island Buckle up—Texas’ statewide primaries are six days away!   Election spotlight: Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District Republican primary Redistricting roundup—North Carolina and Rhode Island We’re entering the final stretch of…

  • The origin of President’s Day

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    Welcome to the Monday, February 21, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott It’s President’s Day—here’s a brief history Today is President’s Day—an annual federal holiday that falls on the third Monday of February. Here’s a quick history about the holiday—and the presidency.  If you have a favorite fact about the office or presidents, reply to this email…

  • San Francisco voters recall three school board members

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    Welcome to the Thursday, February 17, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Voters recall school board members in San Francisco and Nebraska Sixty-seven statewide measures in 31 states certified for the ballot this year Texas primary election preview Voters recall school board members in San Francisco…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #2

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    On the issues In this section, we curate reporting, analysis, and commentary on the issues school board members deliberate when they set out to offer the best education possible in their district. The debate over masking in classrooms CNN opinion columnist Jill Filipovic writes that the CDC needs to stop promoting the generalized recommendation for…

  • The most abortion-related statewide ballot measures since 1986

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    Welcome to the Wednesday, February 16, Brew.  By: Samuel Wonacott Here’s what’s in store for you as you start your day: Abortion-related statewide ballot measures: the most in 36 years Redistricting roundup Texas gubernatorial Republican primary Abortion-related statewide ballot measures: the most in 36 years Since 2000, there have been just two general election cycles…

  • Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #1

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    Welcome to Hall Pass. This newsletter keeps you plugged into the conversations driving school board politics and governance. Each week, we bring you sharp commentary and research from across the political spectrum on the issues confronting school boards in the country’s 14,000 school districts. We’ll also bring you the latest on school board elections and…

  • Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and three challengers vie for the Republican primary nomination

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    Four candidates are running in the Mar. 1 Republican primary election for Texas Attorney General—incumbent Ken Paxton, George P. Bush, Louis Gohmert, and Eva Guzman. Paxton was first elected Attorney General in 2014. In June 2021, he received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump (R). Paxton said, “As the values conservative endorsed by President…