The number of pedestrians killed on U.S. roadways is up — by a lot. Nearly 6,000 pedestrians were killed in 2016, up from 4,100 in 2009 and the highest toll since 1990, according to the Governors Highway Safety Administration. The number of deaths held steady between 2016 and 2017 — but that was cold comfort.
Pew Charitable Trusts
Why most states are struggling to regulate Airbnb
Some big cities, such as New York, saw the short-term rentals as a threat to the rental market based on long-term leases, as well as to traditional hotels. New York last year allocated extra funding to enforce a state law restricting rentals for fewer than 30 days unless the host is present and there are no more than two guests.
Companies in foreign trade zones await more details on Trump tariffs
Manufacturers that operate in foreign trade zones may be able to evade President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, trade experts say. But there are a lot of unanswered questions about how the tariffs — which were justified on rarely-used national security grounds — will be applied in zones.
To prevent suicides and school shootings, more states embrace anonymous tip lines
States across the country are responding to high-profile school shootings and rising teen suicide rates by creating tip lines. The programs aim to prevent young people from behaving dangerously, whether that means bullying, using drugs or killing someone.
Stalled effort to ban ‘bump stocks’ illustrates challenge of changing state gun laws
In the wake of the Las Vegas concert massacre last fall, lawmakers in at least 30 states introduced legislation to ban “bump stocks,” which convert semiautomatic guns into automatic weapons and which were used by the gunman. Only two of the bills passed.
Overdose deaths fall in 14 states — including Alaska
New provisional data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that drug overdose deaths declined in 14 states during the 12-month period that ended July 2017, a potentially hopeful sign that policies aimed at curbing the death toll may be working.