Imagine a technology that can save lives by providing rapid aid to victims of gun violence. ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system, seems to be just that. However, it doesn't solve crime – it's not a magic bullet. A study by the University of Chicago Crime Lab found that areas with ShotSpotter t
Imagine living in a world where the ability to express your thoughts and opinions is slowly being eroded away. It's not a reality from a dystopian novel, but our current reality. The erosion of free speech is happening, and it's not a single, dramatic event, but rather a thousand tiny cuts. From th
California's Proposition 4 is set to borrow $10 billion to fund a plethora of environmental projects. But is this measure more about politics than sound policy? After this year's budget debacle, the state should be focusing on cutting debt, not increasing it. The measure's 100+ programs lack a sens
Imagine a world where men and women are equal, but not the same. Harvey Mansfield, a renowned Harvard political theorist, wants to create. In his book, he argued that traditional gender norms are not just outdated, but dangerous. He believes men and women have different strengths and weaknesses, and
Imagine if Social Security's sacred guarantee wasn't on the chopping block, but rather, it was fully funded for decades to come. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) claims that cracking down on mega-rich tax dodgers could keep the New Deal program whole until the end of this century. Wyden estimates that the ul
The Supreme Court of South Carolina has dealt a major blow to the Education Scholarship Trust Fund (ESTF) program, ruling it unconstitutional for using public money to fund private school education. The ESTF, signed into law by Governor Henry McMaster in May 2023, allowed qualifying parents to appl
Is the summer COVID-19 surge finally dipping? Or is it just a temporary reprieve? The data is mixed, but there are some early signs that the surge may have peaked. However, not all metrics are moving in the rosy direction. For instance, positivity rates are still relatively high, and COVID-19 deaths
Think about it: Indiana consistently ranks among the worst in the nation in terms of overall health. But what if we told you there's hope on the horizon? The Lake County Health Department has received a whopping $4.87 million in state funding to improve the health of Hoosiers, and we take a closer l
It's time to rethink the assumption that the cannabis industry is a liberal bastion. Ten years ago, it would've been easy to assume so – the Democratic Party had been driving progress on cannabis legalization. But fast-forward to today, and the picture is murkier. Why are business owners and executi
As the world holds its breath for the U.S. presidential debate, Asian markets are reeling from key economic data. In South Korea, unemployment plummeted to a historic low of 2.4%, a feat not seen since 1999. But in Japan, business confidence among manufacturers took a seven-month hit, according
