The rebuke of Smokey Bear

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“One of the things the right has known for decades is that by moving state policy, you move national policy”

– Gaby Goldstein, founder of a non-profit that coordinates Democratic lawmakers across dozens of states

In Wisconsin and states across the country, Republicans have spent decades building infrastructure that helps them win and use power at the state level. Kevin Hardy of Stateline reports on the efforts from Democrats and progressive non-profits to emulate that strategy.

For decades, American wildfire policy followed the advice of Smokey Bear, with resources devoted to snuffing out fires as quickly as possible. But as climate change makes wildfires more common and more dangerous, officials in towns such as Roslyn, Washington are learning to embrace controlled burns to clear out tinder-like underbrush and make forests healthier in the process. Alex Brown of Stateline was on the scene as fire crews in the central Washington town managed a burn on a forested ridge and took a class with the Washington Department of Natural Resources to learn how these burns are conducted.

As the country’s population becomes older and millions of Baby Boomers reach their 80s, the demand for home health workers will only increase. Anne Saker of Stateline reports on the effort of policymakers in Ohio and elsewhere to address a shortage of these workers by increasing their historically low wages.

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