Before a county planner can write a single word of a staff report, they often spend hours just gathering the basics—old decisions, existing laws, planning documents buried in filing systems. It’s the kind of tedious groundwork that eats up days. In Washoe[...]
Value: Progress & Innovation
News |
December 2025 Director’s Cut
North Dakota’s “Director’s Cut” briefing for October production shows a steady month, with oil output essentially flat-to-up from September (about 1.168 million barrels per day) and slightly above the state revenue forecast, while gas production was about 110.1 Bcf for the month.[...]
News |
Solar meets soil: Report says agrivoltaics could redefine rural prosperity
A new report shows how a developing system called agrivoltaics has the potential to offer a much-needed economic option for Wisconsin farmers, while redefining solar development as a tool for prosperity rather than a threat to it. Agrivoltaics is a dual-use concept[...]
Curio |
Baltimore is innovating its permitting system to revitalize housing
Baltimore’s effort to rebuild its neighborhoods is getting a digital boost. As the city moves forward with an ambitious plan to revitalize 40,000 vacant properties, officials have launched a new automated permitting system to help keep pace. The tool fast-tracks routine approvals[...]
Commentary |
Good news! These ‘positive tipping points’ will help save the world
Earlier this month, scientists announced that humanity has kicked off the first major “tipping point” — in which an Earth system dramatically transforms, often permanently — as warm-water corals die en masse due to relentlessly rising temperatures. Think of such events like[...]
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Commentary |
How Mayors Can Reclaim Government Efficiency
In Washington, “efficiency” has become a cynical buzzword — a pretext for cutting, sidelining, and demoralizing public servants. But in America’s cities, a different vision is taking shape. Cara Eckholm argues that mayors have a chance to reclaim the term, using it[...]
Commentary |
American Roads Are Paved With Inefficiency
North and South Carolina share borders, weather, and soil — but not the same highway costs. Repaving a mile of road in South Carolina costs more than twice what it does just across the state line. Yale law and economics professor Zachary[...]
Curio |
How Global Study Tours Spark Innovation in US Schools
When school budgets tighten, innovation often feels out of reach — but some district leaders are finding fresh ideas by looking abroad. Through international study tours with Digital Promise, educators from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Colorado are exploring how Finland and Uruguay approach[...]
Curio |
A theory why the internet is going down the toilet
If you’ve ever felt like your favorite app or website keeps getting worse, Cory Doctorow has a word for it — and now, a whole book. “Enshittification” lays out how tech platforms win over users, then businesses, and finally ruin the experience[...]
Curio |
Florida county turns to AI to trim zoning review process
In Florida’s Hernando County, artificial intelligence is doing the paperwork—faster. A new AI system called SwiftGov has helped cut zoning review times for single-family homes from 30 days to just two, saving the county an estimated $1 million. Developed by Swiftbuild.ai, the[...]
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Curio |
The Zipper Is Getting Its First Major Upgrade in 100 Years
For more than a hundred years, the zipper has gone largely unchanged—until now. YKK, the Japanese company behind roughly half the world’s zippers, has introduced the AiryString, a new design that eliminates the fabric tape flanking the teeth. The result is lighter,[...]
Curio |
In Dickinson, Local business owners gather for ‘Idea to Investment’ summit
At Dickinson State University, the next generation of entrepreneurs got a crash course in turning big ideas into real businesses. The “Idea to Investment Summit” brought together small business owners, students, and venture capital experts to talk about funding — from simple[...]
Commentary |
Being Wrong Is a Scientific Superpower
Science doesn’t fear being wrong—it depends on it. The latest issue of Scientific American celebrates that spirit, exploring discoveries that challenge what we think we know. From a geochemist’s claim that complex life began hundreds of millions of years earlier than believed,[...]
News |
State leaders can shape responsible AI use in schools, report finds
Artificial intelligence has swept into classrooms faster than the rules to govern it. A new RAND report shows more than half of students — and just as many teachers — now use AI for schoolwork, lesson planning, or grading. Yet fewer than[...]
News |
Rural universities are teaching AI to power the next wave of farming innovation
Across the heartland, a quiet revolution is taking root—not in Silicon Valley labs, but in university fields and classrooms where agriculture meets innovation. From Purdue’s DIAL Ventures to Iowa State’s Start Something program, schools are cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs who[...]
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Curio |
Grand Island-produced combine series emerges as 2025 ‘Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska’
Nebraska’s manufacturing pride was on full display this week as Grand Island’s Case IH plant claimed the title of “Coolest Thing Made in Nebraska” for its AF Series Combines. Chosen from thousands of public votes, the high-tech harvesters were hailed for their[...]