Charlottesville, Virginia, Mayor Targeted By Anti-Semitic Tweets
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: San Francisco may press Lyft, Uber for data exchange; Kansas City gun violence spike; and West Virginia and its ‘Land of No.’
CITY HALLS | Charlottesville, Virginia, Mayor Mike Signer has been targeted with anti-Semitic tweets following his denouncement of this weekend’s white nationalist gathering protesting the city’s sale of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The mayor was quick to point out that Saturday’s protest tactics, which included the group using lit torches, harkened “back to the days of the KKK.” "I want everyone to know this: We reject this intimidation," Signer said. "We are a welcoming city, but such intolerance is not welcome here." [Daily Progress; Reuters]
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s administration plans to press ride-booking companies like Uber and Lyft to share more of their data in order for the city to better assess impacts on traffic congestion. Thus far, details are few and far between about what the data exchange would look like. City transportation officials said discussions are preliminary. [San Francisco Examiner]
The mayor of Charleston, West Virginia, blasted the state’s House of Delegates and its Republican speaker for being stubborn obstacles in the way of the state finalizing a budget. Mayor Danny Jones, in a statement released Monday said that Speaker Tim Armstead “is the Speaker from the ‘Land of No’—no plan, no budget, no progress, no nothing.” Jones continued: “If the Speaker cannot provide leadership toward a workable budget solution, we will share the facts and the House roll call votes with everyone who contacts our office to complain about a state road or bridge in Charleston that continues to deteriorate.” [MetroNews]
STATE GOVERNMENT | The U.S. Census Bureau has released its 2015 Annual Survey of State Government Finances, which includes findings that show revenues, expenditures, debt, and cash and security holdings for each state, as well as a national summary of state government finances. [U.S. Census Bureau]
South Dakota’s two-year-old Obligation Recovery Center has placed $1.25 million back into the state’s coffers through the end of April. Thousands of residents owing unpaid fines and taxes have seen their hunting and fishing privileges revoked and been unable to renew their driver’s license or obtain vehicle registration. [Rapid City Journal]
LOCAL ELECTIONS | At least 11 small boroughs in Western Pennsylvania—places like Bolivar, Derry, Manor and Smithton—are having trouble drumming up enough candidates to run for open borough council seats. These locally elected positions are often thankless jobs that only pay a small stipend, if there’s any compensation at all. One hamlet, Avonmore was forced to cut its council from seven seats to five, but is still struggling to get enough people on the ballot. [TribLive]
LAW ENFORCEMENT | From 2014 to 2016, Kansas City, Missouri, saw a 64 percent spike in non-fatal shootings, an increase from 290 in 2014 to 477 last year. While gun violence in Missouri’s largest city impacts all areas of the city, it’s more pronounced in a handful of neighborhoods. [The Kansas City Star]
During two sweeps, officers from Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement arrested 17 people who were in the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park on the island of Kauai without a valid permit. Three of the people arrested had been living for awhile in the park, which is closed to the public. Some of those arrested had been posting about their activity in the park on social media. [Honolulu Star Advertiser]
The city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has released a plan detailing the process that will be used to select a new police chief, which will include community representation on the selection committee. The current chief, Fred Fletcher, plans to retire in July when his contract expires. [WTVC-TV]
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