The Metro Nashville Council passed Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi billion-dollar transit plan on its first reading during Tuesday’s meeting.
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Known Criminal Arrested, Charged for Exposing Himself and Touching Woman at WeGo Bus Station: Report
A man with a lengthy criminal record was arrested and charged on Sunday for allegedly following, touching, and exposing himself to a woman at a WeGo bus station in Nashville.
Read the full storySuspect in Custody Following Stabbing at WeGo Bus Station: Report
A suspect is in custody for allegedly stabbing a homeless man at the WeGo bus station on Thursday morning in Nashville’s Edgehill community, according to WKRN.
Police were dispatched to the incident around 5:15 a.m. on Thursday about two men fighting at the intersection of 12th Avenue South and Wedgewood Avenue, the outlet reported.
Read the full storyBen Cunningham Points Out Major Concerns with Nashville Mayor’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Transit Plan
Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, is speaking out about multiple concerns with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s multi billion-dollar transit plan unveiled last month.
O’Connell unveiled his billion transit plan, “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last month.
Read the full storyOne Month After Announcing Transportation Plan Focused on More Busses, Nashville Mayor Requests Full Safety Review of City’s Public Bus Service Following Shooting
One month after announcing a transportation plan focused on more busses, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell reportedly requested a full safety review of the city’s public transportation service, WeGo, after a man was shot six times on the steps of the bus station located at Rep John Lewis Way & MLK Jr Blvd, according to WSMV.
On Thursday, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) announced that a 31-year-old convicted felon was arrested for the shooting of an 18-year-old at the bus stop earlier in the day.
Read the full storyBen Cunningham Calls Nashville Mayor’s $3.1 Billion Transit Referendum ‘Absurd’
Ben Cunningham, founder of the Nashville Tea Party, said not only does Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit referendum appear to be illegal under the IMPROVE Act, but the transit plan’s overall vision of commuters suddenly switching over to public transport is “absurd.”
O’Connell unveiled his $3.1 billion transit plan, called “Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety,” last week, which would be funded through a half-cent increase in the city’s sales tax.
Read the full storyArizona Legislature Sends Modified Prop. 400 Tax Increase Extension to Hobbs to Sign, Dividing Conservative Republicans
The Arizona Legislature resumed session this week to redraft a bill to extend Prop. 400 sales tax for public transportation. Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed an earlier version of SB 1102 that conservative legislators supported. The new version satisfied some of the conservatives in the legislature but not all of them and was sent to Hobbs.
The Arizona Freedom Caucus (AFC) issued a lengthy statement denouncing the bill and the Republicans who supported it. AFC said the earlier version would have sent the tax increase to the voters as a referendum broke down into two questions: whether to extend the tax to pay for roads and whether to extend the tax to pay for public transportation. SB 1102 combines both into one question for voters.
Read the full storyNorth Nashville Breaks Ground on New Public Transit System
WeGo Public Transit, which offers public transportation in Nashville and the surrounding areas, broke ground Thursday on its latest Transit Center.
“Today, we celebrate the groundbreaking of the Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center,” WeGo Public Transit said on Twitter. “Thanks to everyone who attended and all who have made this possible.”
Read the full storyArizona AG Brnovich and Coalition of States Fight Against Mask Mandates on Public Transportation
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich joined 22 other states this week in filing an amicus curiae brief at the appellate level opposing the Center for Disease Control’s attempt to continue a mask mandate on public transportation, which includes airplanes and buses. He sued the CDC over the requirement with 20 other attorneys general in March.
“Upholding the law is especially important during times of emergency,” he said in a statement. “Federal overreach is most often attempted under the guise of addressing a crisis.”
Read the full story‘Maricopa County Transit Slush Fund Tax’ Looks ‘Optimistic’ for Legislative Referral to the Ballot
A transportation bill dubbed the “Maricopa County Transit Slush Fund Tax” by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club (AFEC) is steadily advancing through the legislature, and its supporters say it will probably make it through the Arizona Legislature this year in a referral to the ballot. Senate Bill (SB) 1356 has passed the Senate, the Senate Transportation and Technology Committee, and the House Transportation Committee. Valley Metro’s new CEO Jessica Mefford-Miller said this week about it, “We are cautiously optimistic about SB 1356.”
Read the full storyNew Arizona Law Prohibits Mask Mandates on Government Property
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey (R) signed a bill recently banning mask mandates on Arizona government property.
“Citizens should not be required to wear a mask to access government services,” said the State Representative Neal Carter (R-Phoenix), who sponsored the measure.” This law prevents policy setting by unelected bureaucrats which, in my own experience, led to the public being denied entry to some county buildings that continued to impose mask requirements long after such mandates had been widely dispensed with or prohibited around the state.”
House Bill (HB) 2453 received “unanimous support from House and Senate Republicans.”
Read the full storyTwo Tools Track Arizona Governments, Reveal Missteps and Waste
It is National Sunshine Week, which celebrates transparency in government, including creating awareness about requesting information from governments through FOIA public record requests. In Arizona, there are two tools provided by state agencies which allow anyone to look online at some of the government spending by state and local governments. Although it is a minimal amount of data, it reveals some missteps and waste.
The Arizona State Treasurer manages AZCheckbook.com, which provides information about funding the state gets from all sources, including the federal government, and how much it is distributing to schools, cities, and towns. The Arizona Department of Administration operates OpenBooks.AZ.gov, which provides checkbook-level information about individual state expenditures, including on the city and county level.
Read the full storyNew Local Taxes for Public Transit May Be on the Way for Some Pennsylvania Counties
Public transportation funding has been a growing concern in some cities, and a proposed bill could give some Pennsylvania counties the authority to levy local taxes to support their transit systems.
Rep. Tim Hennessey, R-Chester/Montgomery, introduced HB2366 to grant Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties the ability to levy taxes “for transit and transportation systems and transportation infrastructure.”
Read the full storyPublic May Not See Net Benefit of Infrastructure Bill That Could Expand Rail in Northeastern Pennsylvania
Much fanfare surrounding infrastructure legislation in Congress focuses on road and bridge improvements, but the bill’s implications for relatively costly rail transit in northeastern Pennsylvania and elsewhere have gotten far less attention.
The current proposal to spend $66 billion on Amtrak would be the largest federal expenditure on passenger rail since the creation of the transit agency.
Read the full storyGas Tax Increase, Budget Cuts Give Ohio $2 Billion for Road Projects
Despite traffic on state highways, roads and bridges decreasing significantly in 2020, the Ohio Department of Transportation expects to spend nearly $2 billion in the next year on nearly 1,000 projects.
Traffic volume fell by 15.5% during the past year as the COVID-19 pandemic limited road travel, ODOT said. More people worked from home. Stay-at-home health orders, capacity limits, business closures and statewide curfews also reigned in optional travel.
Despite the limited driving, which also leads to less fuel consumption and less taxpayer money available, ODOT pointed to a 2019 gas tax increase, along with budget cuts, for staving off what could have billon a $3 billion swing in taxpayer money for the department.
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