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After Supreme Court Decision, Louisiana Weighs Redrawing House Maps
It was not immediately clear whether Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, would postpone the May 16 primary election for House races after the court ruled the state’s congressional districts unconstitutional.
Supreme Court ruling on voting won't change California districts, but could hurt Democrats
The U.S. Supreme Court has narrowed the Voting Rights Act over the past decade. The law in California was primarily used to help Latinos gain political representation.
City leaders to discuss security perimeters at Milwaukee entertainment districts
"The trend we're on with the violence on Water Street is very, very concerning," Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman said.
With supreme court ruling, Republicans able to marginalize Black political power
Decision gives mapmakers in Republican states power to crack districts into pieces and dilute votes into oblivion
‘It’s certainly possible.’ Louisiana Democrat worries both majority black districts in the state could be redrawn
Supreme Court limits key provision of the landmark Voting Rights Act
The decision could touch off a scramble by Republicans to redraw minority-majority congressional districts, especially in the South, that could cost many Black Democrats their seats.
Supreme Court voids majority Black congressional district in Louisiana, boosting Republican chances
The Supreme Court on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s second majority Black congressional district in a decision that could open the door for Republican-led states to eliminate Black and Latino electoral districts that tend to favor Democrats and affect the balance of power in Congress.
Incumbent Democrat resigns, leaving a vacancy in one of the Triangle's most competitive NC Senate districts
Democratic N.C. Sen. Terence Everitt announced Tuesday night that he's resigning his seat and dropping out of one of this year's most hotly contested legislative races.
DeSantis proposes new US House map for Florida aiming to flip four seats for Republicans
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has proposed a new map for US House districts that appears to show Republicans gaining an advantage in four seats now held by Democrats.
The US has a long history of changing voting districts for political reasons. Is it legal?
Under the US Constitution, political gerrymandering isn't illegal.
Supreme Court formally reinstates pro-Republican Texas voting map
The move by the court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, formalizes an interim decision it made in December to revive the map of U.S. House districts in Texas.
Why Ohio's 1st District features 2 'actual' primaries this year
In one of the country's competitive congressional districts, Democratic voters seem torn and Republican voters face a field of political newcomers.
Virginia Supreme Court considers whether to block voter-approved US House map favoring Democrats
The Virginia Supreme Court is considering whether to block new U.S. House districts narrowly approved by voters | KMBZ
Virginia Supreme Court considers whether to block voter-approved US House map favoring Democrats
The Virginia Supreme Court is considering whether to block new U.S. House districts narrowly approved by voters.
Senate budgeters advance overhauled public pension bill, setting up floor vote
The Senate Finance Committee made changes to the bill that could have far-reaching impacts for municipalities and school districts.
Joint Budget advances school separation measure - Talk Business & Politics
The Joint Budget Committee Thursday (April 23) advanced an amendment to an appropriations bill that the sponsor said is needed for four isolated schools to detach from their existing districts....
Abbott, HHSC announce $60M plan to improve rural health
Gov. Greg Abbott and HHSC unveiled $60 million in federal funding to help rural hospital districts expand prevention, wellness and chronic disease programs across Texas.
Lakeland CRA Mural Passport aims to boost tourism and business with art
A splash of color can make a huge difference in attracting people downtown and to other districts.
Michigan House plan creates earmark fund for business incentive cash
Michigan House Republican have proposed a budget that pushes unused largescale business incentive funds toward pet projects for lawmakers' districts.
Gerrymandering has a long history in US politics
Gerrymandering is proliferating in states across the U.S. Republicans and Democrats alike have been redrawing voting districts for the U.S.
Minnesota educators fight for a way to lower skyrocketing health insurance costs
As health insurance premiums continue to rise, Minnesota school districts – especially small, rural ones – struggle to find good, affordable health care coverage for their staff. Minnesota educators across the state want to be able to band together for better coverage and bargaining power in the marketplace.
Virginia votes yes on proposed congressional redistricting, AP projects
Virginia voted to approve a plan to temporarily redraw the Commonwealth's 11 congressional districts ahead of November's midterm elections, the Associated Press projects.
Metro Atlanta city approves open container rules for entertainment districts
The city will revisit how it’s working at the end of this year and again next April.
Metro Atlanta city approves open container rules for entertainment districts
The Avenue, a shopping center in Peachtree City, has requested an Entertainment District designation to allow people to walk around with drinks sold on site.
