A mother in Hanford, California, is speaking out after her 5–year-old son was left alone in a hot school bus for nearly 45 minutes, reported ABC 30.

The incident reportedly occurred last month, when a Hanford Elementary School District student enrolled in a summer learning program was on his way back home from a swim lesson. He then fell asleep during the route and was left alone on board the school bus.

The boy’s mother, identified only as Ms. Guerrero, told local news reporters that the principal following the school bus in another vehicle did not have a student ridership roster and did not ensure that all the students had gotten off the bus.

According to the news report, the school bus driver also did not perform the required walkthrough of the bus before exiting, leaving the child in the bus alone for 30 to 45 minutes.

Guerrero said her son was hot and had a headache when he was found. Everyone involved reportedly apologized, and a nurse checked the child and said he was okay.

California law requires school buses to be equipped with alarm systems that should ensure children are not left behind at the conclusion of routes. Additionally, school bus drivers must walk to the back of the bus to deactivate the alarm, checking every seat along the way. Guerrero said that did not happen.

The school district said immediate action was taken after learning of the incident, including medical assessment of the student and a full investigation. The superintendent stated that due to confidentiality, the district could share no further details pertaining to personnel actions taken as a result of the investigation.

Guerrero said she feels let down and wants those involved to be held accountable for their actions.

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Related: Illinois School Bus Driver Finds Teen Wandering Alone
Related: Louisiana Child Left Alone in School Bus for 5 Hours
Related: Ohio Student Left on School Bus, Parent Speaks Out
Related: Ohio Parents Sue School District After 6-Year-Old Left on Bus for Hours

The post California Student Left Alone in Hot School Bus appeared first on School Transportation News.

A school bus driver in Sacramento City Schools uses music to unite students across the school district, reported KCRA News.

School bus driver Sunny Eselekhomhen reportedly grew up on a small Nigerian village that he said via the article had limited resources.

As Eselekhomhen drives his afternoon routes, he reportedly hums while singing in a foreign language. He spent most of his youth teaching and performing West African music across Africa and Europe. When Eselekhomhen moved to the U.S. he was even part of Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom act in its early stages.

Once he moved to Sacramento, Eselekhomhen reportedly started working as a school bus driver and eventually began traveling to different schools across the Sacramento City School District to teach West African music to the kids.

As a parent at Leonardo Davinci School, Eselekhomhen started a yearly nine-week drumming program for all the school’s third-grade students. According to the article, he’s taught drums and even sung in his native tongue for 14 years. The kids then put on a concert for their families and friends.

Eselekhomhen told local news reporters that he wants kids to learn music, but the deeper lesson in drumming is about “lifting people up.” He also shares stories about his life as a kid.

“I went to primary and secondary school barefoot with no sandals,” said Eselekhomhen via the article. “[During] rainy season, you just take your clothes off to wrap your books, you don’t have backpacks,” he continued.

Eselekhomhen added that some villages in Nigeria still have living conditions that could be hard for American children to imagine. He went to Africa last spring, and the village he visited, the students in that school did not have drinking water. The students there went from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. without drinking water. Eselekhomhen was inspired to start a project to build a freshwater well for a school in his father’s village.

Students, both current and former, parents, teachers and other people from across the district reportedly made donations to support Eselekhomhen’s project to build the well. A class at Miwok Middle School where Eselekhomhen’s wife works, started its own fundraiser, making arts and crafts to sell.

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Related: Kentucky School Bus Driver Gifts Pajamas to Student Onboard Bus
Related: Arkansas School Bus Driver Donates Shoes to Local Organizations
Related: Louisiana School District Honors Bus Drivers
Related: Wisconsin School Bus Driver Saves Girl from Choking

The post California School Bus Driver Teaches Lessons of Compassion Through Music appeared first on School Transportation News.

While alternative transportation providers frequently carry children with medical or behavioral challenges and students covered by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, they also have a solid record of coming to the rescue in other situations.

The Louisville High School in Los Angeles does not currently have any students experiencing homelessness or medical issues, but its administrators received word two years ago from the school’s bus contractor that it was unable to cover a route. “We’re an all-girls Catholic school, and enrollment is really important. We felt an obligation to those students, so we were looking for alternatives,” explained Tara Shuler, the school’s attendance manager.

Louisville High belonged to a transportation consortium with other local private schools, which is how Shuler first heard of HopSkipDrive. Louisville, along with its all-boys brother school in Encino, Crespi, opted to retain the alternative transportation company. “We had a lot of cars coming and going on that very first year and had some siblings going to both schools,” said Shuler.

“The drivers are all vetted and background checked, so you know you’re not just putting your kid in an Uber with some random person who decided to sign up,” she continued. “I think that gave our families confidence in the beginning .. and then it went forward with no real hiccups. They were rock solid from day one.”

Noting the school also needs after-school and evening routes, Shuler said the alternative transportation option enabled the school to continue both. “We really modeled it after our buses and it worked out,” she added.

Without the alternative transportation option, Shuler said she believes the school likely would have lost “quite a few kids” due to L.A. traffic. “Parents work so they can’t get to the other side of town and they’re not going to drive them an hour to school and then an hour back to get to work,” she added.

The nation’s leading alternative transportation providers may stake out their own territories or compete head-to-head in places, but they all agree that nothing is more important than safety when it comes to getting students with behavioral challenges where they need to be when they need to be there. A crucial component of managing those students is the recruitment and retention of drivers who share that commitment.

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Related: Detroit Public Schools Shares Chronic Absenteeism Solutions
Related: (STN Podcast E259) Feel the Passion: Debates on Wi-Fi, Technology, Alternative Transportation & Safety
Related: NASDPTS Publishes Paper Espousing Safety of School Buses Over Alternative Transportation
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The alternative service was scaled back last year when the bus company was again able to cover one route, but the HopSkipDrive service was a “nice alternative for us to get our students to school and home safely and not having a bus,” noted Shuler. “It was what we did to fill the gap where we didn’t have a bus.”

She praised the provider for its “phenomenal” communication, calling and texting to share information about a late driver change due to illness, a car slowed in heavy traffic or if there was another issue.

