Around the Local

Is Administration Losing Its War on Wind Power?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2026/01/21/trump-war-on-wind-setbacks

The Trump administration suffered three court losses last week in its campaign against offshore wind, as federal judges lifted stop-work orders on major projects. Industry advocates and even some oil industry figures have grown alarmed by the administration's anti-wind vendetta, which threatens to restrict power supply at a time when electricity demand is surging from data centers and other sources.

Hacking the Grid: How Digital Sabotage Turns Infrastructure Into A Weapon

https://theconversation.com/hacking-the-grid-how-digital-sabotage-turns-infrastructure-into-a-weapon-272874

The January 2026 blackout in Caracas during US military operations against Venezuela demonstrated how cyber warfare targeting industrial control systems has become a precision weapon in modern conflict. Experts warn that widespread adoption of insecure distributed energy resources like residential solar inverters creates decentralized vulnerabilities, while examples like Stuxnet, Industroyer, and Volt Typhoon show nation-states are actively pre-positioning within critical infrastructure networks.

Biz Mgr Ryerse Elected to Building Trades Post

https://rbj.net/2026/01/22/ray-ryerse-elected-rochester-building-trades-president

Ray Ryerse, business manager for IBEW Local 86, has been elected president of the Rochester Building Trades Council, succeeding Grant Malone who served for five years. Ryerse, a longtime advocate for registered apprenticeship programs and jobsite safety, will lead the council representing affiliated construction trade unions across the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region.

Lawsuit Against RIDE, Providence Schools Over Loan Forgiveness Program Continues

https://rhodeislandcurrent.com/2026/01/16/teachers-of-color-loan-forgiveness-program-is-over-not-lawsuit-against-ride-providence-schools/

RIDE and Providence schools filed responses claiming their Educators of Color Loan Forgiveness Program is now defunct, after a September DOJ lawsuit alleged the program discriminated against white teachers by offering up to $25,000 in student debt relief exclusively to teachers of color. Both defendants are seeking dismissal and requesting a jury trial.

From Head Start to Civil Rights, 8 Ways Administration Has Reshaped Education

https://www.the74million.org/article/from-head-start-to-civil-rights-8-ways-trump-reshaped-education-in-just-1-year/

The Trump administration has dramatically reshaped federal education policy in its first year through cuts to grants for deaf and blind students, rural teacher programs, and Wi-Fi hotspots, while closing five of ten Head Start regional offices, freezing billions in school funding, and redirecting civil rights enforcement away from equity programs toward investigations of diversity initiatives and transgender student policies.