Transit officials quickly rescinded a decision to halt public transit service in the city of Petersburg.

Wyatt Gordon reports on the ongoing effort at Petersburg Area Transit (PAT) to balance transit service with safety in the Tri-Cities region near Richmond in Virginia. PAT held the distinction of being the first transit agency in the nation to shut down service entirely, but the suspension of service only lasted a day.
"Despite taking a number of precautions that have become industry best practices during this pandemic such as eliminating fares, switching to backdoor boarding only, and separating bus operators from the public with plexiglass, PAT’s General Manager, Charles Koonce, still made the drastic decision to stop serving all riders as of last April 1 at 4:30 pm save for 12 people who rely on paratransit," reports Gordon.
Gordon provides a lot more detail on the thought process behind the decision to shut down the transit system, as well as the fallout from the decision for riders relying on the system for mobility.
Eventually, according to Gordon, state officials intervened and service reopened just 36 hours after it had been shut down.
FULL STORY: Bus service for one city in Virginia was completely shuttered for a day. Here’s what happened.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods
A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy
California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program
The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.
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