Noting she had worked years ago at Nordstrom’s, a retailer which is known for setting the gold standard in customer care, Shuler said of HopSkipDrive, “They made it so easy to work with them. Their customer service was like Nordstrom’s. There was never any issue they didn’t take care of,” she concluded.

The post Alternative Transportation a Fit for this Catholic All-Girls High School in L.A. appeared first on School Transportation News.

In a political tug-of-war that’s been playing out for a long time, the battle between Donald Trump and California over vehicle emissions has landed back in the spotlight. The US president has now taken formal action to reverse California’s aggressive push toward electric vehicles and clean air regulations, signing a trio of resolutions that target the state’s authority on the matter.

With these resolutions, the President is effectively blocking California’s plan to phase out gas-powered cars by 2035. The move also eliminates federal support for the state’s plans to retire medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks, and strips California’s ability to enforce its own tailpipe emissions and nitrogen oxide pollution limits.

Read: Trump’s Big Beautiful Tesla Just Got Fired

Trump has pushed back on California’s environmental authority since his first term, and with these latest actions, the battle is now heading to court.

“We officially rescued the U.S. auto industry from destruction by terminating the California electric vehicle mandate once and for all,” he said during a White House news conference.

Unsurprisingly, the move has both supporters and detractors. In a statement, the president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an important representative of major car manufacturers, applauded Trump’s move. “Everyone agreed these EV sales mandates were never achievable and wildly unrealistic,” he said.

California Hits Back

Almost immediately after Trump signed the bills, California Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit, the New York Times reports, describing them as “illegal resolutions.”

“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues – and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process,” Newsom said. “We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters.”

California’s ability to set its own emissions standards dates back to the Nixon administration. The state is home to five of the ten cities with the worst air pollution in the United States. According to the governor’s office, clean air efforts over the past 50 years have saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness.

Attorney General Bonta echoed the urgency, calling the resolutions a reckless rollback. “The President is busy playing partisan games with lives on the line and yanking away good jobs that would bolster the economy – ignoring that these actions have life or death consequences for California communities breathing dirty, toxic air,” he said. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: California will not back down. We will continue to fiercely defend ourselves from this lawless federal overreach.”

AUBURN, Calif. – InterMotive Vehicle Controls, a leading manufacturer of electronic control systems, announces a new safety solution designed to protect students by alerting nearby drivers as the bus approaches a stop. By increasing the bus’s visibility, School Bus Flasher helps to indicate that children are exiting the vehicle, and crossing may occur.

The School Bus Flasher controls the operation of key safety features, including the amber warning lights, red stop lights, the stop arm and crossing arm. It functions as a stand-alone system but can be seamlessly integrated with InterMotive’s FlexTech product, a customizable vehicle electrical load control system.

Installation is made easy with simple plug and play connections, which eliminates the cutting of OEM factory wiring.

For more details, contact Marc Ellison, LGS Group VP of Sales and Marketing, at 530-368-9193 or go online at https://intermotive.net/transit-mobility-3/#sbf.

InterMotive Vehicle Controls provides commercial safety and performance optimization products. Our plug and play electronic control systems leverage a vehicle’s own data networks to enhance its functions in new ways. We specialize in custom solutions for law enforcement, ambulance, fire truck, work truck, transit/paratransit, school bus, RV and personal-use mobility industries. To learn more, call 800-969-6080 or visit www.intermotive.net.

The post New InterMotive School Bus Product Helps Keep Students Safe at Stops appeared first on School Transportation News.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -HopSkipDrive today announced a significant expansion in its ability to meet the transportation needs of all students, enabling schools and school districts to seamlessly and directly book rides for students needing wheelchair-accessible vehicles, Rider Assistants, and car seats. With this development, school districts around the country will be able to solve even more student transportation challenges through HopSkipDrive’s unmatched technology-driven safety approach and operational expertise, and can learn more with a sign-up here.

“All children, especially those with disabilities, deserve a safe, reliable ride in a vehicle that meets their specific needs with adults who are fully prepared to support them,” said Joanna McFarland, CEO and Co-Founder of HopSkipDrive. “Rising chronic absenteeism rates make clear that existing school transportation industry options leave behind students with unique needs.”

With more than 5 million rides across 95 million safe miles completed on its platform, HopSkipDrive continues to raise the bar for student transportation. The company supports over 600 school districts by supplementing yellow buses with a network of extensively vetted CareDrivers — local caregivers on wheels — through a care-centered transportation marketplace.

With the launch of these three new transportation offerings this fall, HopSkipDrive will provide schools and school districts with even more resources, all backed by rigorous safety standards and industry-leading Safe Ride TechnologyTM. Transportation teams can use HopSkipDrive’s ride management platform, RideIQ, to easily and simply book, track, and manage all rides in one place, and staff can get full visibility with Daily Queue, which provides a customized view for all HopSkipDrive rides for students at their school location.

Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles and Rider Assistants

Following a successful pilot earlier this year, HopSkipDrive is expanding the availability of Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle rides and Rider Assistants to all cities in which the company operates. These rides are fulfilled by CarePartners, local professionals who undergo HopSkipDrive’s rigorous and comprehensive certification process, including name- and fingerprint-based background checks, clearing child abuse and neglect screenings where available, and enrolling in continuous criminal monitoring. Like all CareDrivers, they complete HopSkipDrive onboarding and a virtual orientation course. CarePartner drivers for Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle rides also undergo driving record screens, vehicle inspections, and more.

To meet the needs of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and those who thrive most when an additional adult is in the vehicle, HopSkipDrive offers a Rider Assistant for schools to book to join the CareDriver or CarePartner driver on the ride. The Rider Assistant will provide informed and compassionate support for the rider when needed.

HopSkipDrive continues to lead in forward-thinking safety measures by directly managing driver and Rider Assistant vetting, onboarding, and compliance. This unique approach sets HopSkipDrive apart in the student transportation industry, offering schools valuable features such as the Safe Ride Support system and enhanced Must Be Met process to support the development of new rider services all delivered with the company’s signature tracking and notification systems.

Car Seat Program

In select cities, schools and school districts can select HopSkipDrive’s car seat program for students whose height and weight, typically between the ages of four to six, require a car seat. CareDrivers can only opt in to fulfill these rides after completing comprehensive car seat safety education and using only the forward-facing car seat model approved by HopSkipDrive and Safe Kids Worldwide, the leading organization for childhood injury prevention.

