All Eyes on Eroding N.C. Dam; Fla. Voter Registration Extended 1 Week
People paddle a kayak between homes flooded from Hurricane Matthew in Lumberton, N.C. Chuck Burton / AP Photo
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: New York state agency in hot water; no REAL ID compliance extension for Kentucky; and building good public spaces in Boise.
MOORE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT | Residents living downstream from a dam stressed by Hurricane Matthew’s floodwaters can breathe a sigh of relief, for now. Authorities warned local residents that the privately owned and “perennially challenged” Woodlake Dam, located near the town of Vass, was in danger of collapse due to an eroding spillway but the structure “is no longer considered an imminent failure, but it is still a serious situation,” according to Bridgette Munger, spokesperson for the state division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources. A local television station obtained state records earlier in the year that found that hundreds of North Carolina dam owners, in those at Woodlake, didn’t have emergency plans on file with the state as of Dec. 31, 2015, the deadline to do so. [The Pilot; WSOC-TV]
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA
VOTER REGISTRATION | Citing Hurricane Matthew, a federal judge extended Florida’s voter registration by one week until next Tuesday. Democrats sought the extension because of the tumult associated with asking more than 1 million residents to evacuate, while Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s attorneys opposed the move. “No right is more precious than having a voice in our elections,” said U.S. District Judge Mark Walker. “Quite simply, it is wholly irrational in this instance for Florida to refuse to extend the voter registration deadline when the state already allows the governor to suspend or move the election date due to an unforeseen emergency.” [Miami Herald]
ALBANY, NEW YORK
OVERSIGHT | An agency overseeing New York facilities that care for disabled people has no record of sending abuse or neglect complaints to the state’s Medicaid inspector general. The reports help keep over 120,000 disabled people in state care safe, because the inspector general can stop the flow of Medicaid funding to facilities with poor practices. "The law requires them to report," said Michael Carey, an advocate for the disabled. Carey pointed to at least 18,000 confirmed cases of abuse and neglect that should have been forwarded. He said failing to pass along the complaints amounts to fraud against the federal government, which pays half of New York’s $65 billion in annual Medicaid expenses. [Associated Press]
BOISE, IDAHO
URBAN PLANNING | Weaving small parks and leisure spaces into Boise’s “urban fabric” is a key goal for local leaders here as a building boom unfolds in the city. While some spaces might include amenities like playgrounds or dog-walking areas, others could be more basic, with nothing more than benches. “If you are going to have a dense place, then you also have to have good gathering spaces and good public spaces,” City Council President Elaine Clegg said. “So that, in return for living in a more dense place, you get these other amenities. And that makes it both more livable and also more sustainable.” [Idaho Statesman]
PORTLAND, OREGON
TRANSPORTATION | An independent audit has found that transportation officials aren’t collecting enough data on the city’s recently deregulated taxi industry to effectively provide oversight of those services. Auditors found that taxi companies are consistently failing to report required information on wait times, ride cancellations and more. Some companies may be intentionally deflating or inflating certain figures in order to avoid fees. In addition to a lack of data, several safety issues were identified in the audit. For example the city collects aggregated crash data from companies, but fails to collect figures that would allow them to single out problem drivers. [The Oregonian]
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY
STATE AND FEDERAL RELATIONS | A one-year extension allowing Kentucky time to update its driver’s licenses in accordance with federal guidelines expired without action. The state wants another year, but there’s been no movement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, but Gov. Matt Bevin earlier this year vetoed a bill that would’ve brought Kentucky in line with the federal mandate. More than 20 states’ extensions expired Monday, and, to get a new one, proof of progress toward compliance is required. Without an extension, Kentucky would have until January before state-issued IDs are no longer accepted to enter federal facilities and until January 2018 before they’re no longer valid at airports. [Courier-Journal]
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