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Yolo County is proud to announce its participation as the first pilot jurisdiction in the Bridge initiative, a new program launched by the Institute for Local Government (ILG). This initiative aims to strengthen California’s local government workforce by creating Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in non-traditional fields, including human resources, accounting, information technology (IT), health and human services and more. “I’m thrilled that Yolo County will serve as an inaugural participant in ILG’s Bridge Public Sector Registered Apprenticeship program,” said Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chair Lucas Frerichs. “Apprenticeships have a long history of success in the construction trades, and I’m excited to bring this innovative model to support our broader local government workforce in Yolo County.” Like many local governments across the state, Yolo County is facing significant workforce challenges, with recruitment and retention issues affecting nearly 70% of California’s cities, counties, and special districts. These challenges can lead to vacancies in essential roles, potentially disrupting services such as social services, permitting, and more. The Bridge initiative is designed to address this issue by providing innovative, community-based solutions to hire for high-demand, difficult-to-fill positions, while expanding career opportunities for underserved and underrepresented populations. As the first confirmed pilot jurisdiction for the Bridge initiative, Yolo County will help test and implement non-traditional RAPs over the next year. The program will focus on training and hiring individuals for a wide range of roles in local government, including positions in IT, human resources, and health services. ILG will provide crucial support to Yolo County, including capacity building, grant writing, marketing assistance, and technical guidance throughout the program’s development. Through this pilot, Yolo County will work closely with local education agencies, community-based organizations and other partners to ensure the successful implementation of apprenticeship programs that align with the county’s workforce needs. Yolo County’s participation in the Bridge initiative is a crucial step toward building a sustainable, skilled workforce capable of meeting the challenges of the future. As part of the pilot program, the county will lead the way in developing a scalable model for apprenticeships that can be adopted by other local governments across California. “Apprenticeships are a proven strategy to develop a resilient workforce while opening doors for underserved communities,” states Erica Manuel, CEO and Executive Director of the Institute for Local Government. “The Bridge initiative brings this model to the public sector, ensuring local governments have the talent they need to meet the challenges of tomorrow. With Yolo County leading the way, we’re building a blueprint for other jurisdictions across California to follow.” The Institute for Local Government (ILG) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports local governments with tackling their most pressing and evolving issues related to workforce development, climate action, leadership, ethics, and public engagement. Since 1955, ILG has provided conscious counsel, training, resources, and technical assistance to empower and educate local agency leaders and deliver real-world expertise to help them navigate complex issues, increase their capacity, and build trust in their communities. As the nonprofit affiliate of the League of California Cities, the California State Association of Counties, and the California Special Districts Association, ILG proudly serves municipalities large and small, urban and rural throughout California. Find out more at www.CA-ILG.org .Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in Oregon
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NoneThe rapid increase in satellites and space junk will make low Earth orbit unusable unless companies and countries cooperate and share the data needed to manage that most accessible region of space, experts and industry insiders said. A United Nations panel on space traffic coordination in late October determined that urgent action was necessary and called for a comprehensive shared database of orbital objects as well as an international framework to track and manage them. More than 14,000 satellites including some 3,500 inactive surround the globe in low Earth orbit, showed data from U.S.-based Slingshot Aerospace. Alongside those are about 120 million pieces of debris from launches, collisions and wear-and-tear of which only a few thousand are large enough to track. "There's no time to lose on space traffic coordination. With so many objects being launched into space, we have to do everything we can to ensure space safety, and that means facilitating the sharing of information between operators, be they public or private, in order to avoid collisions," said panel co-chair Aarti Holla-Maini, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs. Low Earth orbit must remain safe to prevent costly disruption to the technology behind global communication, navigation and scientific exploration, she said. Yet there is no centralized system that all space-faring nations can leverage and even persuading them to use such a system has many obstacles. Whereas some countries are willing to share data, others fear compromising security, particularly as satellites are often dual-use and include defense purposes. Moreover, enterprises are keen to guard commercial secrets. In the meantime, the mess multiplies. A Chinese rocket stage exploded in August, adding thousands of