HopSkipDrive collaborated with the industry’s leading child safety experts to design and develop the safest possible ride experience. Britney Lombard, who has spent more than a decade as a Safe Kids Worldwide certified Child Passenger Safety Instructor and performed thousands of car seat checks during her tenure, now leads HopSkipDrive’s car seat program. The HopSkipDrive Safety Advisory Council, composed of six leading experts in transportation safety, also played a key role in advising the development of the car seat program to confirm protocols meet the highest standards in the industry.

Compliance is a core principle of the car seat program. Ahead of the implementation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s new safety standards, HopSkipDrive proactively selected a car seat model that goes above and beyond these requirements in consultation with the company’s expert advisors.

Safety Leadership, Including In-Ride Recording

HopSkipDrive continues to invest in leading the industry in safety with over 50 products, features, and initiatives woven throughout the ride experience. Over the past year, the company announced nearly a dozen new safety initiatives, including offering in-ride cameras through Safe Ride InSight.

Schools and school districts can request dashcam recording for rides with CareDrivers who have installed SafeRide InSight, which combines visual monitoring with audio recording. HopSkipDrive uses this technology along with advanced telematics to create a solution that’s unmatched in the student transportation industry. First piloted in Arizona and Colorado, the company is continuing to scale this technology to additional markets over the coming months.

Learn more about HopSkipDrive at hopskipdrive.com.

About HopSkipDrive
HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, access, and care. HopSkipDrive is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and industry-leading transportation intelligence platform, RouteWise AI. HopSkipDrive’s marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 10,000 schools across 17 states, with over 600 school district partners. More than 5 million rides over 95 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.

The post HopSkipDrive Launches Specialty Transportation, Offering Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicle Rides, New Rider Assistants, and Car Seat Program to Support Entirety of Schools’ Transportation Needs appeared first on School Transportation News.

President Donald Trump signed Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that overturn U.S. Environmental Protection Agency waivers of key California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations, aimed at enforcing stricter emissions and goals for selling zero-emission vehicles, and states and truck manufacturers are  rethinking their strategies.

The CRA upends plans to implement Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), which would require manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission chassis, including those for school buses by 2035. The CRA also targets Advanced Clean Cars II that would require all passenger car, truck and SUV sales be zero-emission in 2035 and the Omnibus Heavy-Duty Low NOx regulations for off-road emissions.

Trump signed the CRA on Thursday, and California announced it is suing the Trump administration over the President’s approval of “illegal resolutions aiming to undo key parts of the state’s clean vehicles program,” Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta said. 

“Trump’s all-out assault on California continues, and this time he’s destroying our clean air and America’s global competitiveness in the process. We are suing to stop this latest illegal action by a President who is a wholly-owned subsidiary of big polluters,” Newsom said.

Additionally, the weight of the future of zero-emission vehicles and clean air requirements will fall on states and OEMs. Many OEMs are taking a wait and see approach.

“Today’s votes in the Senate fly in the face of nearly 50 years of precedent. For decades, California and other states have had the authority to adopt vehicle emissions standards that exceed those at the federal level, and for good reason,” said Dan Lashof, senior fellow at World Resources Institute (WRI), when the CRA passed the Senate May 22. “These standards are vital in protecting people from the vehicle pollution which causes asthma attacks and other serious health problems.”

CARB Chair Liane Randolph released a statement disapproving of the CRA waivers, noting that it is a “short-sighted political move” and a strike against the long-term goal of zero-emission vehicles.

“California profoundly disagrees with today’s unconstitutional, illegal and foolish vote attempting to undermine critical clean air protections,” she wrote. “It’s an assault on states’ rights the federal administration claims to support that puts national air quality standards out of reach and will have devastating effects for the 150 million Americans who breathe unhealthy air every day. These actions are contrary to the text of the Congressional Review Act, as recognized by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian. California will pursue every available remedy to challenge these actions and defend our right to protect the public from dangerous air pollution. Turning the clock back on both cleaner combustion engine requirements and zero-emission technology is an attack on clean air.”

Meanwhile, states that voted to adopt CARB’s regulations are postponing enforcement. Four of the 10 states that follow CARB (Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon and Vermont) have pushed back their ACT compliance timelines by a year or more.

While not a CARB-specific state, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced earlier this month it is extending its suspension of enforcement of its own Pennsylvania Heavy-Duty Diesel Emissions Control Program until Jan. 2, 2028.

This includes school buses and the ACT rule. Gerry Wosewick, executive director of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, said the government agency has been working hard with partner organizations to roll back this requirement.

“This has been a legislative priority for us for quite a few years now and we have been advocating for it pretty heavily during that time,” Wosewick said. “It was actually a part of [the PSBS] legislative committee’s [strategy] plan. Since this is a regulatory issue, we have had several pieces of legislation that have been entered over multiple sessions in an effort to best address this change. Despite our lobbying efforts, we have been unsuccessful in getting any legislation through.”

With the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, MTA and others, Wosewick said there was enough pressure to address the regulation, which was key to getting it delayed.

“I oftentimes refer to it as the death by a thousand paper cuts in Pennsylvania,” he added. “While our contractors are phenomenal and find new and innovative ways to continue operations, it’s the constant small regulatory and statutory changes that keep making it more difficult to operate in the industry.”

Instead, he commented the industry should be able to work collaboratively to focus on timely emissions rollouts, as opposed to being forced to respond to regulatory drives.

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Related: Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues
Related: CARB Uses $33M in Funding to Target Other Zero-Emissions School Travel
Related: The State of Green School Buses
Related: Report Highlights Shift in Federal Policy from EVs to Conventional Fuels

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Back at the federal level, the budget reconciliation bill passed by the House of Representatives May 22 is a comprehensive piece of legislation proposing significant changes, including scaling back the tax credits for clean energy included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

WRI noted that if the cuts in the current iteration of the bill are passed, “average Americans will see severe consequences: Businesses will face more red tape and uncertainty; it will be more difficult and costly to meet growing electricity demand; consumers will see skyrocketing electricity prices; workers will lose jobs; and local governments will encounter barriers to implementing programs that benefit their communities and save money,” it said in a statement.

