Happy Thursday and welcome back to On The Money. Im Sylvan Lane, and heres your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.

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THE BIG DEALPelosi cites progress, but says COVID-19 relief deal might be post-election: Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump and advisers considering firing FBI director after election: WaPo On The Money: Power players play chess match on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi bullish, Trump tempers optimism | Analysis: Nearly 1M have run out of jobless benefits Overnight Health Care: CDC expands definition of 'close contact' after COVID-19 report | GOP coronavirus bill blocked in Senate | OxyContin maker agrees to B settlement with Trump administration MORE (D-Calif.) said she and the Trump administration are nearing a deal on a COVID-19 relief package, but that it might not happen before Election Day.

She also ramped up pressure on the GOP Senate over whether a bill will make it to President TrumpDonald John TrumpJudge rules to not release Russia probe documents over Trump tweets Trump and advisers considering firing FBI director after election: WaPo Obama to campaign for Biden in Florida MORE's desk. Republican senators have voiced opposition to the size of the package she is negotiating with Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinTrump and advisers considering firing FBI director after election: WaPo Trump casts doubt on hopes for quick stimulus deal after aides expressed optimism Power players play chess match on COVID-19 aid MORE.

"It's only about time," Pelosi told reporters in the Capitol. "I think it is in range for us to pass it before the election. But it's not up to me to decide what the Senate does."

The Hills Mike Lillis has more here.

The timeline:

Whats left to figure out: Pelosi and Mnuchin have yet to resolve several key policy differences as they race for an agreement.

LEADING THE DAY

Eviction crisis sparked by pandemic disproportionately hits minorities:The eviction crisis exacerbated by the pandemic is hitting minorities much harder than other Americans, and experts are concerned the problem will only get worse in the coming months as the coronavirus recession drags on.

Residents on the brink include people like Bishop Donald Harper, who was making nearly $5,000 a month as a chef for Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort in Orlando, Fla., before the pandemic hit. Harper, 55, was soon furloughed. For Harper and millions of other Americans who have lost their job because of the pandemic, rent is still due. The Hills Marty Johnson has more here.

Weekly jobless claims fall to 787K: The seasonally adjusted number of Americans who filed their first claims for unemployment insurance fell to 787,000 in the week that ended on Oct. 17, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

Last week marked the first time since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that initial weekly claims fell below 800,000, but remain staggeringly above historic highs. I break down the data here.

GOOD TO KNOW

ODDS AND ENDS

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On The Money: Pelosi cites progress, but says COVID-19 relief deal might be post-election | Eviction crisis sparked by pandemic disproportionately...

Guilford County bailiff who died after positive coronavirus test identified, cause of death unclearNews / 8 hours ago

City of Greensboro covers cost for couple to remove lead paint from rental homeNews / 9 hours ago

Homeowners feel there's too much progress happening across the Piedmont TriadNews / 9 hours ago

Randolph county family in disbelief over several mistakes made at local cemeteryNews / 10 hours ago

Your Local Election HQ profile: Gov. Roy CooperNews / 10 hours ago

Local COVID-19 survivor remembers lost loved onesNews / 10 hours ago

Triad college students say youth vote more important than everNews / 13 hours ago

Greensboro woman told to pay back nearly $15,000 in unemployment benefitsNews / 1 day ago

High Point woman goes to vote; told she's ineligible because she's deadNews / 1 day ago

Greensboro City Council approves Housing GSO, 10-year housing planNews / 1 day ago

Your Local Election HQ profile: Yvonne HolleyNews / 1 day ago

Elon University reports COVID-19 clusters; cases linked to social gatheringsNews / 1 day ago

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Homeowners feel there's too much progress happening across the Piedmont Triad - myfox8.com

The worlds limited progress in tackling child poverty over recent years could be destroyed by the coronavirus pandemic, the UN and World Bank have warned.

Slow-paced, unequally distributed progress meant one in six children were living in poverty even before the pandemic, according to a joint study.

These numbers alone should shock anyone. And the scale and depth of what we know about the financial hardships brought on by the pandemic are only set to make matters far worse, said Sanjay Wijesekera, director at Unicef.

Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned about the economic difficulties brought on by the pandemic and the potential for the fight against poverty to be set back decades.

Wijesekera said governments need to plan for how to protect children to avoid levels of poverty unseen for many, many years.

The study said most countries had found ways to supplement incomes through cash handouts, but that most programmes were only short-term and not able to counter the lasting impacts of the pandemic.

It called for structural changes to avoid a serious escalation in poverty, through family benefits, childcare and increased support for workers.

The study said that almost half of the worlds poor are children, a larger proportion than in 2013, because fewer gains had been made in fighting child poverty than among adults.

Globally there was a reduction of extreme child poverty between 2013 and 2017, but it was not the case in every region, with sub-Saharan Africa seeing an increase of 64 million children in extreme poverty.

The global director of the World Banks Poverty and Equity Global Practice, Carolina Snchez-Pramo, said not protecting children from the impacts of the pandemic would have long-term social consequences.

Extreme poverty deprives hundreds of millions of children of the opportunity to reach their potential, in terms of physical and cognitive development, and threatens their ability to get good jobs in adulthood, she said.

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Progress in fight against child poverty could be wiped out by Covid, says report - The Guardian

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee, who observed the early portion of Thursday's practice, saw both players as they continue to rehab their injuries and prepare to return. It sounds like both are making good progress.

Mostert is dealing with a high-ankle sprain, while Garland suffered a calf strain. Both injuries occurred during Sunday night's victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Garland has already landed on injured reserve, and Mostert is expected to join him this week.

The 49ers are preparing to face the New England Patriots on Sunday.

More San Francisco 49ers News

By David Bonilla

Oct 10, 2020

The San Francisco 49ers have officially placed both defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and cornerback K'Waun Williams on injured reserve. Ansah's season is over after suffering a biceps injury last weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles. Williams, injured in the same game, will miss at least the next few weeks with an ACL sprain.The 49ers also announced the following other roster moves.Cornerback Jamar Taylor has been promoted to the active roster.Cornerback Brian Allen and wide receiver Kevin White have been activated from the practice squad. They will return to the practice squad after Sunday's game.In addition, cornerback Ken Webster has changed numbers and will now wear number 40. He had been wearing number

By David Bonilla

Oct 20, 2020

San Francisco 49ers cornerbacks played well on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams despite the constant shuffling of the depth chart due to injuries. Help could be on the way after this weekend.Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that slot corner K'Waun Williams could be targeting Week 8 for his return."I've heard K'Waun Williams is aiming to return for the Seahawks game on Nov. 1," Barrows wrote in a recent mailbag.Williams suffered an ACL sprain during the team's Week 4 loss against the Philadelphia Eagles and landed on injured reserve on October 10.The 49ers are still

By David Bonilla

Oct 11, 2020

Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area criticized the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff after the team's embarrassing 43-17 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Even with several offensive weapons back in the lineup, the Niners looked nothing like the team that just eight months ago played for a Super Bowl championship. They own a 2-3 record, and their hopes of returning to the big game seem to diminish more with each passing week."I just try to hold us all accountable. Know it starts with me," head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss.It sounds like Maiocco agrees. He didn't blame the players. Instead, he blamed the coaching staff that made some seemingly questionable personnel

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49ers' Jordan Reed and K'Waun Williams showing progress during rehabs - 49ers Webzone

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The COVID-19 crisis has precipitated the largest decline of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on record.1 Those massive current declines are likely temporary, but they raise important questions about the trajectory of emissions as the economic crisis abates and economic activity resumes.

