Rural Minnesota Facing the ‘Beginning of the Wave’ of Homeless Senior Citizens
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Florida’s newest invasive species; sanctuary city fights in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Yakima; and marijuana decriminalization in Kansas City.
HOMELESSNESS | Social service workers are fearing a surge in homeless senior citizens in the state. "I think we're starting to see the beginning of the wave," according to the executive director of a homeless shelter in Moorhead. "And I'm not sure how broadly this is being engaged yet. It needs to be talked about." The challenge is being felt particularly hard in more rural areas of the state, where some caseworkers are dealing with a sizable increase in seniors who are homeless for the first time in their lives. "If they've never experienced homelessness and they're in their 60s or 70s, it's just a huge shock to her system and they don't know how to respond," a case worker said in Detroit Lakes. [Minnesota Public Radio]
IMMIGRATION | Several justices on the Massachusetts Supreme Court seem to be setting the stage for the commonwealth to become the latest legal battleground in the fight between “sanctuary cities” and the federal government. The highest court in the state has been asked to decide if Massachusetts law allows local police to hold someone for an immigration violation without having a warrant, judicial order or probable cause. [The Boston Globe]
Ocean County, New Jersey board members, all Republicans, want their jurisdiction off Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s declined detainer list. The county’s inclusion was due to a “bureaucratic error” related to a now-defunct 2014 policy, where the local Department of Corrections would not hold undocumented immigrants charged with minor offenses for 48 hours on ICE’s behalf. “We are not a sanctuary county, nor has Ocean County ever had an interest in being a sanctuary county,” said Freeholder Jack Kelly. [Asbury Park Press]
In Yakima, Washington, city councilmembers have been discussing various policies related to law enforcement and undocumented immigrants. What started with an inquiry about “sanctuary cities” evolved into debate over a “welcoming city” policy and then to an “inclusive public safety policy,” which has also been scuttled in council proceedings. [Yakima Herald]
CRIMINAL JUSTICE | Voters in Kansas City, Missouri, have decided to lower penalties for those found to be in possession of small amounts of marijuana. The measure lowers the maximum fine for possession to $25 and eliminates jail time as a punishment. Previously, the highest penalty was $500 and up to 180 days in jail. The changes only apply to those with cases before the Kansas City Municipal Court for dependents in possession of 35 grams or less of the drug. [The Kansas City Star]
INVASIVE SPECIES | Scientists in Florida worry they may have discovered the state’s latest problematic species—it’s being described as a stationary snail with “strange spider-like powers.” The creature was first identified on a shipwreck seven miles south of Key West in 2014 by a marine biologist named Rüdiger Bieler. In 2014, Biegler found three snails. But when he returned to the site just 19 months later, the three individuals had multiplied into a colony that covered the sunken ship’s deck. “It was amazing,” he said. “Just looking at the rail on this sunken vessel, you could see hundreds.” [Miami Herald]
PUBLIC EDUCATION | A proponent of legislation that paved the way for charter schools in Kentucky expects opponents to try to have a measure signed into law by Republican Gov. Matt Bevin declared unconstitutional. "I would be stunned if they didn't challenge it," said Todd Ziebarth of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. [Courier-Journal]
FUEL | Biodiesel is booming in Iowa with more than half of state fuel retailers carrying it last year—a 6 percent increase from 2015. In 2006, the state legislature passed a law mandating that 25 percent of all petroleum used in gasoline be replaced with biofuels by 2020, and currently it’s at 12.2 percent. [Quad-City Times]
TRANSPARENCY | Philadelphia City Council will hold 15 hearings on Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed $4 billion budget but exactly zero on its own president’s proposed $17.1 million budget. City Council President Darrell Clarke has instead directed the public to ask all questions pertaining to his budget at two of the 15 hearings. The budget is three times the amount at which council members require agencies to testify before them to justify their proposed spending: $5 million. [Philly.com]
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