The organization added that it would erase much of the $400 billion in investment and savings that clean energy tax credits have generated thus far.

“The proposed sudden elimination of the credits, which support low and no emission vehicle technologies, including the Qualified Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit (45W) and the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit (30C), will not only hinder the transition to cleaner vehicles and healthier communities but will pose immediate logistical and financial challenges to school districts, municipalities and others who have already made plans and budget decisions predicated on being able to access these credits,” WRI said. “Moreover, eliminating these credits means we are limiting consumer choice and ceding competitiveness in this growing market to China.”

The article has been updated to reflect Trump signing the CRA. 

The post Update: Congress Shifts Tide in Regulatory Demands for Clean Energy appeared first on School Transportation News.

California is going to war, legally speaking, against the Federal government. On Thursday, the GOP-led Senate voted to strip the state of its longstanding ability to set its own vehicle emissions rules. California’s response? A firm promise to sue the federal government if and when US President Donald Trump signs the measure into law.

More: GM’s Urgent Warning, California’s EV Rules Could Harm You

When the news broke, California Governor Gavin Newsom didn’t wait long to respond. He immediately called the move illegal and said it was harmful to health and the environment. “The party of MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) is making our world smoggier,” he said. To revoke the waiver from California, the Senate did go against counsel from two nonpartisan government entities that both said it would be illegal to do so.

States’ Rights or Regulatory Overreach?

That said, the GOP felt that California had too much power and was leveraging that power to set rules on a pseudo-federal level. Several states had joined California in imposing the same rules, including one that banned new gas-car sales after 2035.

Based on data, those goals were far too lofty considering the current state of EV adoption in the U.S. The GOP decision takes the stress off of automakers, oil companies, and dealers who felt they were going to be stuck with products that wouldn’t sell well.

Health First, Says California

For many in California, the state’s regulations are prioritizing health and wellness above all else. “We have real-world evidence that these rules are improving public health,” said Dr. John Balmes, of UC Berkeley. A recent study from the University of Southern California showed a significant reduction in asthma-related emergency room visits for children and adults associated with the number of electric vehicles in a zip code.”

Others in the state see the revocation of the waiver as a positive move. “I think this was a good middle ground that we can still talk about EVs,” said John Pitre, CEO of Motor City Auto Club in Bakersfield, to BakersfieldNow. “We can still develop them. We can still have future opportunities to explore different types of EVs. But it’s not at the detriment of people having a selection of gas or diesel-powered vehicles that they may really want.”

Ultimately, only time will tell whether or not California’s lawsuit will claw back its freedom to set its own standards. This will be the 21st lawsuit filed by the state attorney general against the Trump administration. “The federal government’s overreach is illogical,” Bonta said in a press conference in Sacramento. “It’s politically motivated, and it comes at the expense of Californians’ lives and livelihoods.”

Credit: Governor Gavin Newsom

The path to mainstream electrification is all but inevitable. Despite that, many lawmakers are trying to slow it down. Add to that one of the automakers building thousands of EVs every year, General Motors. A newly uncovered email exposes the company as it urges employees to get political. It hopes that with enough support, the government will stop California from setting its own emission standards.

More: New Bill To Kill EV Tax Credits Will Only Benefit One Brand

The Golden State has long done exactly that. In 2022, it went as far as to tell automakers that they had a little over a decade. By 2035, it won’t allow the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks. While that would seemingly be good for EV sales, the plan has several critics aside from General Motors.

The Golden State vs. Detroit

“We need your help!” GM said in an email to white-collar employees obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “Emissions standards that are not aligned with market realities pose a serious threat to our business by undermining consumer choice and vehicle affordability.” It’s worth noting that California isn’t alone in its thinking. 11 other states have signed up to follow the same plan. Now, GM and several lawmakers want to remove California’s ability to set its own standards and thus, cancel the ability for the other states involved.

In a statement, GM’s spokeswoman made the company’s stance clear: “GM believes in customer choice, and we continue to focus on offering the best and broadest portfolio of vehicles on the market”. That’s consistent with the automaker’s view, even when it supported California’s proposal in the past. Clearly, a national standard is in the best interest of automakers since they wouldn’t have to manage different regulations in different states.

Government officials say the standards set in California are simply out of touch with reality. Data seems to back that up, too. It set a target to have 35 percent of all vehicle sales be electric in 2026. Right now, EVs only make up 20 percent of new car sales, and that’s in a place where EVs are wildly popular when compared to other states.

EV sales in North America are slower than in most places across the globe. The transition to electrification appears like a sure thing, but probably further down the road than initially expected. 

CAMPBELL, Calif., and CLEVELAND, Ohio, – ChargePoint (NYSE: CHPT), a leading provider of EV charging solutions, and intelligent power management company Eaton, today announced a collaboration to accelerate and simplify the deployment of EV charging infrastructure in the U.S., Canada and Europe. The companies will integrate EV charging and infrastructure solutions, co-developing new technologies to advance bidirectional power flow and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) capabilities—enabling EVs to act as a power source for homes, buildings and more.

Providing a one-stop shop for the EV charging ecosystem, the companies will deliver EV chargers, electrical infrastructure and engineering services as turnkey offerings enabling the electrification of transportation, from vehicles to chargers to the grid. ChargePoint and Eaton will streamline the purchase, design and deployment of EV charging projects, offering joint solutions that will help customers effectively manage site power requirements, optimize infrastructure and enhance reliability at a reduced cost.

“ChargePoint’s partnership with Eaton will deliver innovation that addresses the biggest barriers to electrified transportation,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint. “Together with Eaton we will create unprecedented value for institutions that deploy EV charging, accelerating electrification, and decarbonizing the planet in parallel.”

With Eaton’s collaboration, ChargePoint now elevates its strategic position as an end-to-end enabler of the EV ecosystem, from grid to vehicle. As EV charging infrastructure matures, core components like chargers and infrastructure must integrate at scale to realize their fullest potential. ChargePoint’s work with Eaton and numerous automotive OEMs will enable the seamless integration chargers, infrastructure and EVs, managed with ease on the ChargePoint cloud software platform.