Plausibly, the places that were highly-committed to action on climate before the pandemic will remain committed, while places that were reluctant to put much priority in climate earlier will be even more reluctant in the midst of economic uncertainty and uncertain priorities.

Given that, it seems important to take the pulse of what the country has been actually saying and doing on climate change, especially through its local commitments to reduce emissions. That requires looking far beyond the gridlock of Washington to the nations interior especially to the local level. One place to start such an assessment is to look at the nations many Climate Action Plans (CAPs).

Since 1991, over 600 local governments in the United States have developed CAPs that include GHG inventories and reduction targets.2

These local plans which entail a GHG emission inventory and the establishment of reduction targets, reduction strategies, and monitoring efforts have been celebrated as an important counterpoint to federal drift. At their best, the plans have exemplified the hope that bottom-up actions could add up to a powerful approach to climate mitigation, especially given rollbacks in federal policy under the Trump administration including the governments withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Yet, at the same time, questions persist about the efficacy of city pledges. Are they working in the absence of binding national regulations? What kind of results are emerging? How far can city action go without bigger efforts at other levels, including federal? Are city goals or pledges meaningful given the share of emissions from goods and services used by the city occur outside the city boundary and that the city does not have control of?

Hence this report: Given the increasing importance of bottom-up action on climate, this analysis inventories the various GHG reduction pledges and commitments of the 100 largest U.S. cities; estimates the emissions savings that could result from those pledges; and then evaluates whether U.S. cities appear to be on track to meet their pledges. In this fashion, the information addresses the current array of results on the ground in order to inform ongoing discussions of the potential and limits of bottom-up climate strategies in the COVID era. For the sake of completeness we focus on 2017, the last year of complete records when this research began, though we are mindful that city-based action continues.3

The report draws five major conclusions about an emissions-pledge system that is generating genuine but partial climate actions:

1

Slightly less than half of large U.S. cities have established GHG reduction targets. Where the goals exist, they tend to align with the 80%-decrease-by 2050 mitigation pathway consistent with the Paris Climate Accord, but tend to fall short of the mitigation pathways that limit warming to 1.5Celsius (C) modeled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) (i.e., net zero anthropogenic CO emissions around year 2050).4

Of the 100 most populous cities in the United States, only 45 have established greenhouse gas reduction targets and corresponding baseline GHG inventories. An additional 22 cities have committed to reducing GHG emissions but have not yet established specific emission reduction targets or completed a baseline GHG emission inventory upon which to base a reduction plan. In that sense, U.S. cities pledge-setting is sub-optimal in its coverage and design, with less than half of large cities setting targets, and most targets remaining non-binding.

With that said, the GHG reduction targets established by cities frequently comport with good practice in that they often target 80% GHG emissions decreases by the year 2050 in line with the mitigation pathways modeled by the IPCC that limit warming to 2C but slightly behind the mitigation pathways that, if scaled globally, would limit warming to 1.5C. City-based climate commitments appear to be on the upswing. Seventeen of the 45 cities with plans have implemented new or updated plans since the Trump administration took office in January 2017.

2

Overall, roughly 40 million people (about 12% of the total U.S. population and 60% of the total population of the 100 largest U.S. cities) live in bigger cities with active and fully-formed climate action plans.

The 45 cities with fully-established greenhouse gas reduction targets and corresponding baseline GHG inventories encompass a total population of roughly 40 million people. The smallest city is Richmond, Virginia (with a 2017 population of about 227,000) and the largest is New York, New York (with 8.6 million residents). Larger cities are more likely to maintain climate plans than smaller ones. And while California is a hot spot of activity, with plans in place in 11 cities, the plans are relatively evenly-distributed across the nation.

3Collectively, the total annual reduction in emissions achieved by the 45 cities with both targets and completed inventories (in their respective target years) would equate to approximately 365 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

The savings contributions from city CAPs vary widely but are adding up. In aggregate, the prospective total annual reduction in emissions achieved by all 45 cities (in their respective target years and compared to the emissions in the citys chosen baseline year) would equate to approximately 365 million metric tons COe the equivalent of removing about 79 million passenger vehicles from the road. Alternatively, the total annual emissions reduction pledged by the 45 cities with climate action plans, if achieved, would be comparable to the 300 to 450 million metric tons of emissions reductions scored in 2018 where natural gas has replaced coal for generating electricity. There are many uncertainties and assumptions that go into an analysis like this, and those can have a big impact on the calculations of long-term emission reductions. In addition to all the usual caveats, the pandemic has added another one by affecting, among other things, travel behaviornot just right now but possibly in durable ways into the future.

With that said, the collective prospective reduced emissions from the 45 cities equate to roughly 7% of the emission reductions to which the U.S. originally committed to achieve by year 2050 in relation to the Paris Agreement. Whats more, the 45 cities would need to achieve an additional emissions reduction of 124 million metric tons COe per year in order to meet the IPCCs modeled mitigation pathway for limiting warming to 1.5 C (i.e., net zero anthropogenic CO emissions by around 2050). One additional note: The 365 million metric tons that would be reduced on an annual basis by year 2050 if all 45 cities reached their GHG reduction targets translates to roughly 6% of total U.S. GHG emissions in 2017 assuming emissions without the plans would remain the same from the baseline year to the target year. Six percent is not an insignificant number, but it is a far cry from the level of emission reductions that the IPCC suggests needs to occur in order to avoid many of the more significant impacts of climate change.

4Despite genuine achievements in many cities, roughly two-thirds of cities are currently lagging their targeted emission levels.

Of the 45 cities with GHG reduction targets and corresponding baseline GHG inventories, 32 have conducted at least one additional GHG inventory since 2010. The remaining 13 cities do not appear to have any publicly- available GHG inventories for the years subsequent to the establishment of their climate action plan. However, of the 13 cities without GHG inventories subsequent to setting their GHG reduction target(s), six had a baseline year of 2014 or later for their climate action plan. Therefore, GHG inventories for these locations are likely to be conducted and/or published in the near-term.

Based on their most recent GHG inventory data, 26 of the 32 cities that had at least one additional inventory since 2010 experienced a decrease in emissions compared to their baseline emission levels, while six cities experienced an increase. Los Angeles, California has experienced the largest decrease in emissions (about 47% below 1990 baseline levels), while Tucson, Arizona has experienced the largest increase in emissions amid sprawling growth (39% above 1990 baseline levels), followed by fast-growing Madison, Wisconsin. The nearby figure summarizes the difference between the most recent GHG inventory and baseline emission levels for each city.

Overall, about two-thirds of cities are currently lagging their targeted emission levels. Greensboro, North Carolina performed the best relative to its targeted emissions level (with emissions 20% below its target) and Chicago, Illinois, performed the worst (with inventoried emissions 50% higher than target levels). On average, the cities analyzed in this study will still need to reduce their annual emissions by 64% by 2050 in order to reach their ultimate GHG reduction targets.