Pinwheels and the ‘lobster district’: How Virginia Democrats drew up a US House map to all but lock out Republicans
Virginia Democrats hope the new congressional map they’re asking voters to approve Tuesday will flip four Republican House districts, delivering 10 of 11 seats in a state Vice President Kamala Harris won with just 52% of the vote in 2024. To do it, they want to dramatically rework entire sections of the state, slicing up deep blue districts in the Washington, DC, suburbs and around Richmond, and creating a new district running along the Blue Ridge Mountains that connects liberal cities. That’s required something called the “lobster district,” stretching from northern Virginia into two “pincers” grabbing up rural territory.
Why some Virginia voters find redistricting ballot question confusing
When Donte Jiggetts first learned about the special election to determine whether Virginia will move forward with plans for new Congressional districts, he initially found the question confusing.
Curbside trash bins rolling out in six new districts, Mamdani says
Black trash bags, Mamdani vowed, are “in their twilight.”
Denver Pro Teams Advancing Sports, Entertainment Districts
Denver pro sports teams are looking to develop top-shelf sports and entertainment districts. The Denver Business Journal reports the Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Denver Summit FC are planning new stadiums and large mixed-use developments around their stadiums. The teams will come close to 500 acres of development between them. The Broncos plan to ...
Fed Beige Book Points to Uncertainty and Increased Business Costs - Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council
by Raymond J. Keating – The latest Federal Reserve Beige Book take on the economy pointed to sluggishness and uncertainty, with the Iran war naturally coming into the equation. Specifically, it was reported, “Overall economic activity increased at a slight to modest pace in eight of the twelve Federal Reserve Districts, while two Districts […]
States rush to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of the November midterm elections
Redistricting usually happens once a decade, but President Donald Trump sparked a mid-decade redistricting battle last year while calling on Texas Republicans to redraw their districts for partisan advantage. California Democrats reciprocated, and other states soon followed.
Worried about the midterms, Republicans mobilize rural Virginia voters against redistricting
Republican groups are mounting an intensifying, 11th-hour campaign to mobilize rural voters ahead of Virginia’s April 21 referendum to redraw its US House maps. At stake are as many as four US House seats Democrats want to redraw in their favor for the midterms. To maximize Democratic advantage, the map would put wealthy Washington, DC, suburbs in the same districts as farm communities 90 miles away, including in one misshapen district nicknamed the “lobster claw.”
Beshear vetoes bill that would have reshaped JCPS board
In his April 13 veto of Senate Bill 4, Beshear said the legislation violates the state's constitution by attempting to control the boards of Louisville and Lexington's school districts.
Democrats line up to run in Virginia congressional districts, even before voters approve them
Virginia voters are set to decide next week on a Democratic-drawn redistricting plan that could boost the party's chances in the U.S. House | TALK 980am
Donalds says FL should counter Democrats by redistricting. That’s illegal here
Byron Donalds said “Florida needs to respond” to Virginia by redrawing Congressional districts, but partisan gerrymandering is barred here.
California Republicans caught between Trump loyalty and winning swing districts
California Republicans embrace Trump at their convention while candidates in competitive races keep him at arm's length to win over voters.
“AI polls” are fake polls
A few weeks after Donald Trump’s second presidential win, I took the train up from London (where I was living at the time) to Oxford to attend a conference on polls and forecasts of the 2024 election. Most of the attendees were pollsters or academics, but I also watched presentations from Aaru and Electric Twin, two companies that do what is interchangeably called synthetic sampling, silicon sampling, or synthetic audiences. Stripped of startup jargon, that means they use large language models (LLMs) to simulate responses to public opinion polls by having AI agents take on the role of survey respondents. I had already heard of Aaru thanks to some articles with eye-catching headlines like “No people, no problem: AI chatbots predict elections better than humans” in the months leading up to Election Day. The founders were making some big, some might even say far-fetched claims, such as: “within two years, we will simulate the entire globe — from the way crops are grown in Ukraine to how that impacts production of oil in Iraq, trade through the strait of Malacca, and elections for the mayor of Baltimore.” When Semafor asked Aaru’s cofounders — Cameron Fink and Ned Koh — about my boss, they said “we respect all those who came before us.” Nate (as he so often does) shared his thoughts on Twitter: Fink and Koh were relatively good-natured about this back-and-forth when we spoke at Oxford. They even offered to mail me one of the t-shirts featuring Nate’s quote they apparently had made. I never took them up on the offer, which I now somewhat regret. These synthetic sampling companies fell off my radar for a while, but they do still exist. In fact, Aaru recently received a $1 billion valuation. Is what they’re doing anywhere close to the most important frontier in AI development? Not by a longshot, especially when Anthropic just developed a model so adept at exploiting software vulnerabilities that it’s only being released to 40 companies. Still, silicon sampling is increasingly finding its way into public polling. Axios