Sara Wilkerson

Today, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said the state has shipped its one-millionth N95 mask as part of ongoing efforts to ensure frontline workers have access to the critical personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to limit their exposure to COVID-19. The announcement comes after Evers recently... Read More

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced that the New Jersey Department of Transportation will be awarding $161.25 million in municipal aid grants to advance road, bridge, safety, and quality-of-life improvements. Over 540 cities and towns throughout the state will benefit from the grant funds.  “These... Read More

A survey conducted by ValuePenguin, a data-based personal finance research company, shows that nearly a quarter of Americans do not plan on seeing family and friends for the holidays this year, with more than one in 10 reporting extreme loneliness heading into the winter season. More... Read More

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced more than $1.9 million in matching grants will be awarded to 161 local tourism initiatives as part of Virginia Tourism Corporation’s Recovery Marketing Leverage Program.  The tourism body revised its traditional marketing program, creating the RMLP, in an effort to support... Read More

WASHINGTON - In a Georgetown University focus group webinar of voters from Generation Z, the first-time voters expressed their excitement over participating in the democratic process, while at the same time voiced concerns about various influences on the election. The focus group explored how the youngest... Read More

A new report from the U.S Census Bureau details the employment patterns of the 3 million post 9/11 veterans in the country from 2014 to 2018. The report shows that this growing veteran population is earning more and working longer hours than those who have never... Read More

This week, NASA is preparing to help send Crew-1 SpaceX astronauts to the International Space Station for a six-month expedition in Earth’s lower orbit.  This is the first crew rotation flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket following certification by NASA... Read More

Ahead of the holiday season, Nielsen, the global marketing research firm, recently predicted the types of behaviors consumers will exhibit due to the “new normal” set by the COVID-19 pandemic. With considerations of varying financial and physical restrictions consumers will face this year, Nielsen said that... Read More

A new survey conducted by ValuePenguin, a data-based personal finance research company, shows that more than a quarter of Americans are getting less sleep and that 1 in 5 are drinking more alcohol as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 2,000 Americans were surveyed... Read More

Earlier this week, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. and Dean Phillips, D-Minn., discussed the continuously growing need to renew the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program for a second round and urged both Congress and the administration to continue bipartisan negotiations for a new COVID-19 relief deal.... Read More

TOPEKA, Kan. --Today, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced that the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, in collaboration with the Kansas Department for Children and Families, is making visible personal protective equipment available to deaf and hard of hearing individuals, their family members,... Read More

About Tillis:  Thomas “Thom” Tillis is a member of the U.S. Senate representing North Carolina.  His current term ends on January 3, 2021. Tillis is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate against Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham.  Originally born in Jacksonville, Fla., on August 30, 1960,... Read More

About Hegar:  As a young girl, Hegar’s dreams of becoming a military pilot were dismissed with claims that “the front is no place for a woman.” Unwilling to back down, Hegar became a commissioned officer in the Air Force after graduating from the University of Texas.... Read More

Yesterday, Reps. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., and Michael Waltz, R-Fla., sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe and Attorney General Bill Barr requesting an official briefing on Russian and Iranian interference in the 2020 election. The request... Read More

This week, the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank based in Washington, D.C, hosted Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. and Dave Joyce, R-Ohio,  for a discussion of rural broadband access in connection with telehealth and education. The discussion was part of the American Congressional Exchange Program from... Read More

Gallup has released a new survey showing President Trump’s job approval rating at 43.3%, marking one of the lowest approval ratings for an incumbent during his 15th quarter in office. The Gallup poll comes ahead of the last presidential debate this week before the 2020 election... Read More

A new survey released from Alignable, the country’s largest online referral network for small businesses, shows 45% of consumers shifted from shopping at local businesses to purchasing goods from national, online retailers when they were most concerned about COVID. The survey also showed that 68% of... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Last week, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y. and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., announced their plan to introduce a pair of bills that take a holistic and community-based approach to addressing the growing crisis of childhood trauma. The announcement comes as a response to the... Read More

With less than three weeks to go until the 2020 presidential election, the Trump campaign is ramping up its efforts to recruit poll watchers for November. Approximately 50,000 poll watchers are projected to be recruited for President Trump’s reelection.  Awareness and concern over election monitoring has... Read More

WASHINGTON - This week the Blue Dog Coalition hosted a roundtable discussion with experts in the K-12, higher and tribal education fields on rural education and workforce development. Blue Dog member Rep. Kendra Horn, D-Okla., moderated the roundtable discussion on behalf of the Coalition.  Horn recently... Read More

On Wednesday, Rep. Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y., was honored by the American Farm Bureau Federation with their prestigious “Friend of Farm Bureau” award, an honor bestowed on lawmakers in recognition of their agricultural efforts for their farming communities. To receive the award, lawmakers need to have a... Read More