5Overall, the development and implementation of city GHG plans and pledges while important and encouraging leaves room for improvement in terms of reach, rigor, and ambition.

Notwithstanding the early achievements of the best city GHG reduction plans and pledges, most cities activities suffer from shortcomings. Of the 45 cities analyzed in this report, none have GHG inventories for years 2018 or 2019, and only two have GHG inventories for 2017 (an additional 10 have inventories for 2016). Similarly, the lower rate of activity among the smaller cities (only six of the climate action plans came from among the group of cities with the 76th- to 100th-largest populations) suggests the challenges that resource constraints can pose for developing GHG reduction targets and related emissions inventories. Another hindrance to the overall success of city-led climate action plans may be rooted in the fact that the GHG reduction targets set by cities are mostly non-binding, with the exception of those in California cities. That ensures that most communities have no real incentive to meet tough GHG reduction targets.

Finally, scope and boundary issues are surely hindering progress. Factors like population growth, economic development, and changes in the local industry mix are not always explicitly discussed in climate plans. Likewise, cities boundaries usually mean their emissions plans cannot reach and influence emissions that take place at the regional scale, whether it be commuting, suburban sprawl, or regional electricity generation.

In sum, this assessment highlights the great potential of bottom-up climate action to reduce one nations emissions in meaningful ways through city action.5 Overall, the leadership of about half of Americas larger cities stands as an important counter to federal drift. With that said, more ambitious and rigorous efforts are needed in order to make the nations bottom-up climate commitments more effective. Along these lines, municipalities, states, the federal government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), philanthropies, and companies should work to:

And, more importantly, the lessons from the leaders can catalyze more followership so that the actions that are still concentrated in a subset of the American population become more pervasive here and abroad.

In short, many cities have distinguished themselves through their efforts to reduce their GHG emissions. Now much more stringent action has become urgent.

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Pledges and progress: Steps toward greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the 100 largest cities across the United States - Brookings Institution

A worker repairing a damaged house in Sint Maarten. Photo credit: National Recovery Program Bureau of Sint Maarten

Before the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Caribbean countries were still rebuilding and recovering from the devastating impacts of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. In the case of Sint Maarten, those hurricanes caused widespread damage to many homes, buildings, and infrastructure, amounting to US$1.38 billion or roughly 260% of its GDP.

With the help of the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund funded by the Netherlands in 2018 with a budget of up to 470 million euros and managed by the World Bank the country had started the long, complex process of rebuilding, before the COVID-19-related lockdown and border closures brought things to a temporary halt.

As the anchor project under the Trust Fund, the Emergency Recovery Project I (ERP-I) supports the reconstruction of private residences, critical infrastructure, public buildings such as schools, and the building of resilience in key areas. The bulk of the activities under the Trust Fund, and likewise, the ERP-I, are managed by the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), the in-country implementation unit that has spurred significant, measurable recovery progress despite the delays caused this year by the pandemic.

This includes:

Although a country-wide lockdown, mandated from April 6 to May 11 as a necessary measure to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, interrupted repairs to private homes, government buildings, and shelters, and hindered engineering firms and technical consultants from travelling to Sint Maarten to conduct supervisory and other work, projects swiftly resumed in June, just after the country reopened its borders in mid-May.

The lessons learned and positive momentum generated by ERP-Is achievements continue to fuel recovery efforts in the country. Valuable insights gained from conducting procurement activities in Sint Maartens small market, engaging with beneficiaries and contractors, and the sequencing of contracting and technical work, have helped identify challenges and improve the implementation of this project, as well as other projects financed by the Sint Maarten Trust Fund.

Some challenges related to the new nature of Sint Maartens engagement with international organizations like the World Bank are beginning to be addressed. Among them, measures are being supported by the Government of Sint Maarten to facilitate the processing of work visas, residence permits, and business licenses.

Successful resolution of these challenges will complete the groundwork laid by the NRPB and World Bank project teams for completion of critical activities remaining under the project. These include a big batch of residential home repairs, shelter and school repairs, and trenching programs to move utilities underground, among others, to help strengthen Sint Maartens resilience to future disasters.

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Progress amidst the pandemic: Sint Maarten's journey to recovery and resilience - World Bank Group

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Root Insurance, a company driven to make insurance more fair, is announcing a partnership with Bubba Wallace, an athlete unapologetically driven to make positive change. The partnership kicks off today with the launch of the Unapologetic campaign, celebrating the progress Bubba is leading in NASCAR and the growth it is creating for the sport.

Getting to know Bubba Wallace and what he stands for made this partnership one that we couldnt pass up, said Alex Timm, Root Co-Founder and CEO. He is dedicated to standing up for what is right, even when it involves facing adversity. Root was created to make car insurance more fairstanding up against the established industry that priced more on demographics than driving behavior. We are proud to support Bubba Wallace.

Root Insurance is doing what is right and making insurance more fair, and I am proud to partner with a company making a difference, said Wallace. I stand firmly with the goal of eliminating bias from insurance, and I truly believe we can work together to help make the world a better place.

This is Roots first national athletic sponsorship, and the companys first foray into sports marketing.

About Root Insurance

Root, Inc. is the parent company of Root Insurance Company. We are a technology company revolutionizing personal insurance with a pricing model based upon fairness. Our modern, mobile-first customer experience is designed to make insurance simple.

Root is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with renters insurance available in Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah, and auto insurance currently available to drivers in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.

For more information, visit https://www.joinroot.com and get a free quote. Sign up online or download the app.

About Bubba Wallace

Wallace, a six-time NASCAR national series winner, first made news headlines in 2013 when he became the first Black driver in nearly 50 years to win a NASCAR national series race and again in 2018 when he joined the NASCAR Cup Series full-time with Richard Petty Motorsports. As the sport's lone Black driver, Bubba has played a critical part in NASCAR's push for inclusion and equality, including its ban of the Confederate flag at races.

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Root Insurance Partners with Bubba Wallace in a Celebration of Progress - Business Wire

LONDON and CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GW Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: GWPH, GW or the Company), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform, will announce on November 3rd, 2020 its financial results and operational progress for the third quarter ending September 30th, 2020. GW will also host a conference call the same day at 8:30 a.m. EST. Conference call information will be provided in the financial results press release and on the Company website (www.gwpharm.com) in the investor section. A replay of the call will also be available through the Company's website shortly after the call.

About GW Pharmaceuticals plc and Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.Founded in 1998, GW is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform in a broad range of disease areas. The Companys lead product, EPIDIOLEX (cannabidiol) oral solution is commercialized in the U.S. by its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), Dravet syndrome or tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in patients one year of age and older. This product has received approval in the European Union under the tradename EPIDYOLEX for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome in conjunction with clobazam in patients two years and older and is under EMA review for the treatment of TSC. The Company is also carrying out a Phase 3 trial in Rett syndrome and has a deep pipeline of additional cannabinoid product candidates, including nabiximols, for which the Company is advancing multiple late-stage clinical programs in order to seek FDA approval in the treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, as well as for the treatment of PTSD. The Company has additional cannabinoid product candidates in Phase 2 trials for autism and schizophrenia. For further information, please visit http://www.gwpharm.com.

