Technology
Red-light Cameras Generate Revenue, Controversy
Traffic moves past a red-light camera in Knoxville, Tenn. Red-light cameras reduce traffic accidents, at least on some corners. But critics say they are mostly designed to generate millions of dollars in revenue for cities and states. (AP) Florida drivers who were caught by red-light cameras paid more than $100 million in traffic fines last […]
State Regulators Step In On Ridesharing Controversies
Lyft driver Nancy Tcheou waits in her car after dropping off a passenger as a taxi cab passes her in San Francisco in January 2013. Internet-enabled ridesharing services such as Lyft, Uber and Sidecar are challenging the business models of regulated taxi and limousine companies, and state regulators are being asked to referee the disputes. […]
Govs Urge Action to Thwart Cyberattacks, Computer Hacking
A Hawaii Air National Guard member explains routing equipment he helped set up in Hawaii’s new cyber range on the University of Hawaii, an example of what states are doing to defend computer systems from attack. (AP) Prominent on the website of South Carolina Gov. Nikki R. Haley is a banner and button that says: […]
Drug Giants Brawl Over Copycat Drugs
A researcher works in a lab at Momenta Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Mass., which makes generic versions of biologic drugs. In many state legislatures, manufacturers of brand-name biologics have clashed with companies that make generic copies. (Getty) The year 2013 began with the promise of a state-by-state, coast-to-coast battle between the makers of brand-name medications derived […]
Auditors Prod Customs to Speed Border Crossing Times
(AP) The federal agency that oversees border checkpoints says it will need more than 3,800 new officers to fix delays that waste millions of dollars every year while cargo trucks sit in long lines to cross the U.S.-Mexican border. But the Government Accountability Office, in a report Wednesday, questioned the need for so many new workers […]
As Smartphones Spread, So Do Laws To Keep Drivers’ Hands Off Them
(AP) Arizona, Montana and South Carolina are the only states left without distracted driving laws, after a three-year span when lawmakers in other states cracked down on drivers who talk, text or browse on mobile devices. And drivers in those three hold-out states should still beware. Police in Arizona can ticket distracted motorists for reckless […]
States Scramble to Attract Suddenly Hot Cybersecurity Firms
Julian Cohen, a senior at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and a founder of the weekly “Hack Night,” meets with students in April. These students are studying to become cybersecurity experts to hopefully foil hack attacks. (AP) As data dragnets and information breaches dominate the news, states are scrambling to cash in on […]
There’s an App for That State Service
State Service Apps Utah Professional License Lookup Nebraska Capitol Live Report a Pest Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Mississippi Blues Trail Ready TN Yes Virginia Oh, Ranger! After a long day of slogging through the woods, Arkansas hunters used to have to check in their game at the nearest mom-and-pop establishment. At the end of […]
Feds Look to Partner With States on Cybersecurity
Now that Web-basedtechnologies control everything from the electric grid to the water supply,cyberattacks on critical infrastructure have become the most pressing threat tonational security, according to a national intelligence report to Congress. Andy Ozment,senior director for cybersecurity at the White House, embraced states as keypartners in efforts to secure the nation’s assets. “You own andoperate […]
After Boston Bombings, a Failure of Communications
Police on the scene after a reported shootout in Cambridge. The manhunt that followed the Boston Marathon bombings required law enforcement agencies from multiple states and all levels of government to communicate with one another. (Getty) As law enforcement desperately hunted the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the city’s reliance on commercial cellular wireless carriers became […]
Facebook Partners with Attorneys General in Teen Online Safety Campaign
Facebook’s logo is reflected in the eyeglasses of a user in San Francisco. Facebook is working with state attorneys general on an online safety campaign for young social media users. (Getty) Facebook COOSheryl Sandberg will appear with 19 state attorneys general in a public educationcampaign to encourage safer teen behavior online. Facebook’ssafety team will provide […]