WA quietly scraps $9.8m contract for anti-puppy farming program
By Joanna Prendergast and Piper Duffy
The government has cancelled a contract with software provider Seisma to develop a statewide digital pet registration portal, a key move in its fight against puppy farming.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-04/cook-government-cancels-pet-portal-puppy-farming/105372560
UCLA: National shade map from UCLA and American Forests launched to combat deadly urban heat. “The Shade Map, now available through American Forests’ Tree Equity Score platform, shows where shade exists — and where it doesn’t — in 101 of the largest urbanized areas in the country, covering more than 360 cities and towns. It visualizes how shade from trees and buildings changes […]
The government will promote startups by women nationwide, such as by taking measures to help prevent female entrepreneurs from being harassed, as it seeks to curb an outflow of women from rural areas. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/03/japan/politics/women-startups-promotion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #startups #ai #localgovernment #genderequality
Japan to promote startups by women as part of push to stop rural outflow https://www.byteseu.com/1069385/ #AI #GenderEquality #Japan #LocalGovernment #startups
Besides the fact that the meetings of the committees of elected members constitutionally charged with having oversight of these matters have all been cancelled by Reform it is ultra vires for *any* political party to engage contractors to do any work like this without getting a formal decision by the Council (not the party), going through a transparent and challengeable procurement process (been there, done that, it's a ball ache but it's legally required, and rightly), and it would be questionably legal for the council to hand over this confidential data to unaccountable and unelected third parties, however their services are procured.
"To whom it may concern" — !
Tech Xplore: As Google retreats from real estate, will it still build the 15,000 homes it promised?. “When Google made its $1 billion pledge to address the Bay Area’s housing shortage in 2019, the plan hinged on the company expanding its office presence in Silicon Valley…. But now, six years later, as Google pulls back from its plans to add to its Bay Area office footprint, the housing it […]
The personal information of a whistleblower in Hyogo Prefecture was likely leaked under the instructions of Gov. Motohiko Saito and former Vice Gov. Yasutaka Katayama, according to an independent report. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/27/japan/politics/hyogo-leak-panel/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #motohikosaito #hyogo #powerharassment #whistleblowers #localgovernment
The transport ministry is considering abolishing monochromatic versions of "gotochi" special vehicle registration plates designed by local governments, it was learned. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/25/japan/license-plates-monochrome-stop/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mlit #carparts #cars #localgovernment
‘I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next’: Brockwell Park festival row ignites debate over public space https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/may/24/brockwell-park-row-raises-age-old-questions-about-rights-to-public-space-music-festivals #Accesstogreenspace #Localgovernment #Musicfestivals #Localpolitics #MarkRylance #Environment #Festivals #Culture #Society #London #UKnews #Music
With public services being increasingly carried out by contracted civil servants, concerns have emerged over their poor working conditions and how they could ultimately affect the daily lives of citizens. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/19/japan/society/japan-public-service-workers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #localgovernment #tohoku #miyagi
Virginia Coal Country Courts New Business With Old Mining Money https://www.byteseu.com/1024952/ #AppalachianRegion #Bristol(Va) #business #CampaignFinance #casinos #ClydeStacy #Coal #DataCenters #EnergyAndPower #FactoriesAndManufacturing #FederalAid(US) #HardRockHotelInc #LaborAndJobs #LawAndLegislation #LocalGovernment #MinesAndMining #NuclearEnergy #PoliticsAndGovernment #RealEstate(Commercial) #StateLegislatures #TerryKilgore #Virginia
UK government to tighten immigration rules amid voter anger over ‘failed experiment in open borders’ https://www.byteseu.com/1003103/ #BritishPrimeMinister #ConservativeGovernments #Government #GreatBritain #IllegalImmigration #Immigration #KeirStarmer #LabourParty #LocalGovernment #UnitedKingdom
An appreciation post for the City of Greater Bendigo.
Just down the road is a goldrush-era dam - Kennington Reservoir. In 2024 it was emptied, to do repair work on the wall. The dam floor has also been transformed from a flat, dead space into a zone with topography - and reusing trees removed from the wall as structure in the dam.
It's all going to be invisible when the water comes back. So just a quick thanks. It can't have been easy to push this vision through
Labour-run, heavily indebted Warrington Council is going to have Govt. 'advisors' for the next five years.
Inspectors concluded the council does not recognise 'the severity of the issues it faces' & as such needs to be guided towards shifting from its high-risk borrowing & investment strategy, compounded by having no audited accounts signed off for over five years.
Govt. 'envoys' are being sent in but it as yet its unclear quite how powerful they will be.
#Warrington #LocalGovernment
h/t FT
Personal computers and tablets allocated to elementary and junior high school students across Japan for classroom use are now reaching the end of their service life, prompting questions about disposal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/05/06/japan/student-device-renewal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #schools #education #elementaryschools #juniorhighschools #computers #tablets #recycling #localgovernment #privacy
Elon Musk, His 16-Foot Wall and the Feud With His Texas Neighbors - Residents of an upscale enclave outside Austin, Texas, learned the hard way what it’s lik... - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/technology/elon-musk-texas-neighbors.html #realestateandhousing(residential) #spaceexplorationtechnologiescorp #securityandwarningsystems #fencesandpropertybarriers #highnetworthindividuals #computersandtheinternet #building(construction) #westlakehills(tex) #localgovernment #citycouncils
Bloomington’s economy has long history of rising above; it’s time to do it again https://www.byteseu.com/975827/ #Bloomington #BusinessInvestments #collaboration #Community #economy #LocalBusinesses #LocalGovernment #LocalGovernments #MonroeCounty #NovoNordisk #StateBudget
Segun Idowu goes ‘On The Record’ on economy, federal funding, housing https://www.byteseu.com/960396/ #AffordableHousing #Boston #BostonUniversity #business #chief #city #company #Democracy #diversity #DonaldTrump #down #EconomicOpportunityAndInclusion #economy #equity #FederalFunding #FederalGovernment #FinancialDistrict #HarvardUniversity #Hasbro #Housing #HousingCrisis #impact #inclusion #Jobs #kind #LocalGovernment #Massachusetts #OfficeBuildings #OnTheRecord #OTR #Politics #record #synergy #US
https://www.europesays.com/2030888/ Segun Idowu goes ‘On The Record’ on economy, federal funding, housing #AffordableHousing #Boston #BostonUniversity #business #Chief #city #company #democracy #diversity #DonaldTrump #down #EconomicOpportunityAndInclusion #Economy #equity #FederalFunding #FederalGovernment #FinancialDistrict #HarvardUniversity #Hasbro #housing #HousingCrisis #impact #inclusion #jobs #kind #LocalGovernment #massachusetts #OfficeBuildings #OnTheRecord #OTR #Politics #record #synergy #US