Enquiries:

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GW Pharmaceuticals plc to Report Financial Results and Operational Progress for the Third Quarter Ending September 30th, 2020 and Host Conference Call...

Cedar Rapids officials this week took a significant step to bolster oversight of the citys police force.

The Cedar Rapids City Council on Tuesday directed the city manager to draft an ordinance instituting a new citizens review board of police, which would vet investigatory reports from the police chief. Council members reviewed a memo from city staff laying out the basic structure and responsibilities of the forthcoming board.

Cedar Rapids council gives initial support for citizens police review board

Dont let police review board become a rubber stamp

Cedar Rapids citizens review board would be less powerful than the one activists envisioned at the outset of the planning process. In July, the local group Advocates for Social Justice published a paper calling for much broader authority to formally reprimand officers, initiate its own investigations, and hire and fire the police chief.

None of that made it into the plan, and some of it might not be allowed under Iowa law. The city favors a review model, which is more restrained than other potential board structures.

As council members repeatedly said this week, this is only the beginning of the citys police reform endeavors, not the end. While we urge the city to continue exploring ways for stronger citizen control, we applaud them for moving forward on the first iteration of the citizens review board.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT

Cedar Rapids government officials took up police reform talks at the demand of racial justice protesters responding to the deaths of George Floyd and other Black Americans killed by police.

In June, the council adopted a police reform agenda with the review board as its centerpiece. The resolution also included significant investments in equity programs, strict body camera requirements and decriminalization of marijuana. The councils action this week is laudable, but it does not solve systemic racism in local government.

In developing a plan for the review board, the city received more than 2,000 survey responses, which mostly favored creating a citizen review board.

Iowa City is the only other community in Iowa with a review board, which is similar to the one proposed for Cedar Rapids. Advocates there also are calling on the city to embolden the Community Police Review Board to take a more active role in overseeing the police department.

We know racial justice and police reform organizers will press Cedar Rapids and Iowa City to beef up their police accountability mechanisms, and we hope city leaders will take heed.

Comments: (319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com

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Cedar Rapids is making cautious but tangible progress on police reform - The Gazette

When it comes to weekly unemployment filings, our whole understanding of "normal" flew out the window six months ago. For example, as regular readers know, it was considered a catastrophe during the Great Recession when jobless claims topped 600,000.

But in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic started taking a brutal toll on the U.S. economy, Americans confronted an entirely new set of standards -- to the point that it seemed like relatively good news last month when initial jobless claims fell below 1 million for the first time since March.

Progress has nevertheless been hit or miss, though the new report from the Labor Department this morning pointed in a more encouraging direction.

In the week ending October 17, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 787,000, a decrease of 55,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised down by 56,000 from 898,000 to 842,000. The 4-week moving average was 811,250, a decrease of 21,500 from the previous week's revised average.

It seems hard to believe, but today's report is the best we've seen on initial jobless claims since the crisis began in earnest in March. That said, we've now had 30 consecutive weeks in which the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits was worse than at any time during the Great Recession.

All of which leads us back to the point we discussed last week at this time: the country still needs economic relief as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a brutal toll.

A breakthrough, however, remains elusive. Senate Republicans held an unsuccessful show vote yesterday on a "skinny" aid package, even as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continued their negotiations.

The California Democrat had originally set a deadline for Tuesday, at which point she was prepared to give up on a pre-election agreement, but the discussions have apparently been constructive enough that Pelosi has extended her self-imposed deadline in the hopes of reaching a breakthrough this week.

But even if a bipartisan deal comes together, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made clear that he and his Republican conference have no real interest in passing a robust economic package. Would Donald Trump be able to twist the arms of his GOP allies and give the economy a boost? Watch this space.

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Progress on economic aid elusive as jobless filings remain high - MSNBC

SALISBURY At a little over halfway through its 2020 fundraising campaign, the Rowan County United Way is right where it should be.

During a meeting on Wednesday afternoon at Gerry Wood Honda, United Way Executive Director Jenny Lee and Campaign Chair Andrew Smith announced that the campaign has raised $774,291.92 so far, which is 51.6% of the way to the total goal of $1.5 million.

While Smith said that he was pleased with the progress thats been made, he encouraged fundraisers to remain focused as the campaign enters its homestretch.

We know that the last quarter of this thing, its kind of like the fourth quarter as we move into it, is where the real rubber meets the road, Smith said. We cant give up now. Were over halfway there, but that last little bit is always a challenge.

At the previous report meeting on Oct. 7, the campaign was 43.3% to its total goal after raising $649,227.39. Two of the divisions that made major progress since then are the presidents division headed by Salisbury Utilities Director Jim Behmer, which is now 40.5% to its individual goal, and the commercial two division led by Commissioner Jim Greene, which is 88.6% to its goal after raising $55,847.62.

Carol Ann Houpe, who leads the education division, was proud to announce that her division is 70% of the way to its goal despite challenges presented by COVID-19. Houpe said that Salisbury High School has raised more than $7,000 by itself.

The United Way campaign received a special donation during the report meeting when local Realtor Cary Grant approached the microphone and pledged $3,000 in honor of several people, including Gerry Wood, who hosted the report meeting at his Honda dealership. Grant praised Wood for his support of the Rowan County community. A native of Wales in the United Kingdom, Wood relocated to Rowan County decades ago after living in Toronto for several years.

Hes been able to help everything within his power with several clubs and organizations and also with the promotion hes done here in his business, Grant said.

Grants donation will be counted and reported with the new total at the next report meeting in two weeks.

At each report meeting, Lee and Smith have highlighted the United Ways community investment partners 19 local organizations that fall into one of four community needs categories. Community investment partners that promote healthy lifestyles were emphasized at the report meeting Wednesday. Hope Oliphant, the executive director of Main Street Marketplace and Meeting Place, gave an update on the organizations plan to implement a hydroponic garden that will serve the China Grove community.

One of the things that weve heard over and over again from people is that, while they receive food stamps, they cant always afford fresh, affordable foods. They mostly can buy processed foods that make their money go further, Oliphant said. This is an opportunity for us in our market to be able to sell produce at a very low, affordable price.

Soon, the market will begin growing lettuce, herbs and micro-greens using the hydroponic system. Those fresh vegetables will be available to families in need.

Im grateful for United Way. This would never be possible without them understanding our vision for this, said Madison Ellenburg, who oversees marketing for Main Street Marketplace and Meeting Place.

Throughout this week, United Way has representatives fundraising at Freightliner. The success of that effort could be critical to the campaigns overall success, Smith said.

Smith said that he thinks a lot will happen with the campaign in the next two weeks. The final report meeting will be held on Nov. 4 at Cloninger Toyota and the campaign will conclude on Nov. 13.

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Halfway point: United Way announces 50% progress toward fundraising goal - Salisbury Post - Salisbury Post

In his last state of the university address, Central Washington University president Jim Gaudino stood in front of a green screen in a prerecorded video, outlining the progress the institution has made on goals he set during last years speech.