reported in March that “a majority of people trust their own doctors and nurses” based on findings from Aaru — without mentioning that the “people” in that sentence were actually LLMs. Around the same time, the Public Sentiment Institute “boosted” their online sample of 373 real survey respondents with 114 AI agents.1 (Spoiler alert: even the co-founder of Electric Twin doesn’t think that’s a particularly defensible approach.) Polling companies like Qualtrics and Ipsos are also developing synthetic data panels. So, what should we make of these … “polls”? Let’s get one thing out of the way: whatever they are, they’re not polls in the way that term is usually defined. Subscribe You can’t replace polls with AI On one hand, using LLMs to essentially make up fake survey respondents sort of sounds like the dumbest idea ever, one that will at best imperfectly replicate real polls while introducing all sorts of biases. On the other hand, with LLMs improving at a remarkable, perhaps even alarming rate, maybe that means I’m a dinosaur at the ripe old age of 24 because I still want to rely on polls that talk to actual people. I’m not going to argue that synthetic samples are completely useless. In fact, as I’ll return to later, there is evidence that some techniques can replicate topline survey results quickly and cheaply. But the marketing from certain companies can be slightly optimistic. “No traditional poll will exist by the time the next general election occurs,” said Fink in 2024. We’re just 206 days away from the midterms, and based on the fact that I still have to collect a bunch of polls every day, I’d say he should have run that prediction by a sample of AI agents before the interview.2 To see why synthetic samples can’t replace polls, here’s a quick primer on how they work. The simplest version of these models involves taking a LLM (like ChatGPT or Claude), giving it a demographic profile (e.g., a white, college-educated woman who lives in Utah and makes $70k a year), and then asking it to respond to a survey question. You repeat that process a few thousand times using different demographic profiles and end up with a sample of synthetic survey responses. The actual models used by private companies are more sophisticated than this, usually because they incorporate more hypothesized demographic characteristics for each agent and provide them with extra information. Aaru, for example, feeds agents a diet of news and information they’d be likely to consume, while Electric Twin incorporates their customers’ proprietary data about the audience they’re trying to replicate. The way Ben Warner, the co-founder of Electric Twin, explained it to me was “we have a large amount of data on […] for instance, 5,000 people. Can we make an accurate prediction of how they would respond to another question?” Still, it should be obvious why synthetic samples can’t replace polls. Polling is fundamentally a data collection process. We might use surveys to make predictions by feeding them into election forecasts, but the main purpose of a poll isn’t prediction, it’s gathering new data about what people think and how they feel. Silicon sampling, on the other hand, produces no new data. It’s simply a model: you input LLM training data, demographic prompts, and a bunch of other information, and it spits out a prediction for what a poll would say. We love models here, but models aren’t polls. That difference is an important philosophical sticking point for most pollsters I talk to. “I think politics should stay away from [synthetic sampling], because we’re trying to […] represent the voice of the people,” said Natalie Jackson, a vice president at GQR Insights. Democratic pollster John Hagner told me: “I think I’m just incredibly skeptical of this idea. I don’t think it’s research. At that point, you’re asking the machine to tell you what you already believe.” Hagner has seen some presentations of early synthetic sampling experiments, but so far, “if it’s being used in a campaign, people are keeping it incredibly quiet.”3 But Eli, I hear you saying, aren’t polls themselves increasingly governed by modeling decisions? Indeed they are: pollsters’ choices on which sampling method to use, how to define their likely voter models, and how to weight their samples can and do lead to dramatic differences in the results they publish. Aaru even referenced these limitations in the methodology statement included with that maternal mortality “poll” — although I’m using the term “methodology statement” loosely here, because it doesn’t really explain how the model works at all. We can ignore the (frankly preposterous) implication that synthetic sampling isn’t subject to a separate set of biases. The important point is that there’s still a meaningful difference between using weighting and other statistical techniques on actual polling data and using a model to predict what a poll would say. The latter is far closer to election forecasts or techniques like MRP — potentially useful models, but not a replacement for polls.4 To be fair, other synthetic sampling companies are perfectly happy with the distinction between polls and models. Warner compared polling and synthetic sampling to different tools in a toolbox. “The mistake I think we make is we think that these new tools should either work in exactly the same way or somehow replace these old tools,” he said. “Rather than thinking of it as, okay, so we’ve always had the hammer, we’ve always had the screwdriver, now we’ve got a saw. But don’t use a saw to try [to] do the job of a hammer.” A quick comment from Nate Eli didn’t ask me for a comment — rather rude of him, don’t you think? But since I’m editing this story, I figured I’d add a few quick thoughts rather than putting words in his mouth. Beyond the frequently misleading marketing, what bothers me about the AI “poll” hype is that as AI tools make statistical inference cheaper and/or better (note that these are