Featured Articles
Cyber Attacks Against Public Entities and Laws Banning Payments
Cyber attacks against governments worldwide increased 95% in the second half of 2022 over their 2021 numbers, according to a report from an AI based cyber company, CloudSek. In general, the number of cyber-attacks, especially those involving ransomware, are sharply increasing.
Climate Change - State and Local Governments Step Up
As climate change worsens, its impact on public entities, among others, continues to increase. Because there is an inability at the federal level to reach agreement as to some of the most significant steps necessary to address carbon emissions, the major cause of climate change, the pressure on state and local governments to act sooner rather than later grows.
Police Excessive Force Incidents—Impact on Local Government Pocketbooks
In May 2020, the world was shocked by video of a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer using force sufficient to cause the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, after he was stopped by police investigating him for passing a counterfeit $20 bill at a local convenience store.
Mass Shooting Incidents on the Rise—Impact on Educational Institutions
In the first 3 weeks of 2023, there were 39 mass shootings in the United States. As of March 1, 2023, there were a total of 94 incidents in 2023 that meet the Gun Violence Archive’s (GVA) definition of a “mass shooting.”
Student Mental Health—Increasing Needs
Every 2 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducts a survey of health behaviors and experiences among a representative sample of approximately 15,000 U.S. high school students.