For the past several years, I have reported by all measures, the state of the university is excellent, Gaudino said during the prerecorded video. I have applauded the hard work of the faculty and staff, administrators and our alumni, and I thank you all for your commitment to our students. I also told you Central is on the cusp of greatness, even in the face of our current challenges, I firmly believe that to be true.

Gaudinos first goal was to increase freshmen to sophomore retention from 71 to 80% in five years. The rate improved last year from 71 percent to 73 percent. He also noted that this years sophomore class is the largest in 10 years.

Gaudino attributed these increases to identifying and helping students that need it as soon as possible. He then laid out a more aggressive goal of increasing that number to 85% retention in the next 10 years.

The key to reaching that milestone will be using data analytics to anticipate when a student needs help, Gaudino said.

In line with his next goal of increasing workforce diversity by 5% in five years, Gaudino outlined several examples of students of color excelling at CWU because of their mentor relationships with people who they could identify with. Gaudino said due to adopting policies requiring people of color on all search committees and increasing the diversity of hiring pools, that number was up 1.5% from last year.

Gaudinos third goal from last year was to enhance sustainability efforts on campus. He listed a host of accomplishments, including Wildcat Farms development, compostable containers from dining, and switching to sustainable copy paper.

During the video, Gaudino recognized professor Bobby Cummings with a new award, the Lifetime Achievement in Diversity award, one that will be named after her.

I speak on behalf of the many people youve inspired, supported, taught and mentored, when I say thank you and congratulations, Gaudino said.

In a prerecorded statement, Cummings said the award makes all of her work over the years worth it.

Im so happy to receive this because it validates all of the service, all of the social justice work Ive done on this campus for over 25 years, she said. I dedicated my life to being a person who is part of the greater good who sees the best in all human beings and fights for their dignity and worth to be recognized in this universe.

Gaudino also recognized several other award recipients, including:

2020 Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished teaching Brandy Wiegers, department of mathematics

2020 Washington State Family and Consumer Science Educator of the Year award Professor Jodi Musser, business marketing and FCS career and technical education

Gaudino also mentioned two honorary doctorate recipients. Ron Sims, a former Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration, and General James Mattis, former defense secretary in the Trump administration.

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In prerecorded message, state of the university address highlights progress on last years goals - Daily Record-News

Here is what you need to know on Friday, October 23:

The US Stimulus saga continues. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats are just about there on a coronavirus stimulus deal with the White House, but also warned about a bill may take some time to pass Congress. The greenback recovered some ground against its major rivals, while Wall Street closed in the green. Government bonds eased and US Treasury yields reached fresh multi-week highs.

The EUR/USD pair eased towards 1.1820, while the GBP/USD pair settled below 1.3100. Commodity-linked currencies posted modest gains against its American rival.

EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier arrived in London to resume trade talks, after a one-week impasse, providing support to the pound. Barnier and his British counterpart, David Frost, are set to hold intensive talks, although both acknowledged significant gaps remain the most difficult areas, such as fishing rights and a level playing field, as per EU demands.

Gold retreated on the back of dollars strength, ending the day at $1,904 a troy ounce. Crude oil prices recovered some ground with WTI ending the day at $41.60 a barrel.

The focus shifts to the US presidential debateto take place in theAsian session.

Cryptocurrencies Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ripple & Chainlink

The rest is here:

Forex Today: Progress on US stimulus ahead of the presidential debate - FXStreet

Many people in the Twin Cities area know something about the history of Rondoa primarily Black neighborhood in St. Paul that was demolished in the late 1950s and early 60s to make way for the I-94 freeway. Fewer know about the history of I-35W, but thats something U of M professor Greg Donofrio and his students are working to change.Beginning after the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, interstates 94 and 35W were part of the massive nationwide effort to build an interstate highway system throughout the United States, creating convenience for many, but serious and persistent harmful consequences for people who were often poor, and often Black.In 1960, the areas where interstates 35W, 94, and Highway 55 were built were home to about 80 percent of the Twin Cities Black population. And because redlining and other discriminatory housing practices had already pushed Black people into blighted or less desirable neighborhoods, it was both cheaper to build the interstate through these neighborhoods and likely to be met with less resistance from these communities, who had less social and political influence. The pattern was repeated in cities and neighborhoods throughout the nation. In total, nearly 30,000 peoplemany of whom were people of colorwere displaced in the Twin Cities.

Thousands who lived in these houses and apartments lost their homes. People who rented their homes were not compensated at all, those who owned often felt they were compensated poorly, and there was no assistance with moving expenses or with finding a new home.With deep involvement from the Twin Cities community, the Minnesota Historical Society, and students in Donofrios Heritage Studies and Public History (HSPH) graduate program (which he directs), Donofrio is leading the creation of A Public History of 35W. The project seeks to understand how 35W disrupted and divided a middle-class Black neighborhood in South Minneapolis, and to document the many ways in which the freeway has had long-term public health and wealth impacts for people living along its length between 94 and Highway 62As far as we can tell, no one has dug into a freeway at this level of detail, says Donofrio.Co-leading the project is Denise Pike, a 2018 graduate of the HSPH program whose work as a student Donofrio credits with sparking the 35W project. With her classmate Kacie Lucchini Butcher, Pike co-curated the exhibit Owning Up: Racism and Housing in Minneapolis at the Hennepin History Museum. For their exhibit, Pike and Lucchini Butcher used research from the award-winning Mapping Prejudice project, based at the University of Minnesota. And from that exhibit sprang many conversations, says Pike.So we had educators, lawmakers, doctorsevery type you could imagine came to see the exhibit and talk with us. It had a far-reaching effect on how people talked about race and racism in our community, says Pike.Pike says that she and Lucchini Butcher were repeatedly approached by residents asking if theyd explored the construction of 35W.Donofrio took that cue as an opportunity. "A Public History of 35W" is part research, part outreach, and part education: a publicly accessible archive of documents, photographs, and oral histories about the construction of 35W; stories from among the thousands of residents who were displaced; and public events where citizens can learn, discuss, and contribute to the project.One student who gravitated toward the project is 2020 HSPH graduate Tyler McDaniel. Inspired by Pikes work, McDaniel created workshops for children to artistically interpret the history of South Minneapolis and 35W as part of his capstone project.Over two days last spring, McDaniel presented the history of 35Ws construction to 8th-grade students at the Clara Barton Open School and facilitated an activity where the students created small art pieces to fill a 20-foot map of 35W on the classroom whiteboards.

It was really cool to get to hold dialogue with young people and open up space for them to talk about their own experiences related to displacementa couple students were even able to relate their own displacement back to the freeway, says McDaniel.Hes now adapted the project into an interactive online story for educators. Through it, community members can submit their own creative responses.My hope is that exploring history in this way will not only be a learning experience, but will help younger people to conceptualize the hidden histories beneath their feet and rethink the built environment that they interact with in their daily lives, he says.Ultimately, A Public History of 35W will be presented as an exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum in 2021.For her part, Pike believes the project is just another milestone in the work that still needs to be done. The exhibit in 2021 wont be an endpoint. Just like the Owning up exhibit wasnt an endpointthe best part is our involvement with the community afterwards, she says.