not synonyms) that actually increases the comparative value of collecting original data. You might be able to train a model to make a reasonable estimate of what some hard-to-reach poll respondent would say — say, a young Black man who voted for Trump. (Such a person checks a number of boxes for a voter who is usually hard to reach in surveys.) Indeed, this is closely related to what models like the Silver Bulletin forecast already do. They essentially smooth out the kinks in noisy survey data by making inferences based on past voting patterns or national polls or surveys of other states. But you don’t actually know what these voters think unless you’re reaching them directly. If there’s a shift in opinion among this subgroup, you’re not going to detect it. So if I were running a campaign, I’d invest more in going the extra mile to find a representative sample of those voters. And then I’d hire some smart quants — or Claude? — to figure out the implications for campaign strategy based on proprietary data that my competitors didn’t have access to. -Nate Silver Are these models any good? If synthetic surveys are just a new type of model, the next obvious question is whether the models are at least accurate. The answer very much depends on who you ask. On one end of the spectrum, you have the maximalist argument that synthetic sampling is more accurate than actual polls. “It’s an incredibly challenging problem to go to someone and say ‘hey, we’re going to be more accurate at predicting human behavior than you, even when you talk to your customers directly’,” Koh recently told CNBC. In his view, synthetic sampling isn’t a saw to polling’s hammer, it’s “magic.” There’s certainly evidence that synthetic samples can replicate certain survey toplines. But if Aaru does have any examples of their approach outperforming the polls, they’re keeping those to themselves.5 Aaru’s 2024 election model, for example, had Kamala Harris leading in Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin on November 4th. And although they’ve since taken down their forecast page, they gave Harris a 50.5 percent chance of winning the race on November 2nd.6 After the election, Fink told Semafor he was happy enough with those results because they were “within margin of error,” a term that is completely meaningless when applied to a “sample” of AI agents. And of course, Aaru says their models have improved since 2024, so supposedly now they’d be more accurate than the polls? Still, their stronger argument is on cost: “We are significantly faster and cheaper than traditional polling, and still more accurate,” said Fink. The first two claims are undeniably true, but the third brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum. Both Jackson and Hagner are skeptical that these models are reliable for anything beyond replicating common survey toplines. “I just […] don’t think the machines are what we want when we’re looking for nuanced views. My example on this is people in Arizona and Nevada in 2024 who voted for Trump and voted for expanding abortion in their states on ballot initiatives,” said Jackson. Hagner identified another issue. Maybe the synthetic respondents, like sycophantic LLMs, are inhuman in one important way: they’re too nice. “The reports that have come through at the meetings that I’ve been at are that the early experiments on this, they cannot get respondents to be as racist or sexist or, frankly, as negative as human respondents,” he said. Academic research mostly agrees on this point. While there are some papers that show promising results when using LLMs to replicate polling data, most show that LLMs suffer from various quirks like producing too few “don’t know” responses and can seriously overpredict the favorability of politicians like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. They also seem to struggle with too little variation between demographic subgroups, so the difference in predicted opinion between Democrats and Republicans, for example, is too small. When I asked Warner about these studies, his response to these papers was that just because academics can’t get synthetic sampling to work doesn’t mean that the technique doesn’t work in general. “Actually, the argument is, okay, yours does not [work]. That does not mean […] for this complex set of machinery, which uses a lot of investment, a lot of time, a lot of money, you can’t get it to work.” Cards on the table, I’m somewhat sympathetic to this argument because academics aren’t exactly great at making election forecasts. Usually, the people with skin in the game are the most accurate. Warner’s argument is that the approach Electric Twin takes — which includes, for example, making multiple predictions for each synthetic respondent using different models and prompts and subsequently averaging those to get a final prediction in a sort of ensemble forecast — produces better results than the simpler academic models. Warner shared a comparison between his method and the method from a recent academic paper with me, and Electric Twin was indeed able to get more accurate replication. But even still, he acknowledged that synthetic sampling “is not a crystal ball.” “If you asked me, do I think using other data sources will be more accurate than asking somebody who they will vote for, I would probably say no. But if you asked me ‘would your system be useful for our turnout modeling today?’ I would say yes.” For better or worse, it looks like the method is already getting more popular in the market research world. Most of the clients Aaru touts these days are businesses like EY and McDonald’s. And AI will probably begin to pop up in other parts of the political polling process. Pollsters are already using it to code open-ended survey responses, and some firms, like YouGov, are testing using LLMs to ask survey respondents questions. More worryingly, one danger to actual polls is that AI agents can be used to infiltrate online surveys. Most online polls use various checks to prevent that from happening, but there’s conflicting evidence on how effective those filters are and how prevalent AI agents currently are in online panels. If those agents ever become impossible to detect, it might spell the end of online polling, but the solution isn’t to replace all of your respondents with ChatGPT. Silver Bulletin is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe 1 That particular poll obviously doesn’t meet Silver Bulletin standards for aggregation. But we exclude all Public Sentiment Institute polls from our averages because we classify them as an amateur polling firm. 2 You could argue that Fink meant the next presidential election, but (a) I’m also confident we’ll still have real polls in 2028 and (b) in that case he should have asked an LLM to define “general election.” 3 Quick caveat: that’s reporting from a Democratic pollster. It’s possible that Republicans are more willing to use AI in political campaigns. 4 Indeed, Silver Bulletin does not include “polls” produced by MRP in our forecasts or averages, and we think it’s extremely misleading when their practitioners describe them in a way that suggests original data had been collected among a large number of states or Congressional districts. 5 A recent report from Aaru and EY did show two examples of a synthetic estimate being closer than a survey to a real-world benchmark — but I’d take those findings with a grain of salt because the report reads more like an ad and didn’t involve any sort of prediction being made ahead of time. 6 For comparison, our odds for Harris on the same day were 48.2 percent.
Council to seek clarity on authority to hold public vote on Rock Creek Entertainment District TIF districts
Norman City Council will consider an agenda item Tuesday that could help determine if the city has authority to hold a public vote on the Rock Creek Entertainment District tax
Detroit hiring retail director to boost stores in neighborhood business districts
Jeffrey Lewis II opened Morningside Cafe on Detroit’s east side three years ago and said he has seen growing momentum along East Warren Avenue.
5 US House races shift toward Democrats: Cook Political Report
Five House districts shift toward Democrats in new Cook Political Report analysis as the GOP and Democrats vie for control of the House during midterms.
Western NC communities now eligible for business district rebuilding grants
Local governments and nonprofits in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties can now apply for a share of $40 million to help rebuild business districts damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Western NC communities now eligible for business district rebuilding grants
Local governments and nonprofits in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes and Yadkin counties can now apply for a share of $40 million to help rebuild business districts damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Trump administration stops enforcing protections for transgender students in several schools
The Education Department said Monday it has terminated agreements that previous administrations reached with five school districts and a college aimed at upholding rights and protections for transgender students.
Trump administration ends transgender student protection deals at schools
The decision affects five school districts and a college
School news: Pine Tree math, science team wins state competition - Longview News-Journal
The latest news on student achievements, school programs and more at Longview-area districts
Dover School District doing away with health insurance provider
This comes after the provider has faced numerous problems in the last year, including quoting districts millions of dollars to help pay for a lack of funds.
New "Arts, Culture, and Entertainment District" Awaits Governor's Signature
A bill awaiting the signature of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will finalize the establishment of the Lake Wales "Arts, Culture and Entertainment District." The new Florida statute adds the city's district to a list of other Florida communities with districts permitting the consumption of alcohol while strolling the area. The downtown district was...
MSU research links mental health, school climate to attendance
Two new MSU-led studies offer fresh insight into the factors shaping chronic absenteeism pre- and post-COVID-19. Together, the findings point to actionable areas where schools and districts can intervene to improve attendance and support student well‑being.
Louisville police to deploy officers in busy public areas, entertainment districts this summer
At least 13 officers will be working seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.
L.A. LIVE, SEGA Partnership Aims to Blend Gaming With Live Entertainment
SEGA and L.A. LIVE have announced a strategic partnership to integrate gaming into one of Los Angeles’ premier entertainment districts.
The party of the rich just taxed the rich in WA. Can that hold?
About 8 in 10 of the Washington residents who will have to pay the new millionaire's income tax live in Democratic districts. Legislators there say their rich constituents are fine with it.
Gov. DeSantis says legislators can expect to be tied up in Special Sessions for up to 6 weeks
The budget, congressional districts, and property taxes all could be discussed.
Guest column: Get partisanship out to Deschutes County politics
It is time to wrench two-party partisanship out of Deschutes County politics. As a registered Independent, I joined an overwhelming majority of voters in the recent elections to make the […]
Lextran launches new $1 LexRide seasonal bus route connecting Lexington entertainment spots
A night out in Lexington is getting easier with the launch of LexRide, a new seasonal downtown circulator from Lextran that connects popular entertainment districts for $1 each way.
