Widows of Fallen Officers Request Dallas Mayor Not to Attend Ceremony
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: North Carolina’s paltry federal disaster recovery funds; San Francisco mayor’s new 9-1-1 call pledge; and Ohio’s woeful nursing home rankings.
CITY HALLS | The Dallas Fraternal Order of Police has asked Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings not to attend a ceremony that honors fallen law enforcement officers, a request that underscores the rocky relations between Dallas City Hall and first responders over pay and the city’s pension crisis. A letter from the union’s president to the mayor says that “several widows” have requested that Rawlings skip the memorial service, citing his "lack of support for public safety." [KXAS-TV / NBCDFW]
San Francisco will seek within the next two months to meet the national standard for answering 90 percent of 9-1-1 calls in 10 seconds, Mayor Ed Lee said on Tuesday. A staffing shortfall has contributed to lags in answer times. “I want that 10 second turnaround standard to be there right now and then I want everybody to help me figure out what it is that we can do to get the best talent,” Lee said. Xiu Li, a representative of SEIU 1021’s 911 chapter, questioned the feasibility of the mayor’s goal. “He would literally have to create a building where they can give condos [or] apartments to dispatchers so that they can live close to home,” Li said. [San Francisco Examiner]
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray Tuesday ended his re-election campaign for a second term in office. Murray was sued about a month ago for alleged child sexual abuse in the 1980s. He maintains that he is innocent. “It tears me to pieces to step away,” Murray said. “But I believe it is in the best interest of this city that I love.” [The Seattle Times]
DISASTER RECOVERY | In a letter to President Trump and congressional leaders, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper decried the paltry amount of federal disaster assistance for Hurricane Matthew recovery efforts: $6.1 million. That’s less than 1 percent of what the $900 million Cooper had requested for his state. [The News & Observer]
OPIOID EPIDEMIC | Maine recorded its first drug overdose death that’s been attributed to the powerful and dangerous opiate Carfentanil—which is used in elephant tranquilizers—according to the state attorney general’s office. [Portland Press Herald]
STATE WORKERS | California’s Senate will take up a House bill that would repeal part of a Red Scare law allowing state government to fire communist employees. Advocating for the forceful, violent overthrow of government would remain illegal, but the 1940s and 50s fear communists are trying to infiltrate operations has clearly waned. Well, maybe not with everyone. "This bill is blatantly offensive to all Californians," said Assemblyman Travis Allen, a Republican. "Communism stands for everything that the United States stands against." [The Sacramento Bee]
SENIOR CITIZENS | A new study of the level of care at nursing homes by the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University shows that Ohio is among the worst when it comes to 10 quality measures used by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. [The Columbus Dispatch]
MEMORIAL | South Carolina government employees get Wednesday off to observe Confederate Memorial Day, in honor of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s passing from pneumonia after being struck by friendly fire. Not all employees support the holiday, but legislative debate over the issue is dead. [The State]
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