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Daily Archives: September 21, 2017

America’s Best Cities for Public Transportation

24/7 Wall St: “In a report card assessing the nation’s infrastructure issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, transit in the United States received a grade of D-. Despite increasing demand, much of the nation’s public transportation infrastructure is plagued by under investment and insufficient maintenance. The average vehicle used in public transportation is 8.3 years old. In a number of transit systems, the average vehicle is more than 30 years old. Over the past 15 years, there have been nearly 10,000 fatalities and more than 1 million injuries on public transit nationwide — more than 6 for every 1 million miles traveled. There have been nearly as many reported collisions, derailments, fires, security issues, and other accidents. Public transit vehicles lost a total of 663,000 hours in 2015 to breakdowns and other unscheduled delays. Despite the overall dismal state of the nation’s transit systems, some cities offer quality public transportation that provide residents with a practical alternative to driving as well as a number of other economic, environmental, and social benefits. To determine the cities with the best public transportation systems, 24/7 Wall St. created an index of various measures related to transit infrastructure and ridership.”

Click here to see the full list of cities with the best public transportation systems.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

Know Your Rights: Whistleblower Protections for Federal Sector Employees

POGO – Know Your Rights: Whistleblower Protections for Federal Sector Employees. “The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) has put together this web resource to help federal sector employees learn more about their whistleblower rights. The information here is just a starting point and is not legal advice. The legal information POGO provides closely follows the… Continue Reading

Highly ideological members of Congress have more FB followers than moderates do

Pew: “The most liberal and conservative members of the 115th Congress have attracted more Facebook followers than moderates, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis [See full methodology here (PDF).]. In both legislative chambers, members’ ideology is a strong predictor of the number of people who follow them on Facebook. The most liberal and… Continue Reading

Domestic Terrorism Prosecutions Outnumber International

Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “While terrorism prosecutions involving extremists affiliated with ISIS grab the headlines, international terrorists make up only a small proportion of all terrorism prosecutions that take place each year in the United States. The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during the first eleven months of FY 2017 less… Continue Reading

Appellate court rules tracking cellphones without a warrant unconstitutional

Washington Examiner: “The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday [September 21, 2017] that it is unconstitutional for law enforcement to use certain technologies that allow the tracking of a suspect’s cellular phone without a warrant. The ruling reversed a decision of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that allowed police to use… Continue Reading

U of Wis – Using Infographics in Strategic Planning & Assessment

“The UW Law Library engages in regular strategic planning and assessment of our effectiveness in achieving our mission and realizing our goals.  At the beginning of the academic year, we develop a strategic plan consisting of three parts: our mission and vision, our ongoing key priorities, and a selection of strategic initiatives on which we… Continue Reading

DOJ, 18F Report on “Discovery Phase” of National FOIA Portal

“Today, OIP is pleased to announce the results of its collaboration with GSA’s 18F team on the discovery phase of development of a National FOIA Portal.  As we enter development, we want to again solicit both public and agency participation in providing feedback on our work. The FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 directed the Office… Continue Reading

Report – Paper Remains Preferred Technology for Productive Learning

Paper and Packaging Board: “…Paper plays an important role in productive learning, which happens to be the theme of our annual Paper and Productive Learning: The Third Annual Back-to-School Report. By productive learning, we mean the ability to take in and understand new information. The human brain’s preference for the spatial and tactile makes paper… Continue Reading

Secure EDGAR data breach exploited for possible insider trading w updates

Statement on Cybersecurity Chairman Jay Clayton, Sept. 20, 2017 “…Notwithstanding our efforts to protect our systems and manage cybersecurity risk, in certain cases cyber threat actors have managed to access or misuse our systems.  In August 2017, the Commission learned that an incident previously detected in 2016 may have provided the basis for illicit gain… Continue Reading