University of Pittsburgh commits $5 million to the city for parks, business districts and public safety
The University of Pittsburgh has committed $5 million over the next five years to support city parks, business corridor upgrades and public safety initiatives. The...
A Democratic Electrician Nabs a State Senate Seat in Republican Florida
With Brian Nathan’s victory certified, Democrats won two of three state legislative races in this month’s special elections, all in Republican-leaning districts.
A Democratic Electrician Nabs a State Senate Seat in Republican Florida
With Brian Nathan’s victory certified, Democrats won two of three state legislative races in this month’s special elections, all in Republican-leaning districts.
Entertainment Bill on Move in State Legislature
A House bill being considered to allow for the designations of entertainment districts in Osage Beach and Chesterfield appears to be on the move in the state Senate. Sponsored by the 123rd district…
Hingham Schools Eye Business Curriculum Expansion as Class Size Concerns Mount
HINGHAM - March 23, 2026 - The Hingham School Committee moved to modernize its high school offerings Monday night, reviewing a comprehensive plan to expand the “small but mighty” Business Department while simultaneously grappling with data that places Hingham as an outlier in elementary class sizes. Director of Social Studies Andy Hoey presented a two-year program review that highlighted the department’s success in community partnerships but warned that high student demand is testing current staffing limits. Meanwhile, committee Chair Jen Benham presented independent research showing Hingham is the only benchmark district with second-grade classes hitting a 25-student cap, sparking a directive for the Policy Subcommittee to review class-size standards. Editors note: South Shore News is going paid in April, subscribe now to make sure you don’t miss a story. Reach out for group or organizational pricing. Subscribe The Full Story The meeting opened with a look into the future of Hingham High School’s (HHS) curriculum. Andy Hoey, who oversees the Business Department, presented the first formal program review for the department since 2009. [15:09] Hoey characterized the department as a vital elective hub that currently serves between 14% and 27% of the HHS student body in any given year. [31:31] “We are very proud of our business department here at Hingham High School... while we’re very proud of it, we are always striving to make improvements and enhancements.” [15:55] — Andy Hoey, Director of Social Studies A key highlight of the presentation was the announcement of a new AP Business with Personal Finance course launching next year, pending enrollment. [20:08] The review team found that while the program is “well-aligned” to national standards, it remains a high-school-only offering. Hoey outlined an action plan to explore “vertical articulation,” potentially introducing business or financial literacy units at the middle school level to fill a “gap” identified between fifth and eighth grade. [41:48] However, the department faces “smoke and mirrors” regarding student GPA, according to Hoey. Currently, most business courses are “unleveled” and do not count toward a student’s GPA, which survey data suggests may deter some students from enrolling. [28:15] The committee discussed the possibility of offering Honors or College Prep (CP) credit for advanced courses, such as investing or marketing, to better reflect their academic rigor. [38:27] The discussion took a sharp turn toward elementary education during an enrollment update. Superintendent Dr. Katie Roberts noted a net gain of four students mid-year, but it was Jen Benham’s “rabbit hole” data analysis that caught the committee’s attention. [50:35] Benham researched 13 benchmark towns—representing 34 elementary schools—and found that Hingham was the only district with a second-grade section reaching 25 students this year. [51:36] Benham’s findings suggested that while many districts lack formal class-size policies, Hingham’s current cap of 25 for second grade may be too high. “I think if we could at least have 23 at a cap for grade two,” Benham suggested, noting the importance of that grade level for literacy development. [53:09], [54:55] Dr. Roberts cautioned that smaller classes require more staff, which is a significant hurdle following a budget season where nine general education positions were cut across the district. [55:56] The committee also finalized the 2025 Town Report, which was updated to be more “student-centered” and highlight staff early in the document. [11:12] Additionally, a series of food service policies were approved to align with Massachusetts’ universal free school meal mandate, including new protocols for meal modifications due to allergies or religious needs. [59:23] Share Why It Matters The meeting underscored a tension between Hingham’s desire to offer elite, specialized programming and the foundational pressure of class sizes. The expansion of the Business Department—including potential Microsoft certifications and AP courses—aims to prepare students for a “real world” where credit scores and financial literacy are paramount. [46:20] However, the revelation that Hingham’s second-grade classes are larger than those in all neighboring benchmark towns suggests a potential strain on early education that could impact long-term student performance if not addressed by the Policy Subcommittee. Official Minutes & Data Key Motions & Votes Motion: To approve the Hingham Public Schools 2025 Town Report. [13:16] Vote: Unanimous (7-0) ([01:13:28]) Motion: To approve the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for summer counselor work regarding course placement. [57:33] Vote: Unanimous (7-0) ([57:50]) Motion: To approve Policy EFBA (School Food and Nutrition/Meal Modifications). [01:00:32] Vote: Unanimous (7-0) ([01:00:44]) Motion: To approve Policy EFC (Universal Free School Meals). [01:00:54] Vote: Unanimous (7-0) ([01:01:07]) Public Comment No members of the public spoke during the meeting or via the remote link. [01:02:30] What’s Next The Policy Subcommittee will take up the review of elementary class-size caps over the next year to determine if the Grade 2 limit should be lowered from 25 to 23. [52:18] The Business Department will monitor enrollment for the new AP Business course and continue exploring dual-enrollment partnerships with Quincy College. [38:13] Source Video: Harbor Media South Shore News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
Virginia Department of Health Honors Virginia Medical Reserve Corps Program - Virginia Department of Health
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 25, 2026 Media Contact: Brookie Crawford, brookie.crawford@vdh.virginia.gov Virginia Department of Health Honors Virginia Medical Reserve Corps Program Awards for Volunteers, Partners for E.P.I.C Work RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) presented four E.P.I.C. (Engage, Partner, Innovate & Champion) Awards to recognize Virginia health districts and partners for […]
Florida Democrats flipped 2 legislative seats Tuesday. Is it a harbinger of trouble for the long dominant GOP?
Wins in districts previously carried by Donald Trump have Democrats bullish about the future.
District 27 candidate says it's "one of the most important districts in the entire country" as race heats up
State health plan for teachers faces 'death spiral,' Treasury warns
Rates expected to go up at least 10%, actuarial report says, as local districts pull their employees from system in search of lower premiums
DCCC reaches voters at the pump in 4 Florida congressional districts
The campaign will reach people in districts represented by Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna, Cory Mills and Maria Elvira Salazar.
Opinion | Why Are So Many Democrats So Far Out of Touch?
Candidates in safe districts are under no pressure to moderate in order to win.
House GOP targeting vulnerable Dems over DHS shutdown, TSA chaos
The NRCC launches paid ads targeting Democrats in 28 districts, accusing them of shutting down DHS and forcing TSA agents to work without pay at airports.
5 local schools earn top Ohio award from Gov. DeWine
Schools in five local districts have earned the Ohio Governor’s Science of Reading Champions Award.
What is a TIF and what does it mean for Norman’s Rock Creek Entertainment District?
Following the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s dismissal of a petition for a public vote, the city of Norman is moving forward with tax increment financing, or TIF, districts to help fund
Tulsa Police launch new downtown patrol division covering IDL and entertainment districts
Tulsa Police announced a new Downtown Patrol division, the first new division in 35 years, to improve safety and response times in the IDL and nearby districts.
The next redistricting battle might be who is counted in state legislative districts
A Republican push to alter the census may lead to a radical shift in redistricting for state legislatures — drawing districts that don't take into account children and non-U.S. citizen adults.
Aramark - Food Services and Facilities Management
Aramark provides food services and facilities management to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums, and other businesses around the world.
International Women's Day 2026 - Richmond City Health Department
Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8 by highlighting services for women offered at RHHD clinics, offices, and Resource Centers. “When women are healthy, our communities […]
Colorado’s congressional redistricting proposal could flip three Republican House seats
A Democrat-backed proposal to redraw Colorado’s congressional map for the 2028 election could flip three Republican districts. The proposal, introduced by a group called Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, is yet another development in a national redistricting debate after President Donald Trump called to redraw U.S. House districts. An analysis of the proposal in […]
How Mixed-Use Sports and Entertainment Districts Create Year-Round Economic Value
From stadium-anchored destinations to experience districts, successful mixed-use sports and entertainment developments are evolving into adaptable, community-centered places that deliver cultural relevance, financial performance, and economic activity every day.
Vulnerable Republicans in California's redrawn congressional districts back war in Iran
Republicans facing tough reelection fights in this year's midterms are backing President Trump's attacks on Iran, which are unpopular, according to recent polling.
Downtown office market on the mend.
New report finds office vacancy rate in the core of downtown is falling faster than other key business districts.