Paul Ryan, general manager, energy transition at Eaton, said: “Customers rely on Eaton to solve their toughest power management challenges. This game-changing partnership will help do just that for vehicle charging—bringing together trusted power distribution and EV charging solutions to simplify electrification at scale.”

Information regarding available EV charging and infrastructure solutions, which address every charging scenario, including fleet, workplace, commercial real estate, fueling and convenience, multifamily, residential and public transportation charging needs, is available on our website.

ChargePoint and the ChargePoint logo are trademarks of ChargePoint, Inc. in the United States and in jurisdictions throughout the world. All other trademarks, trade names, or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

About ChargePoint Holdings, Inc.
ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions. The ChargePoint cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds of thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom, the ChargePoint Investor Relations site, or contact the ChargePoint North American press office, or Investor Relations.

About Eaton
Eaton is an intelligent power management company dedicated to protecting the environment and improving the quality of life for people everywhere. We make products for the data center, utility, industrial, commercial, machine building, residential, aerospace and mobility markets. We are guided by our commitment to do business right, to operate sustainably and to help our customers manage power ─ today and well into the future. By capitalizing on the global growth trends of electrification and digitalization, we’re helping to solve the world’s most urgent power management challenges and building a more sustainable society for people today and generations to come.

The post ChargePoint and Eaton establish industry-first EV charging partnership appeared first on School Transportation News.

In addition to the state’s Clean Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP), California has also awarded school districts $500 million to purchase zero-emission school buses and chargers.

The Zero-Emissions School Bus and Infrastructure (ZESBI) project selected 133 educational agencies to receive 1,000 zero-emission school buses and related charging infrastructure to school districts and other local educational entities. Statewide grants are expected to be finalized by the end of the year.

ZESBI is a program in collaboration between the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), and is administered by CALSTART, a nonprofit clean transportation organization.

“Cleaning up the state’s school bus fleet is central to California’s efforts to provide clean transportation in priority communities that are disproportionately hurt by air pollution,” stated CARB Chair Liane Randolph. “The vast majority of these grants will go to local educational agencies that serve these communities.”

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Related: Update: Quebec Government Passes on Saving Lion Electric, Companys End Imminent
Related: Infrastructure Investor I Squared to Acquire National Express School Bus Contractors
Related: First Student’s Kenning Discusses School Bus Electrification, Technology Innovation

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Meanwhile, HVIP is surging with voucher redemptions skyrocking by 177 percent from 2023 to 2024, with early 2025 data showing continued momentum. A press release states that in February alone, more than 200 HVIP-funded, zero-emission trucks and buses were deployed with $31 million in incentives.

“Over 15 years, HVIP invested $754 million, helping 2,000 fleets deploy 10,000 clean trucks and buses,” the release states, adding that the vehicles have logged more than 340 million miles.

The sale of new zero-emission trucks, buses and vans doubled in 2023, over the previous year, “representing one out of every six new vehicles sold for services including last-mile delivery, freight transportation, and school buses,” the release adds.

Several funding categories within HVIP have reached capacity, though funding remains through the transit set-aside and Innovative Small e-Fleets (ISEF) project. HVIP is also administered by CALSTART on behalf of the California Air Resources Board.

The post Despite Federal Funding in Peril, California State Funding for EVs Continues appeared first on School Transportation News.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – HopSkipDrive, a technology company solving complex transportation
challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, access, and care, today announced the appointments of David Katcher as Chief Operating Officer and Tyler Baldwin as Chief Revenue Officer.

Katcher and Baldwin bring extensive leadership experience across transportation, care, and
marketplace companies. Their appointments reflect HopSkipDrive’s continued investment in
scaling its operations and expanding its national footprint to ensure all students have access to safe, reliable transportation.

David Katcher joins HopSkipDrive after serving as COO at Rula, where he led a broad portfolio of go-to-market and operational teams. Under his leadership, Rula expanded from 11 markets to national coverage and launched several new service offerings. He previously held executive rolesat Lyft and AvantStay, overseeing global operations and field teams of 600+ employees. “I’m energized by HopSkipDrive’s mission to create mobility for all, and I’m excited to build the systems and services that allow us to scale with quality,” said Katcher. “Transportation is a gateway to opportunity, and we are here to make sure that access is never out of reach.”

Tyler Baldwin joins from CharterUP, where he served as CRO and led the revenue organization through a period of rapid growth, increasing gross bookings from $120M to over $200M. He has also served in executive roles at Reali and LinkedIn, building high-performing teams and launching scalable go-to-market strategies.

“I’m thrilled to help drive the next phase of growth for HopSkipDrive,” said Baldwin. “This is a company with demonstrated product-market fit, an inspiring mission, and a platform that truly makes a difference in communities. There’s a massive opportunity to support more school districts across the country, and we’re just getting started.”

“David and Tyler are incredible leaders with a deep commitment to impact, and their expertise will be instrumental as we continue to grow and expand our footprint,” said Joanna McFarland, Co-Founder and CEO of HopSkipDrive. “Their appointments reinforce our focus on quality, safety, and service at scale as we partner with more districts and solve the complex challenges of student transportation.”

HopSkipDrive’s announcement follows a string of recent milestones, including new district
partnerships, the launch of the new RouteWise AI planning platform to help schools optimize their transportation networks, and the announcement of new safety products, features, and initiatives.

About HopSkipDrive:
HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, access, and care. HopSkipDrive is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and industry-leading routing software, RouteWise AI. HopSkipDrive’s marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 10,000 schools across 17 states, with over 600 school district partners. More than five million rides over 95 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.

The post HopSkipDrive Welcomes David Katcher as COO and Tyler Baldwin as CRO appeared first on School Transportation News.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — InCharge Energy, the leading provider of end-to-end commercial electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, today announced the launch of its suite of InService maintenance and repair plans and OnDemand service, designed to make electrification even easier for business customers across North America by providing expert service support for nearly any EV charging equipment. InCharge’s industry-leading focus on EV charger-focused service support is designed to address the growing number of businesses with one or more brands of EV chargers on premises with no support in place for maintaining or extending the life of the equipment.

