The Jefferson Exchange

2 days ago | ijpr.org | Justin Higginbottom

The Tehama County Board of Supervisors this week tabled an urgency ordinance that would have limited new well permits in areas at risk of land subsidence, where the ground surface sinks. The move followed studies showing sinking ground in parts of the county, a phenomenon linked to declining groundwater levels due to drought and agricultural use.

3 days ago | ijpr.org | Jane Vaughan

To balance the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, the county had to use reserves and one-time grants to fill a budget deficit. But those funding sources are finite and running out. As a result, county commissioners are now discussing ways to create long-term financial stability. Commissioner Derrick DeGroot said at a Tuesday meeting that a voluntary resignation or retirement program could be part of a broader budget strategy.

6 days ago | ijpr.org | Megan Myscofski

Now, California lawmakers are looking for ways to limit health care provider shortages and burnout, while also keeping the budget balanced. Some see potential solutions in artificial intelligence. Oakland Democratic Assembly member Mia Bonta co-led a recent joint hearing on AI and health care from the Health Committee and Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee. She highlighted the prospect of cutting administrative waste.

1 week ago | ijpr.org | Emmanuel Akinwotu

KHARTOUM, Sudan — In a crowded hospital ward, 30-year-old Alawiya Zakaria sits clutching her 1-year-old daughter, Sabba, in her arms. The child is painfully thin, her bones and skull protruding under her skin, her feet and stomach swollen from severe malnutrition. Zakaria said she feared the worst before she undertook a four hour walk to get her daughter to Al Buluk Pediatric Hospital in Omdurman, a city across the White Nile River from Khartoum, the capital city where Zakaria lives.

1 week ago | ijpr.org | Monica Samayoa

Oregon’s clean trucks rules sought to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks and to increase sales of electric trucks over the next ten years. But last week Congress voted to revoke a waiver that allowed California to adopt stricter vehicle standards – and that allowed Oregon and other states to follow that lead. Oregon environmental advocates say losing this waiver could set back the progress the state has made to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector.