Vermont City Wants to Be an Opioid 'Role Model'; Iowa Mayor's Solution for Local Minimum Wage Hikes
Burlington, Vermont
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Colorado's marijuana "gray market" dangerous?; Trump supporters harass Seattle council member; Florida panther's river crossing a good sign.
OPIOIDS | Burlington, Vermont’s new opioid policy coordinator, Jackie Corbally, is advancing a new data-driven approach to combatting drug abuse and addiction. The effort is called CommStat. It will involve regular meetings with representatives from nonprofits and state and local agencies. The aim will be to track trends in a variety of data that covers areas like arrests, overdoses and foster care. "We can be a role model for the country," said Corbally, who has been at her job for about six weeks. [Burlington Free Press]
MINIMUM WAGE | Iowa should boost the state wage floor from $8.60 to $9.10 an hour, if it wants local governments to stop raising their minimum wages, according to Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett, a potential 2018 candidate for governor. [Quad-City TImes]
MARIJUANA | Colorado’s “gray market” for marijuana poses a “clear and present danger” said Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday. Concerns about the gray market focus on pot that’s grown legally in Colorado but sold illegally—possibly in other states. “I take this very seriously,” Hickenlooper said. “This is one of the things we worried about in the very beginning. But when we see the evidence, we better respond.” [The Denver Post]
PROTESTS | After she called for protests against Donald Trump’s inauguration as president, Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant said her office has been bombarded by angry phone calls and messages. Video of Sawant’s remarks at a rally last week in Seattle has been viewed widely online. “Go hang yourself” and “Go back to India,” are among the comments people have made in emails directed to Sawant, according to the Council. [The Seattle Times]
PANTHERS | The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is celebrating a female panther crossing the Caloosahatchee River, which could ensure the survival of the endangered species of about 200 cats that need to expand their territory and breed but are mostly male north of the waterway. [NPR]
CITY FINANCE | Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, nearing the end of her time in office, said Monday she would bypass the City Council with a plan to sell four city parking garages to raise up to $60 million for recreation centers. "I have no desire to do an end run around the council," the mayor said. "I've been pushing for over two years to simply ask for a hearing. I wish that hearing could have happened. It didn't. ... We found a way to push forward." [The Baltimore Sun]
CLEAN ENERGY | Eighty-seven percent of New Jersey residents believe investing in clean energy is important to overall state health, but government is not matching public desire with clean energy initiatives, according to a new Fairleigh Dickinson University poll. [NJ.com]
ELECTORAL COLLEGE | “They don’t deserve to be mistreated by someone just because that person doesn’t agree with the outcome of the election,” said Idaho Secretary of State Lawerence Denney of the state’s four Republican electors, who have received calls harassing them to change their votes from President-elect Donald Trump. Idaho is one of 21 states that doesn’t force electors to comply with the result of the national election. [Magic Valley]
NEXT STORY: Marijuana Legalization is Sweeping the Country, but DEA Isn't Moving