InService solutions provide commercial charging operators across North America with access to highly trained service technicians, predictable payments, and rapid response time, with the industry’s most customizable service and maintenance packages that let customers pay for parts and labor their way. Customers choose the plan that meets their goals and budget, with options that range fully comprehensive coverage to OnDemand repair or maintenance for unexpected issues. This best-in-class service support is designed to ensure customers can maximize operational efficiency for multiple brands of chargers across one or multiple sites, as InCharge’s expert technicians are specifically trained to optimize and extend the life of commercial EV charging equipment.

“When your business invests in a major piece of equipment or an appliance, typically you would also select a robust service agreement for those occasions when it needs maintenance or repair,” said Rich Mohr, CEO of InCharge Energy. “The same is true for EV charging equipment. By choosing an InService plan to support their EV chargers, customers can protect their investment over time to ensure that their equipment continues to run smoothly. InCharge successfully maintains more than 15,000 charging ports networked to our InControl software platform each day, so businesses know they can rely on us to provide the service support they need – even if they have chargers from multiple manufacturers.”

Service and maintenance options – or OnDemand repair – supported by InControl Charger Management & Maintenance Software

InService gives customers the operational confidence they need to run a successful EV charging program. Customers can request easy-to-understand OnDemand service anytime, with 24/ 7 customer support at 833-772-4638 and parts and labor pricing.

InService plans include Extended Warranty, Preventative Maintenance (with one or two visits per year), and more comprehensive InService plan variations, with the possibility of further tailoring the support to customer needs. The first offering, InService Standard includes preventative maintenance plus labor coverage and discounted parts. InService Dedicated also provides dedicated expert technicians to support a customer’s operations. Fully comprehensive and customizable, InService Premium also includes active monitoring and remote diagnostics powered by InControl Charge Maintenance and Management Software (CMMS), which works alongside any CMS already in place, enabling users to easily request service and facilitating remote identification and repair of up to 75% of EV charger issues.

InService offerings also encompass incremental engineering support or related specialty services, including parts warehousing and supply chain, site assessment, or site restoration services, with the company’s Los Angeles “LASSO” facility providing additional lighting and electrical services and Weights & Measures certification for California-based customers. InCharge Energy’s customizable financial solutions help businesses electrify faster and more affordably, on their terms.

About InCharge Energy
InCharge Energy provides reliable, cost-effective charging and service solutions for North American businesses and organizations of all sizes. Its EV charger service and maintenance offerings, available in every state and province, are designed to support multiple brands of charging equipment. The company also offers a range of customizable financial solutions to meet every business objective and budget, accelerating the path to fleet electrification for auto manufacturers and dealerships, K-12 school districts and higher education, commercial real estate, state and local agencies, and more.

The InCharge team of service experts works remotely to keep chargers operational and dispatches on-staff, highly trained technicians across the continent to facilitate rapid issue resolution. The company’s open-API, OCPP 2.0.1 certified InControl is the first commercial charging software to be widely adopted across North America to control costs, manage charging results, and easily request charger service. This AI-powered charger maintenance platform is purpose-built to keep EVs on the roads, empowering businesses with key insights to easily optimize daily operations and minimize total cost of ownership (TCO).

Headquartered in Los Angeles, InCharge has operating facilities in Richmond, Virginia, and Montreal, Quebec. Learn more about InCharge Energy and its services at www.inchargeus.com. You can also follow InCharge on LinkedIn.

The post InCharge Energy announces launch of InService maintenance and repair plans to service most EV charger brands at 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, CA appeared first on School Transportation News.

ANAHEIM, Calif. – International Motors, LLC * (“International”) will showcase its digitally enabled solutions dedicated to the customer experience at ACT Expo 2025 in Anaheim, California April 28 – May 1.

“At International, we’re investing in innovative solutions to create an exceptional customer experience” said Debbie Shust, vice president, Customer Insights & Experience, International. “It’s not just about delivering vehicles—it’s about delivering confidence. In a dynamic environment, we simplify the journey, support long-term success, and show up as a true partner every step of the way.”

Fleet Decarbonization

International offers end-to-end consulting services to support customers in reaching their fleet decarbonization goals. These services include electric readiness assessments, infrastructure planning, grant support, and onboarding assistance. Customers can begin their journey by visiting their local International dealer to tailor a decarbonization strategy that is best suited for their business.

With more than 10 million real-world miles, International’s battery-electric vehicles have been meeting customer demands in practical scenarios, assisting customers in their decarbonization journeys.

With the announcement of the International eRH Series, an all-electric Class 8 regional haul tractor, the company expands its electric vehicle lineup to meet demands of the heavy-duty market. The eRH joins the International eMV Series and the IC Bus Electric CE Series in the International electric vehicle lineup.

Recognizing that fleet decarbonization happens at different paces for customers, International also provides advanced diesel solutions For example, the LT with the S13 Integrated Powertrain delivers at least 5% more in fuel economy than any competitor in the on-highway aero category.** The S13 Integrated is also certified for use with R100 renewable diesel.

Electric Maintenance Solutions

International provides planned maintenance service contracts to ensure that customers’ operating, maintenance, and service needs are met and supported by our expansive dealer network. These contracts ensure that battery-electric trucks and buses are seamlessly integrated and maintained through proactive service planning.

This white-glove experience is tailored to enhance uptime via scheduled maintenance intervals, solutions like proactive parts planning, advanced technician scheduling, and a new digital ecosystem designed to predict service and maintenance needs aimed at driving efficiency across International and IC Bus dealerships.

The new digital ecosystem provides greater visibility into fleets’ health-based vehicle data allowing customers and dealers to schedule planned maintenance appointments three to four weeks ahead of time. During this already planned downtime, fleets and dealers can also proactively identify other needed repairs and campaigns.

International Service Contracts include planned maintenance and can also include powertrain coverage, chassis coverage, and optional towing coverage. International Service Contracts are available for either five or six years on every new battery-electric truck. Electric bus terms for service contracts vary.

International Financial Payment Program for Bundled Solutions

Beyond financing for traditional diesel trucks, International Financial is also a partner for electric-powered trucks and chargers. This partnership extends past the hardware needed to operate in the battery-electric vehicle ecosystem with a Payment Program that enables customers to access International Service Contracts seamlessly. Importantly, the Payment Program allows our customers to opt for planned maintenance over the term of the contract, with no associated financing cost.

The Payment Program for International Service Contracts is available for electric vehicles whether or not the vehicle is financed through International Financial. Visit the International Financial EV page for more information.