fragments of debris to low Earth orbit. In June, a defunct Russian satellite exploded, scattering thousands of shards which forced astronauts on the International Space Station to take shelter for an hour. Low Earth orbit is the region most congested with human-made objects as it offers a balance between cost and proximity, making it a prime target for the rapidly growing commercial space sector. It has also seen a 17% rise in close approaches per satellite over the past year, Slingshot data showed. Projections point to tens of thousands more satellites entering orbit in the coming years. The potential financial risk of collisions is likely to be $556 million over five years, based on a modeled scenario with a 3.13% annual collision probability and $111 million in yearly damages, said Montreal-based NorthStar Earth & Space. "We are at a critical point with respect to putting regulations and structure in space to monitor and manage the growing congestion. With Starlink launching thousands of satellites per year, China and others preparing to follow, we will soon push the bearing capacity of prime orbits," said NorthStar CEO Stewart Bain. RISKY BUSINESS Low Earth orbit is densely packed, with bands such as the one for satellite internet service Starlink from commercial space company SpaceX - at an altitude of 540–570 km. As of Nov. 27, Starlink had 6,764 satellites in orbit, Jonathan's Space Report showed. SpaceX data showed Starlink satellites performed nearly 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the first half of 2024, about double the previous six months. SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The European Space Agency, which has fewer spacecraft than SpaceX, said in 2021 its maneuvers have increased to three or four times per craft versus a historical average of one. The 800–900 km band contains fewer satellites but has 3,114 objects - including operational and non-operational payloads, rocket bodies and fragments - which make up 20% of the total mass of objects in low Earth orbit, posing significant collision risk, LeoLabs data showed. Expired satellites add to the clutter as they stay in orbit until they fall into - and burn up in - Earth's atmosphere years later or are flown to a "graveyard orbit" some 36,000 km away. Russia drew global criticism in November 2021 when it test fired a missile at a defunct satellite in orbit, creating thousands of fragments of debris. Russia invaded Ukraine three months after the test. "The potential for conflicts between states has been on a steep rise in the recent past. If these extend to space it could complicate the outer space environment. We urgently need common global rules for coordination," said Anirudh Sharma, CEO of Bengaluru-based Digantara, which specializes in space situational awareness. FINAL FRONTIER The U.N.'s Holla-Maini, whose office serves as secretariat for the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, said the October panel aimed to bring together public- and private-sector experts to outline steps needed to start work on coordination. It will present its findings at a committee meeting next year. Global cooperation is essential to developing enforceable rules akin to those used by the International Civil Aviation Organization for air traffic, industry experts told Reuters. Such effort would involve the use of existing tools, such as databases, telescopes, radars and other sensors to track objects while improving coverage, early detection and data precision. Yet geopolitical tension and reluctance to share data with nations deemed unfriendly as well as commercial concerns over protecting proprietary information and competitive advantages remain significant barriers. That leaves operators of orbital equipment relying on informal or semi-formal methods of avoiding collisions, such as drawing on data from the U.S. Space Force or groups like the Space Data Association. However, this can involve issues such as accountability and inconsistent data standards. "The top challenges are speed - as consensus-building takes time - and trust," Holla-Maini said. "Some countries simply can't communicate with others, but the U.N. can facilitate this process. Speed is our biggest enemy, but there's no alternative. It must be done."Colorado Avalanche (12-9, in the Central Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (10-7-2, in the Atlantic Division) Tampa, Florida; Monday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche are looking to extend a three-game win streak with a victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa Bay has a 10-7-2 record overall and a 6-2-1 record in home games. The Lightning have scored 68 total goals (3.6 per game) to rank 10th in NHL play. Colorado is 12-9 overall and 6-3-0 on the road. The Avalanche have an 8-5-0 record in games they have fewer penalties than their opponent. The teams play Monday for the second time this season. The Lightning won 5-2 in the previous matchup. Anthony Cirelli led the Lightning with two goals. TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has 11 goals and 17 assists for the Lightning. Emil Martinsen Lilleberg has scored goals over the past 10 games. Nathan MacKinnon has scored seven goals with 28 assists for the Avalanche. Sam Malinski has over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 4-4-2, averaging 3.4 goals, six assists, 3.4 penalties and 9.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game. Avalanche: 7-3-0, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 5.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game. INJURIES: Lightning: None listed. Avalanche: None listed. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Family of poisoned Aussie teens call for 'change to protect others'
