Sara Wilkerson

Retailers and restaurants are taking control of their future by adapting to evolving consumer behaviors via technology use and operating efficiencies says a new study released from Square Inc. Square’s “Future of Retail” and “Future of Restaurants” reports provide a glimpse into what investments businesses are... Read More

NASA will be making its most precise and technologically complex landing yet when its Perseverance rover lands on Mars later on this week. The landing will be the space agency’s fifth rover mission on Mars.  “Perseverance is NASA’s most ambitious Mars rover mission yet, focused scientifically... Read More

Earlier this week, the Census Bureau released a report brief that shows higher education attainment levels have increased for Americans over the past 15 years. Data gathered for the report was sourced from the American Community Survey, an ongoing survey initiative under the Census Bureau that... Read More

WASHINGTON - New polling data conducted by Hart Research on behalf of Protect Our Care, a health care advocacy organization, shows that Americans across party lines support healt hcare reforms as the top priority for the Biden administration. The same poll also shows that voters support... Read More

A new report from the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental research center based in California, outlines how Congress can effectively tackle climate change while creating millions of jobs in the process. The report aims to prioritize specific climate change policy goals amid a gridlocked Washington, D.C.  In... Read More

A new study from DealAid.org shows that over 70% of Americans have made a donation to charitable organizations in 2020, a near 10% increase from those who donated to charities in 2019. Over 1,100 Americans were surveyed to determine how charitable giving has changed due to... Read More

WASHINGTON – As part of the first session in the 117th Congress, Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D- Va., and Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, reintroduced legislation to support youth apprenticeship programs in Central Virginia and across the country.  The Strengthening Youth Apprenticeships Act of 2021 will direct the secretaries... Read More

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - This week, Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., reintroduced the bipartisan Ocean Pollution Reduction Act II, legislation that simplifies the city of San Diego’s required permitting process to operate the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. The legislation will solidify the region’s water security and... Read More

The Library of Congress has announced a new multiyear initiative called “Of the People: Widening the Path” in an effort to connect more deeply with Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and other minority communities by expanding its collections, using technology to enable storytelling and offering more internship and... Read More

In a Monday webinar hosted by Iowa Democrat Rita Hart, Hart’s attorney Marc Elias disputed Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks' recent motion of dismissal for Hart’s contention with the state’s 2nd Congressional District election results.   Hart, who ran for the House of Representatives against Miller-Meeks, lost the November... Read More

A new study published by the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on underserved rural colleges and surrounding communities could endanger the stability of local economies, health care systems and social mobility for the foreseeable future.  The study, a research... Read More

President Biden has signed an executive order detailing his administration’s policy plans to reopen schools safely for quality, in-person instruction. The order also details how the administration will begin tackling long-term effects that were created and exacerbated by the pandemic, such as learning loss and educational... Read More

President Joe Biden has directed the Department of Education to extend its pause on federal student loan payments and collections until September 30, 2021.  The directive was part of a series of executive orders that the newly sworn in president signed during his first few days... Read More

Recently, Virginia officials released an updated revision of the state’s interim guidelines for reopening K-12 schools in a letter sent to Virginia educators and public health officials. The move comes one day after the Centers for Disease Control published a new study indicating that K-12 schools... Read More

This week, Southern Company, an energy company serving nine million customers throughout the country, announced that it has developed a sustainable financing framework that will allow the company and its subsidiaries to issue bond investments for eligible sustainable projects.  Southern Company is among one of the... Read More

Earlier this week, Idaho Governor Brad Little announced his “Building Idaho’s Future” plan, a comprehensive proposal that will impact the state’s budget into 2022. The plan features more than $450 million in tax relief and strategic investments in critical infrastructure projects such as education, transportation, public... Read More

As the first week of the new year comes to an end, the vaccine distribution system across the country continues to face numerous challenges in producing an effective rollout as the public remains confused on who is supposed to get the vaccine, as states experience delayed... Read More

TRENTON, N.J. -- Recently, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy passed a historic $14 billion legislation package that will benefit small businesses, local economies and more as the Garden State ushers in economic recovery and growth for years to come. The landmark New Jersey Economic Recovery Act... Read More

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting 9/11 veterans, recently praised the 116th Congress for backing the National Defense Authorization Act. The passage of the NDAA comes after Congress recently overrode President Trump’s veto of the legislative package last month. ... Read More

A joint report from the Center for Responsive Politics and the National Institute on Money in Politics, non-profit organizations dedicated to researching and tracking election finance, reveals that women participated in record numbers during the 2020 election cycle.  There are several key highlights derived from the... Read More

LANSING, Mich. - Today, the Michigan state legislature passed Senate Bill 748, a bipartisan bill that provides $465 million in COVID-19 economic relief from state and federal tax revenues. The spending plan was passed earlier today in Michigan’s state House of Representatives after being passed 35-2... Read More

A new report from Information Services Group, a leading global technology research and advisory firm, reveals that cloud-based information-technology use increased dramatically as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that forced companies to transition to work-at-home environments. Cloud providers like Amazon Web Services are among the... Read More

Earlier this week, Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., announced his $365 million equity package that is part of his 2021-2023 state budget proposal. The equity package announcement is part of the governor’s weeklong policy rollout initiatives that will be a part of Washington's state budget.  In a... Read More

Recently, the Problem Solvers Caucus endorsed two proposed rule changes to the House of Representatives that would make the legislative body more effective and member-driven. The House rule reform changes were spearheaded by Rep. Van Taylor, R-Texas, in partnership with Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., and Rep.... Read More

This week, a group of prominent Washington D.C. think tank organizations sent a joint letter to Congressional leaders urging them to prioritize bipartisan-backed legislation that would benefit America’s college students. The letter was sent to the House and Senate minority and majority leaders, as well as... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington D.C.- based think tank, recently released a pragmatic agenda policy report detailing nine policy recommendations for how Congress can help advance economic opportunity and financial security for America’s working families. The report’s release coincides with the BPC’s Solutions... Read More

A new survey report from Gallup suggests that Americans’ positive outlook on their mental health is on a nine-point decline from last year, a new low point in Gallup’s 20-year history of measuring Americans’ view on their mental health. The Gallup poll was conducted shortly after... Read More

WASHINGTON – Third Way, a Washington D.C.- based think tank, launched its inaugural “Wine with Wonks” virtual series this week that features scholars from its ACADEMIX Upshot series in an effort to promote their research and explore various education topics in a round-robin style of discussion... Read More

WASHINGTON - As part of the 10th Annual NewDEAL Leaders Conference held this week, the NewDEAL Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization, released a new education report detailing policy solutions for providing high quality college and career pathways for students of all education levels. The NewDEAL... Read More

WASHINGTON -- As part of the official launch of its Academic Leaders Task Force on Campus Free Expression Initiative, the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank dedicated to bipartisanship, hosted a roundtable discussion on campus free expression faced by today’s education leaders featuring members... Read More

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