Transportation
Route 66, America’s ‘Mother Road,’ readies for its centennial
From its earliest days, Route 66 has reflected the American culture of the moment. When the road connected Chicago to Los Angeles in 1926, it represented the possibility of the automobile. In the 1930s, it served as an east-to-west escape route from the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. By the 1950s, the 2,400-mile highway […]
Top State Stories: Washington bans sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles
WA: Washington bans sale of AR-15s and other semi-automatic rifles, effective immediately seattletimes.com Washington has become the 10th state to prohibit sales of AR-15s and dozens of other semi-automatic rifles, as Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee signed the ban into law, effective immediately. The state Capitol was closed to the public for the signing ceremony out […]
Lawmakers in Some States See a Need for Higher Speed Limits
Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine didn’t mince words last month when he weighed in on a legislative plan to increase speed limits on certain Ohio highways: He was a no. “Every expert that you talk to can tell you that the data clearly shows that if we increase the speed limit, even only by five […]
Spring Brings Commerce, Concerns for States Along Mississippi River
DUBUQUE, Iowa — As Old Man River slowly awakens from its winter slumber, eagles work the edges of the opening channels and marina docks groan as the slow current wrestles the ice. Anglers — and an occasional whitetail deer — tread cautiously on the big river. Just like any other early spring on the Upper […]
Top State Stories 3/20
SC: 9 Republicans in South Carolina have pulled support from abortion bill nbcnews.com Nine South Carolina Republicans who had co-sponsored one of the most severe anti-abortion proposals in the country have since withdrawn their support, reversing course on a measure that proposed applying the state’s homicide laws to people who undergo abortions. OH: Ohio pulls […]
Top State Stories 3/17
IA: Iowa House passes ‘bathroom bill’ focused on transgender students desmoinesregister.com The Iowa bill would prohibit people from entering a school restroom or changing room that does not align with their sex at birth. Students would need parental consent to request a special accommodation, such as using a faculty or single-occupancy restroom. The bill now heads […]
States Consider Ending Right on Red to Address Rising Pedestrian Deaths
SEATTLE — For nearly five decades, drivers in much of the United States have taken for granted a privilege unknown in much of the rest of the world: Arrive at a red light, stop, and if the intersection is clear, turn right even if the signal isn’t green. But as states have seen traffic fatalities […]
This Region Has the Fewest Electric Vehicles. Here’s Why.
The Lakota named the Badlands, calling the sharp, stark canyons and buttes “mako sica.” Centuries later, French-Canadian trappers and traders likewise chronicled “les mauvaises terres a traveser” or “bad lands to travel across.” Interstate 94 has tamed the former Dakota Territory, turning the journey into a 75-mph blur of chasms and color, but it remains […]
Top State Stories 2/16
CA: California’s population dropped by 500K in 2 years as exodus continues latimes.com The California exodus has shown no sign of slowing down as the state’s population dropped by more than 500,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by nearly 700,000. California has been […]
‘Ghost Buses’ Haunt Transit Agencies and Frustrate Riders
Noah Appelbaum was freezing on a bitterly cold evening as he stood waiting at a Chicago bus stop earlier this month. He was headed to work and didn’t want to be late. The bus-tracking app on his smartphone kept showing that the next bus would be there in just a few minutes. But that time […]
Top State Stories 1/31
US: California is the lone holdout as 6 other states agree to Colorado River cuts apnews.com Six Western states that rely on water from the Colorado River have agreed on a model to dramatically cut their use, months after the federal government called for action and an initial deadline passed. California — with the largest […]
With Howitzers and Helicopters, States Trigger Road-Clearing Avalanches
One morning last week, after more than 31 inches of snow fell in the previous two days, Utah transportation workers opened a huge garage-like door in a building near a state highway and fired a military howitzer up a mountain in the Salt Lake Valley. The explosion triggered several avalanches that buried State Route 210 […]