Author: Ethan Johnson

Efforts within the Sierra Leone government to kick-start the country's digital government drive are gaining momentum with the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) earlier this month signed an agreement with the Ministry of Communications, Technology and Innovation (MoCTI), laying the foundation for further partnership on data sharing to facilitate digital government transactions, NCRA said in a statement. The MoU is expected to mark a new beginning in how NCRA will work with government agencies to facilitate real-time identity verification, secure data exchange, and strengthening the overall digital service delivery framework “while…

In recent years, disagreement has arisen among the U.S. Courts of Appeals as to how courts should interpret the causation element of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) when an Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) violation serves as a predicate violation of the false claims law. United States v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.currently being reported by the government and Regeneron to the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (the “First Circuit”). Circuit Partitioning Context Federal circuits have generally split into two camps regarding the causation standard. The Sixth and Eighth Circuits have applied a restrictive “but for” causation standard, which requires…

In the recent election, Sturgis voters chose to move away from a mayor-directed system of city government, but the vote sent other ripples that the community is still grappling with.The community of Black Hills passed a resolution to move city government to an alderman system overseen by a mayor after a widely circulated petition had taken the issue to court.The city challenged the move, but a state Supreme Court ruling ultimately made the vote mandatory.The changes have come with changes within the city's executive branch, including the resignation of longtime Mayor Mark Carstensen and the appointment of City Council Member…

JAMES CITY — County officials are expected to report back to the Board of Supervisors on plans to build a new government center later this year or early next year, after which the board will decide whether to proceed with the project or drop it altogether.But for now, county officials are continuing to gather public input on the proposed project, Deputy County Administrator Brad Reinheimer said.The county has been discussing the need for a new government center to consolidate county services for the past few years. Last week, the county held a public information session to discuss the project, but…

With North Carolina government agencies still facing staffing shortages well above average, a new proposal to make it easier to recruit and retain employees within state government passed a key state Senate committee Tuesday.The effects of state government staffing shortages ripple through many areas of life in North Carolina.The high number of vacancies can also create extra costs, not just skyrocketing overtime costs, as some agencies hire private contractors to do work at a higher cost than it would cost if the state had enough staff.It also forces agencies to double the time and money spent training new hires, sometimes…

Innovation fellowship programs need to do more to ensure that graduates stay on in government jobs after their “assignments” end, a new report finds. Researcher Sarah Schacht's report used data she collected during her time at the Beek Center for Social Impact Innovation to review three programs aimed at engaging workers in public-good technology and innovation: Code for America (reviewed from 2011 to 2019), Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) (2012 to 2019), and Fuse Corps (2015 to 2019). These early programs created early indications of demand and pathways for engineers to work in the public sector. Overall, the report found that…

Spain's coalition government was divided on Tuesday over the government's pledge of 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, after a far-left minister described the amount as “very high.”Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez signed a security agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Madrid on Monday, which includes a commitment to provide Kyiv with 1 billion euros worth of military aid this year. The Spanish prime minister said this would “allow Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities, including its air defense systems, which are essential for protecting civilians, cities and infrastructure.” But Labor Minister Yolanda Diaz, leader of the far-left…

MILAN — The general manager of Milan's famed La Scala said a bittersweet farewell to the theater on Tuesday during the presentation of its 2024-25 season, saying he “would have been happy to continue.” As Meloni's government turns to Italians, La Scala's French manager puts theater on financial footing {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} Dominique Meyer's contract ends at the end of February, but Italy's far-right government has limited him to one term as it seeks to restore the historic cultural institution to the Italian people. The Frenchman was only the third foreigner to run Italy's premier opera house. Get exclusive…

Last summer, our media outlet exclusively reported on a major government scandal in Beaufort County, South Carolina, involving the town's two top appointed officials and the politicians who appointed them. “Several elected leaders overseeing this relentless misconduct appear more intent on covering it up than on asserting (or assuming) accountability,” I noted at the time. The headline accusation? Former Beaufort County Executive Eric Greenway He was fired from his job as a result of the scandal and wrongfully retaliated against the former county health director. Lisa Lynch After she rejected his romantic advances. “Be aware of what you're giving up…

EMMAUS, Pa. — When he became a ward councilman in 2019, John Hart found significant limitations in what local governments could do to pursue desirable projects.”Boroughs are not permitted by law to solicit donations for desirable projects outside of their tax budgets,” Hart said.So he began talking with Councillors Chris DeFrain and Chad Balliett to explore ways they could do more for the community outside of local government.Now Hart is heading up a new nonprofit group that brings together some familiar faces from Emmaus' political and business communities and aims to fund ambitious goals that local government alone can't achieve.…