NEWS: March 17, 2016
Public Health | Flint, Mich.
EPA Chief Warned of 'Very Big' Crisis
Months Before Agency Took Action
Last September--months before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an emergency order requiring the state and city to take immediate steps to protect residents of Flint, Mich., from lead-contaminated water--EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy warned that the city's water crisis could "get very big," according to newly released EPA emails.
>> Reuters
Newark Schools' Lead Problem Known About for Years
As they prepared to test some 17,000 young children for lead poisoning, Newark, N.J., school officials acknowledged that water in the city's schools had contained elevated levels of lead for years.
>> New York Times, NJ.com
Prosecutors Probing Lead Levels in NYC Public Housing
Federal prosecutors are conducting a sweeping investigation of environmental conditions, including cases of elevated blood lead levels, in New York City's public housing and homeless shelters.
>> New York Times
Higher Education | The Nation
Indiana, Syracuse Named Top Public-Affairs Grad Schools
The graduate program at Indiana University-Bloomington's School of Public and Environmental Affairs and Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs tied for the No. 1 spot for public-affairs programs in the latest U.S. News and World Report graduate-school rankings. The public-affairs graduate schools at Harvard, Princeton and the University of Georgia took the next three spots.
>> Bloomington Herald-Times, U.S. News and World Report
Wisconsin Chancellor Cites 'Troubling' Hate, Bias Incidents
Citing "a troubling string" of hate and bias incidents, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank announced several measures, including accelerating the hiring of two mental-health professionals dedicated to diversity and climate and rolling out a program to teach students cultural competency.
>> Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Feds Move to Shut Down Student Debt Relief Company
A federal judge has approved an order to shut down a student debt relief company, Student Loan Processing, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has accused of illegally charging upfront fees before providing any services to unwitting borrowers.
>> Washington Post
Transportation | The Washington, D.C., Region
Metro Chief: Subway Shutdown
Aimed at Building 'Safety Culture'
In ordering a 24-hour shutdown of the region's rail system to inspect subway power cables for fire hazards, Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said he also hoped to send a forceful signal to Metro's employees that he is determined to put passengers' security first regardless of other consequences. "This is what a safety culture looks like," Wiedefeld said.
>> Washington Post
Study: Transit Agencies Should Embrace Ride-Sharers
Public transit providers shouldn't shy away from partnerships with companies like Uber and Lyft, according to an American Public Transportation Association-commissioned study saying that the more people use ride-sharing the more likely they are to use transit.
>> Washington Post
Technology Management/Cybersecurity | The Nation
IG: VA Hasn't Resolved 9,500 Cyber Security Risks
The Department of Veterans Affairs is still too slow to respond to cyber-incidents, does not consistently review security logs for mission-critical systems and is plagued by weak passwords, according to an inspector general's report listing some 9,500 previously identified security risks the agency has not resolved.
>> Nextgov
NIST Revising Telework Guidelines over Cyber Concerns
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is revising its telework guidance to address cybersecurity concerns associated with employees who access work content on their personal devices.
>> Nextgov
California's Tech-Agency Chief Resigning
Carlos Ramos, the head of California's state technology department since 2011, announced his resignation, effective at the end of March, in an email to employees that did not detail his future plans.
>> Sacramento Bee
The Judiciary | Washington, D.C.
Top Federal Judge Retires Amid
Accusation of Sexual Assault
Richard W. Roberts, the chief judge of the District of Columbia's federal court, cited unspecified health issues in retiring on the same day a Utah woman filed a federal lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting her decades ago when she was a 16-year-old eyewitness in a murder case Roberts was prosecuting. Roberts' attorneys called the allegations "categorically false" and said Roberts intends to "vigorously challenge" them.
>> Washington Post
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VIEWPOINT
The Military | Paula Thornhill
Where Do 'Guardian Forces' Belong?
"Guardian forces" are the increasing numbers of military and non-military personnel who perform national-security tasks far from direct violence, such as those who combat cyber threats, operate satellites or remotely control drones. While they are increasingly critical to the nation's security, they often fit uneasily into the longstanding conception of U.S. military service. Maybe it's time Congress and the administration considered pulling some of these functions out of the Defense Department.
>> Defense One | More commentaries
QUOTABLE
“It's not just people sitting behind screens.”
Federal Chief Information Officer Tony Scott, saying that as the government builds a workforce better equipped to prevent cyber intrusions it is looking beyond tech people and seeking experts ranging from economists to cultural anthropologists to human-resources, sales and marketing specialists
>> Nextgov | More quotes
DATAPOINT
769,903
Number of Freedom of Information Act requests processed by federal agencies in fiscal 2015, a record high and a 19 percent increase from fiscal 2014, with the Department of Homeland Security showing the biggest increase by exceeding its 2014 amount by more than 110,000, according to the Office of Information Policy
>> Federal News Radio | More data
UPCOMING EVENTS
Coming soon:
ASPA's Annual Conference
The most comprehensive public-administration event of the year begins tomorrow in Seattle. The theme is "New Traditions in Public Administration," and its sessions will offer an array of educational options -- panels, workshops, round tables -- along with hundreds of public-service experts for learning and networking. For more information and registration, click here. |
Engaging Local Government Leaders
Technology Efficiency Webinar
Today, 1 p.m. ET
Heritage Foundation and Federalist Society
Discussion: "Should the Chevron Doctrine Be Abandoned or Modified?"
Today, 1-2:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
Brookings Institution
Book discussion: "The Book of Secrets: the History of the President's Daily Brief"
Today, 2-3:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
American Enterprise Institute
Book event and discussion: "The Penultimate Curiosity: the Interplay of Science and Religion over 30,000 Years"
Today, 5:30-6:45 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C.
American Academy of Certified Public Managers
Annual Professional Development Conference
March 18-19, Seattle
American Society for Public Administration
Annual Conference
March 18-22, Seattle
Council of the Great City Schools
Legislative/Poliucy Conference
March 19-22, Washington, D.C.
>> Full events listings
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