Why bipartisanship is disappearing from Congress
The nationwide push to redraw congressional districts mid-decade has not led to a big advantage for either political party, but it has created less competitive districts. We discuss how that reduces bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, and we discuss one lawmaker who seems to buck that trend.This episode: voting correspondent Miles Parks, congressional reporter Sam Gringlas, and political correspondent Ashley Lopez.This podcast was produced by Casey Morell and Bria Suggs, and edited by Rachel Baye.Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi.Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics.
Federal court rejects GOP-led effot to block House map that helps Democrats in Utah
A federal court ruling means the new Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year’s election.
Only a fraction of House seats are competitive. Redistricting is driving that lower
Primary voters in a small number of districts play an outsized role in deciding who wins Congress. The Trump-initiated mid-decade redistricting is driving that number of competitive seats even lower.
Why Texas' redistricting plan isn't a sure bet
Republicans pursued that goal largely by "cracking" Democratic-leaning voters across multiple districts.
Happy Beer Street becomes Edmonton's newest entertainment district
City council unanimously voted on Wednesday to create the city’s third district, alongside ones on Rice Howard Way and a section of 104 Street. Entertainment districts are places where alcohol can be purchased and consumed within a specific area during pedestrian-friendly events.
Allegheny County launches program to bolster business districts and main streets
Allegheny County launches new program to develop business districts
Allegheny County launches $4 million initiative to boost business districts
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato announced a new initiative Thursday that will provide $4 million in funding to strengthen local business districts...
Metro district legislation provides pragmatic, meaningful solution
By Sam Nizam Colorado needs more transparency and accountability in government… at all levels. And during the 2025 legislative session, one such bill made it through the process, improving transparency at the closest local level: metro districts. House Bill 25-1219, sponsored by Reps. Jacque Phillips and Carlos Barron and Sens. Kyle Mullica and Lisa Frizell, […]
These are the districts that will decide House control
The battle for control of the House of Representatives in 2026 will be decided primarily in Trump country.
Column | Republicans see a big opportunity in crowded Democratic primaries
In several states and swing districts, House Democrats have nomination contests that could prove harmful.
Edison, Indian Creek students unite for inclusive basketball game in unified sports event
Students from Edison Local and Indian Creek school districts took part in a Unified Sports basketball event Thursday, bringing together general education studen
The Shamrock Shuffle returns to four entertainment districts this March
The Shamrock Shuffle returns to four entertainment districts this March
UN agency begins clearing huge Gaza City waste dump as health risks mount
The United Nations Development Programme began clearing a huge wartime garbage dump on Wednesday that has swallowed one of Gaza City’s oldest commercial districts and is an environmental and health risk.
Roundup: St. George zoning / Small business optimism / Landry’s newest role
Overhaul: The St. George City Council will introduce an ordinance at tonight’s meeting that looks to significantly overhaul the city’s zoning framework. The proposal amends the city’s Unified Development Code by creating new base zoning districts, updating permitted uses and dimensional standards, and reorganizing sections of the code. A public hearing is scheduled for Feb. […]
‘This is in jeopardy’: Whatcom County schools’ mental health funds are drying up
School districts across Washington have been sounding the alarm for years that state funding isn’t adequately covering public education.
Fort Lauderdale experiences first weekend without open alcohol containers in entertainment districts
Politics: Iowa senator speaks out against bill capping school funding
Iowa Sen. Tom Townsend, D-Dubuque, last week in a statement slammed Senate File 2201, which would further restrict the amount of funding for public school districts.
Prioritize Heart Health - Richmond City Health Department
In honor of American Heart Month, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) encourage you to take action to prioritize heart health. “Heart health continues to be one of the top areas of health focus in our […]
Virginia Democrats Propose New Congressional Maps Ahead of Midterms
As they appeal a ruling blocking their redistricting efforts, the state’s Democrats proposed redrawing districts in a way that would strongly favor them.
Trump’s deportation push is scrambling New York’s suburban politics
Fury over immigration enforcement is dividing swing districts and putting pressure on moderate Democrats and pro-Trump Republicans.
Fort Lauderdale bans drinking alcohol outdoors in entertainment districts
Drinking alcohol outdoors in Fort Lauderdale’s entertainment districts is now against the law.
Supreme Court allows California to use congressional districts that favor Democrats
No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, as is common on the court's emergency docket.
Supreme Court lets California use new Democrat-friendly congressional map
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed California to use a new congressional map that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to keep control of the House of Representatives, marking a defeat for Republicans who claimed one of the new districts was redesigned based on race rather than politics.
Supreme Court allows new California congressional districts that favor Democrats
The Supreme Court has allowed California to use a new voter-approved congressional map that is favorable to Democrats in this year’s elections, rejecting a last-ditch plea from state Republicans and the Trump administration