In the wake of Hurricane Helene, which killed 103 people and caused an estimated $53 billion in damages, North Carolina has received significant aid for recovery efforts, including over $1.1 billion in state relief and billions more in federal requests. The storm, considered the state’s worst natural disaster, has prompted both state and federal governments to take action, though criticism has followed regarding the adequacy of those efforts.
The Pinellas County Commission has approved a $312.5 million bond issue to finance its part of a new $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 5-2 vote, which was delayed twice, allows the county to move forward with selling the bonds, contingent on the Rays meeting their obligations under the deal. The approval follows the St. Petersburg City Council’s earlier vote to approve its $287.5 million share of the project on December 6.
A powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu, causing significant damage, including to the U.S. Embassy and several other foreign missions in the capital city.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has confirmed that radioactive material went missing in transit earlier this month, raising concerns about public safety and fueling theories about mysterious drone activity over New Jersey.
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor Review Commission et al., which involves the Catholic Charities Bureau's request for a religious tax exemption in Wisconsin.
The California Energy Commission approved a $1.4 billion plan to create more chargers for electric vehicles (EVs). The policy would result in an estimated 17,000 new chargers.
Illinois’ pension crisis continues to deepen, with the state's unfunded pension liability reaching $143.7 billion, according to the latest report from the Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (COGFA). This figure is $1.5 billion higher than last year and marks the second-highest total since 2020, when the liability hit $144.2 billion.
