The Verge: Google Maps is launching tools to help cities analyze infrastructure and traffic. “Google is integrating new datasets for Google Maps Platform directly into BigQuery, the tech giant’s fully managed data analytics service, for the first time. This should make it easier for people to access data from Google Maps platform products, including Imagery Insights, Roads Management […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/10/the-verge-google-maps-is-launching-tools-to-help-cities-analyze-infrastructure-and-traffic/

The Osaka Expo, set to start on Sunday, will include local governments exhibiting their specialty products as well as reconstruction progress following the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/10/japan/osaka-expo-local-government-exhibits/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #2025osakaexpo #localgovernment #wajima #ishikawa #earthquakes #fukushima #greateastjapanearthquake

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has appointed 180 central government officials as regional revitalization support officers to be involved in assisting municipalities in rural areas. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/04/10/japan/politics/revitalization-officers-appointment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shigeruishiba #localgovernment

Local Government Autonomy: Disputes Arise Over Opening CBN Accounts https://www.rainsmediaradio.com/2025/04/local-government-autonomy-disputes.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon Follow, Like & Share #LocalGovernment #FinancialAutonomy #Nigeria #SupremeCourt #CBN

Virginia Mercury: FOIA Friday: Richmond unveils FOIA Reading Room to boost transparency. “In a move aimed at restoring public trust and delivering on campaign promises, Richmond Mayor Danny Avula on Wednesday announced the launch of a new FOIA Reading Room, a public-facing online archive that will provide access to government records tied to the city’s January water crisis. The effort comes […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/06/foia-friday-richmond-unveils-foia-reading-room-to-boost-transparency-virginia-mercury/

Council moves to revive New Year's Eve music festival on Bondi Beach
By Nick Visser

Local officials hope to bring back a New Year's Eve festival on Sydney's famous Bondi Beach that last blasted beats out over the waves more than a decade ago.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-06/bondi-beach-new-years-eve-festival-potential-return-council/105133558

Vancouver voters look to fill two council seats in municipal byelection
Voters in the city of Vancouver will cast their ballots today in a municipal election to fill two vacant council seats.
#election #politics #localgovernment #Vancouver
https://globalnews.ca/news/11117485/vancouver-voters-look-to-fill-two-council-seats-in-municipal-byelection/

$25,000-a-week luxury rehab centre shuts down amid community backlash
By Brooke Chandler

A luxury rehabilitation facility offering tailored mental health and addiction treatment at up to $25,000 a week has closed down, citing a lack of community support.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-04/luxury-rehab-facility-highlands-recovery-drops-court-case-leaves/105132004

Route Fifty: Cyber grant funding lapses soon and state leaders want it renewed. “Several state technology leaders urged a House subcommittee on Tuesday to reauthorize a federal cybersecurity grant program before its funding lapses in September. The $1 billion State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program, known as SLCGP, was funded by the 2021 infrastructure law and is administered by the […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/03/route-fifty-cyber-grant-funding-lapses-soon-and-state-leaders-want-it-renewed/

Vanderbilt University: New tool maps how states govern early childhood programs. “Early childhood governance plays a critical role in shaping how policies are implemented, how funding is distributed, and how families engage with essential supports. Yet states take different approaches to structuring governance, influencing collaboration across education, health, and economic and family […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/02/vanderbilt-university-new-tool-maps-how-states-govern-early-childhood-programs/

Loophole in native timber ban allows scope for private logging
By Tavleen Singh

The Victorian government has tasked councils with approving native timber logging projects for private land, creating a loophole that allows harvesting despite a statewide ban.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-03/timber-harvesting-ban-loophole-victoria/105123078

Stateline: Cities lead bans on algorithmic rent hikes as states lag behind. “Minneapolis on Thursday has become the fourth U.S. city to ban algorithmic rental price-fixing software, joining San Francisco, Philadelphia and Berkeley, California, in a growing wave of legislation aimed to protect renters from rental price-gouging. While momentum builds at the city level — with Portland, Oregon; […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/04/01/stateline-cities-lead-bans-on-algorithmic-rent-hikes-as-states-lag-behind/

State Tech Magazine: Gaming in Government: Innovative Uses for Handheld Devices in the Public Sector. “For as long as there have been video games, there have been attempts to use them for productivity. From teaching typing to boosting armed forces recruitment, gaming has been used in training, education and even business operations. The integration of gaming devices into public sector […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/26/gaming-in-government-innovative-uses-for-handheld-devices-in-the-public-sector-state-tech-magazine/

Chapelboro: Chapel Hill Restores LGBTQ History, Diversity Pages After Brief Removal During Website Audit. “After a brief — but fervent — controversy online Wednesday, the Town of Chapel Hill restored several of its website’s pages, including ones about the town’s history of support for the LGBTQ+ community and its diversity, equity and inclusion office.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/25/chapelboro-chapel-hill-restores-lgbtq-history-diversity-pages-after-brief-removal-during-website-audit/

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Web Search Formulas Offer a First Step for Protecting Critical Infrastructure. “The technology behind web search engines is useful for more than tracking down your long-lost buddy or discovering a delicious new recipe. Technology based on search engine algorithms might also help keep the lights on, the water running and the trains moving during an […]

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/25/pacific-northwest-national-laboratory-web-search-formulas-offer-a-first-step-for-protecting-critical-infrastructure/

The Liberal Democratic Party is facing headwinds in the upcoming Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election due to political funds scandals affecting it at both the national level and in the assembly. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/25/japan/politics/ldp-tokyo-assembly-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #tokyo #localgovernment #ldp #yurikokoike #tominfirst #dpp #cdp #shinjiishimaru

Unseen Japan: Kagoshima Coast Guard Lauded After Denying Nuisance YouTubers Ferry Entry. “The “viral” trend of stupid-ass YouTube personalities making a name for themselves by being offensive idiots in Japan continues unabated. Fortunately, in the latest case, local authorities put a stop to it swiftly, denying a group of nuisance streamers permission to board a ferry in Kagoshima.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/03/24/unseen-japan-kagoshima-coast-guard-lauded-after-denying-nuisance-youtubers-ferry-entry/

Fukuoka Gov. Seitaro Hattori won a second term in Sunday's gubernatorial election in Fukuoka Prefecture, defeating three other candidates, including lawyer Koichiro Yoshida. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/03/24/japan/politics/fukuoka-gov-relected/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #fukuoka #election #localgovernment #seitarohattori