Today the CATO Institute, a non-profit public policy research foundation, released its 15th biennial fiscal policy report card on the nation’s governors. This year’s CATO report card examines the country’s governors and their state budget actions since 2018.  Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation was... Read More

Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and his House colleagues recently introduced the Federal Worker Leave Fairness Act of 2020, legislation that will allow all federal workers to carry over their earned annual leave received during the coronavirus pandemic. Approximately 2 million federal employees would benefit from the... Read More

A new survey conducted by the Rand Corporation researchers indicates that most schools were not fully prepared for remote instruction and prolonged school closures at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Rand researchers compiled responses from 957 elementary and secondary school principals across the country from... Read More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released guidelines for fall holiday celebrations. As part of the recommendations, the CDC ranked traditional celebratory activities for Halloween and other fall holidays to help Americans celebrate the autumn season safely amid the ongoing pandemic.  As a preface,... Read More

The North Dakota Department of Transportation is hosting photo identification events at tribal reservations this week in an effort to help Native Americans vote in the 2020 election. Non-driver photo ID cards will be given by NDDOT to those who qualify.  On Monday and Tuesday, NDDOT... Read More

Tonight’s debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden is the candidates’ first, and perhaps best chance to define the rest of the election, according to a panel of seasoned political advisors assembled by the Boston Globe. Monday’s webinar focused on presidential debate... Read More

Third Way recently added new additions to its ACADEMIX Upshot series, a short-form research series dedicated to examining the impact of COVID-19 on America’s education system. Academic experts across the country have contributed to Third Way’s series since it first launched this past summer.  According to... Read More

As part of the second day of its four-day festival, the Atlantic Festival held multiple panels featuring college leaders and providers discussing college reopenings and the lasting impact of the pandemic on the higher education landscape in the future.  In a conversation moderated by Ron Brownstein,... Read More

As part of the kickoff of its four-day festival, the Atlantic Festival featured a panel of women leaders in areas of media, economics, government and more discussing the pandemic’s impact on their professions and America’s future.  Moderated by staff writers and editors of The Atlantic, the... Read More

Fortune Magazine announced its annual “Changing the World” list of 50 companies that have tackled society’s most pressing needs and have made a positive and innovative social impact on the world. The 2020 “Changing the World” list marks Fortune’s sixth iteration of the annual list.  According... Read More

The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, hosted a webinar on student civic engagement featuring student leaders and other experts as part of its second annual celebration of Constitution Day.  The webinar focused particularly on the civic engagement of Generation Z college-age students, who... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House passed the Equity and Inclusion Enforcement Act (EIEA), legislation on Wednesday that will restore students’ and parents’ right to hold schools accountable for racial discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EIEA was brought to the House... Read More

WASHINGTON - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Strength in Diversity Act 2020, legislation that will provide funding for voluntary desegregation initiatives across the country. The Strength in Diversity Act was brought to the House by Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, and authored by Rep. Robert... Read More

BOISE, Idaho – Idaho leads the country in financial stability due in part to Republican Gov. Brad Little’s deregulatory measures since taking office, which helped spur an economic rebound for the state as tax revenues beat projected revenues by $37 million last month and as the... Read More

Yesterday, Rep. Antonio Delgado and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in an effort to push Congress to pass the bipartisan-supported RESTART Act, which will help live event venues, small and mid-sized businesses which have been hit the hardest by the... Read More

Community colleges saw a nearly 6% decline in enrollments this summer due to uncertainties stemming from the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community colleges were not the only institutions to face enrollment losses. Public four-year, rural institutions... Read More

The presidential race between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is tightening in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a new poll from Monmouth University shows, with Biden holding a 4-point lead over Trump in the key swing state. According to the report, 49%... Read More

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and leaders in Connecticut’s entertainment industry called on Congress to pass the Save Our Stages Act, otherwise known as the SOS Act, which would provide Small Business Administration grants for independent live music and event operators impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants... Read More

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to produce strains on key cornerstones of society, the education system in America is faced with its biggest challenge yet: students returning to the classroom. To find out more about how students are feeling as they return to college, The Well... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A Florida judge struck down a state order Monday that required "brick and mortar” schools in the state to be open five-days-a-week by the end of the month. Judge Charles Dodson of the Leon County Circuit Court ruled the order unconstitutional. Shortly after... Read More

SEATTLE - A federal judge ruled last week in favor of Seattle Attorney General Bob Ferguson's request to block a Department of Education rule that required school districts to either share a larger percentage of federal funding with private schools or limit federal funding to certain... Read More