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The project leaders would like to acknowledge the work of researcher and adviser Dr. Ernest Lee Lloyd, whose 2013 dissertation, How Routing an Interstate Highway Through South Minneapolis Disrupted an African American Community, paved the way for much of this work.

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The costs and consequences of progress | University of Minnesota - UMN News

Even though it may be a while until guests can enter the Grid and ride TRON Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom, work continues to move ahead on the illuminated canopy structure. As weve been following construction every step of the way, we stopped by to see whats new!

As we passed by the Tomorrowland Light & Power Co. building, we could see a piece of the illuminated canopy being hoisted into place.

The curved segment has plenty of triangular sections to hold the LED panels that will light up the outside of the attraction.

Pieces of the canopy continue to lay on the ground in front of the show building, but as weve shown previously, more sections are being installed.

Meanwhile, walking through the Barnstormer queue, we saw another piece just to the left of the concrete column secured and waiting to be lifted.

Over on the support structure, a very tall ladder has been placed along one of the beams, allowing construction workers to access the higher portions.

To protect the coasters track during the canopys construction, an orange tarp has been laid down over the affected areas.

We managed to get an eagle-eyed glimpse of construction workers high up on the support structure.

The day before, when we looked closer to the show building, we didnt see any progress on the platform under the track, lending credence to the theory that work could be solely focused on the canopy structure for the time being.

The support framework towers high above Tomorrowland. And if thats impressive, imagine how the finished product will look!

In a cherry picker, workers finish sealing up the show building before work possibly stops temporarily.

We got a better look at the canopy segments getting ready to be lifted from the Tomorrowland Speedway. From this angle, a portion of the white framework rests near a crane.

The segment in the center continues the wave-like pattern of the segment to the right of the crane. Because of the canopys design, its seems very likely that theyll be building the parts closest to the ground first.

From this spot, its easy to see how the LED panels will fit into the structure once its complete.

Sometimes, pulling away can give you a clearer picture. From further back, we can see that the wave awaiting its next segment.

As the sun started to come out, we could see even more pieces waiting near the Speedway track.

Even though we dont know for sure what, if anything, is being done inside at the moment, at least from the outside, quite a bit of the attraction will look finished for a while. While we wait to experience the attraction, you can check out a full POV ride-through of its sister coaster, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, in Shanghai Disneyland below:

Keep reading WDWNT as we continue to cover construction of TRON Lightcycle / Run at the Magic Kingdom!

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PHOTOS: Progress on Illuminated Canopy Structure for TRON Lightcycle Run Continues as More Pieces Are Raised Into Place at the Magic Kingdom -...

Plenty of help still needed in raising funds, preparing alternate fields for 2021

Fred Kelly, fred.kelly@mdn.net

Images of the destruction in Sanford Village Park as the result of flooding are seen in this Aug. 12, 2020 photo

Images of the destruction in Sanford Village Park as the result of flooding are seen in this Aug. 12, 2020 photo

Photo: Daily News File Photo

Images of the destruction in Sanford Village Park as the result of flooding are seen in this Aug. 12, 2020 photo

Images of the destruction in Sanford Village Park as the result of flooding are seen in this Aug. 12, 2020 photo

Sanford Youth League: 'still lots to do' but making progress

The Sanford Youth League board shared an open letter to Little League baseball and softball parents and other interested parties via various social media channels recently, providing updates on the status of the SYL fields which were destroyed by flooding this past spring.

According to the board, the facility inside Sanford Village Park will not be rebuilt in time for the 2021 season, but the league has been able to secure alternate fields in Lee, Mills, and Edenville townships on which to play ball in the spring. Volunteers have been working this fall to prepare those fields for play, and the board is seeking additional volunteers to pitch in and help get them ready by the start of the spring season.

The board also noted that "while there's still lots to do," the park has been largely cleared of debris due to the help of several local construction and excavating companies and that plans are definitely underway to start rebuilding the park in 2021.

"The Village of Sanford, which owns the park, has been a wonderful partner to SYL, continuing to include our organization as a key stakeholder on plans for rebuilding," wrote Andy Clark, the SYL's tournament director and director of communications and fundraising. "Rowe Engineering has also donated their expertise in drawing up some concepts for the rebuild. Next, the Village will take those to FEMA to work through the fundraising process.

"Given this progress in such short time, SYL is optimistic a rebuild will take place in 2021," he added.

In addition to the loss of the fields, the SYL also suffered the loss of all of its equipment, including baseball and softball gear and landscaping equipment used for maintaining the fields. Thus far, the league has raised approximately $52,000 to help offset those losses via a variety of community fundraisers, sponsorships by local businesses, individual donations from community members and local businesses, and the league's GoFundMe campaign.

Details about the latter can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/sanford-youth-league-flood-rebuild

In addition, to donate to the Village of Sanford's Midland Area Community Foundation fund, go to https://www.midlandfoundation.org/fund/sanford-park-and-ball-field-project-fund-1081/

"SYL has also applied for some local grants and (is) hopeful those will come through to round out our funding sources," Clark wrote. "Anyone who is interested in helping to bring youth baseball and softball back to Sanford Village Park should consider volunteering with the clean-up of our alternate fields in the spring of 2021, or they can donate to the GoFundMe ... or to the Village's Midland Area Community Foundation fund."

To learn more about the SYL, go to https://www.sanfordlittleleague.com/

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Sanford Youth League: 'still lots to do' but making progress - Midland Daily News

A college reform movement is gaining speed, but there's still plenty of work to be done.

The Center for Community College Student Engagement released a report today that shows guided pathways programs are improving some student experiences. The report also identifies challenges that colleges face when using guided pathways, such as faculty engagement.

Guided pathways is a reform movement that aims to improve college completion and student success by redesigning students' journeys through college. Community colleges have been adopting this program to help students choose a program of study and create a plan to either transfer to a four-year college or get a good job with a two-year degree. Pathways programs often include the use of "metamajors," which let students choose a broader path of study so they can explore career options, and intensive advising to help students create these plans.

As of spring 2018, more than 250 community colleges had committed to using a guided pathways approach, according to the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The new report provides a baseline level of data on how students nationwide are experiencing this program, said Linda Garca, executive director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement.

"Even though it's a first look, we are seeing some momentum building," Garca said. "There's promise."

The institutions included in the report know there's more work to be done, but it's a marathon, she added. The report can show the colleges how far they've come and what aspects they need to focus on improving now.

"When people train for a marathon, they need cheerleaders," she said.

The findings show the framework for guided pathways is working, said Martha Parham, senior vice president of public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges.

"Guided Pathways is a framework that incorporates what has been learned about effective educational practice; still, it demands continuous evaluation to ensure that supports implemented are yielding positive outcomes," Parham wrote in an email. "While implementing any large-scale change is challenging, the Guided Pathways work requires significant changes in institutional culture, as well as in policies, practices, and the structures that support them."

The work won't be completed overnight, she said, but reports like this one will help colleges continue to assess their programs and improve upon the frameworks.

Research shows that the practices used in guided pathways programs can lead to better outcomes for students. Students who enter a specific program earlier on in their time at a community college are more like to transfer to a four-year college or complete a degree. Florida State University's use of academic program maps increased retention and decreased the number of excess credits students took. Queensborough Community College in New York adopted metamajors and saw an increase in its three-year graduation rate.

The principles of the program are simple and necessary, not only to help students succeed, but to help colleges survive, said Davis Jenkins, senior research scholar at the Community College Research Center.

Community colleges have a duty to prepare students for good jobs or to transfer to a four-year college with junior standing as tuition costs continue to rise, he said. Right now, 40percent of community college students drop out after the first few terms because the process to get started is confusing and many are forced to take developmental education courses. If they aren't taking an interesting course in their first year, they're likely to leave, he said.

"You have to help every student explore their options and develop a plan," Jenkins said. "It's unethical to not have them on a plan when youre charging that much money."

The Center for Community College Student Engagement does annual surveys of institutions and students on engagement, and it adds new items targeting different issues each year. The guided pathways questions were added to the center's 2018 Survey of Entering Student Engagement, which received about 49,000 responses from entering students across 117 colleges, and the 2019 Community College Survey of Student Engagement, which received about 77,000 responses from returning students across 166 colleges. The results were aggregated at the institutional level in the report. The report also includes the results in the top quartile, which colleges can use as a benchmark, Garca said.

About 7,500 faculty also responded to a faculty-specific survey, which included some questions on guided pathways.

The findings are grouped under pillars for guided pathways programs: help students get on a path, help students stay on their path and ensure students are learning.

For the first pillar, 44percent of entering students said their main source of academic advising was friends or family, and 43percent said instructors or college staff were their main source of advising. Nearly 70percent of entering students said they were required to meet with an academic adviser before registering for courses. About three-quarters of entering students had picked a career to pursue before registering, but only 20percent said a college staff member had helped them pick a program or major, and less than half had talked with college staff about what jobs their major could lead to.

The data show that colleges could improve with specific guidance on completion. Just under half of entering students said college staff had talked with them about how long it would take to complete their program. Less than one-third of students said college staff had talked with them about what the total cost of their education would be. Thirty-twopercent of students said they had not talked with a staff member about which of their credits would transfer toward their major at a four-year college.

Many colleges appear to be focusing more on advising, Garca said. The next pillar, keeping students on their paths, shows that 76percent of returning students had met with an academic adviser at least once during the term, and 59percent said they had reviewed their progress on their academic plan each time they met with their adviser. Nearly 80percent of those students also said that the courses they need to take have been available.

The final pillar covered in the report looks at ensuring students are learning. More than half of returning students said their adviser had required them to participate in study groups, and 67percent said they had worked with classmates on assignments outside class. Nearly 60percent said they had talked with their instructors about readings or ideas outside class, as well.

However, only 21percent of students said they had participated in experiential learning, like an internship or co-op experience.

This should be a key focus for the future, said Jenkins.

"Generally, to get a good job, you need some kind of experience," Jenkins said. "It's probably the least developed area of guided pathways, but a key next frontier."

The faculty survey revealed where there could be some improvements, Garca said. Nearly 60percent of faculty who reported their colleges were using guided pathways principles said they believe it will improve student outcomes. But colleges need to engage their faculty more in this work, results show.

Of those faculty members who reported their colleges are using guided pathways, 36percent said they are not involved in the program at all, and about half said they need more professional development on this issue. A little less than half of those faculty also said they know very little or nothing about the program.

"Students connect in the classroom first," Garca said. "It's so critical to include faculty in the process of guided pathways."

The results are still promising, she said, as the survey shows faculty members want to be involved with guided pathways programs. Colleges need to find ways to include adjuncts, who often teach the majority of classes but can have high turnover rates, Garca said.

Faculty can also feel fatigued by initiatives, but Garca tells them to think of guided pathways as an umbrella for everything they're doing.

Despite the challenges, campuses are seeing progress, said Tia Brown McNair, vice president for diversity, equity and student success at the Association of American Colleges and Universities.

"We all know that institutional change, especially a cultural change, takes time," McNair said. "But the idea of the guided pathways model is one that research has shown is a promising and sustainable practice that we need to support."

Colleges should be asking questions about how they can improve in these areas, but it's also important to acknowledge the promise of the framework, she said.

"What weve learned from previous evaluation reports is that doing the work on the fourth pillar to ensure students are learning has had additional challenges in moving forward, and is not moving at same pace as the first three pillars," she said.

Most of the member colleges in the Achieving the Dream network, which serves community colleges, are engaged in guided pathways work, said Karen Stout, president and CEO of the organization. This report provides benchmarks, but there are still some points that Stout worries about.

"Generally, the report places a lot of emphasis on changing student behaviors," she said. "We're hoping that colleges are also changing their behaviors. That's the only way to see significant gains."

For example, while the number of students meeting with advisers is pretty good, colleges should be thinking about what students are not meeting with their advisers and how that should be fixed, she said.

Institutions should also be using guided pathways as a framework for change, but not a silver bullet, Stout said. There are some fundamentals that need to be in place before the program can succeed. Some colleges still don't have the capacity to collect data, she said.

Some colleges do the organizing work -- like creating metamajors -- without focusing on the fourth pillar of ensuring students are learning.

"So what you get is almost a unitary focus on program maps instead of transformational learning experience," she added.

Colleges should be re-evaluating their business practices as well as creating metamajors, she said.

"A clearly defined program map or an advising appointment doesn't change the placement structure," she said, referring to how students of color are disproportionately placed in remedial courses that can set them behind on their path.

Colleges should reflect on their practices and collect their own data and data from student focus groups to determine how the redesign process is going, Jenkins said.

"A lot of colleges think that guided pathways is basically mapping out programs and putting them on websites and organizing them into metamajors," he said. "That might provide better information, but it doesnt change the student experience."

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Progress on guided pathways is promising, but still much to do, report says - Inside Higher Ed

1. United States

A stretch of Highway 162 just west of Oroville, California, has been repaved using 100% recycled materials. Caltrans, the state transportation agency, partnered with engineering startup TechniSoil to pave the nations first highway with recycled plastic.The company uses reclaimed PET, a type of plastic commonly found in water bottles and other single-use containers, to bind ground-up, recycled asphalt. The binding agent in traditional asphalt paving is a black sticky substance called bitumen, produced by oil refining. TechniSoils process uses the equivalent of roughly 150,000 plastic bottles per mile and requires less energy than traditional repaving projects. The plastic binder resists cracking, meaning the road can last two or three times longer than traditional pothole-prone asphalt, the companys president says. TechniSoil is also working on another plastic road project in Los Angeles. (Fast Company, Chico Enterprise-Record)

In a climate-smart agriculture pilot project, farmers in Guyana are being taught sustainable farming techniques. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) have provided training and materials to more than 30 farmers and their families. Specifically, the program is teaching participants to build and utilize a small, affordable greenhouse known as a shadehouse.In flood-prone communities, learning to embrace greenhouse crop production makes agriculture more resilient to climate change, and could result in more profitable yields and improved food security. FAO and IICA plan to expand the project to other locations, seeing it as a learning-by-doing opportunity for farmers and their children, who are home from school during the pandemic. (Guyana Chronicle)

Noor Inayat Khan, a spy who operated in occupied France during World War II, is the first woman of South Asian descent to be honored by Londons blue plaque program, which identifies buildings connected to notable people with a round blue sign. Her former family home in Bloomsbury will be recognized as an important English Heritage site.

