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State and Local Republican Officials Shy Away From Trump's Efforts to Overturn Election Results

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Illinois House speaker’s power slipping amid federal probe … Milwaukee health workers face death threats … Florida sheriff’s office keeping list of kids seen at risk of “life of crime” … state-local spat over charity venison.

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'Good, Honest, Capable, and Willing People:' A Take on Election Administrators Goes Viral

James Young, Louisville's former director of elections, took to Twitter to defend the integrity of election workers. Twelve thousand retweets later, he explains why.

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A New Program in One State Will Help People Expunge Marijuana Convictions

A state-funded coalition of legal organizations will help Illinois residents navigate the process of criminal record expungement for pot-related offenses.

Nextgov

CIA Awards Secret Multibillion-Dollar Cloud Contract

The agency has awarded a contract to bring foundational cloud services from multiple cloud service providers into the intelligence community.

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VA Moves to Expand Its 5G Experimentation 

One of the agency’s senior innovators shed light on what’s to come—and how existing 5G pursuits have paid off in the pandemic. 

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Trump Turns to State Legislators in His Bid to Overturn Election Results

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | CDC recommends avoiding Thanksgiving travel … Biden meets with governors … Third Cincinnati council member arrested on corruption charges … Las Vegas tries to lure tech workers from Seattle and San Francisco

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The High Cost of a Looming Eviction Wave

With millions of people behind on rent, there could be a lot of evictions this winter. A new report suggests the cost of these evictions on the social safety net could be astronomical.

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Study: The Best—and Worst—State Highway Systems

North Dakota maintained its first-place ranking in the 25th Annual Highway Report, which uses 13 categories to evaluate the condition and cost-effectiveness of state-run highways.

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Military Health Officials: Electronic Health Records Rollout On Schedule and Ready for COVID Vaccine

After a pause this spring, the MHS Genesis rollout is back on track, with two deployment waves scheduled for early 2021.

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More Crucial Than Ever, EMS Agencies Are Short Staffed and Overworked

COMMENTARY | Adequately staffing emergency medical services has been a problem for some time, potentially putting lives at stake. The pandemic threatens to make shortages worse.

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Rural Public Health Staff Strained by Covid Surge, Public Backlash

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Two Minnesota state senators switch from Democratic caucus to independents, citing polarization … Plans for historic dam removal moving ahead … Matthew McConaughey for Texas governor?

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Ahead of Thanksgiving, Cities See Surge in Demand for Covid Tests

Leaders in San Francisco warned the city’s testing capacity is being overrun by people looking to travel, and urged people to just stay home.

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Why One Election Official Blocked Her Mother's Mail-In Ballot

Sara Knotts, elections director for North Carolina's Brunswick County, helped her mother complete her mail-in ballot. But then Anne Ashcraft died three weeks before Election Day, making her vote ineligible under state law.

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Lawmakers Want to Know Why a Controversial Immigration Figure Was Appointed to a High-Level NIST Job

The pair asked Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for details about the creation of a deputy undersecretary position and why Congress was not informed. 

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VA Plans for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced partnerships with other agencies Tuesday in an effort to prep for a possible COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

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Biden Names Intergovernmental Affairs Chief

STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | New Orleans nixes Mardi Gras parades due to Covid … Mississippi governor calls for axing state’s income tax … Leaders in both parties urge against out-of-state political supporters moving to Georgia ahead of special election.

Nextgov

Trump Administration to Name OPM’s Basil Parker as Federal CIO  

The chief of staff and IT and cybersecurity workforce adviser will be appointed to the top IT position in the federal government, according to the White House.

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Federal Intervention in Police Departments to Return Under Biden

The Biden administration will reinvigorate “pattern and practice” investigations into police departments and correctional facilities, while also looking to more aggressively examine prosecutors.

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One City Council Tried to Dissuade Protesters from Targeting the Governor's Private Home. (It Didn't Work.)

The city council in Orem, Utah, convened an emergency meeting to pass an ordinance restricting protests that target public officials' private homes. Two days later, protesters were back at Gov. Gary Herbert's house.

Nextgov

CISA Needs More Resources to Avoid ‘Whack-a-Mole’ Operation, Lawmaker Says

The agency shelved routine work protecting federal networks to turn its attention to pressing pandemic and election issues.