TOPEKA, Kan. - Yesterday, the Kansas Department of Children and Families announced the state will officially allow food stamp recipients to purchase food online using a Kansas Benefits Card, or EBT Card, at retailers Amazon and Walmart.  In a press release, Kansas DCF Secretary Laura Howard... Read More

SALEM, Ore. - Starting this week, those who are unemployed in the state of Oregon can apply for a one-time $500 stimulus check on a first-come-first-served basis at select financial institutions. As many as 77,000 Oregon residents will be eligible to receive the benefit check.  The... Read More

A week after a derecho ripped through their state, Iowans remain in the midst of a humanitarian crisis as they attempt to recover from the devastating wind storm. Nearly 47,000 residents remain without electrical power, over 8,200 Iowan homes were damaged, and a third of the... Read More

The UK hosted its first large scale concert with social distancing at the forefront, bringing in 2,500 concert goers on 500 separate elevated platforms spaced six feet apart to see UK rocker Sam Fender perform onstage. The success of the concert offers a newfound glimpse into... Read More

Confidence in two of America’s institutions hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic – health care and public education – has risen sharply for Americans since last year, according to a recent Gallup poll measuring America’s confidence in its top institutions.  Since the start of the COVID-19... Read More

In an effort to help companies bring workers safely back amid the pandemic, a new initiative called the COVID-19 Diagnostics Commons was announced in late July as a collaborative effort between Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions and the World Economic Forum, with support from... Read More

Despite renewed concerns over a summer resurgence of the coronavirus, nearly half of the world’s movie theaters are back in operation, according to new data from the United Kingdom’s Gower Street Analytics. Gower Street, a film tech company that provides analytics services to film distributors and... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. – The city of Albany has initiated a traveling street fair for residents to socialize at a distance and to learn about local resources. The street fair, called Playstreets, was started last month and its next fair will take place on August 14.  Among... Read More

The Homebound Project, a digital theater initiative created by a volunteer coalition of theater directors, producers, stage and screen actors, has raised over $100 thousand in its efforts to provide funds for No Kid Hungry, a national organization driven to help children living in hunger. The... Read More

As schools across the country consider their learning options for the upcoming academic school year, a new Gallup poll says fewer parents favor full-time in-person instruction, suggesting a shift in parental preferences from late May.  At the end of the last school year in late May... Read More

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has warned officials who already postponed a local election once due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, they would be violating the law if they attempted to move the election again, this time to next year. Round Rock, Texas Mayor Craig Morgan... Read More

As the United Kingdom sets out its plan of guiding and supporting its arts industry amid the pandemic, the sector remains in a state of crisis as freelancers in the British theatre sector consider leaving the profession and theatres face the threat of permanent closures.  According... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Gilbert Cisneros, Jr., D-Calif., is the co-sponsor of a bipartisan bill aimed at providing financial relief for independent, non-chain restaurants within the restaurant industry. The Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed to Survive Act of 2020, shortened as the RESTAURANTS... Read More

Results of a recent Gallup poll show 34% of Americans believe that there should be more immigration, rather than less, the highest in the poll’s 55-year history. Support for immigration is up from the 27% found in the same poll last year. As support favoring increased... Read More

Angie Benson, a freelance theatrical musician based in northern Virginia, minced no words about her beliefs during a recent conversation with The Well News. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, “the arts are essential,” she said.  “Now more than ever,” she added. Over the course of her career,... Read More

As governments and businesses across the U.S. continue to struggle with the question of when and how to resume outdoor sports and entertainment events, the United Kingdom is moving ahead with plans to restart this segment of its economy. If these efforts are successful, they could... Read More

WASHINGTON - June is always an anxious time for new graduates, but there’s never been a summer in memory as stark for new job seekers as this one. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, nearly 40 million have lost their jobs, and though the reopening... Read More

WASHINGTON - A Coalition of Democratic and Republican House members have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to request Congressional funding to plug "orphan" oil and gas wells across the United States.  The letter was co-authored... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Senate Democratic caucus has sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging him to bring the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, which grants citizenship to so-called dreamers and certain other classes of immigrants, to the Senate floor for a vote. The... Read More

Trade agreement talks between the United States and the United Kingdom have been tabled for the foreseeable future over a disagreement concerning agricultural practices. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer revealed the impasse during testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee last week. Lighthizer, who spent... Read More

The cancellation of the 2020 Iowa State Fair due to ongoing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus isn't just a blow to those who love carnival rides, live music, fried Twinkies and an almost unimaginable array of food items on a stick. It also removes... Read More

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in February, Americans have struggled to find information they believe they can trust on the rate of infection, the death rate and what they should be doing to protect themselves, a new Gallup/Knight Foundation poll found. The poll was... Read More