For decades, the cost of course materials has increased far beyond the rate of inflation, and Salem State University students say open-resource course materials online would better serve them and their professors, both.

The San Luis Obispo County elections office will implement the new system in the June 2 statewide primary. It intakes hundreds of ballots at once, then can “talk” to a registration system to verify signatures.

The funding, totaling $48.5 million, derives from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. It is expected to enable connections to 22,000 homes and businesses in the state.

The county board approved a renewal of a Kane County Sheriff’s Office contract that includes 25 license plate reader cameras. Undersheriff Amy Johnson said the devices help “a tremendous amount."

A growing number of college professors are choosing to bar laptop and phone use in class, citing studies that show students who take notes by hand often perform better on tests.

A state Senate proposal would create a pilot program mandating three years of testing with human drivers for autonomous cabs. Among their criticism, opponents said it would create an “unnecessary barrier.”

A cybersecurity review by the Virginia Army National Guard Cyber Brigade praised Henry County’s work but recommended it expand IT staffing. The examination included an audit of county computer networks.

A unanimous vote in the Ohio House progressed a bill to make it illegal to own, with criminal intent, digital devices that have led to a wave of car break-ins across the country in recent years.

A school district in western North Carolina canceled classes and shut down its network last week after detecting an intruder. As of last Tuesday, officials were still investigating and working to restore services.

The license plate reading cameras, usually mounted on 12-foot poles, have quickly become standard in police departments across the country, including the Dallas Police Department.