International is dedicated to providing innovative solutions that propel our customers forward. By minimizing downtime and enhancing operational efficiency, we ensure our customers can spend their time and attention focusing on continuous growth and success of their core business. To learn more about these customer solutions, visit the International booth (#5640) at ACT Expo April 28 – May 1 at the Anaheim Convention Center or explore International.com.

About International:
Based in Lisle, Illinois, International Motors, LLC* creates solutions that deliver greater uptime and productivity to our customers throughout the full operation of our commercial vehicles. We build International trucks and engines and IC Bus school and commercial buses that are as tough and as smart as the people who drive them. We also develop Fleetrite aftermarket parts. In everything we do, our vision is to accelerate the impact of sustainable mobility to create the cleaner, safer world we all deserve. As of 2021, we joined Scania, MAN and Volkswagen Truck & Bus in TRATON GROUP, a global champion of the truck and transport services industry. To learn more, visit www.International.com.

The post International Exhibits Solutions to Simplify the Customer Experience at ACT Expo 2025 appeared first on School Transportation News.

LOS ANGELES, Cali. -HopSkipDrive today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind AI-driven transportation planning platform as part of its RouteWise AI software.

This new offering delivers a major advancement to school districts focused on safe, reliable, and efficient transportation options. It provides comprehensive visibility into unlimited scenarios and national benchmarks, with artificial intelligence analyzing thousands of possibilities, including the risk of delays at existing bus stops and the impact of changing bell times.

Launched in 2023, HopSkipDrive’s RouteWise AI software has helped dozens of school districts around the country improve on-time arrivals, reduce transportation cost by up to 20%, and address chronic labor shortages.

For instance, Denver Public Schools implemented RouteWise AI’s suggestion of increasing the efficiency of small vehicles, leading to savings of more than $500,000 annually. And in Colorado Springs’ District 11, efficiency went up 46% when RouteWise AI increased the share of high-utilization bus routes (defined as 30 students or more), using the same number of drivers and addressing the district’s shortage.

“We’ve been working with RouteWise AI to assess our operational efficiency and support our district in sustaining operations through a driver shortage,” said Veronica Schmidt, transportation director, Snohomish School District in Snohomish, Wash. ”RouteWise AI brings together all of our data – ridership, history traffic, route policies and more – to deliver detailed optimization recommendations that aren’t possible with our current tools.”

The new RouteWise AI dashboard gives district leadership insights into the metrics that matter, including student ride times, costs per rider, and bus utilization rates. Users can compare these metrics against national averages, allowing them to benchmark against peers and track improvements. HopSkipDrive’s team of transportation and change management experts collaborate on the best transportation plan for each district that fit into existing routing software or platforms.

In addition, RouteWise AI is collaborating with EZTransportation, a leading transportation management platform, to deliver seamless end-to-end experiences for school district staff. This reinforces the RouteWise AI “Compatibility Promise” to ensure complementary efforts with, and not replacements to, districts’ existing technologies. This includes the range of solutions EZTransportation provides, such as daily route management, school and parent communication, driver management, fleet maintenance, and activity trip coordination.

“School districts often lack the time or resources to quickly analyze transportation data in one place and implement meaningful changes,” explained Corey McMahon, HopSkipDrive Chief Product and Technology Officer. “RouteWise AI bridges that gap, providing schools’ decision makers, board members and other officials actionable insights directly from their existing routing systems to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and ultimately improve student outcomes.”

School districts across the country, including Ohio County Schools in West Virginia, and dozens more, have utilized RouteWise AI. With RouteWise AI and its care-centered transportation marketplace, HopSkipDrive has supported over 10,000 schools.

About HopSkipDrive:
HopSkipDrive is a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care. HopSkipDrive is modernizing the $30 billion school transportation industry through two core solutions: a care-centered transportation marketplace and industry-leading routing software, RouteWise AI. HopSkipDrive’s marketplace supplements school buses and existing transportation options by connecting kids to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels, such as grandparents, babysitters, and nurses in local communities. RouteWise AI helps schools and districts address critical challenges, including budget cuts, bus driver shortages, and reaching climate goals. HopSkipDrive has supported over 10,000 schools across 17 states, with over 600 school district partners. More than three million rides over 61 million miles have been completed through HopSkipDrive since the company was founded in 2014 by three working mothers.

The post HopSkipDrive Launches New AI-Powered School Transportation Dashboard, Increasing Visibility and Efficiency Across Districts’ Transportation Systems appeared first on School Transportation News.

Two school districts are providing examples of how utilizing a unified software solution simplified their school transportation operations.

Busology Tech shared during a webinar it sponsored Thursday that the company has 25 years in the student transportation industry and seen 500,000 students transported safely. Abu Batasi, director sales and marketing, noted the top four sources of chaos for pupil transporters today are driver shortages, safety concerns, budget constraints, and data sync.

Contributing to the driver shortage and inefficient routes are low wages, training requirements, competition, and an aging workforce, he explained. Not only must districts design school bus routes for changing populations and sprawling geographic areas, but they must also stay nimble enough to respond to daily real-time changes like traffic, weather, student absences.

According to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, an estimated 17,000 children are treated in emergency departments each year for school bus–related injuries, proving that student safety is a top concern, Batasi explained.

Student transporters are no strangers to budget constraints but rising operational costs and technology limitations make it harder to balance on-time performance with cost-effectiveness while also providing safe service, Batasi noted. To deal with this, he suggested school districts can leverage state funding opportunities, communicate value with critical stakeholders, and take a phased approach rather than implementing an entire tech stack at once.

He further explained that siloed systems, inconsistent data, manual processes, and delayed or irregular data synchronization can cause lag and outdated information, while aging infrastructure can lead to maintenance issues related to backlogs and data gaps.

“It’s like having a command center at our fingertips.”

– Robert Young, Director of Transportation, Thomas County School District (Ga.)

Having true oversight over routing gives transportation managers the space to respond appropriately in any of the varied day-to-day situations they face, said Diego Crespo, Busology Tech’s director of onboard technology. He said a good routing solution will help staff visualize and optimize routes while utilizing full driver availability and communicating appropriately to parents.