Olivia Harris/Reuters/File

A statue of Noor Inayat Khan was unveiled in London in 2012. She was the first female radio operator sent into occupied France during World War II.

Its a milestone in the effort to diversify the public history program. In 2016, when English Heritage created a working group to address the lack of diversity among blue plaque recipients, only 33 of the nearly 1,000 plaques highlighted Black and Asian figures. Khan, born to an Indian father and an American mother, served as a British spy for months before being captured, and later executed, by the Nazis. Khans biographer describes her as Britains first Muslim war heroine in Europe. (The Guardian)

A black turbine blade could reduce fatal bird collisions at wind farms by about 72%, a new study suggests. Impact on wildlife has always been a major concern for onshore wind farms. At Norways Smla wind farm, trained dogs found nearly 500 dead birds scattered among the 68 turbines over the course of a decade.But researchers may have identified a simple solution. If one rotor blade is painted black, birds seemed better able to identify and avoid the spinning blades. Compared with an adjacent, unpainted turbine, the adapted machine caused 71.9% fewer fatal collisions.

Jan Kare Ness/NTB Scanpix/Reuters/File

Wind turbines, like those pictured here in Fitjar, Norway, can pose a deadly threat to passing birds. Researchers are testing the introduction of one black blade to reduce collisions.

Were very excited about this, said Brd Stokke, a lead author on the study. But he concedes its limitations. So many different species of birds have different ways of seeing things, he said. We dont know what they see.While more research is needed, he hopes that future wind energy developments embrace the painted blade method, given its relatively low cost and potential benefit for bird populations. (E&E News, BBC)

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With more than 95% of the continent immunized, the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission has declared Africa free from wild polio. Vaccination campaigns are credited with eradicating the virus.In 1996, poliovirus affected more than 75,000 children across the continent, with some cases in every country. Nigerias remote Borno state, epicenter of the Boko Haram insurrection, saw the last recorded case of wild polio in 2016. The wild strains of the disease are now found only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, though the World Health Organization identified 177 vaccine-derived cases in Africa this year. This strain is a rare mutation of the oral polio vaccine, which experts say will disappear as countries achieve herd immunity and phase out the vaccine. (BBC)

Egypts parliament has approved a law granting survivors of sexual violence automatic anonymity. And anyone who exposes the identity of a sexual assault survivor faces jail time.The law is largely the result of a growing #MeToo movement in Egypt. Research suggests that sexual violence is widespread in Egypt, but rarely reported due to a fear of backlash. The Instagram account Assault Police has also created a space for women to come forward with accusations of abuse, pressuring authorities to act.Most recently, prosecutors ordered the arrests of a group of men allegedly involved in a 2014 gang rape in Cairo. Assault Police, which first reported the incident in July, shared the arrest announcement, saying, Great news for the first time in a while! Praise be to God and thank you.(Reuters, BBC)

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Points of Progress: Building a recycled highway, and more - The Christian Science Monitor

The latest drone flyover of Tesla Gigafactory Berlin shows some impressive progress, as the novel construction technique is already producing large buildings.

It has been a month since we shared a Tesla Gigafactory Berlin construction update, and a lot of progress has been made in the last month.

Teslas factory under construction is subject to constant drone flyovers from people in the Tesla community trying to survey the progress.

A new drone flyover by YouTubes flybrandenburg gets pretty ambitious and even flies between pylons of buildings coming up at the construction site, giving a very close look at the different structures.

The video filmed yesterday shows some significant progress at Gigafactory Berlin:

Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said thatTesla is using pre-fab methods to accelerate constructionof Gigafactory Berlin.

You can see large sections of concrete near the buildings ready to complete buildings.

In the new video, we can see the main building of Gigafactory Berlin:

The building that is identified as the Drive Unit building in Teslas plans appears to be one of the closest to completion:

The video also takes us into the future building that will house Gigafactory Berlins paint shop:

Musk has been boasting that Gigafactory Berlins paint shop will be the most advanced paint shop in the world.

Tesla is also working on the section that will build body-in-white:

Tesla is planning to start production at the new factory in July 2021, and it needs to stick to a strict construction timeline to be ready to start production in just 12 months.

The start of production at the factory is also linked to the launch of the Model Y in Europe.

This is impressive. We can already see the Gigafactory Berlin campus take shape with several large buildings.

Like Elon mentioned, it does indeed look like the pre-fab building method is bearing fruit.

I know that theyre using German contractors for the project, but I wonder if they can use a similar method to build Gigafactory Texas.

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Tesla Gigafactory Berlin shows incredible progress and scale in new drone flyover - Electrek

As the world makes slow if uneven progress on social and environmental performance, the United States is falling behind its peer nations, among the few countries to see its Social Progress Index (SPI) score decline during the past decade.

The SPI, released by the Washington, D.C.-based Social Progress Imperative, is the most comprehensive measure of a countrys social and environmental performance, independent of economic factors, and complements traditional measures of success such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The index measures four aspects within each of three areas -- basic human needs, foundations of well-being, and opportunity -- aggregating 50 social and environmental outcome indicators from 163 countries. For the first time ever, the index measures social progress going back 10 years.

Since 2014, the world average score increased from 60.63 to 64.24, with improvement in eight of the 12 components of social progress. Among countries, that score would rank between Ghana and Azerbaijan on the SPI.

The world is improving but progress is slow and uneven, according to the SPI data. Personal Rights and Inclusiveness have declined since 2011 and Environmental Quality and Personal Safety have stagnated overall. The most improvement during that time has come in areas of Access to Information and Communications, Access to Advanced Education, Shelter and Water and Sanitation.

The U.S. joins Brazil and Hungary as the only countries in the SPI to see its score go down during the past decade. Since 2011, 95 percent of countries measured have improved by 1 point or more, and of those, 42 percent have improved by 5 or more points.

The U.S. ranks 28th at 85.71, in the lower half of the second tier (among six) of nations, behind Cyprus and Greece and ahead of Singapore and Malta. In previous years, the U.S. has ranked 16th (82.85), 18th (86.43), and 19th (84.62), though the SPI is refined year to year.

The fastest progress during the past decade has been among developing countries, with Ethiopia, The Gambia and Tunisia showing the most improvement.

Some 13 nations scored greater than 90 on the index. Scandinavian countries are historically among the top-ranked in the SPI and this year is no different, this time with Norway ranked first:

If current trends continue, the world will not achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals until 2082, according to the index. And, unless urgent actions are taken, COVID-19 will set back that timeline by another decade, pushing it 60 years past the target date of 2030.

This years release also includes public opinion polling, in partnership with Ipsos, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research shows that a majority of people across countries hit hardest by COVID-19 want social progress over economic growth, at the forefront, not only as the crisis continues but once it ends. Young people in particular prefer that their nations prioritize social outcomes after the pandemic is over.

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US Slides Backward In Social Progress Index - The NonProfit Times