Local Government

Former Howard County CISO John Bruns will serve as the new director of state cybersecurity, and emergency management specialist Netta Squires will take up the post of the director of local cybersecurity.

The Public Service Company of New Mexico has asked the state’s Public Regulation Commission to approve a six-year "grid modernization" effort with $344 million in upgrades to its distribution system.

County commissioners this week authorized the staff to pursue a $75,000 state alternative fuels incentive grant. The money will be used to offset the cost to replace fuel-burning fleet vehicles with electric models.

The May 26 incident compromised the town’s IT system and affected government email capabilities for several weeks. Officials say the intrusion was made possible by the Log4j vulnerability.

The latest reorganization and rebranding move in gov tech involves a company that is offering a range of services from one source. The launch of TD Synnex Public Sector reflects broader activity in the industry.

Cook County, Ill., is using a technology platform created collaboratively through a partnership with GiveDirectly and AidKit to distribute guaranteed incomes to more than 3,200 residents in need.

Election officials in Berks County began the arduous process of testing a warehouse full of voting machines ahead of the November elections. More than 800 machines will be put through their paces in the week-long test.

While the voting machines themselves passed the examination by officials and staff, concerns were raised about how candidate information was displayed on the screen and whether it would favor one candidate over another.

The company says its technology and platform can help local governments better determine how to spend grants and serve citizens. Polco has more than 1,400 clients, including San Jose, Calif., and Honolulu.

Keeping up strong data breach defenses is tricky as technologies evolve and governments adjust to hybrid environments. Maricopa County CISO Lester Godsey explains why data inventorying, vendor risk management and cybersecurity audits are key.

The City Council this week approved an application for a middle-mile infrastructure grant that was part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress and supported by President Joe Biden.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said this week that they want to close the region's digital divide within the next five years, calling special attention to racial disparities in service.

After Fremont County called a declaration of local disaster because of a cyber attack against computer systems, departments have been steadily coming back online thanks to the county's IT team.

The federal grant money will be allocated to five projects across San Luis Obispo County, ranging from building new radio communications towers in areas with limited service to improving existing towers.

A new tool from the Pittsburgh Office of Management and Budget aims to make data on budget decisions more transparent, as one of many efforts the city has undertaken to make data more accessible to the public.

The Neosho City Council last week approved letters of support for Optimum Broadband and AT&T as the two companies pursue funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to further develop their Internet networks.

The grant comes through the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, which began in 2019, and will provide a total of $91.3 million over the next decade to regional cooperatives in the northeastern part of the state.

The city of Reno has announced the appointment of Craig Franden, who has more than 20 years of public IT experience, to the Department of Information Technology director position. Franden replaces Kannaiah Vadlakunta in the role.