“Enabling good, streamlined communication will avoid unnecessary frustration and have a positive impact on efficiency and safety,” he said.

Quick and reliable information equals safety and efficiency, he noted. He shared examples of how driver, parent and administration apps – when supplied with the correct information and continually updated – help keep tabs on what students need to go where and when, as well as reducing calls to transportation.

Crespo said the right technology for transportation should act as a “human force multiplier” so staff does not need to do repetitive or extra work. “Look for vendors who can help you get where you need to be today without losing sight of tomorrow,” he added.

School Districts Share Experiences

Dr. Frances Esparza, superintendent for Coachella Valley Unified School District in Southern California, shared that districts with large service areas can require a switch from a previous manual routing solution. She said Busology was chosen as an easy solution for Coachella Valley that all transportation staff are being trained on.

“We chose a company that was able to support our need because it was huge,” she said.

She agreed with Crespo that community understanding is key to a successful implementation, such as in the case of scanning students on the bus. This is currently done with RFID cards, but she said the district may switch to a more convenient QR code carried on students’ cellphones. In response to parental concerns, a routing technician will also be on standby to answer questions about bus arrival.

“Having a unified platform with Busology has been a gamechanger for us,” added Robert Young, director of transportation for Thomas County School District in Georgia. “It’s like having a command center at our fingertips. … We can respond faster, make more informed decisions, and support our drivers, parents and schools with greater confidence.”

He said a big draw for him was how technology has evolved and especially how parent communications provide transparency and ease of use. “Parents feel connected and informed – and in today’s world, that matters more than ever,” he added.

He confirmed that call volume and missed pickups have dropped significantly, freeing up staff to complete other essential tasks. “Saving time is something every director needs in their life,” he said.

As many staff members must take turns driving a school bus due to a driver shortage or outages, Young noted that it’s easier for substitute drivers to drive routes when all the information they need is readily made available. He added that AI tools can create routes with bus stop times and assign students to routes, which has saved time as staff deal with student rider changes.

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Related: (STN Podcast E252) Onsite at STN EXPO East in Charlotte: School Bus Technology Interviews
Related: Gallery: Ride & Drive Caps Day of Technology Demos, Green Energy Panels
Related: Innovative, Bus Technology Meet for Immersive Experience at STN EXPO East
Related: (STN Podcast E251) Making Safety Safer: Seatbelts, Technology, Training & Electric School Buses

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Melissa Beveridge, director of client services for Busology Tech, next discussed the benefits of using a single vendor for a seamless integration and workflow solution. It eliminates compatibility issues, allows for faster response times as transportation departments don’t have to wait for responses from various vendors, eliminates the need to spend money on many different tech solutions, provides a one-stop-shop for customer service, and frees up staff to focus on running operations and serving families.

Batasi and Beveridge noted that student information in the Busology platform is stored securely with updates quickly reflected and data hygiene made a priority.

Batasi extended an offer to listeners with over 20 buses in their fleets to get a custom roadmap from Busology based on their unique district operations and needs.

Watch the webinar on demand.

The post Districts Share How Unified Software Solution Simplifies School Bus Operations appeared first on School Transportation News.

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In September, California adopted a law that prohibits local governments from requiring voters to present identification to vote.

The law states that voter ID laws “have historically been used to disenfranchise” certain voters, including those of color or low-income.

The law says California ensures election integrity by requiring a driver’s license number or Social Security number at registration and verifying the voter’s signature with the voter’s registration form.

Voter ID supporters say requiring a photo ID helps prevent voter fraud and increases public confidence in elections.

California is among 14 states that don’t use voter ID. They verify voter identity in other ways, usually signature verification, according to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures. 

Wisconsin has required photo ID since 2016. On April 1, voters approved a referendum adding that requirement to the state constitution.

Elon Musk alluded to the California law during remarks March 30 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

• Statenet.com: 2023 CA S 1174
• Cal Matters: New California voter ID ban puts conservative cities at odds with state
• Cal Matters: SB 77: Voting: signature verification: notice.
• National Conference of State Legislatures: Voter ID Laws
• Wisconsin Watch: Has Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford opposed Wisconsin’s voter ID law?
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin voters approve referendum question, voter ID law now part of state constitution
• Wisconsin Watch: Wisconsin’s voter ID ballot question: Here’s what you need to know
• Forbes: Breaking News: Elon Musk Takes Question After Question At Town Hall Event In Green Bay, Wisconsin

Is it illegal in California to require identification to vote? is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Updated Western Solar Plan to guide responsible development in 11 Western states WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced an updated Western Solar Plan to help guide efficient and environmentally responsible solar energy permitting on public lands across the West. ?The plan will guide the siting of solar energy proposals in areas with fewer resource conflicts,  advance the nation’s growing clean energy economy, help lower energy costs …

The post Interior Department Finalizes Framework for Future of Solar Development on Public Lands appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.

Farm Foundation’s Meet Your Farmer podcast featured A.G. Kawamura in season 1, episode 4.

A.G. is a third-generation farmer in Southern California and operates Orange County Produce with his brother. He served as California Secretary of Agriculture from 2003 to 2010. He is founding chair of Solutions for Urban Agriculture, which grows produce for area food banks. He is involved in many other organizations, including as founding co-chair of Solutions from the Land, and with Farm Foundation as a Roundtable Fellow since 2011, and currently serving on the Farm Foundation Board of Directors. He also serves on the board of Western Growers.

In this episode, A.G. discusses what it means to be a landless farmer, his work to solve food insecurity, and some of the dynamics of the fresh produce industry that are not widely known.

Listen to the episode.

Music: “Country Roads” by Sergii Pavkin from Pixabay

Reach us at communication@farmfoundation.org.

The post Farm Foundation’s Meet Your Farmer Podcast with A.G. Kawamura appeared first on Farm Foundation.

By Joel Jaeger, Katrina McLaughlin, Lori Bird and Karl Hausker   Building a clean, reliable, cost-effective power grid will require many different types of energy. The bulk will come from solar and wind; but since these aren’t available 24/7, 365 days a year, they must be paired with a smaller amount of clean, “firm” power that’s always available when needed. …

The post Next-Generation Geothermal Can Help Unlock 100% Clean Power appeared first on Alternative Energy HQ.